Friday July 16, 2010 Joon Pahk

Theme: ZZ Top - ZZ is inserted to familiar two-word phrases, changing mostly long vowel sounds into short vowel sounds.

17A. Amaze a racing legend? : DA(ZZ)LE EARNHARDT. The base phrase is Dale Earnhardt, the racing legend.

26A. Simple but exciting abode? : PIZZA(ZZ) HUT. Pizza Hut. Pizzazz is also spelled as pizazz. No long vowel to short vowel sound change in this one. What is the English word with the most Zs?

48A. Headgear delayed in shipment? : LATE FE(ZZ)ES. Late Fees. Did not know the plural for fez is fezzes. The only theme answer ZZ is added to the second word.

61A. Furniture design flop? : FI(ZZ)LING CABINET. Filing Cabinet.

Total 11 Zs. The record is 18. Low black square count too. Only 33.

Must be a bear to construct this puzzle. Hard to come up with common Z containing words to conveniently intersect those Zs in the theme answers, esp when Z is the second letter in a word. AZIZ (23D: Saddam Hussein adviser Tariq) the "Who?" dude just has to be there. No other good alternative. It's easier when the slot has a *ZE ending pattern, like 3D & 41D.

Additionally, the constructor tried to be original & tricky in his clues, hence quite a few unfamiliar references. Just a slog for me.

Puns are always subjective, don't you think? What tickles one might not work for another. Even good puns can be painful.

Across:

1. Place to get clean? : REHAB. Clean the bad addiction.

6. Dip : SWIM

10. Grade-schooler's reward : STAR

14. Roasted, on Mexican menus : ASADA. As in Carne Asada (roasted meat).

15. Animal in two constellations : URSA. Bear. Ursa Major & Ursa Minor (constellation).

16. "Hiya, José" : HOLA

20. Seek retribution, in a way : SUE

21. Prefix with meter : ALTI. Altimeter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. New word to me.

22. Unchallenging courses : EASY AS. Learned Easy A courses from doing Xword.

23. "I ain't got no quarrel with the Viet Cong" speaker : ALI. Not aware of this quote.

24. A goner, in slang : TOAST

30. On the road : AWAY

34. When Macbeth kills Duncan : ACT II. Had ACT?? there forever.

35. Blender brand : OSTER. We also have T-FAL (53D. Maker of nonstick cookware). Two kitchen appliance brands.

37. Knock out, so to speak : AWE

38. Brainchild? : WHIZ KID. Was in the "idea" line of thinking.

40. Iris parts : AREOLAS. Was only familiar with the nipple ring definition.

42. Time Warner spin-off of 2009 : AOL. Did its stock price rise after the spin-off?

43. America's most wanted? : A LIST. Playing on the TV show "America's Most Wanted".

45. Yvette's "our" : NOTRE. As in Notre Dame.

46. "__ chic!" : TRES. Two French in a row.

50. Draw out : EDUCE

52. "Maa" ma : EWE. Nice clue.

53. Basic religious tenet : THEISM

56. Silents star Naldi : NITA. Can never remember this lady's name.

58. Four-song discs, briefly : EPS. EP = Extended Play. Got me.

64. Toward shelter : ALEE

65. Stooge chuckle : NYUK. Curly's chuckle: Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk.

66. Off one's trolley : LOOPY. "Off one's trolley" is a new idiom to me.

67. House member : LORD. House of Lord. British Parliament. Stumped.

68. Choosing word : EENY. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe". Mystery for me.

69. Newark's county : ESSEX. No idea. Only knew the Essex in England. Not NJ.

Down:

1. Angular measures: Abbr. : RADS. Radians. See this diagram.

2. Twin in the Torah : ESAU. Jacob's twin. Was picturing the animals in Noah's Ark.

3. Skyline obscurer : HAZE

4. Tool whose blade is at right angles to the shaft : ADZ. Know the word. But the clue stymied me.

5. Russian instrument with a triangular body : BALALAIKA. A complete stranger.

6. Bird feeder filler : SUET. Really? My neighbors use millet.

7. Ghostly figures : WRAITHS

8. Knesset's land: Abbr. : ISR. And EZER (55. Weizman of 8-Down), whose name escaped me again.

9. Femme fatale : MAN EATER. Another new slang to me.

10. View from Weed, California : SHASTA. Mount Shasta. I've never heard of Weed. It's 10 miles west-northwest of Mount Shasta.

11. Labourite's opponent : TORY. The British Conservative party. Labourite is a person who supports the Labour Party. Another new word to me.

12. Robert of Broadway's "Guys and Dolls" : ALDA. No idea. He's the father of Alan Alda.

13. "Phooey!" : RATS

18. Daughter of Henry VIII: Abbr. : ELIZ. OK, Elizabeth I, daughter of Anne Boleyn.

19. Is down with : HAS. I don't get this clue.

25. Defeated in an annual Nathan's contest : OUT ATE. Know the repulsive hot dog contest, not the venue.

26. Grab for roughly : PAW AT

27. Blood of the gods : ICHOR. Learned from doing Xword also.

28. Scrabble 10-pointer: Z TILE. Could be an alternative theme title, no?

29. 12-sign system : ZODIAC

31. Minute piece? : WALTZ. Chopin's "Minute Waltz".

32. Not ignorant : AWARE

33. Sycophants' replies : YESES

36. Like wind energy : RENEWABLE. Terrific answer.

39. Shed light on : ILLUMINE. Only know illuminate.

41. Slow mover : OOZE. And ICKY (57. Like 41-Down, perhaps).

44. Simply designed British firearm : STEN GUN. We seen STEN often.

47. Appropriated : SEIZED

49. Crumbly cheese : FETA

51. Broadband option: Abbr. : DSL

54. Big Island city : HILO (Hee-loh)

58. Chimp in the Mercury program : ENOS. I forgot.

59. Skunk Le Pew : PEPE. Pepe Le Pew.

60. Charon's river : STYX. The Hades river. Charon is the ferryman.

62. Emmy-winning scientist : NYE. Bill Nye the Science Guy.

63. Cyclades island : IOS. Another stumper. Homer is said to be buried on this island.

Answer grid.

Here is Part VI of Kazie's Oz series. Day 2 on their Kakadu tour. That resting place under the rock looks dangerous, doesn't it? Click here to see all the pictures from her Oz trip.

C.C.

Thursday July 15, 2010 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: Route Puns - Double word roadway terms (all in plural form) are humorously reinterpreted and clued as if they are "Routes to work" for a person of certain occupation.

17A. Routes to work for a bell ringer?: TOLL ROADS. Toll is the sound of a bell, or a price to pay.

32A. Routes to work for a water company engineer?: MAIN STREETS. Water main, the name of the principle street in many towns.

41A. Routes to work for a window treatment installer?: BLIND ALLEYS. Window blinds, and a road with only one way in or out.

59A. Routes to work for a diet guru?: FAST LANES. To abstain from eating, (usually) the innermost lane on a highway, freeway, or turnpike.

Other words in the puzzle loosely related to the theme:

16A. Mayflower employee: MOVER

62A. Unlucky fisherman's catch, in comics: TIRE.

63A. It's hard to run on it: EMPTY.

31D. Classic Jags: XKES.

Here we go, dissecting an offering from our own Jerome. I found this puzzle to be a bit easier than the past couple of Thursdays, no black marks for me from AcrossLite. Seemed like there were quite a few proper nouns, but a pretty good balance of perps that allowed enough room to guess at them.

I especially liked: 46D. Who's on it (FIRST), 60A. gadget on a pad (MOUSE), and 63A It's hard to run on it (EMPTY). There was a bit of crosswordese here and there, but sometimes those are all I have to get started. When that happens, I know I'm in trouble. Not today though.

Across:

1. Balkan native: SERB.

5. "Fernando" singers: ABBA. Their group name for their first commercial single was originally Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid (Frida). Why would you ever change that?

9. Obviously impressed: AGAPE.

14. Maker of Java Freeze: ICEE. 210 calories = 58 minutes of brisk walking.

15. No bull: TRUE. Apparently from old French boll, deception, trick, scheming, intrigue

19. "SNL" alum Cheri: OTERI.

20. Mourned poetically: ELEGIZED

21. Leave in the dust: OUTRUN. "Blow the doors off of" would have made this word theme related as well.

22. Do an usher's job: SEE IN.

23. New Ager with the album "Dare to Dream": YANNI.

25. View from la costa: AGUA. Depending on which coast, the view today would more likely be el petróleo instead of water.

28. Hood's heater: GAT. Old gangster movie slang for machine guns, from the original rapid fire weapon invented by Richard Gatling. Gat eventually came to mean any gun. Another term for a gun was an "eraser" as in 37A. Rubs out: OFFS. Shortened form of "kills off".

29. "Sour grapes" critter: FOX. Aesop's Fable.

36. Proceeding normally: AOK. Unrelated to this, but worth mentioning, Karaoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese.

38. Peace personified: IRENE. Greek goddess.

39. Shipwright's tool: ADZE. Related to axe, hatchet

40. Response to "Speak!": ARF. Talking dogs.

43. Cracker Jack bonus: TOY.

44. Tyler of "Jersey Girl": LIV. A pic with her Dad Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. Sure, the resemblance is obvious...

45. Divided sea: ARAL.

46. Knocks for a loop: FAZES.

48. Like a milquetoast's spouse, often: BOSSY. Caspar Milquetoast, the timid soul, an old comic strip.

52. Wish for: DESIRE. I wish I had not done a google image search for desiree with the safe search option off. What has been seen cannot be unseen.

55. Payload's place: NOSECONE. Payload originally referred to the revenue producing portion of a conveyance. With a bomb attached to a rocket, that lends a whole new meaning to the term "money shot".

58. Ornament: ADORN. Used as a verb, not a fragile glass ball.

60. Gadget on a pad: MOUSE.

61. Bug and more: RILE.

64. Tons: A LOT.

65. Chows down: EATS.

Down:

1. Developer's offerings: SITES. Real estate.

2. Nice school?: ECOLE. French word for school. Nice is French city, pronounced like "niece".

3. J.E.B. Stuart's boss: R. E. LEE. Confederate generals, James Edward Brown (Stuart), Robert Edward Lee.

4. Antwerp natives: BELGIANS. Also Flemish, but that was a letter short.

5. The whole kit and caboodle: A TO Z.

6. Scottish hillside: BRAE. From old words for eye and eyebrow becoming the brow of a hill.

7. One to hang with: BUDDY.

8. 1950s political monogram: AES. Adlai Ewing Stevenson. Defeated twice for the Democratic bid for president by DDE, later because Ambassador to the UN.

9. Is equivalent (to): AMOUNTS. That don't amount to a brae 'o beans.

10. "The Teflon Don": GOTTI. Almost all attempts at getting a conviction didn't stick to him.

11. State firmly: AVER. Related words: verify and very. To make true or prove to be true.

12. Emperor Atahualpa's land: PERU. The last Incan emperor, died in 1533.

13. The Auld Sod: ERIN. The old land, Ireland.

18. Audi logo quartet: RINGS.

21. Painting the town red: ON A TEAR. A riotous spree.

24. Chairman's list: AGENDA.

26. Put into play: UTILIZE. I hate it when someone utilizes this word (see how silly that sounds?). It just sounds like the person is trying to impress you with his vocabulary instead of his (lack of) knowledge. Reminds me too much of corporate-speak, a faker's language used to make a lot of noise without actually saying anything at all. Just use "use".

27. Make it big: ARRIVE. After 30 years of practice you too can become an overnight sensation.

29. Lose vitality: FADE.

30. Like sap: OOZY.

32. Zoo barrier: MOAT.

33. Early Jesse Jackson do: AFRO. Hairdo.

34. Up in the air: IFFY.

35. Bard's nightfall: EEN.

39. Parcel out: ALLOCATE. To locate, to place.

41. Flattery: BLARNEY. Lady Blarny, the smooth-talking flatterer in Goldsmith's "Vicar of Wakefield" (1766) preceded naming the Blarney Stone (1796).

42. Bar code's place: LABEL.

46. Who's on it: FIRST. The old Abbot and Costello routine. Who is the name of the man that is the first baseman.

47. Spiral-shelled creature: SNAIL.

49. Widow of Rajiv Gandhi: SONIA. Never even saw this clue, got it all through perps.

50. Hägar's dog: SNERT. Comic strip characters by Chris Browne.

51. Toadies' words: YESES. Originally, a toady traveled with a medicine man and literally ate a toad (which was thought to be poisonous) to enable his master to "cure" him and sell to all the easy marks. Not so different from ads on TV today.

52. Title for Kiri Te Kanawa: DAME. Operatic soprano.

53. Nation of Esau: EDOM. Esau was the brother of Jacob, the founder of Israel. Talk about sibling rivalry.

54. First course, sometimes: SOUP.

56. City founded by King Harald III: OSLO. Burned to the ground, then was rebuilt and renamed Christiana. Later it was renamed back to Oslo again.

57. Proofer's mark: STET. Let it stand, change the change back to the original text.

59. Monk's title: FRA. Friar. Probably derived from the French word frère ("brother" in English). According to Wiki, friars and monks aren't quite the same. A Monk is devoted to and lives within a single community away from the rest of the world, and a Friar has a wider range, spending time in each of several different provinces, but doing similar work.

Answer grid.

Here are some great pictures Gunghy took from his recent bike trip to Texas via California, Arizona & New Mexico. He finished 13 miles short of 4000 in 11 days in his Yamaha Raider. He's racing for High Sierra Regatta today. Good luck, Gunghy! Kazie's Oz Series will continue tomorrow.

Al

Wednesday July 14, 2010 Bruce Venzke

Theme: How Would You Like That Cooked? - The first word of each phrase is a term describing the doneness of meat. Rib-eye medium rare, please. You?

20A. Iron ore, to a steel mill : RAW MATERIAL

34A. Seller of an Inverted Jenny, perhaps : RARE STAMP DEALER. Interesting trivia.

43A. Guns with a caliber between 105 and 155 millimeters : MEDIUM ARTILLERY

58A. Buxom, facetiously : WELL ENDOWED. Wow.

Melissa Bee here. Bruce Venzke seems to be fond of grid-spanning theme answers. He delivered five in his last "P-T Vowel Progression".

The 4/4/5 black square dividers in four edges provided us with plenty of 4-letter words, 38 to be exact.

Let's get to the meat of the matter.

Across:

1. Fitzgerald forte : SCAT. Ella. Vocal improvisation jazz.

5. Karate award : BELT. Here are the levels.

9. Sail supports : MASTS

14. Word after dial or earth : TONE

15. 7-Down user : EYER. And 7D. Rake's look : LEER. Rake is a historic term applied to a man who is habituated to immoral conduct, frequently a heartless womanizer. And 40A. Don Juan's mother : INEZ. Don Juan is a fictional rogue and a libertine (rake) who takes great pleasure in seducing women.

16. Just kept yakking : RAN ON

17. One executing a takeoff? : APER. Takeoff here means 'a humorous or satirical mimicry.'

18. Nevada's __ 51 : AREA. Part of an off-limits military base near Groom Lake. There is much speculation about what occurs in this restricted area.

19. Go Dutch : SHARE

23. 66, famously: Abbr. : RTE. According to Wikipedia, Route 66 was officially removed from the United States Highway System on June 27, 1985 after it was decided the route was no longer relevant and had been replaced by the Interstate Highway System.

24. Lisa, to Bart : SIS. The Simpsons TV Show.

25. Certain park visitor : TRAILER. Vacationers visit state and national parks in camping trailers.

27. Pollutant banned in the U.S. in 1979 : PCB. Polychlorinated biphenyls. Man made chemicals used in the production of flame retardants, sealants, paints, and 'carbonless' copy paper, among other things. Now being found in supplements with omega-3 fatty acids, from fish living in contaminated rivers and streams.

30. Cold War craft : MIGS. MiGs were the best-known Soviet fighters during the Cold War. Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG was founded by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich.

33. Available without an Rx : OTC. Over the counter.

41. Little white thing : LIE

42. Co-star of Joel in the film "Cabaret" : LIZA Minelli

48. Jackson-to-Tupelo dir. : NNE

49. Corn syrup brand : KARO

50. Glasgow negative : NAE

51. '70s Robert Blake cop show : BARETTA

55. Odd man's place? : OUT. From the term 'odd man out,' describing someone who differs markedly from the others in a group. Also a 1947 movie starring James Mason.

57. Schooner contents : ALE. A schooner is a glass used for serving beer.

64. Six-Day War site : SINAI. June 5–10, 1967 (also known as the June War), a war between Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.

66. Like many deli orders : TO GO

67. Suffix for the well-to-do : AIRE. Millionaire.

68. Is after : SEEKS

69. Israel's first UN ambassador : EBAN. Abba Eban, died in 2002.

70. Concrete piece : SLAB

71. __ a time : ONE AT

72. Dowsing tools : RODS. Dowsing, or 'divining' is an ancient method for detecting ground water.

73. Tracy's Trueheart : TESS. Dick Tracy and Tess Trueheart, comic book characters.

Down:

1. Dallas Cowboys emblem : STAR

2. Lola's club : COPA. Barry Manilow's song Copacabana. "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl .."

3. From square one : ANEW

4. What adversaries may come to : TERMS. Come to terms = reach an agreement.

5. Scrams : BEATS IT

6. Rochester's love : EYRE. Edward Rochester and Jane Eyre. One of my favorite books.

8. Pattern baldness, e.g. : TRAIT

9. Flintstone's boss : MR. SLATE. Fred Flintstone, cartoon. The modern stone age family.

10. Hot tub sound : AAH

11. Dog's warning : SNARL

12. Rich cake : TORTE

13. Villain's look : SNEER. Anyone else remember these?

21. Gets in one's sights, with "at" : AIMS.

22. Youngest to reach 500 HRs : A-ROD. Alex Rodriguez.

26. Stud declaration : I CALL. Poker.

27. Like Miss Manners : PRIM. And proper.

28. Prop for Astaire : CANE. Love watching old Astaire movies.

29. Raised : BRED

31. Inaugural ball, e.g. : GALA. Here is Jackie Kennedy on her husband's inauguration day.

32. Self-satisfied smile : SMIRK. Again with the facial expressions.

35. Salon or Slate : E-ZINE

36. Anti-fur farming gp. : PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Reminded me of this.

37. A house may have one on it : LIEN

38. Cornell who founded Cornell : EZRA

39. "Hellzapoppin'" (1941) actress Martha : RAYE

44. Loosen, as a cap : UNTWIST

45. __ out: dispense : METE

46. T-shirt transfers : IRON-ONS

47. Like many rock bands : LOUD. You'll need these.

51. __ profundo: low voice : BASSO. A deep heavy bass voice with an exceptionally low range.

52. Xenophobe's fear : ALIEN

53. Zellweger of "Chicago" : RENEE

54. Let out, perhaps : ALTER

56. It gets burnt a lot : TOAST. Hate that smell.

59. New Mexico athlete : LOBO. Spanish for wolf. University of New Mexico mascot.

60. Word of mock horror : EGAD. Don't think i've ever actually heard anyone use this word.

61. Sneaky trick : WILE. Noun: Devious or cunning stratagem employed in manipulating or persuading someone to do what one wants. Which explains his name.

62. Paleozoic et al. : ERAS

63. Belles at balls : DEBS. Debutantes.

65. Wanted poster abbr. : AKA. Also Known As.

Answer grid.

Here are Part V of Kazie's Oz series. From the first day of the Kakadu Tour which she took out of Darwin. On the first day they visited Nourlangie Rock and cruised the East Alligator River's "Yellow Water". A special label for Kazie is made here. You can find all the pictures from her Oz trip.

Here is the updated Blog Map. The markers are sorted alphabetically with the current commenters first and the inactive ones next. Thanks, Crockett!

Melissa

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 Gail Grabowski

Theme: A Better Place - The last word of the theme entries is a Utopia.

17A. "I Dream of Jeannie" star : BARBARA EDEN. "Jeannie", with navel.

28A. WWII aircraft carrier nicknamed "Tokyo Express" : USS SHANGRI-LA. CV-38 Image.

44A. 1928 #1 song heard in a 1990 Steve Martin film of the same name : MY BLUE HEAVEN. This is that long ago song with some additional information.

58A. Narrator in Kerouac's "On the Road" : SAL PARADISE. "On the Road" is known as a semi-autobiographic story, and Kerouac admitted himself being Sal Paradise.

Argyle here. We can continue from yesterday being happy because now we are Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Across:

1. Sells for : COSTS

6. In any way, shape or form : AT ALL

11. Word with legal or lily : PAD

14. Fur tycoon John Jacob : ASTOR

15. Wild Australian dog : DINGO. Image.

16. Census datum : AGE

19. CD-__ : ROM

20. Flu-like symptom : AGUE

21. Lifesaving technique: Abbr. : CPR. (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)

22. Slangy starting point : GIT GO

24. "Dig in!" : LET'S EAT

26. Bike without pedaling : COAST

32. Cricket call : CHIRP

35. Type of sax : ALTO

36. Steamed up : MAD

37. Solitary : LONE

38. Mag with a "Bachelor of the Year" contest : COSMO

40. Libraries do it : LEND

41. Menu catchphrase : À LA

42. Crate component : SLAT

43. Merchandise : WARES

48. Sequence with a Y, sometimes : AEIOU (vowels)

49. Spouse's resigned assent : YES, DEAR

53. Taxpayer's dread : AUDIT

55. Take in, as a movie : SEE

56. Ultimatum end : ELSE

57. Incidentally, in online shorthand : BTW. (by the way)

62. Plea from a lea : MAA. Cute rhyme.

63. Walk leisurely : MOSEY

64. Scammed : HOSED

65. Inclined to avoid the spotlight : SHY

66. Give the slip : ELUDE

67. Unable to sit still : ANTSY

Down:

1. Conspiring group : CABAL. Popularized in English, 1673, as an acronym for five intriguing ministers of Charles II (Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale), which gave the word its sinister connotations. Online Etymology Dictionary

2. Oklahoma native : OSAGE. Their web site.

3. Pompous gait : STRUT

4. "Without a doubt!" : TO BE SURE

5. Mme. in Madrid : SRA. The Spanish term for the French Mrs., ¿comprende?

6. Copes with change : ADAPTS

7. Wedding cake layer : TIER

8. "Furthermore ..." : AND

9. Part of XL: Abbr. : LGE. (extra large)

10. In olden days : LONG AGO

11. Many a McDonald's worker : PART-TIMER

12. Psyched up : AGOG

13. Test-driven car : DEMO

18. Some HDTVs : RCAS

23. Jerusalem is its cap. : ISR. (Israel)

25. Eerie ability, briefly : ESP. (extrasensory perception)

26. Pre-storm period : CALM. Does an eerie calm precede a storm or is that just an old wives tale?.

27. Savvy about : ON TO

29. Too big a hurry : HASTE

30. Co-worker of Kent and Olsen : LANE (Superman)

31. Mixes in : ADDS

32. Be silent, with "up" : CLAM

33. Fit for sainthood : HOLY

34. Really hurting : IN A BAD WAY

38. Egyptian played by Liz : CLEO. Both names are shortened versions of the full name.

39. Diamond Head's island : OAHU

40. Stopped at, as a board game square : LANDED ON

42. "Sounds good" : SUITS ME

43. "Scream" director Craven : WES. Movie.

45. Luau wreath : LEI

46. Salt's assent : AYE, AYE. (salt = sailor)

47. Avoid a pothole, say : VEER

50. Mass-mailing tool : E-LIST

51. Pompous types : ASSES

52. Like a bassoon's sound : REEDY

53. Aerial defense weapons, for short : ABMS. (anti-ballistic missiles)

54. Bryce Canyon's state : UTAH

55. Exceeded the limit : SPED

59. IM provider : AOL. (IM = Instant Messenger) Rather passé in today's world.

60. Baton Rouge sch. : LSU. (Louisiana State University)

61. "Solved it!" : AHA. Now that is almost too cute to have that as the last entry, but I liked it.

Answer grid.

Here are Part IV of Kazie's Oz series. From her trip to Darwin. Such vibrant color! Gorgeous Sunset Over the Water.

Argyle

Monday, July 12, 2010 John Lampkin

Theme: Joyous Monday - The first word of each two-word (all ten letters) theme answers are what you might be after solving this puzzle. Additionally, each "joyous" synonym contains 2- syllables, with second containing a long E sound.

17A. "Have a nice day" emoticon : SMILEY FACE. If any one has been lucky enough to have missed seeing the ubiquitous smiley face, your luck ends here.

60A. Blackbeard's flag : JOLLY ROGER. The Skull & Bones.

11D. Shakespeare's women of Windsor : MERRY WIVES. "The Merry Wives of Windsor" is a comedy and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life.

28D. Bar discount times : HAPPY HOURS. Typically, it is in the late afternoon and lasts longer than a single hour. Bars that are near mills with a third shift often have a morning happy hour.

Argyle here. Not much to say. Happy Hour is a euphemistic term and usually isn't all that joyous of a time.

Across:

1. Salty drop : TEAR

5. Game for little sluggers : T-BALL

10. Gathering clouds, to some : OMEN

14. "In that range" : OR SO

15. Elephant gone amok : ROGUE

16. Nevada gambling haven : RENO

19. Ear-to-ear expression : GRIN. Like a smiley face.

20. Not as risky : SAFER

21. Archaic "For shame!" : FIE. It's a general sound of disgust that seems to have developed independently in most languages. Online Etymology Dictionary. "Fie, my lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard?" Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth.

22. Avant-__ : GARDE. French. Literally "advance guard" in a military sense; borrowed as an artistic term for "pioneers or innovators of a particular period." The advance group in any field.

23. Perry with a phenomenal success rate : MASON. Erle Stanley Gardner's fictional lawyer and crime-solver.

25. Like Tim Cratchit : TINY. The fictional character in the classic story "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.

26. Kelly, to Regis : CO-HOST

29. Feature of a bad air day : SMOG

31. Needing a diaper change : WET

34. Dump truck filler : LOADER. Clip. If you wonder what he is doing, the operator of the loader is trying to flip the material to the far side of the dump box.

35. Pull, as a water-skier : TOW

36. Home with hexagonal cells : HIVE (Bee hive.)

37. Andersen character with "new clothes" : EMPEROR. "The Emperor's New Clothes" is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two conniving weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes invisible to those unfit for their positions or incompetent. No one wants to admit that they can't see the clothes(including the Emperor) but when the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, a child cries out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!"

39. Lifelong residents : NATIVES

41. Washer or dryer: Abbr. : APPL. (appliance)

42. Frat party buy : KEG

44. Hamster or gerbil : RODENT

45. Commandment word : THY

46. Promo recording : DEMO

47. Like a top hat and tails : DRESSY

48. Sibilant boo : HISS

50. Like Satchmo's voice : RASPY. I had forgotten about this gem. Hee, he..., I mean "Ho, Ho, Ho!"

52. Leading edge of a weather system : FRONT

54. Tupperware topper : LID

55. "Gone With the Wind" family name : O'HARA

59. Gomez Addams portrayer __ Julia : RAUL. From TV's "The Addams Family". Update: Per L-714, it was John Astin on TV and Raul Julia in the movies.

62. Fairy tale villain : OGRE

63. Kukla's puppet pal : OLLIE. "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" was an early American television show using puppets and Fran was Fran Allison.

64. Period before Easter : LENT

65. Wind increase : GUST

66. Spills the beans : BLABS

67. Swirling current : EDDY

Down:

1. Pregame coin flip : TOSS

2. Witty Bombeck : ERMA

3. "__ I care!" : AS IF

4. One to look up to : ROLE MODEL

5. Take a stab at : TRY

6. Huge, at the box office : BOFFO

7. Opposed to : AGAINST

8. Time co-founder Henry : LUCE. Henry Robinson Luce (April 3, 1898 – February 28, 1967)

9. Spike or Ang : LEE. Spike Lee, African-American movie director, or Ang Lee, Oscar winning Chinese film director.

10. Broadway Phantom's instrument : ORGAN. Erik, The Phantom of the Opera.

12. Geraint's lady : ENID. Geraint is a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend, Enid and Geraint.

13. Poor dog's portion, in rhyme : NONE. From Mother Goose.

18. Solver's "undo" implement : ERASER

22. Date for a jazz cat : GIG

24. The 4 in "par 4" : STROKES. (golf)

25. Facing : TOWARDS

26. Golf shoe gripper : CLEAT. Argued before it should be SPIKE. (but we had SPIKE Lee)

27. Get-up-and-go : OOMPH

30. "__ Dieu!" : MON. French

32. Levels off : EVENS

33. Easily irritated : TESTY

36. Secret place : HIDEY HOLE. Where they found Saddam. Image.

38. Dream letters : REM. (rapid eye movement, when a person is dreaming.)

40. Extreme sluggishness : TORPOR

43. Greatest of the great apes : GORILLA

46. "Spring ahead" abbr. : DST. (daylight saving time)

49. Shoreline nook : INLET

51. Wing it on stage : AD LIB

52. Croaking critter : FROG

53. Pasta sauce brand : RAGU

54. Act like a couch potato : LOLL

56. Matured, as cheese : AGED

57. Rip apart : REND

58. Superficially cultured : ARTY

60. To-do list item : JOB

61. "I'd be delighted!" : YES

Answer grid.

Here are two fun pictures with funny captions from today's constructor John Lampkin. Click each one for enlargement.

Happy 80th Birthday to our blog grammar teacher Sallie!

Argyle

Sunday July 11, 2010 Pamela Amick Klawitter

Theme: Geek Squad - TECH is embedded and spans each two-word theme answer.

23A. Welsh pop singing sensation : CHARLOTTE CHURCH. Beautiful voice.

37A. Cookie tidbit : CHOCOLATE CHIP

60A. "The Awakening" author (1899) : KATE CHOPIN. No idea. But I know she's not well known when the construcotr has to put 1899 in the bracket.

85A. Knifehand strike : KARATE CHOP

101A. Environmentalist's concern : CLIMATE CHANGE

123A. 1971 counter-culture film revue hosted by Richard Pryor : DYNAMITE CHICKEN. Not in my radar.

15D. Holiday song that begins "The sun is shining, the grass is green" : WHITE CHRISTMAS

53D. Legislative meeting area : SENATE CHAMBERS

120D. Support worker hiding in the eight longest puzzle answers : TECH

Geek Squad is a subsidiary of Best Buy, which is based here in Minnesota. Had to get their TECH help last time when my computer was sick.

Simple & elegant theme. Sunday puzzles tend to have lots of Fill-in-the-Blank clues/entries (8 in today's case), which can ease up the solving considerably. Lots of 4-letter word too, 54 in this grid.

Alliterative clues aplenty. And of course, I am fond of all the "it" clues:

11D. It might be wild : CARD. Wild card.

106D. It's a plus : ASSET

124D. Make it happen : ACT

Across:

1. Addition, e.g. : MATH

5. Five-sided home? : PLATE. Home plate. Baseball. Quite a few question marked clues in the puzzle, though all the theme clues are straightforward.

10. Sandy color : ECRU

14. __ pants : SWEAT

19. Princess Fiona, e.g. : OGRE. The princess From "Shrek".

20. Ben-Hur portrayer Novarro (1925) : RAMON. "Latin lover" in silent movies, a la Wikipedia. Stranger to me.

21. Place for a speaker : DAIS

22. Letter after eta : THETA

26. Like some carpets : PILED

27. Capital near the Gulf of Tonkin : HANOI. And NAM (33. 27-Across site, briefly). Can picture pain in Dennis' face.

28. Davis who voiced Yar in "Dinosaur" : OSSIE

29. Datsun starter? : DEE. The starting letter of Datsun. Awesome clue.

30. Cruising : AT SEA

31. Gives, as homework : ASSIGNS

35. Matter of interest? : RATE

42. Place to pick up chicks : COOP. Ha ha, not bars.

46. Price limit : CAP

49. Pageant prop : TIARA

50. If-__: conditional statements : THENS

51. Stock market stat : HIGH. And UPS (115A. Stock market stats).

52. Off the mark : AMISS

54. 1860s Jefferson contemporary : ABRAHAM. Jefferson Davis. Abe Lincoln.

57. ERA component : EARNED. And ERAS (70. Times to remember). Different meanings. OK to have ERA duplication.

59. Function : ROLE

63. Gives a thumbs-up : LIKES

64. Curling tool : IRON

65. Liam Neeson's land : IRELAND. "Liam Neeson's country" would have avoided Land repetition.

66. Downs a sub? : EATS. Sandwich.

68. __ blocker : BETA

69. Leader leader? : LOSS. Leader of the term "Loss Leader". Got me.

72. Clay pigeon hurler : TRAP

76. Powder mineral : TALC

78. Choir production : CANTATA

81. 1974 Lucille Ball role : MAME

82. Yacht spots : COVES. Hopefully our yacht boy Gunghy will be back next week.

88. Some 75-Down : ANTS. And PESTS (75. Exterminator's targets).

89. Cochise, for one : APACHE. Have never heard of the tribe chief Cochise.

91. Ice cream soda ingredient : SELTZER

92. Broad-ended cravat : ASCOT

93. Sensitive area : RASH

94. Pertaining to birth : NATAL

96. Strike lightly : TAP ON

99. Sounds from Santa : HOS. Is Santa bald?

100. Entreaty : PLEA

105. Teen hangout : MALL

107. Poivre companion : SEL. Salt in French. Poivre = Pepper.

108. Picked on : NEEDLED

112. Parts of a butcher's inventory : SLABS

118. "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" singer : EVITA

121. "South Park" mom : LIANE. No idea.

122. "Charles in Charge" co-star Willie : AAMES. Nope. First encounter with this fellow.

126. Link in a chain? : STORE. Beautiful clue.

127. __ the Red : ERIC

128. Rolling in francs : RICHE. French for "rich" I presume.

129. Actress Polo : TERI

130. Bank caper : HEIST

131. Michaelmas mo. : SEPT. Paolo or someone else mentioned Michaelmas Day on the blog a while ago.

132. Workout consequences : ACHES

133. Signs of success, for short : SROS. SRO = Standing Room Only.

Down:

1. Starbucks choice : MOCHA

2. Turkish chiefs : AGHAS. Also spelled as Aga.

3. Former prefix? : TRANS. Transformer.

4. Medal-worthy : HEROIC

5. Woods or Els : PRO. Golf pro.

6. Play on which a Puccini opera was based : LA TOSCA. I peeked at the answer sheet. We also have AMORE (47. Puccini's love). Italian for "love". Puccini echos.

7. Small quantities? : AMTS. OK, I guess "Small"= "Abbreviated".

8. Hose fillers : TOES

9. Spanish name for the holm oak : ENCINA. Just learned this trivia a couple of months ago.

10. Univ. URL ending : EDU

12. Sushi staple : RICE

13. Herald, as a new era : USHER IN

14. Mar. parade honoree : ST. PAT

16. Slippery swimmers : EELS

17. Precisely, with "to" : A TEE

18. "There!" : TA-DA

24. Wrigley Field's lack until 1988 : LIGHTS. Unknown fact to me.

25. It can drive people to the mountains : HEAT. No mountain here.

32. "There's __ in 'team'" : NO I

34. Madness may involve one : METHOD. Idiom: There's a method to one's madness. Learning moment for me.

36. Cathedral section : APSE

38. Spouts off : ORATES

39. Stickers : LABELS

40. Mate : CHAP

41. Spherical opening? : HEMI. Opening to the word hemispherical.

43. Porker's plaint : OINK

44. Arced molding : OGEE

45. Ones who get a third degree : PHDS

46. Antilles native : CARIB

48. Tube test? : PILOT. TV tube.

55. HDTV brand : RCA

56. Philip __, Asian-American actor known for war movie roles : AHN. Ang in Chinese, as in Ang Lee.

58. Flying level: Abbr. : ALT (Altitude)

60. Veto : KILL

61. Hard as __ : A ROCK

62. "Awesome!" : NEATO

67. Quickly, in memos : ASAP

70. "Blah, blah, blah," briefly : ETC ETC

71. Enthusiastic : RAH RAH

73. Dressing choice : RANCH

74. Sandbox retort : AM TOO

77. Eyjafjallajökull output : ASH. Spitzboov has been waiting for the volcano to appear.

78. Coloratura legend : CALLAS (Maria). Coloratura is a new word to me. It's "runs, trills and other florid decorations in vocal music".

79. Bar passer: Abbr. : ATT (Attorney)

80. Pince-__ : NEZ

82. Moan and groan : CARP. Nice rhyme.

83. Down Under gem : OPAL. Australia looks beautiful through Kazie's eyes.

84. Flower holder : VASE

86. Piedmont wine area : ASTI. And ANGELI (92. Gabriel et al.). Italian for "angels" I gather.

87. Paper purchase : REAM

90. SASE, for one : ENCL

95. Refers casually (to) : ALLUDES

97. Dash : PANACHE

98. Washington is on it : ONE

102. Overflow : TEEM

103. "Movie Macabre" host : ELVIRA. Can never remember her name.

104. Orders from on high : EDICTS

109. California cager : LAKER. Bill's homeboys.

110. January, to Jorge : ENERO. Lots of alliterations in the clue.

111. Patron saint of France : DENIS. Oh, good to know.

112. Obi, e.g. : SASH

113. Past curfew : LATE

114. Madame's mine : A MOI. French for "mine".

116. Rite heap : PYRE

117. Salon sound : SNIP

119. Meteor ending : ITIC. Meteoritic.

125. Bucks and rams : HES

Answer grid.
Congratulations to our LAT constructor Fred Jackson for his first Sunday (Newsday) construction!

Here is Part III of Kazie's Oz pictures. Very scenic.
C.C.

Saturday July 10, 2010 Doug Peterson

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 29

This puzzle is anchored by two 14s:

33A. Twisted party decorations : BALLOON ANIMALS. Quite a few refreshing & unique fill today.

39A. Purported source of Revere's historic signal : OLD NORTH CHURCH. Gimme for BarryG, I am sure. I needed crossing help. Total 10 letter Cs in the grid.

The above 14s are intersected by six 10-letter Down entries. A couple of 9s and fourteen 7-letter answers form the basic framework of the grid.

And as the norm with our Saturday puzzles, some clues are ambiguous and puzzling to me, some answers are just outside my knowledge zone.

Across:

1. Vamp attachments : T-STRAPS. I need a lesson on the anatomy of the shoe. Was picturing a seductive "vamp" girl.

8. They may follow shots : CHASERS. Drink "shots".

15. Hard up : IN A HOLE. In debt.

16. Crash : ZONK OUT. Was in the collide "Crash" direction.

17. Crown : CORONET. And TIARA (47D. Bridal accessory).

18. Things in the back : ADDENDA. Plural of addendum. Back of a book.

19. Certain Sopwith Scout : TWO-SEATER. Sopwith Scout is nicknamed Sopwith Pup. Some fighter aircraft. Total stranger to me. Educate me, Dudley!

21. Aid for a large-group photo : RISER

22. Invoice abbr. : AMT

23. Rolls in a nursery : SOD. Garden nursery.

24. "Naked Pictures of Famous People" author Stewart : JON. I guessed.

25. After-school request : COCOA. Thought of SNACK.

28. Tar Heel State campus : ELON

30. Eliot's Old Deuteronomy, e.g. : CAT. The musical "Cats" is adapted from T. S. Eliot's Cats poem.

37. Volunteer, often : FIREMAN

38. "If you can find a better car, buy it" speaker : IACOCCA (Lee). Three Cs in his name alone.

41. Check alternatives : X'ES

42. Gulf of Finland feeder : NEVA. See the map. Stumped me again.

43. Popped up, in baseball lingo : SKIED

45. Leftover : ODD

46. Union Sq., e.g. : STA. Union Square Station.

49. Soul on the Seine : ÂME. French for "soul".

50. Listed, to sailors : LEANT. Sailors say "leaned" as "leant", Spitzboov? Listed here meant "tilted".

53. Not finished yet : STILL AT IT

56. Dip (in) : IMMERSE

58. Fatty : ADIPOSE. Learned from doing Xword.

59. "The Time Machine" actress (1960) : MIMIEUX (Yvette). Should make Jazzbumpa happy. He & Lemonade have linked this picture a few times.

60. Finally turns (to) : RESORTS

61. Influential second-century astronomer : PTOLEMY

62. Three-syllable foot : ANAPEST. Poetic foot. The last syllable is stressed.

Down:

1. "Get a bang out of life" mint : TIC TAC

2. Treaded transport : SNOWMOBILE

3. Justice and Temperance, e.g. : TAROT CARDS. I peeked at the answer sheet.

4. Frat letters : RHOS

5. Excellent : A ONE

6. They may be affected by bargaining : PLEAS

7. Small scrap : SET-TO

8. Energy boss : CZAR. Energy Czar.

9. Mortar trough : HOD

10. Shakespeare title name : ANDRONICUS. "Titus Andronicus", Shakespeare tragedy. Headache for me.

11. Yarn unit : SKEIN

12. Seemingly forever : EONS

13. Like some awakenings : RUDE. Rude awakening.

14. Have the lead : STAR

20. Third-day creation : EDEN. God knows.

24. Fish story notable : JONAH. Bible story. He was swallowed by by a whale.

26. Author Robert __ Butler : OLEN. I've never heard of this author.

27. Source of some sundae toppings : ALMOND TREE. What? Because almonds are from almond trees?

29. Of the flock : LAIC. As opposed to "of the cloth".

30. Prepared with tomatoes, mushrooms and herbs : CACCIATORE. No idea. Wikipedia says it means "hunter" in Italian.

31. Philosophers' stone seekers : ALCHEMISTS

32. Airport screening org. : TSA (Transportation Security Administration)

34. Did galley work : OARED

35. Being broadcast : ON TV

36. Alien who reported to Orson : MORK. Mork & Mindy.

37. Site for aspiring idols : FOX. Home to "American Idol".

40. Dost own : HAST. What JD wanted yesterday.

44. Not fancy in the least : DETEST. Fancy is a verb here.

45. Negro Leagues legend Buck : O'NEIL. So humble. He should be in the Hall of Fame.

48. Mayflower Compact signer : ALDEN (John). The first person from The Mayflower to set foot on Plymouth in 1620, a la Wikipedia.

50. Worn out : LIMP. Oh.

51. Shoot out : EMIT

52. Battle rounds : AMMO

53. Steamy, in a way : SEXY

54. Co-star with Courteney and Jennifer : LISA (Kudrow). In "Friends".

55. For one : A POP

57. Dim __ : SUM. I miss Guangzhou. The food & the nightlife.

Answer grid.

Here are Part II of Kazie's Oz pictures. The colors are just so vibrant. I love that lonely lizard.

C.C.