Sunday March 7, 2010 Sabrina Walden

Theme: Diner Sandwiches - Familiar phrases wrapped around with letters BLT.

23A. *Site of illegal jobs?: BANK VAULT. I immediately thought of those meat factories where illegal immigrants are hired.

25. *Hit the roof: BLOW A GASKET

41A. *Not sportsmanlike: BELOW THE BELT

64A. *Unfamiliar subject: BLIND SPOT. Lots of blink spots for me on LAT Friday/Saturday puzzles.

87A. *Childbirth: BLESSED EVENT

109A. *Arena for illegal trading: BLACK MARKET. Hmm, two "illegal" references in the theme clues.

112A. *Easy way to win a game: BY DEFAULT. The other side fails to show up. How unsatisfying!

37D. *Checkup component: BLOOD COUNT

47D. *19-Across brand: BLUE BONNET. The only starred theme entry with food allusion. The cross-reference is OLEO (19A. Spread selection).

112D. Diner order found "sandwiched" around the answers to starred clues: BLT.

Today's puzzle was constructed by Rich Norris, editor of LA Times Daily Crossword. Sabrina Walden is just another of his pseudonyms, anagram of "Brand New Alias".

To those who are looking for food references after seeing the theme title, Rich gives us:

61A. Osso buco meat: VEAL

93A. Lunchroom staple, for short: PB AND J. I like peanut butter and honey.

119A. General __ chicken: TSO'S

15D. Sushi bar order: SASHIMI. Yummy, yummy.

83D. Sprinkling on French fries?: SEL. French for "salt".

86D. Sliced in thin strips: FINE CUT

The reason why unifying answer like today's BLT is usually placed at the end of the grid is because the constructors want solvers to enjoy the final "Aha" moments. But I always jump around and often obtain the unifier earlier on.

Today I got BLT rather quickly, and initially thought BLT might be sandwiched inside each theme phrase like Dan Naddor's "Heros Welcome", in which SUB is inserted in each theme entry. Had to re-read the clue for BLT after several theme entries emerged.

A few gnarly spots, but I enjoyed the solving (I really dread Saturday puzzles now). Always nice to read Rich's clues and his thinking unfiltered.

Across:

1. CBer's acknowledgment: COPY

9. Severe, as criticism: ACERB. Wanted HARSH.

14. Tests not for srs.: PSATS. For juniors.

20. Tug, say: BOAT. Tugboat.

21. Public commotion: FUROR

22. "Peter and the Wolf" bird: SASHA. Got it from crosses.

27. Compact summary: SYNOPSIS. So is aperçu.

28. Netflix delivery: VIDEO

29. Plate with five sides: HOME. Baseball home plate has five sides.

30. Irish-themed Vegas casino: O'SHEAS. Have never been to Vegas.

32. Board meeting VIP: SECY (Secretary)

33. Dived neatly (into): KNIFED. I don't get the clue.

35. Copyright pg. item: ISBN. Books.

38. Stars of old Rome?: ASTRA. Literally "stars" in Latin.

40. Oz creator: BAUM (L. Frank). "The Wizard of Oz". We also have the comic strip 72D. "The Wizard __": OF ID. Did you first pen in OF OZ also?

46. Awful: HORRIBLE

50. Newsworthy '90s jurist: ITO (Lance). O. J. Simpson trial judge.

51. Alabama rival: AUBURN. Their athletic teams is called Auburn Tigers.

52. Cruise stops: PORTS

54. Place to find loafers: SHOE STORES. Was thinking of the idle "loafers".

56. __ Alps: Eiger locale: BERNESE. And AARE (102A. Rhein feeder), which rises in the Bernese Alps. Also EUR (45D. Alps site).

58. Arles article: UNE. One.

59. Spreadsheet entry: DATUM.

60. Troubled: AILED

62. Holy, to René: SACRE. Sacre Coeur in Paris can make a man cry.

68. Exxon merger partner: MOBIL

69. Cyclo- ending: TRON. Cyclotron.

70. Where to see "The Sopranos" nowadays: A AND E. No problem parsing it today.

71. Boxer Marciano's birth name: ROCCO. Only know him as Rocky.

73. Country on the Rio de la Plata: Abbr.: URU (Uruguay). I was stumped.

74. Castle with a stone: BLARNEY. Blarney Stone.

77. Wildly excited: IN A FRENZY. Terrific entry.

81. "Gee!": MAN

82. Spanish poet García __: LORCA. Maybe a gimme for Clear Ayes. I don't know this fellow.

83. Arenas: STADIA. Have only used the plural stadiums.

84. Family tree word: NEE

85. Present: PUT FORTH. Of course I was in the gift "present" direction.

90. 500-mile race, briefly: INDY

91. Modesto winery name: GALLO. Did not know they are based in Modesto.

92. Yours, in Ypres: A TOI. Alliteration again. Ypres is a town in W Belgium. Who knows?

96. Unbending: FIRM

97. Bubbly brand that rhymes with an entrance chime: KORBEL. No idea. Wikipedia says it's founded by two Czechoslovakian brothers named Korbel.

103. How the confident do crosswords: IN INK. Ha ha, I do write in ink, though I need Wite-Out.

105. Ruffian: HOOLIGAN. I often associate this word with those unruly soccer fans in Britain.

113. Advantage: LEG UP

114. "Hollywood Nights" rocker Bob: SEGER

115. Wanton look: LEER

116. Expos, since 2005: NATS. Washington Nationals.

117. "Golden Boy" dramatist: ODETS (Clifford)

118. Irony, e.g.: TROPE

120. Chicago daily, familiarly: TRIB

Down:

2. Big name in skin care: OLAY. I love the smell of the Olay Original cream.

3. Philly school: PENN. Penn State. (Correction: It's University of Pennsylvania, thanks June & D.D.).

4. "Starpeace" musician: YOKO ONO. Surprised myself by getting the whole answer with just a few letters in place

5. Embarrass: ABASH

6. One of Donald Duck's nephews: LOUIE. Cheated on this one.

7. Ballroom dance: SALSA

8. Giant slugger: OTT (Mel)

9. Mil. jet locale: AFB (Air Force Base)

10. Drain: CULVERT. New word to me.

11. Beethoven's Third: EROICA. Originally dedicated to Napoleon.

12. Boisterous: ROWDY

13. Loch Lomond hill: BRAE. Learned from doing Xword.

14. Free TV spot: PSA

16. Want from: ASK OF

17. Central idea: THEME. BLT for today's puzzle.

18. Glutted: SATED

24. CEO's underlings: VPS

26. Amusement park attraction: GO KARTS

31. Sussex sword: SABRE. British spelling of "saber". Sussex is chosen for alliteration purpose.

32. Mo. town: STL. Nice play on Motown.

34. Care for: NURSE

35. Bird sacred to Tut: IBIS. I wonder why Egyptians consider ibis sacred, Al/MJ?

36. Genesis brother: SETH

39. Rep.'s counterpart: SEN

40. Bring to tears?: BORE. Bore to tears.

42. Refuse: WASTE

43. "The Nutcracker" garb: TUTU

44. Oppenheimer opposed it: H-BOMB

46. 1953 John Wayne film: HONDO. Nope. Here is the poster.

48. Maui neighbor: LANAI. The Pineapple Island.

49. ''The Girl Can't Help It'' actor Tom: EWELL. He's also in "The Seven Year Itch".

52. Scrub up, e.g.: PREP. In operation room I suppose.

55. Net: EARN

56. Fussbudget: BIDDY. Fussbudget is new to me.

57. Additional: ELSE

60. Ill-fated Boleyn: ANNE

61. Sotto __: softly: VOCE. Literally "voice" in Italian. Sotto = Under.

62. Confound: STUMP

63. Pianist Claudio: ARRAU. No idea. He's a Chilean pianist.

65. Durable wood: LARCH

66. Collector's suffix: IANA. As in Americana.

67. Sports headline item: TRADE

68. Jazz singer Carmen: MCRAE. Her name escaped me.

74. Like Dennis the Menace: BLOND. Did not know Dennis is blond.

75. Conrad novel: LORD JIM. See the book cover. Not in my memory file.

76. Chichi: ARTY

77. "Everything is fine": IT'S OK

78. __ in November: N AS. Not the rapper for a change.

79. Greek philosopher known for a paradox: ZENO. Zeno of Elea.

80. Himalayan legend: YETI

87. Beer server: BAR KEEP

88. Advanced legal deg.: LLM. Latin for "Lēgum Magister" (Master of Laws). Why two LL in the abbreviation?

89. Foster's prince: VALIANT. I was clueless. Comic strip "Prince Valiant". We often see ARN clued as "Prince Valiant's son".

91. __ biloba: claimed memory-enhancing extract: GINKGO. Does it work?

93. Artist Picasso: PABLO

94. In bundles: BALED

95. Very angry, after "in": A RAGE. In a rage.

96. One with an ax?: FIRER. Nailed it. One who gives others the ax (fires others).

98. "For sure!": OH YES

99. Where the big bucks are?: RODEO. I was thinking of money "big bucks".

100. Afrikaans speakers: BOERS

101. One of Santa's team: ELF

104. Tammany Hall caricaturist: NAST (Thomas). He created the GOP elephant and Democratic donkey as well.

106. Gum-producing plant: GUAR. It looks like this. The gum is from the seeds in those pods. Legume family.

107. Height: Pref.: ALTI. As in altitude.

108. U.S. accident investigator: NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board)

110. G.I. mess crews: KPS. KP - Kitchen Police.

111. Amount past due?: TRE. "Due" here is Italian for "two". Uno, due, tre. Can't fool me any more.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday March 6, 2010 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Total words: 72

Total blocks: 34

I'm guessing either FORT MCHENRY (23A. War of 1812 battle site) or the intersecting KEY BRIDGE (21D. Potomac span named for a poet, familiarly) is Barry's seed entry.

Wikipedia says Fort McHenry (in Baltimore) is named after James McHenry, Secretary of War under George Washington & John Adams. And it was during this bombardment of this fort that Francis Scott Key was inspired to write "The Star-Spangled Banner". Interesting Key connection in the crossing two clues.

It always delights me when the constructor weaves various clues together, like the below different bugs:

40A. Small bug: MITE

9D. Bugs: ANNOYS

50D. Really bugged: ATE AT

I struggled again today, despite the friendly help from various plural S answers. Some of the clues are just too tricky and certain answers out of my knowledge zone. INC (57D. Business issue) for example. I've never heard of the business magazine Inc. So my "Aha" moment came only after I googled post-solve.

Across:

1. Dramatic descents: SWOOPS

7. Down with relish: SCARF UP. Only familiar with "scarf down".

14. Adorns, as curtains: TASSELS. Verb here.

16. Grant: CONCEDE

17. Mike's Hard Lemonade, e.g.: ALCOPOP. From Alco(hol) + (soda)pop. New word to me.

18. Organs and such: INNARDS. Haggis really looks awful.

19. Health and Human Services agcy.: FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Was unaware that FDA belongs to the Dept. of Health and Human Services.

20. Start enjoying: TAKE TO

22. Stutz contemporary: REO

26. Coll. divisions: YRS

27. No matter what: AT ANY COST

29. 1970s CIA director, familiarly: BUSH SR. He was the CIA director from Jan 1976 to Jan 1977. Got me.

32. North Sea country: Abbr.: BEL (Belgium). I miss Christmas in Brussels.

33. "@&#^$%!," e.g.: OATH

37. Legalese, say: ARGOT. Jargon.

38. J and others: DRS. Drew a blank, even though I knew NBA's Dr. J.

39. "Laugh-In" regular: BUZZI. Have never heard of Ruth Buzzi. What a strange surname!

41. French pronoun: TOI. "You".

42. Send by wire: TAP OUT. Such an old feel.

43. Nightly news snippet: SOUND BITE. Great answer.

46. Stick (out): JUT

49. 1993 Dean Koontz best-seller: DRAGON TEARS. No idea. Here is the book cover.

53. "Until every one comes home" org.: USO (United Service Organizations)

54. Ingratiate: ENDEAR. To me, "ingratiate" has a negative connotation. Endear does not.

55. Honduras family member: TIA. Spanish for "aunt".

56. Portia's maid in "The Merchant of Venice": NERISSA. Man, I can't even remember Portia.

58. Not in over one's head: SOLVENT. So, "in over one's head" means "insolvent"?

61. Narrow window: TRANSOM. The one above the double door.

62. Like child's play: TOO EASY. Did not come to me readily.

63. Refuse collectors: ASH CANS

64. More prosperous: FATTER. I guess it's too sensitive to clue it as "chubbier".

Down:

1. Employees: STAFF

2. Literary middle name: WALDO. Ralph Waldo Emerson.

3. Prize since 1929: OSCAR. And SLOT CAR (6. Lionel creation of 1912). I like the year trivia in both clues.

4. Bear, in Bolivia: OSO. And PESO (13D. Cuban currency). Alliteration in both clues.

5. Sparkle: PEP

7. Math and others: SCIENCES. We see the abbreviated SCI too often.

8. Mastery: CONTROL

10. Company that developed TV's Indian Head Test Pattern: RCA. Unknown fact to me also.

11. Styx crosser: FERRY. Souls of the dead were ferried across Styx, a river in the underworld Hades.

12. Dairy container?: UDDER. The clue makes me smile.

15. Winningest baseball southpaw: SPAHN (Warren). Ah, I mentioned this trivia last time when he appeared in our puzzle. Total 363 wins. Hall of Famer.

24. Chevy SUVs: TAHOES

25. __ Helens, Wash.: MT ST

28. It may cover a spot: TOUPEE. I sure was not thinking of bald spot.

29. Emeril exclamation: BAM. Bam! Kick it up a notch! Emeril is sweet.

30. Ocean State sch.: URI (University of Rhode Island)

31. Pepper, e.g.: Abbr.: SGT. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" from the Beatles. Of course, I was thinking of salt & pepper.

34. __ dye: chemical coloring: AZO. Learned from doing crossword.

35. Shih __: Tibetan dog: TZU. Shih Tzu is Literally "lion" in Chinese. The complete name is Shih Tzu Kou. Kou = dog.

36. Successful: HIT. Successful is an adjective. Hit is a noun. How can they be equivalent?

38. Actor who often said, "Sorry about that, Chief": DON ADAMS. In "Get Smart". I peeked at the answer sheet.

39. Matted cotton sheet: BATT. New word to me.

41. Excites: TURNS ON

42. Inexpensive home protector: TIN ROOF. Ah, cat likes a hot one.

44. West Texas city named by Russians: ODESSA

45. Let out hot air?: BOAST. Nice clue.

46. Small ruling faction: JUNTA. Burma is ruled by the military junta.

47. Web browsers, e.g.: USERS

48. Ark contents: TORAH. The Torah cabinet ark, Not Noah's Ark.

51. Salon job: RINSE

52. Member of Dionysus' retinue: SATYR. The guy (left) with a perpetual erection. Part human, part goat, forever drinking & chasing nymph.

59. Long, on Niihau: LOA. Hawaiian for "long'. Niihau is island in Hawaii. Mauna Loa = Long Mountain.

60. Examine carefully: VET. Some of the vetting process goes too far.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday March 5, 2010 Gary J. Whitehead

Theme: M-ending - The last letter N of a three-letter word in a familiar phrase is changed into letter M.

17A. Suggestion to singer Lennox after a garlicky meal?: ANNIE GET YOUR GUM. Base phrase is the musical "Annie Get Your Gun". Singer Annie Lennox.

24A. Jamaican group winding down after a gig?: BAND ON THE RUM. "Band on the Run". Paul McCartney's song. Unknown to me. Jamaicans drink lots of rum? I don't understand the "Jamaican group" and RUM connection.

45A. Moocher at McDonald's?: HAMBURGER BUM. Hamburger Bun. Moocher = Bum.

58A. Feared words from an accountant?: HERE COMES THE SUM. "Here Comes the Sun". The Beatles' song.

Such a fun theme! Which is your favorite theme answer? ANNIE GET YOUR GUM made me laugh.

All our Friday puzzles seem to be letter addition/deletion/replacement. Rich Norris sure loves wordplay.

Maybe this constructor Gary J Whitehead is working on another puzzle with M to N replacement.

Across:

1. Bank statement no.: ACCT (Account)

5. The Miners of Conf. USA: UT EP (University of Texas, El Paso). Have never heard of Conference USA. Not a college sports fan.

9. One way to attend a party: STAG

13. Lincoln feature: BEARD

15. __ City: Baghdad suburb: SADR. Where Muqtada al-Sadr (al is Arabic for "the"), one of the most influential Iraqi religious/political figure, came from. Now exile in Iran.

16. Cook book: COMA. Robin Cook's thriller "Coma". I was fooled before.

20. Half of the Brady bunch, to Carol: STEPSONS. No idea. Have never seen "The Brady Bunch".

21. Clothes line?: CREASE. I bet Dennis nailed it. He loves ironing.

22. Samuel Johnson portraitist John __: OPIE. Cornish painter. Complete stranger to me. Here is his portrait of Samuel Johnson. The constructor must be very exited to discover a new clue for OPIE.

23. Traitors: JUDASES

28. "Yours truly calling": IT IS I

29. Downed: ATE

30. "Ditto": SAME

34. Warmup toss: LOB. Baseball. A pitcher will lob a few balls to get his arm loose.

35. City in Thessaly: LARISSA. Wikipedia says "Legend has it that Achilles was born here and Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, died here". Who knows?

39. "Oedipus __": REX. "Oedipus the King". Rex = "King" in Latin.

40. Sylvester's problem: LISP

42. Hägar creator Browne: DIK. Not on my radar.

43. Roman moon goddess: DIANA. "Greek moon goddess" = Artemis.

49. Acid neutralizers: ALKALIS

52. Outer area of an escutcheon: ORLE. Heraldry term. The border of shield. I did not know the meaning of "escutcheon", Latin for "shield".

53. Afternoon service: TEA SET

54. Fragments: SNIPPETS

60. Frankfurt's river: ODER. The Poland-Germany border river. Flows to the Baltic.

61. Canceled: NO GO. At NASA.

62. Emcee's job: INTRO

63. Nos. divided by dashes: SSNS

64. He played Obi-Wan: EWAN (McGregor). Gimme. Just listened to his interview with Terry Gross on "Fresh Air". Also learned the Sadr City from Terry.

65. Strong taste: TANG

Down:

1. "__ le roi!": French Revolution cry: A BAS. Literally "down with" in French. I wonder if anyone recklessly penned in VIVE without reading carefully the "Revolution cry".

2. Tiny amount: CENT. The answer is always IOTA.

3. Mr. Peanut prop: CANE

4. Surveyors' tools: TRIPODS

5. Online newsgroup system: USENET

6. Does lacework: TATS

7. Eponymous ice cream maker: EDY. Edy's Ice Cream.

8. Gets by special means: PROCURES. Great entry.

9. Roller coaster sounds: SCREAMS

10. Senate apparel: TOGAS. Roman Senate.

11. Tickle pink: AMUSE

12. Fun partner: GAMES. Fun and games. I blanked.

14. Pillage: DESPOIL. New word to me. Looks like the opposite of "spoil", doesn't it?

18. "__ Out of My Head": 1964 hit: GOIN'. Here is the clip.

19. Language heard in Karachi: URDU. One of the official Pakistani languages. Written in Arabic alphabet.

23. Flies, in a way: JETS

24. Law in the works: BILL. Once a bill passes the Congress and is signed by the president, it becomes a law.

25. Paris possessive: A TOI. French for "yours".

26. Writing points: NIBS. Pen points.

27. 17-syllable poem: HAIKU. The three-line poem.

31. Libyan, probably: ARAB

32. You might get one right after being seated: MENU. D'oh! Of course.

33. Checkup: EXAM

36. Ticket order?: ADMIT ONE. The "order" confounded me.

37. Barbecue order: RIBS

38. Long Island university: ADELPHI. No idea. Where did it get its name?

41. Sci-fi weapons: PHASERS

44. Words of atonement: I REPENT

46. Baldwin of "30 Rock": ALEC. He's going to co-host this year's Oscar with Steve Martin.

47. Recent Zippo acquisition: RONSON. Not familiar with Ronson lighter. I like that threesome ad.

48. Gumption: GRIT

49. Oldest musketeer: ATHOS. Was ignorant of this trivia. The other two are Porthos & Aramis.

50. It's on the Aire: LEEDS. Was unaware of River Aire, which passes through Leeds. Nice play on "It's on the air".

51. Carpenter with a soothing voice: KAREN. My husband loves Karen Carpenter.

54. Nintendo rival: SEGA. It stands for SErvice GAmes (of Japan).

55. This, in Tijuana: ESTA. Or ESTO.

56. Make a right, say: TURN

57. Industrial pollutant: SMOG

59. Cut: MOW. Cut the grass.

Answer grid.

I enjoyed the Sausage Sentence Links yesterday, thanks for playing!

C.C.

Thursday March 4, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: WORD CHAIN - The end of each theme answer and the start of the next consecutive one forms a common word/phrase. The whole chain series is completed by the last word of the last theme answer & the first word of the first theme answer, as indicated by the color codes.

18A. *Place to keep supplies: STOREROOM

20A. *Target at the start of a point, in tennis: SERVICE COURT

30. *Patient record: CASE HISTORY

43A. *Jump around on the sofa?: CHANNEL SURF

52A. *Flying need: BOARDING PASS

57A.*The answers to the starred clues (including this one) form a continuous one -its connections are created by the end of one answer and the start of the next: WORD CHAIN

The words/phrases formed from the word chains are: ROOM SERVICE; COURT CASE; HISTORY CHANNEL; SURFBOARDING, PASSWORD & CHAIN STORE.

Hey gang, it's Dennis. I'm honored to have been asked to blog this puzzle, as it's from our late friend Dan. Very much a fun puzzle, with clever cluing and a theme that should bring back some memories for us.

Back in September last year we were playing a Sausage Sentence Link game on the blog. In our game, the starting letter of your sentence had to be the same as the ending letter of the prior poster's. Dan enjoyed our game so much that he made a special comment on a non-Dan Naddor puzzle day. Here is what he said:

"Hi everyone. I couldn't help but notice the fun you folks are having with your Sausage Link sentences. Especially the "spicy" links. Anyway, I thought you'd like knowing Rich N. recently approved a puzzle of mine that will remind you very much of your SL game. File this message under "coming attractions" (and I'm sure that phrase will get play, too, right?)"

I feel like this one's just for us. Hard to believe it's been over two months since Dan passed away. Still think about him every time I do a puzzle.

Across:

1. Ricochet: CAROM. This guy is either incredibly lucky or incredibly unlucky.

6. 1040EZ issuer: IRS. I love the IRS. No finer organization in the world. Yep, they're the best.

9. Bump off: WHACK. Right on the heels of 'thwack' this week.

14. Single-handed: ALONE

16. Controversially, Jane Fonda visited it in 1972: HANOI. And unfortunately, they let the bitch leave.

17. Check, as a bill: RE-ADD

22. Nickelodeon explorer: DORA.

23. Start of a basic piano lesson scale: CDE. Do, re, mi. I'm sure the musicians here can explain this one better than I.

24. Head, slangily: NOB. Nope. Not gonna go there. But you know.

27. Asia's __ Darya river: AMU. Here.

33. Ore-Ida morsel: TATER TOT. Ah yes, a fine epicurean meal, with melted cheese and sour cream. And check these out!

35. Golden __: AGER. Defined as "an elderly and often retired person usually engaging in club activities."

36. Exchange: TRADE. I do it all the time with sports cards. Just like being a kid again.

37. Hide-hair connector: NOR. Hide nor hair (a trace).

39. Old way to get a number: DIAL O. Pre-buttons, pre-411.

40. "I don't want to be remembered for my tennis accomplishments" speaker: ASHE. One of my favorite Ashe quotes: "True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. "

41. At 41, Kipling was the youngest one ever in his field: NOBELIST. He also turned down knighthood. Another Kipling reference is KIM (13D. Kipling's young spy). In the novel of the same name.

47. Society-page word: NEE.

48. Kal __: pet food: KAN. Been around since 1936; they initially operated as a horse-kill enterprise, owned by a Californian who bred thoroughbreds and promoted race horses.

49. Actress Longoria: EVA. Nothing desperate about her.

50. New Mexico art colony: TAOS. Is Taos the only art colony in New Mexico?

60. Order-restoring tool: GAVEL. And Harry Anderson used it well.

61. São __, Brazil: PAULO. Largest city in Brazil.

62. Homer's bartender: MOE.

63. Twin Cities suburb: EDINA. Just southwest of Minneapolis.

64. When some nightly news shows begin: AT TEN.

65. Next yr.'s alums: SRS.

66. Prepared: READY.

Down:

1. Traffic causes?: CARS. Great clue.

2. Sheltered, at sea: ALEE.

3. Pride warning: ROAR.

4. Like Netflix flicks: ON DVD. Or streaming right to your computer. Anyone doing this?

5. So-so: MEDIOCRE. Not a good way to be.

6. Available and fresh: IN SEASON. Some melons are always in season.

7. Coll. drillers: ROTC

8. Kiss: SMOOCH. Pucker up!

9. "__ the beef?": WHERE'S. Right here, Clara.

10. Stag: HART.

11. "Is that __?": A NO.

12. Loving murmur: COO.

19. Designer Gernreich: RUDI. Famous for inventing both the topless swimsuit and the thong swimsuit. And no Nobel Prize for him??

21. Demo ending?: CRAT. Ending of the word Democrat. I can hear the groaning already.

24. Result of an unsuccessful football play, perhaps: NO GAIN.

25. End of a threat: OR ELSE.

26. One way to learn: BY ROTE.

27. Go after: ATTACK.

28. Actress Mason: MARSHA. What's your favorite performance of hers? I thought she was great in "The Goodbye Girl", and in a multi-episode arc in "Frasier" as John Mahoney's girlfriend.

29. Jazz fan?: UTAHAN. Utah Jazz (NBA).

31. Stiff collars: ETONS.

32. Shadow: TAIL.

34. Paradise: EDEN. This will have to do for me, for the next week or so, anyway. Assuming I won't need a freaking parka.

38. Stand-up acts: ROUTINES.

39. Windshield-clearing aid: DEFOGGER.

42. __ muffin: BRAN.

44. Many an ex-lib: NEOCON. Neoconservative. Ex-lib = Ex-liberal.

45. Cole Porter's "Well, Did You __?": EVAH. From "High Society".

46. St. Louis NFLers, previously: LA RAMS. Never understood why they didn't make it in LA.

51. Black card: SPADE. Deck of cards.

52. Roof shingles unit: Abbr.: BDLE. Short for "bundle', of course, which is how they're packaged and sold.

53. Christian name?: DIOR. Christian Dior. The fashion designer.

54. Sports shoe brand: AVIA. Latin for "fly". An underrated brand - they make an excellent sneaker.

55. iPhone command: SEND.

56. More than amuse: SLAY. We saw this not too long ago, remember?

57. FDR program: WPA. The Works Progress (or Projects) Administration - it employed millions to work on Public Works projects.

59. Dirt road feature: RUT.

Hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did.

Answer grid.

Dennis

Wednesday March 3, 2010 Ken Bessette

Theme: The Ayes Have It - The last word of each theme answer rhymes with "ayes".

17A. Fibs: LITTLE WHITE LIES. IES spelling.

25A. Seductive peepers: BEDROOM EYES. YES variation. Or is it eyes?

45A. Like large cereal boxes: ECONOMY SIZE. IZE form.

57A. 1963 Elvis hit with the lyrics "You look like an angel ... but I got wise": DEVIL IN DISGUISE. ISE alteration.

Any more long "I" spelling alternatives? I've never heard of Elvis' song "Devil in Disguise". Man, he looks so handsome in that clip.

This puzzle reminded me of Dan Naddor's "Great Food" puzzle. All theme answers end with /ood/ pronunciation, different spellings of course: CAME UNGLUED, POOH-POOHED, FRESHLY BREWED, BUMMER, DUDE, TAKE-OUT FOOD.

Today's is our third Ken Bessette since the TMS switch in March 2009. I enjoyed very much his last STOUT puzzle, in which STOUT is clued as "Heavy brew, and a clue to this puzzle's theme and ST is cut out from all the theme phrases. Very clever interpretation of ST OUT.

When did you catch the theme? I did not glom onto it until I completed the grid.

Across:

1. Hit bottom?: SIDE B. D'oh, hit record. Got me immediately.

6. Irritate: MIFF

10. Excessive elbow-benders: SOTS. Did not know "elbow-benders" means heavy drinkers.

14. Put down: ABASE

15. Sandy color: ECRU

16. World's largest furniture retailer: IKEA. True!

20. Author LeShan: EDA (Thanks, Hahtool!)

21. "Bad" cholesterol letters: LDL. The "good" one is HDL.

22. Scrooge creator: DICKENS (Charles)

23. The first film it aired was "Gone with the Wind": TCM (Turner Classic Movies). Unaware of this trivia.

24. Inauguration Day events: GALAS. I bet there were a few went uninvited at Obama's Inauguration galas.

32. A car with this is often easier to resell: ONE OWNER

33. What quibblers split: HAIRS. Split hairs.

35. Asian on the Enterprise bridge: SULU. Played by George TAKEI, who was just in our crossword the other day. Enterprise is the ship in "Star Trek".

36. Deadens: DAMPS

39. Spanish hand: MANO. Mano-a-mano (one on one) is literally "hand to hand". I used to think it's "man to man".

40. Seagoing mil. training group: NROTC (Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps)

42. Montgomery native: ALABAMAN. Who are the most famous Alabamans?

44. His, to Henri: SES. His or her or its.

48. Online suffix with Net: SCAPE. Netscape. Belongs to AOL. Does anyone actually still use Netscape as browser?

49. Some dashes: ENS. Sometimes it's EMS.

50. Like test papers awaiting grading: IN A PILE. Nice answer, though PILE appears in the clue for AMASS (34D. Pile up)

53. __ chi ch'uan: TAI. Chinese martial art. Cantonese spelling. Mandarin Chinese is Tai Ji Quan. Very scrabbly.

54. Swell, slangily: FAB

61. Signaled backstage, perhaps: CUED

62. "The Da Vinci Code" star: HANKS (Tom). I liked the book more.

63. Shake, as a police tail: LOSE

64. TV's tiny Taylor: OPIE. Another triple alliteration.

65. Typical O. Henry ending: TWIST.

Down:

1. Black Friday store event: SALES. Mayhem!

2. Term paper abbr.: IBID. "Ditto".

3. Excel input: DATA

4. Part of i.e.: EST. Latin "id est" (i.e.).

5. Easily heard herd leader: BELL COW. We also have MAA (29. Barnyard sound). So many lambing in Windhover's farm. Ewe got to be kidding.

6. Feeble cry: MEWL. Baby cry.

7. German "I": ICH. Ich liebe dich.

8. "Dragnet" sergeant: FRIDAY. Sergeant Friday.

9. Useless: FUTILE

10. Jockey's wear: SILKS. Light.

11. Steinbeck migrant: OKIE

12. Suffix with four, six, seven and nine: TEEN. Felt silly not getting the answer immediately.

13. Say freshly: SASS

18. __ Dantès, the Count of Monte Cristo: EDMOND. One of my favorite books.

19. PayPal "currency": E-CASH

23. Brook fish: TROUT. Freshwater fish.

24. On point: GERMANE. Don't see this word in grid often.

25. Cap'ns' subordinates: BO'S'NS. Boatswains. The warrant officers (warship) or petty officers (merchant ship). Never know where to put those apostrophes.

26. Make used (to): ENURE

27. Apollo's birthplace, in Greek myth: DELOS. Birthplace of Artemis too, since they are twins.

29. Home of the Hurricanes: MIAMI. The University of Miami sports team.

30. Cuban-born TV producer: ARNAZ (Desi). Husband of Lucille Ball.

31. United: AS ONE

37. Mideast political gp.: PLO

38. No different from, with "the": SAME AS

41. De Beers founder Rhodes: CECIL. Founder of the Rhodes Scholarship as well. I wonder why he named the company "De Beers".

43. When "They Drive," in a 1940 Raft/Bogart film: BY NIGHT. I've never seen "They Drive By Night". I spotted our crossword stalwart Ida Lupino.

46. Cat of many colors: CALICO. Many colors indeed. The clue is a play on "Coat of many colors", the clothes Joseph owned.

47. Demand from a door pounder: OPEN UP. Frightening!

48. Vindictiveness: SPITE

50. Superstar: IDOL

51. Pixar clownfish: NEMO. "Finding Nemo".

52. Alamo competitor: AVIS. Car rental.

53. Ocean motion: TIDE

54. Done, to Dumas: FINI. Another alliteration.

56. "__ in Show": BEST

58. __ gratia: by the grace of God: DEI. So easy to confuse "Dei gratia" with "Deo gratias (thanks to God").

59. Mich.-based labor group: UAW (United Automobile Workers)

Congratulations to our LAT constructor Fred Jackson for his Newsday debut today.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Insurance - The first word of the theme entries is related to insurance.

17A: Government declaration of its intentions: POLICY STATEMENT.

25A: Vietnam War defoliant: AGENT ORANGE.

43A: Gold Rush villain: CLAIM JUMPER.

55A: High-octane fuel: PREMIUM GASOLINE.

Argyle here. Ugh! This reminds me my auto coverage is due this month.

I am curious as to how the theme was chosen. I mean Donna did a good job and the insurance meaning of the target words is different from their use in the phrases and it did take me awhile to grok the theme, but still.... You might consider STATEMENT as a bonus word but it doesn't jump out as a related word.

Another low count of three letter fill and stale crosswordese.

Across:

1A: Palindromic title: MADAM.

6A: Ashen: PALE.

10A: Interrupter of a bad act, on an old game show: GONG. From the Seventies. Plenty of clips on YouTube. Remember Gene, Gene, the Dancing Machine and The Unknown Comic? (He performed with a paper bag over his head.)

14A: Word after horse or soap: OPERA.

15A: Elvis __ Presley: ARON.

16A: Mayberry kid: OPIE.

20A: Prefix with gram: EPI. EPIGRAM - A witty saying tersely expressed. Great for Twitter.

21A: Modest shelters: HUTS. Almost time to get these HUTS off the lake.

22A: Madison Square Garden et al.: ARENAS.

23A: Variety of lily: SEGO.

24A: 1998 animated bug movie: ANTZ. With the voices of Woody Allen, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft.

29A: Speed Wagon maker: REO. Ransom E. Olds.

32A: Velma's rival in "Chicago": ROXIE. Together.

33A: Chat room chuckle: LOL.

34A: Detained at the precinct: HELD.

35A: Electrical network: GRID. Is this your original clue, Donna? Not crossword related?

36A: Pigs and hogs: SWINE.

38A: Etcher's need: ACID.

39A: Leer at: OGLE.

40A: Scepter's partner: ORB. Scepter and ORB with crown.

41A: Emulate Cicero: ORATE.

42A: Betty Ford, __ Bloomer: NEE. Born in Chicago(1918) to William and Hortense Bloomer.

46A: Jockey's tool: WHIP.

47A: Hearing requirements: EARS.

48A: Displaying buoyancy: AFLOAT.

51A: Periodic table no.: AT. WT.. Atomic Weight

52A: Protrude, with "out": JUT.

58A: Having all one's marbles: SANE.

59A: Rotary phone feature: DIAL.

60A: 1988 film farce fish: WANDA. Triple alliteration.

61A: School on the Thames: ETON.

62A: Bobbles the ball: ERRS.

63A: Taboos: NO-NOS.

Down:

1D: Sulk: MOPE.

2D: Each: A POP.

3D: Supermarket section: DELI.

4D: "Entourage" agent Gold: ARI. Entourage is an American comedy-drama on HBO. The series was created by Doug Ellin and chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase, a young A-list film star. ARI Gold (Jeremy Piven) is Vince's abrasive but lovable agent. The role has led to several nominations and Emmy Awards for Piven.

5D: Bushwhacker's tool: MACHETE.

6D: Congregation leader: PASTOR.

7D: Humanities: ARTS.

8D: Mauna __: LOA.

9D: Involve, as in a sticky situation: ENTANGLE.

10D: Morticia's mate: GOMEZ. The Addams Family. The family that the cartoons, movies, games, and television shows have been based on.

11D: Bid one club, say: OPEN.

12D: "Project Runway" judge Garcia: NINA. An American reality television series on Lifetime Television, focused on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. NINA.

13D: Understands: GETS.

18D: '80s-'90s Serbian auto import: YUGO.

19D: One-named Deco designer: ERTÉ. Romain de Tirtoff was a Russian-born French artist and designer known by the pseudonym Erté, the French pronunciation of his initials, R.T..

23D: Insinuating: SNIDE.

24D: Soon, to the bard: ANON.

25D: Fluorescent bulb gas: ARGON.

26D: Stuff (oneself) with food: GORGE.

27D: "The Man Without a Country" hero, for one: EXILE. "The Man Without a Country" is a short story by American writer Edward Everett Hale, first published anonymously in the Atlantic Monthly in December 1863. The novel is the story of American army lieutenant Philip Nolan, who renounces his country during a trial for treason and is consequently sentenced to spend the rest of his days at sea without so much as a word of news about the United States. I can remember hearing an adaptation of it on the radio in my youth.

28D: Suspect's excuse: ALIBI.

29D: Sports show summary: RECAP.

30D: Upper echelon: ELITE.

31D: More strange: ODDER.

34D: Injures: HARMS.

36D: Isolation: SOLITUDE.

37D: Sandwich in a tortilla: WRAP. I'm not sure the clue is worded correctly; maybe Sandwich made from a tortilla would be better?

41D: Thornton Wilder classic: "OUR TOWN".

43D: Spiced Indian beverage: CHAI. And 54D: 43-Down et al.: TEAS.

44D: Gold and silver: METALS.

45D: Shark flick: "JAWS".

46D: Part of NOW: WOMEN.

48D: Church recess: APSE.

49D: Toga party setting: FRAT. Animal House.

50D: Jay seen at night: LENO.

51D: Culture medium: AGAR.

52D: Arabian folklore spirit: JINN. (Genie)

53D: Reverse: UNDO.

56D: Space station for about 15 years: MIR.

57D: Vientiane native: LAO. Vientiane is the capital city of Laos.

Answer grid.

Happy one-year Crossword Corner commenting anniversary to Frank, KQ & Andrea!

Argyle

Monday, March 1, 2010 Jeff Chen

Theme: Drop Down Menu - The word FALL (57D: Drop down, and apt word that can follow the last words of 4-, 8-, 15- and 28-Down) can be added to the last word of each descending theme entry to form a common word.

4D: "Cutting to the chase ...": "...LONG STORY SHORT". SHORTFALL. Not meeting expectations.

8D: "The Price Is Right" signature phrase: "...COME ON DOWN". The phrase comes from the TV game show where guessing the wrong price is a contestant's DOWNFALL. A regretable DOWN/down (57D clue) duplication.

15D: Going nowhere: DEAD IN THE WATER. You're going to go somewhere if you go over a WATERFALL.

28D: Like here-today-gone-tomorrow businesses: FLY BY NIGHT. They might FLY(flee) under the darkness of NIGHTFALL

Argyle here.

I hope this is a taste of what is to come this week. Sweet! It is a different look with all the themes dropping down. Very vivid FALL visual.

I considered EDEN (12D: Notable 57-Down site) a cross-referenced bonus, even though it's symmetrically placed opposite FALL in the grid. I am somewhat vertically challenged at recognizing down words but had no trouble today.

We last saw our constructor on Friday July 3, 2009. I wouldn't mind seeing more of his work. Only 8 three letter entries...and how about that THWACK? Not much to comment on so I linked a few songs. Enjoy!

Across:

1A: Word-of-mouth: ORAL.

5A: Plastic clog footwear brand: CROCS. Do they make boots?

10A: Before: Pref.: PRE.

13A: Quash, as a bill: VETO.

14A: Fathered: BEGOT.

15A: Monopoly card with a mortgage value: DEED.

16A: Mary Kay rival: AVON.

17A: Alabama march city: SELMA.

18A: Sea eagle: ERNE.

19A: Breathing organs: LUNGS.

21A: Finely sharpened: KEEN. We have seen a second meaning related to a wailing lament.

22A: Long, long time: AEON.

23A: Playground piece that has its ups and downs: SEESAW. Another down duplication.

25A: Caught 40 winks: DOZED.

27A: Relieved end-of-the-week cry: TGIF.

29A: Country west of Botswana: NAMIBIA. And 68A: Ivory Coast neighbor: GHANA. Both are on the west coast of Africa.

33A: Jackson 5 brother: TITO. TITO today.

36A: Musher's transport: SLED. (Dogsled)

38A: Traffic tangle: SNARL.

39A: Cold War empire: Abbr.: USSR.

40A: Compulsive fire starters, informally: PYROS. (Pyromaniacs)

42A: Lobster catcher: TRAP.

43A: Has (an audience) rolling in the aisles: SLAYS.

45A: Wail: BAWL.

46A: Coop group: HENS.

47A: Provider of kisses?: HERSHEY. Um,m,m,m

49A: Cyrano had a big one: NOSE.

51A: Reddish-orange dye: HENNA.

53A: Hit with a paddle: THWACK. Five consonants!

57A: Stereotypical dog name: FIDO.

60A: __ the lily: overembellish: GILD. Shakespeare wrote: “To gild refined gold, to paint the lily," but the years have cut out the middle, leaving just "to gild the lily".

62A: International Court of Justice site, with "The": HAGUE.

63A: Allege as fact: AVER.

64A: Radiant: AGLOW.

66A: Word after duct or ticker: TAPE.

67A: Time for fasting: LENT.

69A: Bad to the bone: EVIL. George. "He's bad, but he's not EVIL."

70A: D-Day craft: LST. Landing Ship, Tank (LST).

71A: Early anesthetic: ETHER.

72A: Cincinnati team: REDS. (Baseball)

Down:

1D: Egg shapes: OVALS.

2D: Variety show: REVUE.

3D: Make amends (for): ATONE.

5D: "The Amazing Race" network: CBS.

6D: Smell really bad: REEK.

7D: Leered at: OGLED.

9D: Poem part: STANZA.

10D: Pierre's pop: PÉRE. Alliteration again.

11D: "The Biggest Little City in the World": RENO. And 41D: 11-Down machine: SLOT.

20D: Drop in the middle: SAG.

24D: Thin smoke trail: WISP.

26D: There are three in "mommy": EMS.

30D: In the buff: BARE.

31D: Shah's land, once: IRAN.

32D: Swiss peaks: ALPS.

33D: Buttocks, in slang: TUSH. ZZ Top

34D: Bermuda, e.g.: ISLE.

35D: Old Russian despot: TSAR.

37D: Pitching stat: ERA.

44D: Ship, to its captain: SHE.

48D: Interlock, as gears: ENGAGE.

50D: "Quiet!": "SHH!".

52D: Koran deity: ALLAH.

54D: Tequila source: AGAVE.

55D: Deity with a bow and arrow: CUPID.

56D: Topples (over): KEELS.

58D: Singer Burl: IVES.

61D: Finished: DONE.

65D: Original Cabinet department renamed Defense in 1949: WAR.

Answer grid.

Argyle