Sunday March 14, 2010 Don Gagliardo

Theme: Why Not - The ending letter Y in each familiar phrase is dropped off.

23A. Attire at the UN?: WORLD WEAR(Y)

25A. Loaner policeman?: COURTESY COP(Y). I see one more untrimmed Y.

40A. Final step in a marksman's manual?: FIRE WHEN READ(Y). When ready, yes. WHEN READ confused me.

53A. Fairway shot that goes in the hole?: DRAMATIC IRON(Y). Golfers use irons when approaching the green from fairway. I always say iron shot, not just iron.

71A. Autograph candy for the Halloween visitor?: SIGN A TREAT(Y)

74A. Lawyer's sure thing?: MIGHTY CASE(Y). Mighty Casey from the great baseball poem "Casey at the Bat". One more untrimmed Y in MIGHTY.

87A. "Grey's Anatomy" leading man?: CLINICAL STUD(Y). This clue made me laugh.

102A. Unexpected piece in a chicken order?: SURPRISE PART(Y). Why "chicken order"?

119A. Russian rodent's approval?: GROUNDHOG DA(Y). Da is Russian for "yes". We often see NYET ("no") in our puzzles.

122A. Dentistry expo?: TOOTH FAIR(Y)

I liked how Don lopped off each Y at the end of each theme entry, very clear and consistent theme pattern.

After glancing at the theme title, I grokked immediately that letter Y might be cut off from theme entries. Just not sure where. So clever interpretation & application of "Why Not".

This puzzle is simpler in concept than Dan Naddor's "Why, Yes!" Sunday puzzle we had last October. Dan inserted Y sound in familiar phrases and it took me some effort to understand his gimmick due to my poor grasp of English pronunciations.

Very pleasant solving. I was engaged and had fun. A couple of question marked clues did confound me.

Across:

1. Heathrow landers until 2003, briefly: SSTS. The best SSTS clue I've seen is "Retired boomers?".

5. Cookbook meas.: TBSP. And BASIL (22. Pesto herb). Food items are always welcome!

9. Hunt down: TRACE

14. "All Day Strong" medication: ALEVE. Advil has 5 letters too.

20. Discipline: AREA

21. Tranquil disciplines: YOGAS. Nice consecutive "discipline" clue echo.

27. Ontario-born hockey legend: ORR (Bobby)

28. Suffix with Capri: OTE. Capriote.

29. Film doctor with 7 faces: LAO. "7 Faces of Dr. Lao".

31. River of Germany: EDER. ODER is also a German river.

32. Scale sequence: SO LA. And FAS (116. Followers of mis).

33. Tolkien ringbearer: FRODO. "The Lord of the Rings".

35. National park near Springdale, Utah: ZION. Have you been there?

37. Blastoff follower: ASCENT. Had a brain freeze.

39. Abode: Abbr.: RES (Residence)

43. Liqueur in a godfather cocktail: AMARETTO. Easy guess. The other ingredient is Scotch.

45. Rope loops: NOOSES

46. Hoot: RIOT

48. '60s-'70s hot spot: NAM (Vietnam)

49. B'way sellout sign: SRO (Standing Room Only)

52. Barre move: PLIE. Barre is the ballet handrail.

58. Peerage member: EARL

60. Rajiv's mother: INDIRA (Gandhi). Both assassinated.

62. "Boola Boola" singer: ELI. "Boola Boola" is Yale's fighting song.

63. Pull up stakes, slangily: RELO

64. Dolts: IDIOTS

66. Uncertain word: MAY

67. __ about: meddles: NOSES

70. Enero, e.g.: MES. Spanish for "months".

76. Longtime Tom Petty label: MCA (Music Corporation of America). Now belongs to the Universal. Got me.

78. Sch. that had a Roger Williams Dining Center: URI (University of Rhode Island). Have never heard of Roger Williams.

79. "Swan Lake" swan: ODETTE. Peeked at the answer sheet.

80. Pet food brand: IAMS. Named after the founder Paul Iams.

82. 401, in old Rome: CDI

83. Five-time speed skating gold medalist Eric: HEIDEN. His name escaped me.

86. Neutral hue: ECRU

91. Rainbow goddess: IRIS

93. Sam-I-Am's meat: HAM. Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham".

94. Digital comm. method: ASL (American Sign Language). Of course I was thinking of the electronic digital rather than my fingers.

95. FEMA part: Abbr.: EMER

96. Quixote's squire Panza: SANCHO. Sancho Panza. He has an impossible dream too.

98. Some cigarette boxes: FLIP-TOPS

107. Terhune dog: LAD. "Lad, A dog". Stumped me.

108. Quick court contest: ONE SET. Tennis court.

110. Multi-talented Danny: KAYE

111. First name in fragrances: ESTEE

112. Bird that probes mud for food: IBIS. Oh, good to know.

114. Scatter supreme: ELLA (Fitzgerald). Scatter made me think of "disperse" rather than one who scats.

115. Scribble (down): JOT

118. Little amphibian: EFT. Little newt.

125. Corner: HEM IN

126. Hi-fi pioneer Fisher: AVERY. Stranger to me.

127. Mark's successor: EURO. German mark.

128. Pres. Carter's alma mater: USNA. Only know Sen. McCain went there.

129. Flavor: TASTE

130. Frawley role: MERTZ (Fred). Ethel's husband in "I Love Lucy". Played by William Frawley. Blind spot for me.

131. Tease: RIDE. Was ignorant of this meaning.

132. English horn, e.g.: REED

Down:

1. Said "Bon voyage!" to: SAW OFF

2. "Edda" author __ Sturluson: SNORRI. He penned "The Prose Edda (or Younger Edda). Nobody to me.

3. Holy one?: TERROR. Holy terror! I wrote down TOLEDO, Jazzbumpa.

4. N.L. cap letters: STL. St. Louis Cardinals.

5. Verb for Tweety: TAWT. The Tweety Bird.

6. Arrives casually: BREEZES IN

7. Vast expanse: SEA

8. Settee settings: PARLORS. I love the sound of the clue.

9. Big name in little trains: TYCO. Now part of Mattel.

10. Milne baby: ROO. Kanga's baby in "Winnie-the-Pooh".

11. Fits of fever: AGUES

12. Bygone library feature: CARD CATALOG. Thank God for computers.

13. Admiration: ESTEEM

14. Toning targets: ABS

15. Chip brand: LAYS. Intel too.

16. Arm offerer: ESCORT

17. Bath salts scent: VIOLET. Sweet violet.

18. City near Ciudad Juárez: EL PASO. Got the answer from crosses.

24. Street corner genre: DOOWOP. Why "street corner"?

26. Elvira's lover, in a Verdi opera: ERNANI. Man, I can never remember this guy's name. He's a bandit chief.

30. Hydrocarbon suffix: ANE

34. Place for a La-Z-Boy: DEN

36. "__ a vacation!": I NEED. I do!

37. 1998 Sarah McLachlan song: ADIA. I often confuse this song title with Verdi's AIDA.

38. __ II razor: TRAC

41. New Age gurus: HOLISTS. According to Wikipeidia, the general principle of holism was concisely summarized by Aristotle in the Metaphysics: "The whole is more than the sum of its parts". I don't understand the "New Age" connection.

42. It may be imposing: ARRAY. Great clue.

44. Kaffiyeh-clad ruler: EMIR

47. "__: The Final Conflict": 1981 horror sequel: OMEN III. No idea. See this poster. I've never heard of any of the Omens series.

49. Groundbreaking?: SEISMIC. And RADICAL (50. Groundbreaking). Fantastic pair of clues.

51. Paper tiger, perhaps: ORIGAMI. Nice clue too. Chairman Mao called US "Paper Tiger".

53. "Fiddlesticks!": DRAT

54. Gomez's wife, affectionately: TISH. "The Addams Family".

55. Chance to get even: REMATCH

56. Fat substitute: OLESTRA. OL (eo) + alteration of (poly) Ester. New fake fat to me.

57. Tiny gnat: NO-SEE-UM. So called because it's hard to see 'um. Yet one more unknown to me.

59. Chaney of horror: LON

61. Poetry movement promoted by Amy Lowell: IMAGISM. Faintly remember Clear Ayes brought us a imagism poem from her.

65. Sigma follower: TAU

68. Some athletic shoes: ETONICS. I like their golf shoes.

69. Chaplin's half brother: SYD. Who knows?

73. 1981 Ross/Richie duet: ENDLESS LOVE. Here is the clip.

74. Wilbur's horse: MR. ED. "A horse is a horse, of course, of course".

75. 2.0: CEE. 2.0 average.

78. Freedom, in Swahili: UHURU. Nope. Not in my memory file. It's pronounced as oo-HOO-roo.

81. Cinch: SNAP

84. Book with a key: DIARY

85. "Sixteen Tons" singer: ERNIE FORD. Here is the clip.

89. Duplicated: CLONED. Penned in COPIED first.

90. Driving need?: TEST. The question marks made me think of golf and TEE(S).

92. "Jeepers!": SHEESH

96. Frying pan mishap: SPATTER

97. Word after photo: OPS. Photo ops.

98. Standby's desire: FLIGHT

99. Tar pits locale: LA BREA. La Brea Tar Pits. La Brea = "the tar" in Spanish.

100. Language learner's challenges: IDIOMS. So true. Slang too.

101. The "P" in P.G. Wodehouse: PELHAM. No, no. Too obscure for me.

103. Studio that made nine of the ten Astaire/Rogers films: RKO

104. Feeling no stress: AT EASE

105. Make genteel: REFINE

106. Monopoly's railroads, e.g.: TETRAD. Group of four.

109. Psyched up: EAGER

113. Exec: SUIT. Slang for business executive.

115. Rapper who co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records: JAY- Z. Very business savvy. Married to Beyoncé.

120. 22.5 deg.: NNE. I forgot the rationale for this clue again.

121. "__ & the Women": 2000 Gere film: DR. T. Is it a good movie?

123. Non's opposite: OUI. Oh, oui, Je t'aime.

124. It may fly in a fight: FUR. Idiom "make the fur fly" = Cause a fight.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday March 13, 2010 Robert A Doll

Theme: None

Total words: 72

Total blocks: 29

There are total 14 multiwords in today's grid, including the lively triple stacks in upper left and lower right corners.

Normally I struggled with proper names. But today I nailed NPR's IRA GLASS (12D. "This American Life" host) and YMA SUMAC (41A. Singer in the 1954 film "Secret of the Incas"), who was born in Peru. Always nice to see their full names in the grid.

Would prefer LARUE (16A. Eva of "57-Across: Miami") clued as Lash La Rue to avoid the duplication with the answer MIAMI HEAT (59A. Team with a flaming ball in its logo).

Had my normal struggle, but fared better than I did in the past several Saturdays. Looking at my completed grid now, I do know most of the answers. It's some of the clues that are beyond my ken.

Across:

1. "Scram!": TAKE A HIKE. And OVERDID IT (15. Got very sore, maybe). So simple in retrospect.

10. Orly sight: AVION. Orly is the airport in Paris, an alternative to Charles de Gaulle.

17. If often requires a bedroom set: LOVE SCENE. Sweet clue/answer.

18. Montana motto word: PLATA. Montana motto is "Oro y Plata" (Gold and Silver).

19. Seventh-century date: DCL. Roman 650.

20. Cooper's creation: KEG. Oh, the barrel maker "Cooper". I was picturing CNN's handsome Anderson Cooper.

21. Accepted without question: BOUGHT. Bought the story, for example.

22. Pines: YEARNS

25. Kung __ chicken: PAO. With cashews sprinkled in.

27. Group that "had decayed to a mere beautiful futility": Wells: ELOI. The beautiful race in "The Time Machine", written by H. G. Wells.

28. Features of some hotels: ATRIA

29. Effort: DINT. Know this word only in the content of "by dint of".

30. King deposed in 1964: SAUD. Thought he died in his throne. Had no idea that he was deposed.

31. Go along with: ASSENT TO. Hmm, they are not synonymous to me. (Added later: I mis-read the clue as "Get along with".)

34. Vane reading: Abbr.: SSE

35. Sudafed alternative: DRISTAN. Only have ginger tea when I catch a cold.

38. Sight from Marie Byrd Land: ROSS SEA. In Antarctic. Named after the discoverer James Ross.

40. Took off: RAN

43. Like the Kalahari: ARID. Kalahari Desert.

45. Town inland of the IJsselmeer: EDAM. The Dutch cheese town. Have never heard of IJsselmeer (Lake IJssel), the largest lake in Western Europe. The Dutch digraph IJ (Y) is pronounced the same as our I.

46. Actress Gershon et al.: GINAS. Do you think Gina Gershon is beautiful?

50. It may be chased by un perro: GATO. Spanish for "cat". Was ignorant that perro is Spanish for "dog".

51. Lake Thun feeder: AAR. First encounter with Lake Thun, an Alpine Lake in Switzerland.

52. Studio renamed Paramount Television in 1967: DESILU. A combination of "Desi" (Arnaz) and "Lucille"(Ball).

53. 1986 N.L. batting champ Tim: RAINES. Gimme. I've quite a few of his baseball cards, all worthless.

55. R&B group __ Hill: DRU. The answer emerged itself.

57. Show with DNA testing: CSI

58. __-garde: AVANT. Is aprés-garde a word also?

62. Paramecium features: CILIA. Here is a good picture of paramecium lined with cilia, which stymied J.D. last time when it's clued as "eyelashes".

63. All in all: ON BALANCE

64. Test track challenges: ESSES

65. Living end: BEE'S KNEES. Old slang for something marvelous. I am not familiar with the idiom "living end" at all. It means "extraordinary".

Down:

1. Know-it-all's taunt: TOLD YA

2. Long-legged shore bird: AVOCET. With upcurved bill. Those legs are so thin.

3. Body armor fiber: KEVLAR. No idea. What's the name origin of kevlar?

4. Poet's preposition: ERE. "Before".

5. Things to zap: ADS. D'oh, the damned commercials.

6. Bumpkins: HICKS

8. Top dog: KINGPIN

9. Hiver's opposite: ETE. Hiver is French for "winter".

10. Chop House Originals brand: ALPO

11. Societal concerns: VALUES

13. Rustic place to go?: OUTHOUSE. Great clue. Way to go, Mr. Doll!

14. "Very clever!": NEAT IDEA. We also had IDEE (7D. __ fixe). French for "idea". Some solvers don't like the cognates appear in the same grid. I do.

21. Duff: BOTTOM

23. Inlets: RIAS

24. Cold and rainy, say: NASTY

26. Anatomical cavity: ANTRUM. Rooted in Greek "antron" (cave). New to me.

29. "Gracias" reply: DE NADA

32. Just like, with "the": SAME AS

33. Truman Dam river: OSAGE. Have never heard of the Truman Dam, located in Missouri.

35. Contest that's usually over in less than 20 seconds: DRAG RACE. I know nothing about drag racing. 20 seconds is too short.

36. One in a million: RARA AVIS. Can't fill in this phrase without thinking of Kazie.

37. Approves, in a way: INITIALS

39. Some H.S. courses: SCIS

42. Certain rush hour commuter, metaphorically: SARDINE

44. "__ Darko": 2001 sci-fi film: DONNIE. Here is the poster. Another complete unknown to me.

47. Christianity's __ Creed: NICENE. First adopted by the Nicene Council (325 AD).

48. French region along the Rhine: ALSACE. The Alsace-Lorraine region.
.
49. Bach compositions: SUITES

52. "The Count of Monte Cristo" author: DUMAS. I've only read the Chinese version of the book.

54. LAX postings: ETAS

56. Broccoli __: RABE. I like stir-fried broccoli rabe with a bit of garlic & red pepper.

59. Hit-making group?: MOB. Felt stupid staring at M?? forever.

60. Kind: ILK

61. Solo in space: HAN. Han Solo of "Star Wars".

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday March 12, 2010 Brendan Emmett Quigley

Theme: Yiddishisms - Letter strings SCH are added to common phrases to make them sound Yiddish.

19A: Low-quality trumpets and trombones?: SCHLOCK HORNS. Schlock means cheap; trashy. Idiom: Lock horns. The Lockhorns are one of my favorite comics.

35A: "How many fools do we have here?"?: "ONE SCHLUMP OR TWO?". In your tea, "one lump or two?" A Schlump is a dull, colorless person.

50A: Grades in standup comedy class?: SCHTICK MARKS. Tick Marks are like inventory and checking off an item as you count it. Schtick (there are various spellings) is characteristic attribute, talent, or trait that is helpful in securing recognition or attention.

Argyle here. And a Brendan Emmett Quigley puzzle. I'm speechless.

Theme entries are pretty light for a Friday - our Add/Delete/Replace a letter/letters puzzle day. It allows for plenty of non-theme long fill. The triple stacked of 9s in the upper right and lower left corners and the two 11s Downs should delight many.

Across:

1A: Pilot producer: HONDA. A crossover SUV from the Japanese auto maker.

6A: Deep-sixed: TOSSED OUT. Word origin of deep six: only from the 1940s, originally nautical slang, "to throw overboard", perhaps a reference to the usual grave depth of six feet but the ocean being much deeper. Paraphrased from Online Etymology Dictionary.

15A: "Are we __?": Sondheim lyric: A PAIR. A bit of "Send in the Clowns", a song by Stephen Sondheim from the 1973 musical "A Little Night Music". (Wikipedia)

16A: They make lots of contacts: OPTICIAN. Contact lenses.

17A: Old Renault: LE CAR. A troubled American Motor Corp. teemed with French auto maker to import the compact, Le Car. It was said, if a Le Car wasn't rusty, it hadn't left France yet.

18A: Lucille Ball was one, slangily: CARROT-TOP. Someone with red hair.

21A: Greek liqueur: OUZO. Greece's most popular drink, is an anise-flavored spirit.

22A: Con lead-in: NEO. Neo-con, shortened version of neoconservative.

23A: Metric wts.: KGs. One kilogram approximately is equal to 2.2 pounds.

26A: Letters on old rubles: CCCP. As found on their old coins, Cyrillic Russian initialism СССР for Союз Советских Социалистических. We knew them as USSR.

28A: Slight push: NUDGE.

31A: Squire: GENT. An English country gentleman, esp. the chief landed proprietor in a district. Or the man with the biggest spread (33A: Spread unit: ACRE.) as we might say here in the states.

32A: Sound from the bleachers: "RAH!". Or "BOO!" from the other side.

34A: Man with a mission: FRIAR. A member of a religious order, esp. the mendicant orders of Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites, and Augustinians. These orders often established missions.

39A: "Christina's World" painter: WYETH. American artist Andrew Wyeth's Christina's World

40A: Criticize: CARP.

41A: [snicker]: HEH.

42A: Drooping part of a Concorde: NOSE. The SST had a distinctive "droop snoot" lowering nose section for visibility on approach.

43A: Cheri who portrayed a "Morning Latte" co-host on "SNL": OTERI. With Will Ferrel.

45A: Hard-earned degs.: PHD. Doctorates

46A: Bring action against: SUE.

47A: VII x LXXIII: DXI. 7x73=511

48A: Happy Meal choice: COLA.

55A: Ingredient in green salsa: TOMATILLO. The tomatillo or husk-tomato is a plant cultivated in Mexico and Guatemala. Pre-salsa.

58A: "Giant Brain" unveiled in 1946: ENIAC. Early computer.

59A: Wading, perhaps: ANKLE DEEP. Unless you step over a drop-off, then you're swimming.

60A: "Soon It's __ Rain": "The Fantasticks" song: GONNA. The Fantasticks is a 1960 musical. Check out the Wikipedia entry for the story line, It's to complex to put here.

61A: Messy places: RAT'S NEST. What mom used to call my hair if it got too long. Alas, both my mom and my hair are both gone now.

62A: Second of the five stages of grief: ANGER. The Kübler-Ross model, commonly known as the five stages of grief, are Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance

Down:

1D: Dutch artist Frans: HALS. Frans Hals (1580 – 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter especially famous for portraiture. Young Man with a Skull

2D: 12-member cartel: OPEC.

3D: Tortilla chip topping: NACHO CHEESE.

4D: Slow online connection: DIAL UP. I could never go back to dial-up.

5D: Pollo partner: ARROZ. Arroz con Pollo ("rice with chicken" in Spanish).

6D: Clock sound: TOCK. Hands up for tick first.

7D: Hawaiian food fish: OPAH. (also known colloquially as moonfish, sunfish, kingfish, redfin ocean pan, and Jerusalem haddock)

8D: Undiluted: STRONG.

9D: "Yes __!": SIRREE.

10D: Cut-rate, in company names: ECONO. Like drive your Econo Car rental to your Econo Lodge for the night.

11D: A Morse "I" requires two: DITS. The sound Morse code, DIT DAH, but written out as dots and dashes.

12D: Nosebag bit: OAT. Having a little breakfast?

13D: Game with a discard pile: UNO.

14D: 1/48 cup: Abbr.: TSP.. Teaspoon.

20D: Large sea snail: CONCH. The shell you see them blowing in the movies.

23D: "The Radiant Baby" pop artist: KEITH HARING. Keith Haring (1958 – 1990) was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.(Wikipedia) His Most Famous Icon

24D: Ate like a mouse: GNAWED.

25D: Brand owned by Pabst: STROH'S. Beer. Pabst is Brenda's favorite brand.

26D: Ceremonial headgear: CROWNS.

27D: Favor asker's opening: "CAN YOU".

29D: Google hit datum: URL. Internet address letters.

30D: Score before ad in: DEUCE. Tennis talk.

31D: "I'm mad!": "GRR!".

33D: Dresden "D'oh!": "ACH!". I wonder which Homer says on German TV.

34D: Clotheshorse: FOP. —Synonyms- dandy, coxcomb, popinjay, peacock, swell, dude. Mostly English terms, hey what?

36D: Abbr. in Québec place names: STE (Sainte). Québec is the French-speaking (and thinking) province of Canada.

37D: Make a dent in: MAR. Like a car's finish.

38D: Puncture: PRICK.

43D: Durable leather: OX-HIDE.

44D: Best-seller list entries: TITLES.

45D: Expect: PLAN ON.

47D: Plane that competed with Lockheed's L-1011: DC-TEN.

49D: Last in a series: OMEGA. Greek alphabet series.

50D: Baseball's Maglie and Bando: SALS.

51D: "Sorry if __ you down": I LET. And ON A (56D: __ trial basis). Easy fill-in partials.

52D: Police: COPS.

53D: Rosebud's owner, in film: KANE. Don't anybody tell what Rosebud was; make 'em watch "Citizen Kane".

54D: War memento: SCAR.

55D: Old salt: TAR. Both slang for sailors.

57D: NASDAQ, e.g.: MKT.. Stock market.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Thursday March 11, 2010 Scott Atkinson

Theme: TURNSTILE (57A. Metro access, and a hint to the circled letters in 17-, 28-, 34- and 43-Across) - Each set of circled letters contains the turned (anagrammed) STILE. (Added later: The turned letters are in rotational order. Thanks, MJ.)

17A. Mah-jongg pieces, e.g.: GAME TILES. Mah-jong(g) is Ma-Jiang in Mandarin Chinese. This turned TILES is the only real word. ISLET is another possible alternative.

28A. Notable achievement: MILESTONE

34A. Site of the Beatles' last commercial concert: CANDLESTICK PARK. San Fransisco Giants's ballpark before 2000.

43A. Likely to spread disease: PESTILENT

Great theme! Very clever & creative interpretation of TURNSTILE. Like nuts, crazy, TURN is often an anagram indicator in cryptic crosswords.

Nice triple columns of 8s in the upper left and lower right corners. So open. No cheater/help square in this baby, an important measure of puzzle elegance for our LAT constructor John Lampkin.

My favorite non-theme entry today is KVETCH (22D. Whine). Fantastic string of consonants. What don't you love about this puzzle? Kvetch away!

Across:

1. Perform high-tech surgery on: LASE

5. Crack, in a way: CHAP. Crack from dryness. I was cracking nuts in my mind.

9. Capital near Casablanca: RABAT. Capital of Morocco. Casablanca is Morocco's largest city.

14. Being aired: ON TV

15. Spydom name: HARI (Mata). Always want BOND.

16. Rial spender: OMANI. So is Yemeni/Iranian.

19. Paul in the center square: LYNDE. Paul Lynde was a regular "center square" guest in the game show "Hollywood Squares". Stumped me.

20. Cry to a faith healer, maybe: I CAN SEE. Not into faith healing & its ritual.

21. Pug's stat: TKO (Technical Knockout). Pug is short for pugilist. Not dog.

23. Proof initials: QED. Mathematical proof.

24. In a way: SORT OF

25. AFC North, e.g.: DIV (Division). AFC = American Football Conference.

26. Place to dock: QUAY

27. Demolition supplies: TNTS. A common enough word not to need an abbreviation hint, a la Jerome.

30. Mean Amin: IDI. Nice rhyme.

31. "What __!": "This is fun!": A GAS. I think it will be fun but exhausting to be with Lois.

33. Clavell's "__-Pan": TAI. Here is the book cover. Tai means "big" in Cantonese. Tai Pan = Big Shot.

40. Off one's feed: ILL. I misread the clue as "off one's feet". We also had EAT (49A. Polish off).

41. "A Hard Road to Glory" author: ASHE (Arthur)

42. Reading room: DEN

47. Suffer from: HAVE. I suffer from coconut obsession now. Put coconut milk/flake in everything I eat. Thanks for the shrimp recipe, Jeannie!

48. Film in which Woody Allen voices Z: ANTZ. The 1998 animated bug film.

50. Flap-door home: TEEPEE. I've never seen a teepee in person.

52. Victrola company: RCA

53. Surg. centers: ORS

54. Can opener: PULL TAB

55. Hose problems: KINKS

59. 1944 Italian beachhead: ANZIO. No idea. It's a town in central Italy. Allied troops landed there on Jan 22, 1944.

60. Niagara River feeder: ERIE

61. What avengers get: EVEN. Get even. Nice clue.

62. Parasails, say: SOARS. Parasail = Para(chute) + sail. New to me.

63. Canyon perimeters: RIMS

64. Funny Foxx: REDD. Alliteration.

Down:

1. Like a wedding planner's skills: LOGISTIC. Only familiar with logistics or logistical.

2. Jungle crusher: ANACONDA. The large jungle boa.

3. Part-French, part-Dutch isl.: ST. MARTIN. The island in the northeast Caribbean.

4. Decathlon's 10: EVENTS

5. Top dog: CHIEF

6. In tiptop shape: HALE. Hale and hearty.

8. Flower organ: PISTIL. Flower's seed-bearing female organ. Stamen is the pollen-bearing male organ.

9. Caramel candy brand: ROLO

10. '70s-'80s first daughter: AMY (Carter)

11. "Macbeth" ghost: BANQUO. I peeked at the answer sheet.

12. Like vicuña: ANDEAN. Wikipedia says vicuña is the national animal of Peru. Like our bald eagle.

13. Project done to a tee: TIE-DYE. Tee = T-shirt. I was trapped into the idiomatic "to a tee". You wicked Scott!

18. Chinese menu general: TSO. Man, I am tired of this guy.

25. Far from cordial: DISTANT

26. Swab brand: Q-TIP

28. Some advanced degs.: MAS

29. Sushi bar order: SAKE. Rice wine. The sweet rice wine is mirin. Used in cooking.

31. "... for __ care!": ALL I

32. See 58-Down: GELLER. And URI (58. With 32-Down, self-proclaimed "mystifier"). Had no idea that he called himself "mystifier".

35. Scatterbrain: DITZ. I only know the adjective ditzy.

36. Ideal conclusion?: IST. Idealist.

37. Capable of change: ADAPTIVE

38. Uncovered: REVEALED

39. Calisthenics exercise: KNEE BEND. Was reading a biography on Greta Garbo. She's very into calisthenics.

43. Winter outerwear: PARKAS. Still some snow left in our yard.

44. San Fernando Valley community: ENCINO. A district of LA. Spanish for "evergreen". Got me.

45. Song section: STANZA. Poem section too.

46. Hams are often seen on it: EASTER. Ham is the traditional food on Easter Sunday. I was picturing some kind of bread.

47. __-skelter: HELTER

50. iPod files: TUNES

51. High trains: ELS

53. Barcelona bears: OSOS. Alliteration again. The she-bear is OSA in Spanish.

54. Strait-laced: PRIM

56. Wine-and-cassis apéritif: KIR (Keer). No idea. It's an apéritif of white wine flavored with cassis (black currant). Named after Canon Félix Kir (1876–1968), mayor of Dijon, who is said to have invented the recipe.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Wednesday March 10, 2010 Gary Steinmehl

Theme: The Ties That Bind - The first words of the five theme answers are all homophones, with a different spelling of the "tie" sound. The village Tye Green was left out.

17A. National sport of South Korea: TAE KWON DO. Foot hand art.

29A. Longtime skating partner of Randy Gardner: TAI BABILONIA

38A. Places to order tom yum goong: THAI RESTAURANTS

47A. Host of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition": TY PENNINGTON

65A. Overtime causes: TIE SCORES. That would be 20 to 20.

Hey all, Al here.

This didn't seem too tough for a Wednesday, pretty much sped through it. Not too much really stood out, but we'll see what can be educed from it anyway.

Across:

1. __ de deux: PAS. A dance for two.

4. Therapy center, for short: REHAB

9. Parts of fast food orders: SODAS

14. Four-legged bugler: ELK

15. Where the ecstatic walk: ON AIR

16. Salt's "Halt!": AVAST. Also a free anti-virus program if used non-commercially.

19. Having a beanpole physique: LANKY

20. "Baseball Tonight" station: ESPN. Entertainment and Sports Programming Network

21. Year-end mall temp: SANTA. Argyle. Missed it by one day.

23. Jon Stewart's "moment of __": ZEN

24. Like drive-thru orders: TO GO

27. Bosom buddy: COMRADE. 1590s, from M.Fr. camarade, from Sp. camarada "chamber mate,"

33. The Trojans of the Pac-10: USC. University of Southern California. I wonder if they ever respond to criticism with: "I am rubber, you are glue, whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you"?

34. Go hither and yon: ROVE

35. Au __: menu phrase: JUS. French. Meat served in its own juices.

44. "Xanadu" band, for short: ELO. Electric Light Orchestra, with Olivia Newton John.

45. __ time: pronto: IN NO. Pronto (sp.) from Latin promptus: prompt.

46. Like some grins: SLY

52. 12 Tribes religion: JUDAISM

55. Caesar's unlucky number?: XIII. I know that some solvers dislike roman numerals, but I found this one amusing for some reason. Fifteen (the ides) could have been used if the answer was one letter shorter.

56. Schooner filler: ALE. One of my hometown favorites.

57. One of the Yokums: PAPPY. L'il Abner's sire in Dogpatch.

60. Pre-dye shade, perhaps: GRAY. If things keep going the way they are now, I'll never have to worry about gray hair. I wish there was a food remedy for that.

63. Open, in a way: UNCAP

68. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE. 97% lime, but has a thousand times higher breaking strength due to layering.

69. In first place: ON TOP

70. Prior to, in verse: ERE

71. Tiny amount: TRACE

72. Tack room gear: REINS

73. Rimsky-Korsakov's "Le Coq __": d'Or. The Golden Cockerel.

Down:

1. "Our Gang" dog: PETE

2. Word of pity: ALAS. Self-pity, perhaps.

3. Having one's doubts: SKEPTICAL. My dictionary has a picture of me by this word.

4. Heed the coxswain: ROW

5. Ambient music composer Brian: ENO

6. Brinker of kiddie lit: HANS. The Silver Skates book had an often excerpted sub-story in it about a nameless little boy who used his finger to plug the dike. It wasn't Hans, though, he was probably the first reference to speed skating in the US...

7. Operatic slave girl: AIDA. Why do famous love stories always seem to have tragic endings? No wonder guys don't want to commit.

8. Old Ford SUV: BRONCO

9. Sub meat: SALAMI. Don't read this if you like salami.

10. In vitro cells: OVA. Latin.

11. Tony of "Who's the Boss?": DANZA. Played the father of a young Alyssa Milano, who turned out well.

12. Part of FAQ: ASKED. Frequently Asked Questions. Infrequently read answers.

13. "Gypsy" composer Jule: STYNE, also Funny Girl and Pal Joey.

18. Door feature: KNOB. Funny how knockers is also spelled the same way.

22. Bricks unit: TON. Did this hit you right away?

25. "Mr. Mom" actress: GARR. Teri.

26. Instrument to which an orchestra tunes: OBOE

28. Big Indian: RAJA

29. Word of rebuke: TUT

30. Big Apple tennis stadium: ASHE

31. Drips in an ICU: IVS. Or DRS if they have bad bedside manner.

32. Open the door to: LET IN

36. Like 007's martinis: UNSTIRRED

37. Normandy battle site: ST LO

39. Wee bit: IOTA

40. Gothic novelist Radcliffe: ANN. Her books always came up with a real explanation for unreal events.

41. Operating system developed at Bell Labs: UNIX. I've spent 22 years on this so far and probably understand less than half of everything it encompasses.

42. Rice-A-__: RONI

43. Roget entry: Abbr.: SYNonym

48. "Hooray!": YIPPEE. --Darth Vader.

49. Non-commercial TV spot: PSA. Public Service Announcement.

50. Caveat __: EMPTOR. Buyer beware.

51. Computer acronym about faulty data: GIGO. Garbage in, Garbage out.

52. Quick trip: JAUNT

53. Of an arm bone: ULNAR. Radius, Ulna (lower pair), and Humerus (upper arm). Your "funny bone" is really the ulnar nerve located near the lower end of the humerus.

54. Bing Crosby's primary label: DECCA. The name "Decca" was coined by Wilfred S. Samuel by merging the word "Mecca" with the initial D of their logo "Dulcet" or their trademark "Dulcephone." Samuel, a linguist, chose "Decca" as a brand name as it was easy to pronounce in most languages.

58. Bench material: PINE

59. Hairy mountain sighting: YETI. They do exist.

61. Musical prefix with smith?: AERO. Aerosmith. Dream on.

62. River of Flanders: YSER

64. Slo-pitch path: ARC

66. Zak, to Ringo: SON

67. Early computer printer speed meas.: CPS. Characters per Second. 1 character = 8 bits = 1 byte.

Answer grid.

Al

Interview with Mangesh Sakharam Ghogre

Some of the regular readers of this blog will faintly remember Mangesh Ghogre. He used to comment here when we had the old TMS Daily Crosswords and he had also shared with us one of his published articles on crossword.

Mangesh, an Indian citizen, is an investment banker with a global bank based in Mumbai. Today he became the first India-based constructor to have a puzzle published by the LA Times, a remarkable achievement for a non-native English speaker.

Mangesh has been in contact with me since his first appearance in our blog and kept me updated with his construction effort. I am very impressed by his persistence and perseverance. He also amazes me with his writings on spirituality and his volunteer work.

What's the inspiration for this puzzle? And what are the other theme answers that failed to make the cut?

Well, I am a foodie. So, I thought why not have crosswords for breakfast as well? Fun apart, I recollect the trigger entry was BREAD AND BUTTER and wanted the theme to focus on latter half. Then I added CHALK AND CHEESE and COOKIES AND CREAM. The fourth entry is the one I took some time to find. When I got MIDDLE AGE SPREAD, Nancy suggested selecting more focused entries related to spread. That’s how the final set emerged. Talking of themes, I must confess that sometimes I struggle with “in-the-language test” because of my lack of familiarity with local language. I discovered that phrases/idioms popular in India, may not be in US. For eg, while working on this theme, I was surprised to learn that CHALK AND CHEESE is not in-the-language although it’s a valid English idiom.

What kind of difficulties did you go through to make the grid work?

Filling the theme and non-theme entries is fun though it could get taxing at times. But as a constructor, designing the grid is my Achilles’ heel. I am told designing a grid is an art. Even the software doesn’t help much. Like they say, you need an “eye” to make out if the grid will work.

What is it like to work with Rich Norris? What have you learned about his theme/fill preferences?

From the limited experience I have gained interacting with him, I think he is one of the most professional editors I have come across. He diligently responds to emails and provides feedback for improvement. Interacting with him makes you feel that your contribution is welcome and your effort is appreciated. Frankly, I am not yet ready to comment much about his theme/fill preferences.

Can you tell us a bit about your background? How did you develop an interest in crossword solving and then constructing?

I am an Indian citizen based in Mumbai. I have an under-graduate degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA with a major in finance. Currently, I am working in the Investment Banking division of one of the world’s largest banks. I stay with my wife and parents in Panvel – a small town on the outskirts of Mumbai.

Though all my education has been in English, it is not my first language. My mother-tongue is Marathi – one of the many languages spoken in India. I am also fluent in Hindi, the more popular language in India.

My friends tell me, and I agree, that I always had a hang for words. But my first encounter with crosswords goes back 13 years when I had just entered my engineering course and was staying in the college hostel. Every morning, when I and my hostel room-mates were busy having morning breakfast, we used to gaze at the “white-and-black painting” called crossword. Since many of us had an eye on cracking the GRE/GMAT, we looked at it as an activity to improve vocabulary. I remember 5 or 6 of us started with a lot of enthusiasm. But as you can imagine, the enthusiasm quickly faded. You won’t believe, but for the first 3 months we did not need a pen! We didn’t know a word – other than filling S for plural answers. Soon we found out the only way to improve is to painstakingly check answers for every clue next morning. Though my other friends gave up, I continued. I bought a small pocket-diary and started noting crosswordese, various rivers, flowers, animals, cities, Bible trivia, suffix, prefix, Greek gods and goddesses, etc. I couldn’t carry the diary everywhere, so I culled it in 2 pages. If it interests you, here is one of them. And before I knew it, I became obsessed with solving crosswords. I think it took me a year or so to fully solve a crossword – unassisted! Since then, I never looked back. I have been happily solving the daily crossword in Times of India (which syndicates the LAT puzzle) for the past 13 years now.

Constructing crossword is a very recent phenomenon for me. Sometime last March, I felt that it is the next step. Some sort of changing gears. And what motivated me more was that I didn’t know much of American trivia and local stuff. So, what better way than to construct a puzzle myself. I remember I promised to gift myself a crossword on my birthday in May. I downloaded the trial version of the CCW software. Took up a random puzzle which had got published that week. Made a theme that fit it. Banged my head all over to get the non-theme fill. And Eureka! I had my first crossword ready for the B-day. But, it was nowhere up to the mark. Maybe I was being maverick or plain foolish, I sent it to Rich. Kind that he is, he politely explained to me the reason for the rejection. But his response made me sniff success – I knew I was not that far. I then joined Cruciverb mailing list – the online mecca of cruciverbalists, I must say. That led me to enroll in what I call the “University of Nancy Salomon”. She is so helpful. I can’t thank her enough.

What's your experience solving American style puzzles? I often feel frustrated and handicapped by my background.

I echo your feelings. Add to it that I have not once visited US and am not a reading enthusiast either. I used to wonder – when will I ever visit Lake Erie? Who is Slammin Sammy? How is EGAD a euphemistic oath? When will I taste POI/TARO (Sorry, I told you am a foodie!)? And in late 90s there were not many blogs like yours that discussed puzzles threadbare. It took me years to realise why the clue for ASPEN is quaking tree. It was as if I was a “non-resident American” who knew scads of local lingo and trivia but hadn’t once used it in daily life. When I started, I used to be so frustrated that so many times I have tore the paper to pieces and muttered quite a few unmentionables. But, with due credit to all those constructors and editors, the tickle next morning while reading the answers made the effort worthwhile.

What kind of puzzles do you solve every day? And who are your favorite constructors?

Apart from the daily crossword in Times of India, which I solve every morning when I commute to office in train, I barely find time to touch other puzzles. I wish to solve the NYT puzzle but it is not so easily available here in hard copy. Talking of constructors, I used to look forward to Alan Olschwang’s quote puzzles. Back in those days, in the Chicago Tribune era, it used to appear every Wednesday in Times of India. I also love to hate setters who make hard-to-crack puzzles – Barry Silk, Pancho Harrison, Jack McInturff, et al. These fellas puncture my literary ego with such innocence, it’s not funny.

Besides crossword, what are your other hobbies?

Well, I enjoy writing. I have had over 45 bylines (mainly op-editorials and feature articles) in leading Indian dailies including Times of India and The Economic Times. I usually write on spirituality/philosophy, business education and career. You could visit my website www.mangeshghogre.com for more. I also firmly believe in learning and sharing model. So, I spend weekends with my high-school students mentoring them on anything but studies. Of course, we discuss development of hobbies including crosswords. This program is in the 4th year now and I am excited to solve my debut crossword with them.

Tuesday March 9, 2010 Mangesh Sakharam Ghogre

Theme: Spread 'Em - Theme answers are all breakfast spreads.

17A. Sweet toast topper: STRAWBERRY JELLY. Only strawberry jam in our fridge.

29A. Fruity bread topper: APPLE BUTTER. I've never made apple butter myself. Looks delicious.

50A. "Schmeared" bagel topper: CREAM CHEESE. And lox. Heavenly sandwich!

65A. Waist woe (caused, perhaps, by overindulgence in 17-, 29- and 50-Across): MIDDLE-AGE SPREAD. I wonder why the constructor let go of the straightforward BREAKFAST SPREAD. It has 15 letter too, and sums up the other three entries perfectly. Maybe not as sparkly as MIDDLE-AGE SPREAD?

Mangesh also sprinkled a few more food related entries in the grid:

1D. 1/16 of a cup: Abbr.: TBSP

12D. Bubbly drink: COLA. Symmetrically placed against DIET (57D. Try to reduce 65-Across).

39D. Container at an afternoon service, maybe: TEA CADDY. Defined as "a box, jar, canister or other receptacle used to store tea". I can't believe I've never heard of this term.

63D. Sugar source: CANE. Or BEET.

How did it feel to solve a puzzle made by a non-native English speaker? Something amiss?

Across:

1. Silently understood: TACIT. As in tacit approval.

14. "Well done!": BRAVO.

15. Early Yucatán dweller: MAYA. Ah, the mysterious Maya calendar and the dooming Apocalypse 2012.

16. Nebraska tribe: OTOE. Sometimes it's OTO.

21. Cancel: UNDO

22. Book of maps: ATLAS. Named after the Greek mythical figure Atlas, who is depicted as holding the world on his shoulders.

25. __-shanter: Scottish cap: TAM O. Tam O'Shanter. Odd breakdown partial.

27. State with 13-Down: Abbr.: FLA. And KEYS (13D. Largo, West, et al.).

36. Group of bits, in computer storage: BYTE

37. Other half, so to speak: SPOUSE. And IVANA (4D. A former Mrs. Trump).

40. Wood-dressing tool: ADZ. Penned in AWL.

42. Init. response team: EMTS

43. Complaint of "the weary": NO REST. No rest for the weary.

46. Kick into a net: GOAL. Initially thought the clue is asking for a verb.

49. Quilting party: BEE. Where are our quilting Barb B & KittyB?

52. Wimbledon do-over: LET

53. Made the scene: CAME

54. Terse order to a chauffeur: HOME. I wanted GO, GO!

56. Model of excellence: IDEAL

59. Assign stars to: RATE

61. Place for a beret? TETE. I sure need "béret" or some sort of French hint.

62. Leadership org. for females: YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association)

68. Hang in the balance: PEND

69. Schedule opening: SLOT

70. Without letup: ON END. Why do I always want NO END?

71. Hang around: STAY

72. Move cautiously: EDGE

73. Enjoys a kiddie pool: WADES

Down:

2. Greek city on its own gulf: ARTA. I've never heard of this city. What is it famous for?

3. Politician in a political cartoon, e.g.: CARICATURE. Awesome entry.

5. Garage service: TOW

6. Word of agreement: AMEN

7. The __ of Avon: BARD. Shakespeare.

8. Boring way to learn: BY ROTE

10. Direct, as a confrontation: TOE-TO-TOE. Nice entry too.

11. "__ cost you!": IT'LL

18. Like roads with many potholes: BUMPY

19. Copier problem: JAM UP. Oh, I see "jam" now.

26. "Washboard" muscles: ABS

27. Old Cannes cash: FRANC. Alliteration again.

28. Repair bill line: LABOR. Parts & labor.

30. School support org.: PTA

31. Rock climber's stop: LEDGE. Loved the "Rock On" Jazzbumpa linked last week.

32. Windblown desert plant: TUMBLEWEED. Why "desert"? We have tumbleweed here too.

34. Odometer button: RESET

41. Playwright Akins: ZOE. She wrote the screenplay for "How to Marry a Millionaire". Her name escaped me. We had this entry before.

44. Lowercase: SMALL

45. Cable sta. for old films: TCM (Turner Classic Movies)

47. Hibachi residue: ASHES

48. Summer sign: LEO. Zodiac sign.

51. Proclaim: HERALD

55. Loy of "The Thin Man": MYRNA

58. Ferber or Best: EDNA. Not familiar with Edna Best. Spotted her in Mangesh's list. Ha ha.

60. Popeyed: AGOG. Popeyed is a real word? Only know Popeye the Sailor.

64. Puts two and two together? ADDS. I figured out immediately that constructor wants the mathematical ADDS.

67. Sock-in-the-jaw sound: POW!

Answer grid.

Now I am hungry. What's your favorite breakfast spread? I love honey.

C.C.

Monday March 8, 2010 Nancy Kavanaugh

Theme: Firearm Nomenclature - 48D: Weapons in which you can find the starts of 17-, 31-, 46- and 62-Across: RIFLES.

17A: Hotel room cleaner: CHAMBERMAID The CHAMBER is where the bullet and cartridge are located prior to "firing".

31A: Arm-twisting wrestling hold: HAMMERLOCK. The HAMMER is the part used to initiate the firing of the bullet or shell. Found mostly on revolvers and shotguns these days.

46A: Rodeo event with obstacles: BARREL RACE. video. The BARREL is the tube the bullet travels through after being "fired".

62A: Without prior inspection: SIGHT UNSEEN. Like buying a pig in a poke. The SIGHT is used to aim where you want the bullet to go.

Argyle here. Easy Monday.

Twenty-six three-letter entries, by my count, but only three were two-letter made into plurals.

After the pounding we took (at least, I took) this weekend, we needed a break.

Across:

1A: Support gp. for the troops: USO. And 11A: Audience for 1-Across: GIS. United Service Organizations supporting our G.I. troops (Origin of G.I.: 1915–20; orig. abbr. of galvanized iron, used in U.S. Army bookkeeping in entering articles (e.g., trash cans) made of it; later extended to all articles issued (as an assumed abbrev. of government issue) and finally to soldiers themselves.)

4A: Words of deliberation: LET'S SEE.

14A: Mom's business partner: POP.

15A: Concisely put: IN A WORD.

16A: Hairy Addams Family cousin: ITT. You may not recognize him in his disguise.

19A: Long-snouted fish: GAR Unusual photo.

20A: "Green" energy type: SOLAR

21A: Opening for a peeping Tom: KEYHOLE. What with key card access now, keyholes are going the way of the dial phones.

23A: Manage, barely: GET BY. Hurray! Not ekes out.

27A: Pelvic bones: ILIA.

28A: Painter of melting watches: DALI. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, 1st Marquis of Púbol (Betcha didn't know that.)

35A: 56-Down, biologically: OVA. 56D: Incubator items: EGGS.

36A: Jumped the tracks: DERAILED.

37A: Electric car's lack: GAS TANK.

39A: Threatened: MENACED.

43A: Like glue: ADHESIVE

45A: Tire layer: PLY. Often there are two plies in the side wall and four under the tread.

49A: Really bugs: IRKS.

50A: "__ ain't broke ...": IF IT.

51A: "Hardball" airer: MSNBC. "Hardball" is an hour-long talk show hosted by Chris Matthews.

53A: Gridiron five-yard penalty: OFFSIDE. Football infraction.

57A: "You __ to know!": OUGHT.

61A: Nothing at all: NIL.

66A: Ill temper: IRE. Be aware we haven't of late had IRE: High dudgeon.

67A: Vigilant against attack: ON GUARD.

68A: Greenwich Village sch.: NYU. (New York University) 2D: Arty Big Apple area: SOHO. Areas in New York City.

69A: Divs. on some rulers: CMS. (centimeters)

70A: Attaches securely: FASTENS.

71A: Guinness suffix: EST. The superlative degree (biggest, fastest) used in their keeping of World Records.

Down:

1D: Lines on mdse.: UPCS. (Universal Product Code)

3D: October birthstone: OPAL.

4D: Cuba __: rum drink: LIBRE. A highball made of Cola, lime, and white rum. Origin of the name: 1895–1900; Sp: lit., free Cuba (a toast used in the uprising against Spain in 1895). What The Andrews Sisters drink.

5D: Opposite of WSW: ENE.

6D: Road sealer: TAR.

7D: Certain bachelor, in ads: SWM. Single White Male, in the personal ads.

8D: Relax in the tub: SOAK.

9D: New York canal: ERIE. aka: Clinton's Ditch, named for Gov. Dewitt Clinton (1817).

10D: Whirling water: EDDY.

11D: Paid male escort: GIGOLO. 42D: Prefix with functional: DYS. 38D: Queen of Hearts' pastries: TARTS. (I thought I would make it easier for later comments by bunching these together.) 22D: Broom-__: comics witch: HILDA. Could she be looking for a 11D?

12D: Slanted type: ITALIC.

13D: 10 consecutive wins, say: STREAK.

18D: Nativity trio: MAGI.

24D: Stanley Cup org.: THE NHL.

25D: Carnival pitchman: BARKER.

26D: Singer Sumac: YMA.

28D: Boxer or pug: DOG.

29D: Gardner of "On the Beach": AVA. On the beach, indeed!

30D: "Deck the Halls" syllables: LAS. Fa la la la la, la la la la.

32D: Tries to act like: MIMICS.

33D: Late news hour: ELEVEN.

34D: Descartes or Russo: RENE.

36D: Florida's Miami-__ County: DADE. Where the TV show, COPS, got their start, I believe.

40D: EMT's skill: CPR.

41D: Yellowstone grazer: ELK.

44D: Walton of Walmart: SAM.

46D: Like the Six Million Dollar Man: BIONIC.

47D: Declare true: AFFIRM.

49D: Closely monitored hosp. areas: ICUS.

52D: Slugger Barry: BONDS.

54D: "Time __ the essence": IS OF.

55D: Actress Merrill: DINA. Elegant.

58D: Hereditary unit: GENE.

59D: Casual greetings: HEYS. Hey, how y'all doin'?

60D: Letter-shaped fastener: T-NUT. I think C.C. understands it now.

63D: "Survivor" shelter: HUT.

64D: __ kwon do: TAE. "The way of the foot and the fist."

65D: Java vessel: URN. Big coffee pot with a spigot.

Answer grid.

Argyle