Saturday March 20, 2010 Will Nediger

Theme: None

Total words: 66

Total blocks: 35

The empty grid is cornered like a picture frame, very pretty design. Tragically, I ruined the whole puzzle. My finished grid looks like the Hindenburg crashing into the Titanic. Total disaster.

The three odd-numbered stacks of entertainment clue/entries atop the puzzle challenged me immensely. The lower NAKED AS A JAYBIRD (46. Without anything on) is a just fantastic fill. I wonder where the saying comes from, Al?

Tricky clues abound. My favorite is EX-CON (16. Record holder?). Fell to the trap of thinking about the normal contest record rather than the intended criminal record.

Are you surprised that the constructor is a teenager from Canada?

Across:

1. "The West Wing" creator: AARON SORKIN. Stumped immediately. Can you handle the truth? Wikipedia says he also wrote "A Few Good Men".

12. 1947 Oscar winner for Best Original Song: ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH. I was clueless. Awesome entry though.

14 1988 Michelle Pfeiffer comedy: MARRIED TO THE MOB. Here is the poster. Looks fun.

17. Battery alternative: FUEL CELL. No idea. Dictionary defines it as "a device that produces a continuous electric current directly from the oxidation of a fuel, as that of hydrogen by oxygen".

18. Neural transmitter: AXON. Your impulse transmitter.

19. Cat murmurs: PURRS. Impulsively penned in MEOWS.

21. Charmer who "walks like a woman and talks like a man, " in a 1970 hit: LOLA. Hit from the The Kinks about a transvestite.

22. John of London: LOO. The toilet "john".

23. Old postal divisions: ZONES

24. Pachelbel work: CANON. Johann Pachelbel was a German composer famous for his "Pachelbel's Canon". Learning moment for me.

25. Oct 1975 NBC debut: SNL

26. Cost to get in on the deal: ANTE. Poker.

27. Cunning: SHREWD

28. First queen of Carthage: DIDO. She founded Carthage. Killed herself when abandoned by the Trojan hero Aeneas. Love is _ ?

29. For whom the bell tolls: THEE. "... for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee". Terrific clue.

30. Catkin bearers: ALDERS

33. Fast-growing pet: CHIA

34. Half of CDX: CCV. 1/410=205.

37. Ad preceder: DEUCE. Tennis score. Ad in/out follows deuce.

38. Frighten: DAUNT

39. Last word of Shelley's "Adonais": ARE. Man, who knows?! The last lines are :"... The soul of Adonais, like a star/Beacons from the abode where the Eternal are". "Adonais" Shelley's elegy for John Keats.

40. Amplify: MIKE. Did not know mike can be a verb.

41. Smart-mouthed: SASSY

42. Silly rabbit's desire, in ads: TRIX

43. Campus figure: ACADEMIC. Did Will's clues strike you as academic?

45. One in a class by herself?: TUTEE. Nice clue too. But why "herself" instead of "himself"?

49. Most buses: SINGLE DECKERS. Lots of double deckers in Guangzhou/Xi'An.

50. '80s NBC medical drama: ST. ELSEWHERE. Have never heard of this drama. What's your favorite Denzel Washington movie?

Down:

1. Use a fan on: AIR-COOL

2. Kitchen protector: APRON

3. Delay cause, maybe: RAIN

4. Dedicated work: ODE. Ah, Lemonade!

5. Neighbor of Homer: NED. Homer Simpson's neighbor.

6. Emancipated: SET FREE. Tricky "set" tense.

7. Sussex scents: ODOURS. British spelling of "odors". Sussex is picked for alliteration purpose.

8. Dull drills: ROTES

9. Cleopatra's eyeliners: KOHL. This stumped many last time it appeared in our puzzle.

10. "My stars!": I DECLARE. Both are quaint cries of surprise, aren't they?

11. "Give me a for-instance": NAME ONE

12. Fighter craft game released by Sega in 1982: ZAXXON. No idea. What does Zaxxon stand for?

13. empty: HOLLOW

14. Board: MEALS. Room and board.

15. Hardly spicy: BLAND

19. Koi habitats: PONDS

20. Golden rule word: UNTO

23. Site of the 1974 fight known as "The Rumble in the Jungle": ZAIRE. Where Ali beat Foreman.

24. Play badly: CHEAT. Wanted EMOTE.

27. Newly polished: SHINY

28. Will writer, at a will reading: DECEDENT. Hmmm, nice "Will" clue, Will, way to go!

29. Consequently: THUS

30. Pro pitcher?: AD MAN. Got me again.

31. Pioneer 35mm cameras: LEICAS

32. Loser to Bush in 1988: DUKAKIS (Michael). Two Ks. This puzzle is quite scrabbly, with two Z's, three Xs. Only one Q away from a pangram.

33. Cataract: CASCADE

34. Bridgestone product: CAR TIRE

35. Old yellers: CRIERS. Who did not think of the the movie "Old Yeller"?

36. In a snit: VEXED

38. Places for roasters and toasters?: DAISES. Nice rhyme.

41. Picayune: SMALL

42. Yam, for one: TUBER. How do you normally prepare your yam?

44. Competitive advantage: EDGE

45. Trike rider: TYKE

47. Saul or Solomon: JEW. Saul is the first king of Israel. Are Jewish people offended by the word Jew? It has a negative tone to my goyish ear.

48. "Oh!" to Ohm: ACH. The best ACH clue I've seen.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday March 19, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: Uber-Ersatz - Part of each common English phrase is substituted by a similar sounding German word/name with a corresponding "German" clue.

17A. German version of GQ? HERR STYLE (Hair style). German title, equivalent to Mr. or Lord.

18A. Section reserved for a German composer?: BACH'S SEATS (Box seats). Johann Sebastian Bach.

23A. Car parked next to a German sedan?: AUDI NEIGHBOR (Howdy neighbor!) German car make.

35A. Germans living in the fast lane?: AUTOBAHN SOCIETY (Audubon Society). German motorways which have no general speed limit.

43A. Give a German philosopher the third degree?: QUESTION MARX (Question marks). Karl Marx.

52A. Former German chancellor's coffee sweetener? LUMP OF KOHL (Lump of coal). Helmut Kohl, chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998.

59A. Causes for alarm in the West German capital? BONN FIRES (Bonfires). Bonn was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990.

And some bonus fill:

16A. Cousin of danke: MERCI. German and French for 'Thank you".

19D. "Sprechen __ Deutsch?" SIE. German for 'Do you speak German?'

melissa bee here. what an honor to guest blog a Dan Naddor puzzle, and this one was really fun. i love heavy themeage, count 'em, six theme answers. six in german is "sechs," pronounced 'zeks,' rhymes with sex.

(Note from C.C.: There are actually seven theme answers, the first and last two are overlapped. A whopping total 77 theme squares. But Melissa's rhyming comment is precious!)

Across:

1. "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" subject: COMMA. Book referred to frequently on this blog, about proper punctuation.

6. Interim measures: STOPGAPS

14. James teammate: O'NEAL. LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal, Cleveland Cavaliers.

15. Provided home security, in a way: HOUSE SAT. Or haus sat?

20. Freshman, probably: TEEN

21. Lubricate: OIL

22. Back in: RETRO. Everything old is new again.

30. Place follower: SHOW. Win, place and show. Horse racing.

31. Put out: EMIT

32. Comrade: PAL

40. Acidity-level symbols: PH'S. The pH scale corresponds to the concentration of hydronium ions in a solution, and measures the acidity (or basicity) of a solution. Paging Dr. Dad ...

41. Manitoba tribe: CREE

42. Prolific auth.? ANON. Ain't it the truth.

47. Relish: EAT UP

50. Bossy remark? MOO. Great clue. But this is really milking it.

51. La __ Tar Pits: BREA. Is there an echo in here?

61. Excessive: UNDUE. As in undue speeding.

62. In a tight row: END TO END

63. Paris bisector: SEINE. According to Wikipedia, the River Seine in France is 482 miles long, and there are 37 bridges over it in Paris alone. One of the final scenes in 'Something's Gotta Give,' is filmed on just such a bridge, when when Harry (Jack Nicholson), thinking he has lost Erica (Diane Keaton), stumbles out of the Grand Colbert restaurant and past the Hôtel de Ville. Remember?

64. Relieve, as of mistaken ideas: DISABUSE

65. Searches for: SEEKS

Down:

1. Search thoroughly: COMB. Like for ticks. "You never know where one might be..."

2. Ready to serve: ONE-A

3. Cougar or Sable, briefly: MERC. Mercury the automobile make.

4. Speed ratio: MACH. It is said that an aircraft is flying at Mach 1 if its speed is equal to the speed of sound in air (which is 332 m/s or 1195 km/hr or 717 miles/hour.) Named after Ernst Mach (1838-1916), an Austrian philosopher and physicist.

5. "The Nowhere City" author Lurie: ALISON (not to be confused with the American rapper named Allison Lurie). Relied on perps for this. Interesting info from Wiki: 'The Nowhere City, evokes both Thomas More’s Utopia (Greek for “nowhere”) and Gertrude Stein’s comment about Oakland, California, “There is no there there.” Coincidentally, my last guest blog puzzle had 'Utopia' clued as "More work."

6. Subway Series stadium: SHEA. The Subway Series is a series of Major League Baseball games played between teams based in New York City. So named in the 1920's because the subway had become an important form of public transport in the city and provided a convenient form of travel between the three city ballparks: the Polo Grounds, in upper Manhattan; Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx; and Ebbets Field in Brooklyn.

7. Suit material? TORT. Torts are civil wrongs recognized by law as grounds for a lawsuit.

8. Couple's word: OURS. Aw.

9. Afterthoughts, briefly: PS'S. Post Scripts.

10. Go-__: GETTER

11. So far: AS YET

12. Not as flushed: PALER

13. Dictator's assistant? STENO. Stenographer.

17. Prefix with pad: HELI. Heli-pad. I hear Jazzbumpa groaning from here.

22. Univ. recruiter: ROTC. Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

23. Quickly, in memos: ASAP. As Soon As Possible.

24. "Don't think so": UH UH

25. Bitmap components: DOTS. Fooled me, I wanted DPI's.

26. '40s flag-raising site, briefly: IWO. Iwo Jima. Here is the famous photograph by Joe Rosenthal, and even live footage.

27. "The Maids" playwright: GENET. No idea.

28. Pinafore letters: HMS. HMS Pinafore, the comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan.

29. Short life story? BIO. Short for biography.

32. 2003 A.L. Manager of the Year Tony: PENA. A.L. = American League. Pena managed the Kansas City Royals from 2002-2005. Again from Wiki: He is the father of pitcher Tony Francisco Peña (mistakenly known as "Tony, Jr."), as well as New York Mets minor league player Francisco Peña, a prospect for the New York Mets.

33. Fabric finish? ATOR. Finish of the word fabricator. That you again, Jazz? (Groaning, not fabricating.)

34. Bobcat, e.g.: LYNX

36. Support spec: B-CUP. I think Dan threw us a bone.

37. "Chances __": Mathis hit: ARE. Song. Also a movie with Cybill Shepherd, Robert Downey Jr., and Ryan O'Neal.

38. Men: HE'S

39. Sam-__: I AM. He does not like green eggs and ham.

43. Amounts: QUANTA

44. Little rascals: IMPS

45. Hugs, in letters: OOO. XXX are kisses.

46. Easy to use, in adspeak: NO FUSS

47. Subsided: EBBED

48. Rice-__: A-RONI

49. Ministers: TENDS. Verb, not noun.

52. Place: LIEU

53. Coffee servers: URNS

54. Ancient Persian: MEDE. The Medes lived in Media.

55. Place for a pad: KNEE. Knee pad.

56. Comic strip dog: ODIE. Garfield's bane.

57. Adonis: HUNK. Du siehst echt zum Anbeißen gut aus!

58. 19th-century military family: LEES. I was unaware there were so many.

60. "The Gift of the Magi" gift: FOB. Also a set of COMBS (1D).

Answer grid.

melissa

Thursday March 18, 2010 Donna S. Levin

Theme: KISS (55D. Popular version of a design principle acronym spelled out by the starts of this puzzle's four longest answers) - KISS is an acronym for the design principle "Keep It Simple, Stupid".

20A. Park warning: KEEP OFF THE GRASS

25A. 1971 hit for Ringo: IT DON'T COME EASY. Have never heard of this song.

43A. Bone injury in which the skin is intact: SIMPLE FRACTURE. Great crossing with both SCAR (42D. Battle reminder) & SPLINTS (41D. Limb immobilizers), fantastic string of consonants.

48A. Regular Letterman show segment: STUPID PET TRICKS

I learned the KISS principle when Occam's Razor appeared in our old TMS Daily puzzle sometime in 2008. Law of succinctness: the simpler, the better.

Donna seems to always apply this principle to her puzzles (at least the LAT ones). Her themes are often simple yet creative, fill smooth and "in the language". You can always count on her for friendly crossings when an obscure entry comes up.

Across:

1. Relatives of odds: ENDS. Odds and ends. And EVEN (22D. Alternative to odds). Nice "odds" echo.

5. Presently: ANON. Poetically. Same with CLIME (28. Weather, in poems)

14. Marjorie Morningstar's creater: WOUK (Herman). Not familiar with this book.

15. San __: REMO. The Italian Riviera city.

16. Fortuneteller's deck: TAROT

17. Old Dodge: OMNI. Is this your first car, Jeannie?

18. Diva's moment: ARIA. I love this new clue.

23. Flier that had a St. Louis hub: TWA (Trans World Airlines)

33. Sticking places?: CRAWS. Idiom: stick in one's craw.

34. Ford Field team: LIONS. Detroit Lions. Can Ford still afford to pay the naming rights fee?

37. Firing chamber: KILN. Hot!

38. First professional musician to become Chairman of the Board of Lincoln Center: SILLS (Beverly). Was unaware of this trivia.

39. Galileo's patron: NASA. The spacecraft Galileo. Awesome new clue.

40. Sumac of song: YMA

41. 2009 "Survivor" setting: SAMOA. No idea. Not a "Survivor" fan.

42. Muslim mystics: SUFIS. Arabic for "wool", referring to the garb those fellows wore.

46. Like: A LA

57. Biker's invitation: HOP ON

58. Pale tan: ECRU

60. Concerned with: ABOUT

62. Freelancer's encl.: SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope)

62. Word that may appear above a silhouette of a man: GENTS. The rest room sign. Felt stupid struggling with the answer.

65. 1/2 fl. oz.: TBSP. Obtained the answer from crosses.

Down:

1. Hirsute "Star Wars" creature: EWOK. The furry figure. Hirsute = hairy.

2. Seward Peninsula city: NOME. The Iditarod terminus. Seward Peninsula is named after William Seward, the Secretary of State who negotiated the Purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. Learning moment for me.

3. Shore thing: DUNE. Nice play on "Sure thing".

4. Take a powder: SKIP TOWN. New idiom to me also.

5. See 32-Down: ARAFAT. And YASIR (32. With 5-Down, former PLO Chairman). What a mess he left behind.

6. Big name in spongy toy: NERF

7. Drop: OMIT

8. Genesis builder: NOAH. Noah's Ark.

9. Cheroot relatives: STOGIES. The cheap cigars.

10. Literally, Spanish for "the tar": LA BREA. Hence the redundancy in La Brea Tar Pits.

12. Some spores, all grown up: MOSS

13. Jeanne d'Arc et al, Abbr.: STES (Saintes). Jeanne d'Arc is French for Joan of Arc.

26. Takes a little off: TRIMS

29. __ Olay: OIL OF. I love Olay brand.

30. Back biter?: MOLAR. My favorite clue today.

31. Glitch: SNAFU

36. Low: BASE

38. Word with bar or days: SALAD

44. Chart: MAP OUT

48. Go after, as flies: SHAG. D'oh, fly balls.

49. Choice for Hamlet: TO BE. To be, or not to be.

51. Mass seating: PEWS

52. Repeat: ECHO

53. Monorail unit: TRAM

54. Grouch: CRAB. No kvetch from me today.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Wednesday March 17, 2010 Mike Peluso

Theme: FORE (71. Links warning, and a prefix with the second word of the answers to starred clues). - Golfers would yell "Fore!" if they fear that their shots might endanger the spectators/players ahead. When I play golf, and there are too many very slow players in front, I might just take a shot at one, but I always yell the warning.

17A. *"Unbelievable!": OUTTA SIGHT. Hmm, okay out of sight, meaning amazing. A good Maynard G. Krebs word; he introduced the transistor radio to the world. Good thing this is a CROSS WORD puzzle. FORESIGHT. Which if I had any, would have told me there would be no St. Patrick here today.

25A. *Knitting aid, in a way: PLASTER CAST. Now this clue I love, as who would think about bones knitting together. Great misdirection. FORECAST, what the weathermen do daily.

37A. *Office component: MICROSOFT WORD. Another nice curve, as this is but one part of the MICROSOFT OFFICE SUITE. Most old lawyers still use Word Perfect, but we are in the minority. FOREWORD, the writing before a book, not to be confused with FOREWARD, like our own dear Lois.

52A. *Legendary archer: WILLIAM TELL. Always was the apple of my eye, and I really like his intro music by Rossini. FORETELL, another look into the future.

61A. *Cartoon beeper: ROAD RUNNER and of course my favorite, Wile E. Coyote, his nemesis, and another hero of mine. He never gives up. FORERUNNER, not to be confused with 4Runner.

And our bonus word, for ones who look into the future, 70. Oracles: SEERS. Mr. Peluso did, perhaps wisely, leave out FORESKIN.

Good morning, boys and girls and trolls; how many were expecting a green puzzle today? Heaven FOREFEND such a concept. We do however, get the clever mind of Mike Peluso who gave us the wonderful President’s puzzle last month.

Welcome to wacky Wednesday with your guest blogger Lemonade 714. I really enjoyed doing this puzzle, and now know how hard C.C., Argyle and all of the others who have sat in this place, work to entertain.

Across:

1. Repairs with thread: SEWS. Okay, nice simple beginning to get the juices flowing.

5. Burning: AFIRE , 43. Like angry bees: ASWARM , 57. Each: APIECE . Well we all have our favorites and not so….

10. Part of C.W. Post: Abbr.: INIT. This refers to the initials, C. W.

14. BCS org.: NCAA. March Madness started tonight, good job Arkansas Pine Bluff, another example of not quitting, as the Golden Lions lost their first 11 games this year.

15. Tot watchers' nicknames: NANAS . I called one of mine Mimi, and the other- her.

16. Muscle quality: Tone. Well, do you like them Big or Small ?

19. Radio toggle switch: AM FM. What about satellite?

20. What you can't have success without?: ESSESS. Three letter S in the word "success". You could not spell it any other way.

21. Abate: EASE UP

23. La Mediterranean e.g. : MER , our first French lesson of the day, meaning SEA, which led me to: 56. Evian for one: and of course I wanted EAU, which means water, but the perps told me it was: SPA .

28. "Born Free" lioness: ELSA , and I always get this PICTURE in my mind.

30. Record book: LOG, Captain’s LOG Stardate 124.8; yes I am a trekkie.

31. Evaluates: RATES

32. Adopt, as a stray: TAKES IN . Is that how most of you got your kitties?

35. Cosmetic surgery, for short: LIPO . Maybe if I move my tummy, to my ass….

42. R.E.M.'s "The __ Love": ONE I. The band is originally from Georgia .

45. Highway with a terminus at Dawson Creek, British Columbia: ALCAN (Alaska-Canada)

49. Night sch. course: ESL . We see that a lot in Florida.

51. Give off: EMIT .

58. Japanese-American: NISEI .

60. Almond __: crunchy candy: ROCA . Yummy.

66. Reactions to no-brainers: DUHS .

67. "Coffee __?": OR TEA . Or me?.

68. Nevada neighbor: : UTAH. We have seen this state often, recently.

69. Renege on a dele?: STET. Editing. What a great new clue, for some crosswordese, with a pun on DEAL to boot! Love it.

Down:

1. __-Cat: SNO. Isn’t THIS what you wanted this winter Dennis?

2. Old French coin: ECU. Back to our French lesson, but instead of old standby SOU, we have ECU.

3. Wakeboard relative: WATER SKI

4. Exams for srs. SATS

5. Yosemite photographer Adams : ANSEL a great EYE .

6. '60s-'70s Saudi king: FAISAL. Our government loved him because he hated communists.

7. Having one sharp, musically: IN G. I defer to one sharp himself, BUMPA.

8. Cry of support: RAH

9. Competitor of Helena and Coco: ESTEE. Okay, we may be sick of the woman, but this is wonderful new way to get all those lovely EEs in the puzzle.

10. Mississippi River source: ITASCA a real gimme for our Minnie friends, C.C. and Lo-li-ta and others.

11. Vegan's credo: NO MEAT. I promised Dennis, I would not go there.

12. Add, as if by pouring : INFUSE.

13. Plays the siren : TEMPTS. Did you all see the movie SIRENS with ELLE that is temptation with a capital T.

18. Cleopatra's undoing: she made an ASP of herself.

22. Equipment for 52-Across: ARROWS or for GREEN ARROW.

23. Came across: MET, like ran into

24. Jack of Westerns: ELAM proving you have to be pretty to be in movies.

26. Recital performer: SOLOIST

27. Pre-weekend "Phew!" : TGIF

29. Cold War agcy. : AEC our friends at the Atomic Energy Commission

33. Like some unexpected endings: IRONIC

34. Lille denial: NON. Back to French class, Lille is a city in Northern France.

36. Home-school link: Abbr. : PTA tricked you, nothing to do with home schooling.

38. Appear to be: SEEM

39. Have debts: OWE .

40. Collides with: RAMS INTO THIS .

41. Leak: DRIP .

44. Beantown transit syst. : MTA made famous by the Kingston Trio.

45. Oscars and such: AWARDS

46. Curl around the edge of the hole without going in, in golf: LIP OUT which reminds me, Tiger will play the Masters.

47. Stale expression: CLICHÉ .

48. Blue Jays' div. : AL EAST spelled out for once.

50. Bank, often: LENDER As Polonious said, never a borrower nor a lender be.

53. Houston hockey team: AEROS why do they have hockey there?

54. Turkish money: LIRAS.

55. Sch. with a Shreveport campus: LSU part of the spawning of NICK SATAN.

59. Ample, slangily: ENUF It is real .

62. Pay dirt: ORE love this simple clue.

63. Had: ATE Did Mr. Peluso's Wednesday eat you alive?

64. Auditory organ: EAR . Well, I am ‘ear today, gone tomorrow, thanks for having me.

65. Scoreboard letters: RHE Runs, did I score? Hits, any you liked? Errors, I know I am not perfect, so it is all good. My best to each and everyone of you. Even, well I am outta here. Happy St Patrick's Day!

Answer grid.

Lemonade 714

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: # TIC TAC TOE (57A: Pencil game that hints at this puzzle's theme, found in the first and last letters of 18-, 25- and 43-Across) - Each familiar phrase is bookended by O and X.

18A: Rival of Staples: OFFICEMAX.

25A: Red Cloud's tribe: OGLALA SIOUX. Chief Jack Red Cloud. As a warrior and a statesman, Red Cloud's success in confrontations with the United States government marked him as one of the most important Lakota SIOUX leaders.

43A: Jane, to Dick, e.g.: OPPOSITE SEX.

Argyle here (a lot more here than yesterday).

How long did you play tic tac toe before discovering how to always win or at least, draw? I'm afraid I didn't get it until I was nine or ten.

It's a little harder than our usual Tuesday and a Pangram, to boot. Four Xs.

Across:

1A: Roaring group: CROWD. Bad start for me; had PRIDE. (lions)

6A: Bridge coup: SLAM. The card game. I'm more familiar with Denny's Grand Slam

10A: Boston NBAer: CELT. (basketball)

14A: Act like a doting grandma, perhaps: HOVER.

15A: Hawaiian port: HILO. (on the Big Island)

16A: Healthy: HALE.

17A: Musical narrated by Che: "EVITA".

20A: '40s-'50s paranoia that led to blacklisting: RED SCARE. Anti-communist fears played up by people like Senator McCarthy resulted in hearings where people were forced to name names and state, under oath, if you or anyone you knew, were communists. To stick to your constitutional right to not do so, got a person blacklisted.

22A: "For Your Eyes Only" singer Easton: SHEENA. The song was from the James Bond movie of the same name.

23A: Island strings: UKE.

24A: Rides roughshod over: STEPS ON.

30A: Board with eerie messages: OUIJA.

31A: Neither's partner: NOR.

32A: Microwaves: ZAPS.

36A: Not guilty, for example: PLEA.

37A: Make one of two?: UNITE.

39A: Came down to earth: ALIT.

40A: Cowpoke's prod: SPUR.

41A: Petunia, e.g.: PIG.

42A: Serpentine: SNAKY.

46A: Fillies and foals: EQUINES. (horses)

50A: __ la la: TRA.

51A: Track athlete: RUNNER.

52A: "The Breakfast Club" actors are part of it: BRAT PACK. Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy

59A: Conservative front?: ULTRA. Front of the word ultraconservative.

60A: Perry's creator: ERLE. ERLE Stanley Gardner created Perry Mason.

61A: "Major" constellation: URSA.

62A: Grand __ National Park: TETON. You latecomers to the blog have missed some epic comments about the Grand Tetons.

63A: Futurist: SEER.

64A: Seamstress's fold: TUCK.

65A: Not approximate: EXACT.

Down

1D: "Believe" singer: CHER. Official Music Video. "Believe" is noted for its use of the Auto-Tune pitch-correction software on the singer's vocals to create a peculiar sound effect, sometimes referred to as the "Cher effect". An interesting read at Wikipedia.

2D: Wander: ROVE. When do we go back to ROAM(which I enter every time).

3D: "Ars amatoria" poet: OVID. A Roman poet who authored Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria, three major collections of erotic poetry.

4D: Antiprohibitionists: WETS. WETS vs. DRYS

5D: Count with a cape: DRACULA. Count Dracula.

6D: Coastlines: SHORES.

7D: Family board game: LIFE. When was the last time you played LIFE, or any board game, for that matter?

8D: TV E.T.: "ALF". A television sitcom that originally ran on NBC from 1986 to 1990 and was created by Paul Fusco. The title character was Gordon Shumway, a friendly extraterrestrial nicknamed ALF (for Alien Life Form) and he was very fond of cats.

9D: Defogging target: MOISTURE.

10D: Nest noise: CHEEP. (alliteration) Not a good sound if it's from starlings in your eaves.

11D: Chair maker Charles: EAMES With his wife, Ray, they were both designers

12D: South American plain: LLANO.

13D: Houston pro since 2002: TEXAN. The Houston Texans is football team currently a member of the Southern Division of the AFC in the NFL. The Texans joined the NFL in 2002 as an expansion team after Houston's previous franchise, the Oilers moved to Nashville and became the Tennessee Titans.

19D: Whole grain cereal brand: CHEX.

21D: Dossier letters: AKA. (also known as)

24D: Flue filth: SOOT.

25D: "How clumsy of me!": "OOPS!".

26D: Big swig: GULP.

27D: Stead: LIEU.

28D: Slightly open: AJAR.

29D: Jones of English architecture: INIGO. This is NOT a Tuesday word.

32D: Author Grey: ZANE. This is a Tuesday word.

33D: Quaint word of regret: "ALAS!".

34D: High-speed highway: PIKE.

35D: Underworld river: STYX.

37D: Pugilist's punch: UPPERCUT. Alliteration, A fighter's fist to the face of his foe.

38D: Puppy bites: NIPS.

42D: Legislative act: STATUTE.

43D: Military service designation: ONE-A.

44D: Windex target: STREAK. Commercial.

45D: Lyricist Gershwin: IRA.

46D: Art works by Romain de Tirtoff: ERTES. Our old friend, "R.T.", with his full name.

47D: Paper measure: QUIRE. A set of 24 uniform sheets of paper.

48D: "I surrender!": "UNCLE!".

49D: Bury: INTER.

52D: Pear choice: BOSC.

53D: Suffix with cine: PLEX. The term was coined by Philip Taylor of Toronto in 1978 and is the registered trademark "Cineplex Odeon Cinemas"

54D: "__ boy!": ATTA.

55D: Gator's kin: CROC.

56D: "Critique of Pure Reason" philosopher: KANT. Immanuel KANT(1724 – 1804) was an 18th-century German philosopher.

58D: Capote, on the stage: "TRU". In 1990, Robert Morse received both a Tony and a Drama Desk Award for his portrayal of Capote in the one-man show, "TRU".

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday March 15, 2010 Lila Cherry

Theme: Beware the IDES OF MARCH (56A Today, to Caesar - and a hint to the hidden word appearing in this puzzle 15 times (including the one in this answer) - IDE is hidden and marching around in 15 different places.

16A Kids' game with an "it": HIDE AND SEEK

20A Curving pitch: SLIDER

36A Author André: GIDE. Nobel Literature winner 1947.

37A Fall apple drink: CIDER

41A Group of lions: PRIDE

44A 9-Down footballer: RAIDER. 9D. San Francisco Bay city: OAKLAND.

3D Bike outing: RIDE

10D Wedding party member: BRIDESMAID

14D As above, in footnotes: IDEM

26D Like most modern TVs, picturewise: WIDE SCREEN

28D Square's four: SIDE

31D Drop in pronunciation: ELIDE

40D Oceanic reflux: EBB TIDE

49D What's on your mind: IDEA

Another puzzle from our editor Rich Norris himself. Lila Cherry, one of his alias names, is an anagram of "Really Rich".

Very creative interpretation of "Ides of March" (the day Caesar was killed) and deliberate use of 15 as the number of IDE words/phrases. Perfect puzzle for March 15. Great crossing with DOOM (46. Dire fate) as well.

Among the IDE entries, four longest ones are symmetrically placed, and SIDES and CIDER are placed in the very middle of the grid crossing each other.

Brain dead Argyle here. I hope C.C. is up early enough to fix my mistakes today. For the longest tine, I could only find 14 Ides! Thank goodness most of the clue/answers are straightforward.

Across:

1. Month with showers: APRIL

6. Auctioned auto, briefly: REPO. (repossessed)

10. Journalist Nellie: BLY

13. Egypt's capital: CAIRO

14. Ancient Greek district: IONIA

15. Corned beef bread: RYE

18. Nest egg item, for short: IRA

19. Bridge supports: TRESTLES

22. Garment bottom: HEM

23. Suffix with meth- or prop-: ANE

24. Alley competitor: BOWLER. Bowling alley.

28. Backyard play apparatus: SWING SET

33. Like some college walls: IVIED

34. Employed: HIRED

35. Caesar's 1,051: MLI. One more Caesar reference.

38. Pass's opposite: FAIL

39. Single: ONE

40. City on the Ruhr: ESSEN

42. Nuclear treaty subjects: TEST BANS

45. Corn discard: COB

46. The Atty. General is head of it: DOJ. Department of Justice.

47. Low-level clouds: STRATI

50. Icy formation at either extremity of the Earth's axis: POLAR CAP

55. Peeper: EYE

58. Classic Jaguar model: XKE

59. Jeans material: DENIM

60. "What's in __?": Juliet: A NAME

61. Japanese money: YEN

62. Has a sandwich: EATS

63. Brawn: SINEW

Down

1. Eight, in Berlin: ACHT

2. Twosome: PAIR

4. Enrages: IRES. Verb, Groan!

5. Despised: LOATHED

6. Perot of politics: ROSS. Or H. ROSS Perot.

7. Denver-to-Chicago dir.: ENE

8. Crusty desserts: PIES

11. Old Greek stringed instrument: LYRE

12. 365 days: YEAR

17. Met, Nat or Card: NLer

21. Beethoven's "Minuet __": IN G

24. Archie Bunker type: BIGOT

25. Like lambs and rams: OVINE

27. Reb general: LEE. And 37. 27-Down's org.: CSA.

29. Birdhouse songbird: WREN

30. Suffix with bombard: IER

32. Flooring specialist: TILER

34. Yokel's possessive: HIS'N

38. End of most work wks.: FRI.

41. Dr. Denton's, e.g.: PAJAMAS

43. Ode title starter: TO A

44. Massage deeply: ROLF. Named after Ida Rolf, a U.S. physiotherapist who invented the techniques.

47. Like a sheer negligee: SEXY

48. Small child: TYKE

50. Trident-shaped letters: PSIS PSI

51. Hindu princess: RANI

52. Prefix with apple: CRAN

53. Summit: ACME

54. Relieved cry: "PHEW!"

57. Tolkien tree creature: ENT

Answer grid.

Argyle

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.