Wednesday, Feb 16, 2011, Donna S. Levin

Theme: First Pet. Each answer ends with the name of a Presidential Pet.

17A. Game played on a six-pointed star : CHINESE CHECKERS. Richard Nixon's dog (a cocker spaniel) while vice president, died before Nixon became president - made famous by the 'checkers speech.'

25A. 1964 Beatles hit : AND I LOVE HER. Him and Her, the most well known of the President Johnson's dogs, were registered beagles. Her died at the White House in November 1964 after she swallowed a stone. 

37A. Trendy aerobics regimen : TAEBO. Barack and Michelle Obama promised their daughters, Malia and Sasha, that they would get a pet dog after they moved into the White House. Bo, a Portuguese water dog, was a gift from Senator Edward Kennedy.

44A. Diamond-patterned attire : ARGYLE SOCKS. President Clinton's cat Socks had the run of the White House, until Buddy the labrador retriever showed up in 1997. The two animals didn't get along, and had to be segregated.

57A. Companion at the end of 17-, 25-, 37- and 44-Across : PRESIDENTIAL PET

A fresh, fun theme, with very few pauses. Did not remember Him and Her, in the Johnson years, but knew all the others. Learned that presidential pets also included a pony (Caroline Kennedy's), birds, hamsters, rabbits, a raccoon, a squirrel, a cow, and a flock of sheep.

Across:

1. Classifies, in a way : PEGS. Did anyone else hear the theme song from Frasier?

5. Antony listener : ROMAN

10. Envelope abbr. : ATTN. Attention.

14. Beige-like shade : ECRU. 

15. Representation : IMAGE

16. Dealer's dispenser : SHOE. Can hold multiple decks of cards.

20. Keystone lawman : KOP.  Keystone Kops, featured in silent films about bumbling policemen. 

21. Smart club : MENSA

22. Cry to strike up the band : HIT IT. But it made me think of this.

23. Penne relative : ZITI. Pasta is a lot like women .. so many shapes to appreciate.

24. She played WKRP's Jennifer : LONI. Anderson.

30. Time Warner "Superstation" : TBS

33. Capacious : ROOMY

34. Peddle : VEND

35. The tan in a Black and Tan : ALE

36. One of five states in which same-sex marriage is legal : IOWA

39. Fort with many bars : KNOX. The United States Bullion Depository in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Weight of a standard gold bar: approximately 400 ounces or 27.5 pounds.

40. Apparel retailer Taylor : ANN

41. Legatee : HEIR

42. In abeyance : ON ICE

43. La + la, in Lille : LES. Lille, France. La is French article "the" suggesting singular feminine form "her." Les is plural "the". 

47. Volunteer st. : TENN. Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State" for the large number of Tennesseans who volunteered for duty in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. 

49. "Let's leave __ that" : IT AT

50. Producer Ponti : CARLO

52. "My Name Is Asher Lev" author Chaim : POTOK. Apparently a well-known book by American author and Rabbi, but i had no idea. Maybe a gimme for Lemonade and Hahtool?

54. Restorative place : SPA. Seems i get this a lot.

60. Jai __ : ALAI

61. Pentium producer : INTEL

62. Brand with a pony in its logo : POLO

63. A few : SOME

64. Seacoast : SHORE. For those of you that enjoy the musical links, a classic. 

65. Stern's counterpart : STEM. From stem to stern.

Down:

1. Chaste kiss : PECK. Yawn.

2. Reverberate : ECHO

3. Stagehand : GRIP. Moves equipment and scenery.

4. Heliocentric universe center : SUN. The conclusion that the earth circles the sun, was reached and publicized by Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and Halley. This is the "heliocentric theory." 

5. __ the occasion : RISE TO. See Dennis's last "did you know" yesterday for a perfect example.

6. 1991 movie sequel subtitled "The Awakening" : OMEN IV. Never saw any of them.

7. Apple products : MACS

8. Turkish honorific : AGHA

9. At birth : NEE

10. Be hospitable to : ASK IN

11. White Star Line's ill-fated steamer : THE TITANIC. April 14/15, 1912, 1,517 passengers perished after hitting an iceberg. The White Star Line's London offices, named Oceanic House, still exist today, and the White Star flag is raised on every 15 April, in memory of the Titanic disaster.

12. Actress Spelling : TORI

13. Place to brood : NEST. Cute.

18. Agent Prentiss on "Criminal Minds" : EMILY. Had to guess.

19. Bit of guitar music : CHORD

23. Coors malt beverage : ZIMA. 

24. His show has a "Jaywalking" segment : LENO. Hard to watch.

25. Serif-free font : ARIAL

26. Nary a soul : NO ONE

27. How things flow : DOWNSTREAM. I think we've all had some experience with this.

28. Each partner : EVERY. "Each and every."

29. Right-to-left lang. : HEB. Hebrew is written from right to left. Arabic, Persian, and Yiddish also.

31. "Old" chip producer? : BLOCK. "A chip off the old block."

32. Proverbial battlers : SEXES

37. Gull relative : TERN

38. 2008 govt. bailout recipient : AIG. Oy.

39. Granny, for one : KNOT. 

41. Red River capital : HANOI

42. Honshu metropolis : OSAKA

45. Roadside trash : LITTER. Despicable how common this is.

46. Twinkler in a Paris sky : ETOILE. French for star.

48. Borden's spokescow : ELSIE. I won't link the 'cows with guns' song. You're welcome.

50. Pros who work on schedules, for short : CPA'S. Certified public accountants.

51. He sang about Alice : ARLO. Guthrie.

52. Phnom __ : PENH. Largest, most populous, and capital city of Cambodia.

53. Suspicious of : ONTO

54. Catch a glimpse of : SPOT

55. Soccer great : PELE

56. Elemental unit : ATOM

58. Put down, slangily : DIS

59. 33 1/3 rpm spinners : LPS. 

Answer grid.

Melissa

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few great pictures from JD & Dick's recent trip. 

Tuesday, February 15, 2011 Jack McInturff

Theme: And the First Shall Be Last - The first word of the first four theme entries can also be last when the unifier is in effect. Not the penultimate meaning of the unifier but, physically, following the word, LAST.

18A. Knock off: CALL IT A DAY. LAST CALL, the announcement made shortly before a bar closes for the night, informing patrons of their last chance to buy alcoholic beverages.

23A. Doomed fairy tale abode: STRAW HOUSE. The first of the three little pigs built his house of straw. The LAST STRAW comes from idiomatic Arabic story, where a camel was loaded with straw until a single straw placed on the rest of the load broke its back. Hence, any event that causes a sudden change.

40A. Stick to formalities: STAND ON CEREMONY. LAST STAND, when retreat or surrender is not an option.

51A. Fast-cook grain product: MINUTE RICE. LAST MINUTE, just prior to the end.

59A. Penultimate, and where you might see the first words of 18-, 23-, 40- and 51-Across: NEXT TO LAST

Argyle here. I think I better explain the theme again. The first word of the first four, when they are next to the word, LAST(and following it), create another idiom. Any better? Similar difficulty to yesterday.

Across:

1. Rope material : HEMP

5. Ready for the picking : RIPE

9. Staff symbol : C CLEF. Middle C. I listen to music; I don't pretend to understand it.

14. Old apple spray : ALAR. "Give me spots on my apples, But leave me the birds and the bees"

15. Like some vaccines : ORAL

16. "The Magic Flute," for one : OPERA. Composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Rock me, Amadeus.

17. Diamond team : NINE. A baseball team, pitchers and catchers are in spring training now. Ahh, Spring!

20. Screwups : GOOFS

22. Capitol worker : AIDE. They work for the 20A on the Hill.

26. Overcharge, in slang : SOAK

30. Max of "The Beverly Hillbillies" : BAER. Son of boxing champion Max Baer.

31. Point a finger at : ACCUSE

33. Satisfied sound : "AAH!"

36. Drink away, as sorrows : DROWN

39. Largest of the Philippines : LUZON. It is home to the capital city, Manila.

43. Reef material : CORAL

44. Milo of "Ulysses" : O'SHEA. Irish actor who was still busy up till a few years ago.

45. Place for buoys and gulls : SEA

46. Gibson of tennis : ALTHEA. She is sometimes referred to as "the Jackie Robinson of tennis" for breaking the color barrier.

48. Let us know, in an invite : RSVP. From the French RSVP, répondez s'il vous plaît, meaning “reply please” or "please respond".

50. __ bargaining : PLEA

57. Meat pkg. letters : USDA. United States Department of Agriculture.

58. It has banks and a mouth : RIVER and 49D. Place up the 58-Across? : PRISON. Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a NYS maximum security prison in the Town of Ossining, NY. It is located approximately 30 mi. north of New York City along the banks of the Hudson River. Prisoners are sent 'up the river'.

65. Ice cream drink : SODA

66. Writer __ Rogers St. Johns : ADELA. She is best remembered for her groundbreaking exploits as a "girl reporter" during the 1920s and 1930s. She told Jack Paar once, "I just want to live long enough to see how it all turns out." She died in Arroyo Grande, CA, in 1988, at the age of 94.

67. Cavern sound : ECHO

68. Metal sources : OREs

69. Veranda : PORCH

70. Gush : SPEW

71. Wall St. market : NYSE. New York Stock Exchange.

Down:

1. Associates (with), slangily : HANGS

2. "The Naming of Cats" poet : ELIOT. T.S. Eliot.

3. Lord's estate : MANOR

4. Ready-made home : PREFAB. Prefabricated, not likely you'll find a Lord living in one.

5. Legendary bird : ROC. Said to be able to fly off with an elephant.

6. Songwriter Gershwin : IRA. Collaborated with his younger brother, composer George.

7. 2005 "Survivor" island : PALAU. It is one of the world's youngest and smallest sovereign states.

8. __ Island, former immigration center : ELLIS. Could be considered an early "Survivor" island.

9. Coop : COTE. Bird cage, for several birds.

10. No.-crunching pro : CPA. Certified Public Accountant.

11. Guided : LED

12. Big Band __ : ERA

13. Wray of "King Kong" : FAY. This Canadian-American actress many consider her as the first "scream queen".

19. It may be half-baked : IDEA

21. Wrap, as an infant : SWADDLE

24. Saver of the day : HERO. Saver of the 'scream queen'?

25. Maine college town : ORONO. Named in honor of Chief Joseph Orono of the Penobscot Nation.

26. Pond problem : SCUM

27. Greek liqueurs : OUZOs. An anise-flavored aperitif.

28. What "two shall be" after the I do's, in song : AS ONE. Written by Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary in the fall of 1969 and first performed at the wedding of Peter Yarrow.

29. Land of Obama's father : KENYA

32. Butcher's tool : CLEAVER

33. Musicians' org. : ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

34. Lagoon border : ATOLL

35. Poker Flat creator : HARTE. Francis Bret Harte (1836–1902) was a author and poet, best remembered for his accounts of pioneering life in California but he was born in Albany, NY.

37. Loos, briefly : WCs. Bathrooms.

38. Big name in Indian politics : NEHRU

41. Okinawa's capital : NAHA. Sounds like it should be 47D.

42. Musical silence : REST

47. Playground retort : "AM SO!"

52. Sits at a light, say : IDLEs

53. Anti-racism gp. since 1909 : NAACP. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

54. Classic Procter & Gamble soap brand : IVORY. It floats!

55. Formally gives up : CEDEs

56. Wipe off the board : ERASE

57. Colorado neighbor : UTAH

59. Short sleep : NAP

60. Tokyo, once : EDO

61. Signer, at times : Xer

62. Jilted lover's need, briefly : TLC. "Tender Loving Care". Somebody didn't get a Valentine's card.

63. Miss identification : SHE

64. Stranded motorist's need : TOW. It's been a good year for tow truck operators, I'll bet.

Answer grid.

I didn't use any links today, do you like it or hate it?

Argyle

Monday, February 14, 2011 Ian Livengood

Theme: XOXOXOX - Happy St. Valentine's Day. The three grid-spanning answers end with a word that, when combined with the unifier, describes many of our couples here on the Corner.

20A. Bounty, to the hunted: PRICE ON ONE'S HEAD

38A. Examine quickly: GIVE THE ONCE OVER

53A. Frolic vigorously: KICK UP ONE'S HEELS

69A. With "in," what can follow the phrase formed by the ends of 20-, 38- and 53-Across: LOVE

Argyle here. Three good in language phrases today. And how about our constructor's name. (Yes, I know I used a sentence fragment.) Good strong blocks all around the sides; a good start to the week.

Across:

1. Hearts, e.g. : GAME. Excellent start for this puzzle.

5. Soft pats : DABS

9. Physicist Enrico : FERMI. Professor Fermi married Laura Capon in 1928. They had one son Giulio and one daughter Nella. His favourite pastimes were walking, mountaineering, and winter sports.

14. Sink cleaner : AJAX

15. Straddling : ATOP

16. Hipbone-related : ILIAC

17. It's quite a story : SAGA

18. Kind of nut : KOLA

19. Bridal path : AISLE

23. "Cheerio!" : "TA TA!". Singular today.

24. 2011 Rose Bowl champs: Abbr. : TCU. Texas Christian University.

25. From A __ : TO Z

28. Fox-sighting cry : "TALLY HO!"

31. Dallas hoopster, for short : MAV. The Dallas Mavericks.

34. "Tosca" or "Pagliacci" : OPERA. Tosca by Puccini, Pagliacci by Leoncavallo.

36. Hawaiian neckwear : LEI

37. Gradually lose color : FADE

42. Strong as __ : AN OX

43. Wall climber : IVY

44. Skating jumps : AXELs

45. One of a D.C. 100 : SEN.

46. Golfer Craig known as "the Walrus" : STADLER. Ya think?   I think his wife is Sue but could find very little about her.

49. Once called, in wedding notices : NEE

50. Disco __ of "The Simpsons" : STU. He loves disco, of course.

51. Followers: Suf. : ISTs

61. Being not from 41-Down : ALIEN. 41D. Planet nearest Mars, usually: EARTH

62. Silents actress Negri : POLA. She had some love life.

63. Appeal : PLEA

64. Meas. of the cereal without the box : NET WT. Net Weight.

65. Helen of __ : TROY. Wife of Menelaus but abducted by Paris. Bet she got lots of valentines.

66. Run __: go wild : AMOK

67. Lock of hair : TRESS

68. Cuts, as logs : SAWS

Down:

1. [Heavens!] : [GASP!]. Reaction of husbands and boyfriends everywhere if they forgot what today is.

2. Cracked open : AJAR

3. Nativity trio : MAGI

4. Right on the money : EXACT. 'Exactamundo!' as Disco Stu would say.

5. Former territory where Mount Rushmore is : DAKOTA

6. Lacking a musical key : ATONAL

7. Western necktie : BOLO. One with a heart slide.

8. Time period : SPAN

9. Total flop : FIASCO

10. College benefactor Yale : ELIHU. Interesting read here. He had a brother named Valentine. He also had a wife and two misstresses. He made most of his fortune in the illicit diamond trade. Those diamonds must have come in handy keeping his women happy.

11. Greet the judge : RISE

12. __ fide: in bad faith : MALA. More familiar with bona fide.

13. Topped a cupcake : ICED

21. Really bug : EAT AT

22. Set of moral principles : ETHIC

25. Colosseum garments : TOGAs

26. Think aloud : OPINE

27. "Werewolves of London" singer Warren __ : ZEVON. Aaahoo!.(3:15)

29. Architect Frank __ Wright : LLOYD

30. Itch : YEN

31. Expert : MAVEN

32. Fred's dancing sister : ADELE

33. Limericks and such : VERSE

35. Stout of whodunits : REX

37. Sly critter : FOX

39. Asked boldly, as for money : HIT UP

40. Actress Longoria : EVA.  Not sure what her present status is.

46. Daring feats : STUNTS

47. Stay out of sight : LIE LOW

48. Blue book exams : ESSAYS

50. Depicts unfairly, as data : SKEWS

52. Flower leaf : SEPAL. Image.

53. "Critique of Pure Reason" writer : KANT. He never married.

54. Robert of "The Sopranos" : ILER.

55. Refer to : CITE

56. Chooses (to) : OPTS

57. Nick Charles's wife : NORA. The happy couple.

58. Sailor's patron saint : ELMO

59. Pope before Sergius III : LEO V. Okay.

60. "For Pete's __!" : SAKE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

Today marks Dennis' 3rd anniversary with the blog, which wouldn't be where it is today without his nurturing and guidance. Dennis has been very supportive & encouraging of my every little effort, always patient and fast in response to all my questions, from baseball cards to slang/idioms. Always there when needed. Can you believe he even fixed our garbage disposal? Thanks, Dennis, I am glad of all the blogs in the world, you walked into mine.

Sunday February 13, 2011 MaryEllen Uthlaut

Theme: English Lessons We Never Learned - English grammatical terms are reinterpreted literally and humorously clued with question marks.

23A. Legal dispute over personal property? : POSSESSIVE CASE. The 's ending, as in Dennis' new car.

39A. Oratorical elements? : PARTS OF SPEECH. Verb, noun, pronoun, etc.

52A. Santa's minor children? : DEPENDENT CLAUSES. Sweet clue. Also known as subordinate clause. Incomplete when standing alone. We also have ELF (30D. Yule aide).

69A. Settlement negotiated by one's ancestors? : ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT. Pronoun must agree with its antecedent.

88A. Part of a broken-up prison term? : SENTENCE FRAGMENT. Again, incomplete when standing alone. Subject or verb is missing, or prepositional phrases beginning with although, because, etc.

98A. Rosy answer in a seer's crystal ball? : FUTURE PERFECT. For example: By next May, I will have been living in the US for 10 years.

120A Philatelist or numismatist? : COLLECTIVE NOUN. Words like cast, team, crowd etc. Can be either singular or plural, depending on context.

Hope my understanding of the above grammatical terms is correct. As I mentioned before, I've never received formal education here and my grasp of grammar & common idioms is pretty shaky.

Favorite today is DEPENDENT CLAUSES (52A), thinking of our Dear Santa Argyle, who should be very happy to see how MAGIC (67D. What Muggles can't do, in Harry Potter books) is clued. He's really into those Harry Potter stuff.

Fun theme & smooth solving for me. I grokked the gimmick immediately after I got my first theme answer.

Across:

1. Bojangles specialty : TAP. Bill (Bojangles) Robinson.

4. Gets into : DONS

8. Plains tribe : OMAHA. Hi there, Husker Gary!

13. If all goes well : AT BEST

19. __ mode : A LA

20. CINN-A-STACK seller : IHOP. Hmm, pancakes. What's your regular order there?

21. Unskilled work : McJOB. Added a bit of scrabbly action here.

22. Combat mission : SORTIE

26. Crew and golf : SPORTS. Crew refers to rowing I presume.

27. Map of Hawaii, often : INSET. We also have OAHU (81D. Interstate H-1 locale) & LEI (122D. Wreath of welcome).

28. Film feline : ELSA. "Born Free".

29. Sports car quality : SLEEKNESS

31. Rod's associate : REEL

32. Liquid-Plumr maker : CLOROX. Isn't it too lazy to have the "be" dropped?

35. Aspiring atty.'s challenge : LSAT. And LLB (121. Legal deg.)

36. Generic pooch : FIDO

45. Wyo. neighbor : IDA

48. What the fourth little piggy had : NONE. Does this refer to the "This Little Piggy" nursery rhyme?

50. Some avant-garde art : ARPS. Jean Arp.

51. Playground response to 111-Down : IS TOO. And 111D. Playground response to 51-Across: IS NOT.

58. Cause trouble to : AIL

59. Skipped over : ELIDED

60. U.S. currency : DOL. Chinese currency is called Ren Min Bi, the primary unit is Yuan.

61. As one might expect : NATURALLY

64. Flight segment : STAIR

65. Equip with weapons, old-style : ENARM. OK, old-style.

68. "Hamlet," e.g.: Abbr. : TRAG. Have never seen "Tragedy" abbreviated this way before.

76. Lugs : OAFS. Noun lugs.

77. Smooth move : SEGUE

78. God-fearing : PIOUS

80. Bourbon with a floral logo : FOUR ROSES. First encounter with this brand.

85. Follower of Samson? : ITE. Samsonite.

86. He overthrew Batista in 1959 : CASTRO

87. James's creator : IAN (Fleming). James Bond.

92. Online recruiting site : eHIRE. Was ignorant of this website.

95. Stand up to : DEFY

96. Bold Ruler, to Secretariat : SIRE. Should be an intuitive guess.

97. Reptilian warning : SSS

103. Beer holder : CASK

105. Detective Wolfe : NERO

106. "Tristram Shandy" author : STERNE (Laurence). Stumped me last time. See here.

108. "__ Not Seen the Sun": Dickinson poem : HAD I

112. Committed : DEDICATED

117. Hurt badly : MAIM

118. Peacock and rooster : MALES

119. Real estate hires : AGENTS

124. Walk softly : TIPTOE

125. Euripides play in which the title heroine never goes to Troy : HELEN. Really? Helen never made it to Troy?

126. Lamb alias : ELIA. Charles Lamb.

127. Sgt., for one : NCO

128. Fur fortune family : ASTORS

129. Heavenly path : ORBIT. Heavenly clue.

130. Prog. listing : SKED. Schedule.

131. "__ a life!" : GET

Down:

1. Piglike forest dweller : TAPIR. Hi, there.

2. How the cheese stands? : ALONE. Got me. "The Farmer in the Dell": ... The cheese stands alone.

3. So last week : PASSE

4. Japanese lawmaking body : DIET. Nailed it. Often constructors use "Diet" in clues to trick solvers.

5. Sounds of surprise : OHs.

6. Rocket section with a heat shield : NOSECONE

7. Tell, slangily : SPILL

8. 1998 Masters champion : O'MEARA (Mark). Tiger's best friend. Nice person.

9. Turn-of-the-century year : MCC. 1200.

10. 1977 Steely Dan album : AJA

11. Cartwright son : HOSS. "Bonanza".

12. Genesis shepherd : ABEL

13. Evaluate : ASSESS

14. Palace of the Ottoman sultans : TOPKAPI. Well, maybe Hahtool & Lucina know. Both have been to Istanbul. I've got no idea.

15. 19th-century literary sisters : BRONTES

16. Raison d'__ : ETRE. Also 71. Latin being : ESSE. Two "Be".

17. Is sidelined : SITS

18. Hardy heroine : TESS. "Tess of the D'Urbervilles".

24. Righteous beginning? : SELF. Self-righteous.

25. Cognac initialism : VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale)

33. Like some surgery : ORAL

34. More, in adspeak : XTRA

37. Bony labyrinth : INNER EAR. Tricky clue.

38. Longtime publisher __, Mead and Company : DODD. Stranger to me.

40. Twisted into thread : SPUN

41. Mount south of Olympus : OSSA

42. Series ender : ET AL

43. Curl up : COIL

44. Word with cats or cow : HOLY. Have never heard of "Holy cats".

45. Bad day for Caesar : IDES. Ides of March.

46. Mouth formation : DELTA. River mouth.

47. Beelike : APIAN

49. Put a stop to : ENDED

53. Time management figure : EDITOR. Time magazine.

54. Ring __ : TONE

55. Highland families : CLANS

56. Major addition? : ETTE. Majorette.

57. Unfailing : SURE

62. Mob activities : RAMPAGES

63. Senioritis? : AGEISM. Fun clue: -itis.

66. GPS suggestion : RTE

70. Money-managing execs : CFOs. Real money, not Money magazine.

72. "__ Nacht" : GUTE. Good night.

73. Perils at sea : REEFS

74. Staff additions? : NOTES. Musical staff.

75. They might be left on the road : TURNS. Great clue.

79. Ones sitting tight? : SOTS. Why?

80. Feudal estate : FIEF

82. Army detachment : UNIT. New definition of "detachment" to me.

83. "Momo" author Michael : ENDE. No idea. Was this guy very famous?

84. Joke ending? : STER. Jokester.

86. Siena sweetie : CARA. Cara Mia.

89. Pair of officers? : EFFS. Two letter F in officers.

90. Medvedev's denial : NYET. Just Russian for "No". Medvedev is Putin's shadow.

91. Vegan beverage : RICE MILK. Have never tried it. Soy milk, yes!

93. Meet by chance : RUN INTO

94. Builder : ERECTOR. And 101. Builder's material : CEMENT.

99. Undoes : ERASES

100. Proverbial kettle critic : POT. The pot calling the kettle black.

102. Ford Explorer Sport __ : TRAC. No Gillette razor today.

104. Top Tatar : KHAN. As in Genghis Khan or Kublai Khan.

107. Dark times, informally : NITES

109. How a noted spider came? : ALONG. "Along Came a Spider".

110. Tennis tie : DEUCE

112. Bank deposits? : DATA. Don't get this one either.

113. Sponsorship: Var. : EGIS. Variation of Aegis.

114. Part of LAPD: Abbr. : DEPT

115. Return from the canyon? : ECHO

116. One who walks the walk : DOER

118. Subject of an annual Colorado brewing festival : MEAD. Not familiar with this Mead Festival. A quick Google search shows it's held in Denver.

123. "No mortal could __ with Zeus": Homer : VIE. Easy guess.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday February 12, 2011 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Total words: 68

Total blocks: 27

Barry frames this themeless with eight 9s, six of which are stacked in the upper left & lower right, crossed by another triple columns of Down 8s.

Let's look at his marquee answers:

1A. Breakfast-on-the-run choice for some : COLD PIZZA. Has to be his seed entry. Fantastic answer. Two Zs in action.

15A. Work on a table : OPERATION. For doctors/nurses.

17A. Driven to have : DEAD SET ON

53A. Sitcom array : ONE LINERS. Or Jazzbumpa's blog array. Full of zingers.

57A. Boarded en masse : PILED INTO

59A. Up-and-down time? : SKI SEASON. Tricky clue: "Up-and-down". Maybe HeartRx/Gunghy nailed it.

11D. Album before "Help!" : BEATLES VI. Got via crosses.

30D. Strawberry dessert : SHORTCAKE. Sweet!

How long do you normally spend on a Saturday puzzle? I always punt after 30 minutes. Forgive me, Father, for I always cheat!

Across:

10. Put to shame : ABASH. See this word in "unabashed" form more often.

16. Martinique volcano : PELEE.Not familiar with Mount Pelée. Wikipedia says it's French for "Bald Mountain".

18. Not as bright : PALER. We also have 36D. Having a better chance of recognizing : NEARER TO. Two ER adjective suffixes in this grid.

19. Structural opening? : INFRA. Only know the noun infrastructure.

20. When parents may need to call their kids : MEAL TIME

22. Four-time Daytona 500 champ Yarborough : CALE. Tell us more about him, eddyB!

23. Resident on the Arno : PISAN. We often see ARNO clued as "Pisa's river" or "Florence's river".

25. Sediment : LEES

26. Hot feeling : IRE

27. Corporeal : BODILY

28. Fluid dynamics phenomenon : EDDY. Hey, another shout-out to eddyB. Can't believe your Eros & Eons mix-up on Thursday.

29. Makes privy to : LETS IN ON

31. Arcade game nos. : PTS (Points)

33. Parades : SASHAYS. Lucina has not used this word for some time.

34. Croat's neighbor : SLOVENE. Of Slovenia.

38. München-to-Wien heading : OST. German for "east". München = Munich. Wien= Vienna. I drew a blank.

39. Designer of Dulles Airport's main terminal : SAARINEN (Eero). First time we see his surname in a grid.

40. Service expert : ACER. Tennis.

43. Meat garnishes : ASPICS

45. GPS determination : LAT (Latitude)

46. Encircled : GIRT

47. Busy : IN USE. As in restroom.

48. Entangle : MIRE

49. Knighted son of King Ban : LANCELOT. Wow, I never know Lancelot's father was a king.

51. Speleologist : CAVER. Speleology is the study of caves. I only know spelunk/spelunking.

52. Words after follow or blow : A LEAD. Didn't come to me quickly.

56. Like some investments : RISKY

58. Colorado's __ Park : ESTES

Down:

1. Will supplements : CODICILS. Complete stranger to me. Looks like it's related to code.

2. Place to set up camp : OPEN AREA

3. Ads, perhaps : LEAFLETS

4. Titled rapper : DR. DRE. First time we have his full name.

5. "El Condor __": Simon & Garfunkel song : PASA. Here is a clip. Boomer loves Simon & Garfunkel. He just bowled another 300 this week.

6. Mineral suffix : ITE. As in hematite.

7. ZENMED target : ZIT. Was ignorant of the brand ZENMED. Manufactured by whom?

8. Enhances the details : ZOOMS IN

9. Temper : ANNEAL

10. Range, e.g.: Abbr. : APPL (Appliance)

12. Teamed up : ALLIED

13. Looked : SEEMED

14. Joan of Arc's crime : HERESY

21. Wherever : ANY PLACE

23. Clipped style : PONYTAIL. Like this. Was thinking of JFK's clipped accent. Not hairstyle.

24. Lifetime exchange for many : I DOs

27. Fairness obstacle : BIAS

32. Rocky crests : TORS. Classic crosswordese.

34. Je ne __ quoi : SAIS

35. Invigorates : ENLIVENS

37. Begins : ENTERS ON

39. It means "traveling companion" in Russian : SPUTNIK. I am quite fond of Obama's "Sputnik moment". You? 

40. Blazing : AGLARE

41. Tadalafil brand : CIALIS. Don't know the meaning of "Tadalafil".

42. __ Evans, Chubby Checker's birth name : ERNEST. New trivia to me.

44. Peepers : SNOOPS

48. Crosswords in the 1920s, e.g. : MANIA. This is true.

50. Slow Churned ice cream : EDY'S

51. Fungi ending : CIDE. Eww!

54. "The Book of __": 2010 Denzel Washington film : ELI. Have you seen the movie? Good?

55. "__ Troyens": Berlioz opera : LES. Wikipedia says Les Troyens = The Trojans.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Interview with James Sajdak

Some constructors specialize in earlier week puzzles, some focuses on themeless. James Sajdak is one of the very few who have delighted us with both. I always like James's grid layouts because they often feature long, lively non-theme entries.

James only started construction in 2005, but he has been published by LA Times, NY Sun, NY Times. 

Hope you enjoy this nugget-filled interview. I certainly did.

What's your background and how did you get into crossword construction?

I remember watching my father solve the Chicago Daily News puzzle after dinner (pen solver) back in the 1960s. During college, a couple of friends and I did the Chicago Tribune puzzle in the Student Union every morning before classes. My wife Kathy and I moved to Canada where we got busy raising a family, a big garden and chickens. Puzzles, except for the Sunday NY Times puzzle, were put on the back burner. After we moved back to our Midwest roots, I returned to the UW Madison, got a degree in English linguistics and began teaching English as a Second Language in Madison, Wisconsin. I got bit again by the puzzle bug in the ‘90s and in 2005 I felt an urge to try to make a puzzles of my own. My first two were published by Wayne Williams, then I was lucky enough to work with editor Peter Gordon, who shepherded me through an A, E, I, O, U puzzle and I was hooked. Peter, and then Rich Norris, taught me much about theme selection and constructing that I was unaware of. I thank them dearly. They each have their own editorial hand and both gave me an education into what goes into a well-crafted crossword.

How would you describe your puzzle style? I noticed that your grids often feature plenty of long non-theme answers.

Longer fill generally makes for a good puzzle. It opens up the grid so solvers don’t get stuck in a corner that has only one way in, usually through a theme entry. Secondly, longer entries offer many more options in selecting colorful words and phrases that evoke amusing, bizarre or endearing pictures in the mind. The short stuff is limited, so you end up with a lot of unwelcome abbreviations and crosswordese. Of course, as a constructor, I’ve sometimes bitten the bullet and used a less than desirable entry to aid in making the rest of the puzzle better.

Style-wise, I feel like I’m pretty open to anything, but I like feel-good, fun puzzles. For example, BABY GRAND, SWEETHEART DEAL, HONEY TREE, and SUGAR PLUM FAIRY. I love a good love theme and dislike war references. I make a conscious effort to avoid things like A TEST, N TEST, DESERT STORM and other militaristic references.

Which part do you normally spend the most time on, in the construction process: theme brainstorming, gridding or cluing?
 
Theme brainstorming is always a catch-as-catch-can affair. I might go a month without a clever theme idea. Then, in a week, I might come up with a couple of sparkly ideas. I have notebooks and scraps of paper with half-finished, or half-baked, theme ideas. They come from everywhere, but I don’t generally use reference books in adding to my “seed” theme entries. The most in-the-language theme entries come from things I hear, see or read as I go through the day.

Coming up with a decent grid can be a bear when I have a large number of theme letters in a puzzle. And making an acceptable grid for an eight or ten theme Sunday puzzle can be murder.

Cluing, for me, is the most creative part of the whole process. A good mix of straight, humorous, gimme (you’ve got have a way in) and ornery clues is what I like in puzzles I solve. That’s what I strive for when I write clues.
 
You've been constructing both themed and themeless puzzles. Which ones do you enjoy more? And what are the major differences in your approach?

For me, a cool theme is hard to beat and challenges me to place theme entries just-so to allow for a smooth grid. Cluing theme entries is the most satisfying part of constructing. I try to make myself laugh, a first step to making editors and solvers laugh too.

I will often work on a themeless puzzle when the theme muse is busy elsewhere (other contructors?). I keep a list of eight- to fifteen-letter special phrases I have encountered, especially those with a scrabbly quality. I’m not a master of the low word count themeless puzzles or stacked 15 letter entries. When I do a themeless, I try to remember that the whole puzzle is fill, so I’m always looking for colorful shorter fill as well. There’s not going to be any humor added by a set of related theme entries, so the amusement must come from all the entries. I have done a couple of themeless puzzles with “mini-themes,” (GIRL FROM IPANEMA, TOWN WITHOUT PITY, for example, with two balancing song titles) and I like these hybrid types.

What kind of reference books/websites do you use for theme entry selection assistance and clue accuracy checks?

As I said, I try to avoid reference books when I’m coming up with theme entries, since it adds some iffy stuff to my possibilities and takes my mind out of the language as we speak and hear it. Once I do have theme entries, I look for Google hits and check Cruciverb.com website for previous usage. Cruciverb.com is a great site to see if a theme idea has already been done. Google is also good to find some lesser known fact to use in a clue (crosswords as an educational tool.) I use Wikipedia only for broad overviews of a topic or entry.

My go-to dictionary is Random House Unabridged. I also love to dig into my atlas to find geographical names to create alliterative clues. (Barcelona bloom) FLOR.

I read blogs like yours and Amy Reynaldo’s to see how my and fellow constructor’s puzzles are received by our audience. That can be either an ego-boosting or humbling experience, but I think it keeps me from being complacent in making puzzles.

You've been quite prolific since you had your first puzzle with the NY Sun in 2006. Where do you find your theme inspirations and how do you maintain such productivity and originality?
 
Prolific, perhaps, but names like Patrick Berry, Dan Naddor and lately, John Lampkin pop up so frequently that I can’t think of myself as particularly prolific. Theme inspirations may visit anytime and anyplace, and, when they do I gather them in.

What kind of puzzles do you solve every day and which constructors do you find most inspiring?

I solve the LAT and NYT every day. On Sunday, I might also try Merl Reagle or the Boston Globe, but that’s a lot of boxes to fill in. I also really like what Patrick Berry is doing in his Friday Chronicle of Higher Education puzzles. I probably solve about 15 to 20 puzzles a week. I am not a speed solver, to say the least.

As for constructors, Patrick Berry has a combination of innovative theme ideas, constructing skill and precision in cluing that’s hard to beat. I like Joe DiPietro and have admired his clever style for many years. Bob Klahn’s clues are to die (laughing) for. Liz Gorski’s grid ideas are out of this world. There are another dozen or more constructors, both those who have been creating for many years and the new generation, that I really admire and would like to emulate.

Besides crosswords, what else do you do for fun?

We’re outdoorsy types. My wife Kathy and I do a lot of hiking and biking. We’re birders, snorkelers, and we’ve even tried snowshoeing (after all, we live in Wisconsin.) Reading, of course, is a big part of our leisure time (after all, we live in Wisconsin—long winters!) I listen to a lot of music, don’t watch much TV.

Finding laughs in everyday life, bizarre news stories and even on the mainstream news is an ongoing goal in my life. Humor is a healing force in our tough times and, I hope, in my puzzles.

Thanks for the opportunity to share my philosophy of constructing (and life) on your blog.

Friday February 11, 2011 James Sajdak

Theme: "D" mand you do better than a D PLUS; the letter "D" is attached to the beginning of the first word of a grid spanning phrase to create a new and humorous new phrase. Each clue is signaled with a "?" to let the solvers know a play on words is involved. In the 4th theme answer, the first word and the third word are the same word, so both have the D added.

17A. Soundly defeat by cheating?: DRUB THE WRONG WAY. A drubbing is a beating, and likely comes from an Arabic word that transliterates as DARB. No one would ever accuse our Dfettes of rubbing the wrong way.

24A. Gloomy Cuban?: DOUR MAN IN HAVANA. What is particularly intriguing about this clue is the Graham Greene novel, and subsequent MOVIE starring among others Alec Guinness and the incomparable Ernie Kovacs, is a dark comedy poking fun at British Intelligence. Greene was a member of MI5, the place from whence James Bond was born. The movie was also filmed in Cuba, with the approval of then newly empowered Fidel Castro.

46A. Discerning pub competitor ?: DART CONNOISSEUR. More little javelins, this week, and a word with Latin, cognoscere "to know, to become well_acquainted with, and some French history.

59A. What loving couples exchange?: DEAR TO DEAR GRINS. Certainly a more romantic concept than xxxx eating grins.

And the unifier,

37. Grade that describes this puzzle’s theme: D PLUS. Well, it is almost a C-

An ambitious use of 4 grid spanning entries, tied together solely by the added "D." The sound of the theme is very entertaining, and there are some nice entries, but overall, I found myself lost in places. Maybe it is just me, as this has been a very hard week.

Well lets look at what has been wrought.

Across:

1. Part of the deal: HAND. We begin with some nice misdirection, as a hand of cards is part of what is dealt.

5. Little pieces, idiomatically: DRABS. Dribs and drabs is the full phrase, with the speculation it was created for the sound, like helter skelter or hurly burly. DRIBS likely comes from DRIPS.

10. Benevolent group: ELKS. BPOE, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks; not to be confused with the Moose Lodge.

14. Great Plains tribe: OTOE. This Sioux tribe was part of the buffalo hunting nomadic Indians of Missouri and Oklahoma. And, 41A. Iroquois enemies: ERIES.

15. Amazing!: OH WOW.

16. House leader during Bill’s presidency: NEWT. Mr. Gingrich is back politicking to be president. He has written 23 books, and overcome being known as NEWT.

20. Henri’s health: SANTE. An alliterative introduction to our French lesson, A votre sante, is the common French toast, "to your health."

21.Critical: DO OR DIE. One of those odd combination of letters which must be parsed as more than one word, or you just sit and stare at the gird. This also brings to mind the Tennyson POEM.

22. Lummox: OAF.

24. Maker of the LX 150 scooter: VESPA. I know no other scooter maker, so this had to be easy.

32. Photo finish?: OPS. Another word play, and what every politician wants.

33. Birthplace of seven presidents: OHIO. Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, McKinley, Taft, Harding; second only to Virginia’s 8 presidents

34. Drive off: REPEL. So many meanings, from warding off, to going down the mountain side. (correction - when you go off a cliff or down a mountain, you 'rappel'. )

35. Ardor: ZEAL. Who is your favorite Zealot in history?

40. "James and the Giant Peach" writer: DAHL. Roald, one bizarre mind.

43. Start of Durante refrain: INKA. Fine childhood memories of listening to this SONG.

45. Olympics participant since 1992, to the IOC: CRO. Croatia after the break up of the Slavic countries.

50.Cheerios: TA TAS. Just for Nice Cuppa, we have a little British wordplay on departing; not to be confused with TATAS, or any cereal products.

51 Music store section: POP. Nuff said.

52. Martyred first Bishop of Paris: ST. DENIS. A complete unknown HISTORY .

55. Notable early student of Bela: NADIA. Nadia Comaneci and Bela Karolyi, the wonderful Romanian gymnastic student and teacher.

63. ___ à feu: ARME. Literally a firearm.

64. Carnival dance: SAMBA. Not the one with cotton candy, but from Brazil, with passion. You too can learn to DANCE .

65. Unite after a break, in a way: KNIT. When a bone breaks, it heals by knitting itself back together.

66. Caring: KIND. Very literal.

67. Magazine for horse owners: EQUUS. Latin for Horse.

68. Sherpa sighting: YETI. The famous mountain guides see a little abominable snow man?

Time to go down:


Down:

1. Mortar carriers: HODS. They actually are used to carry the bricks and the mortar.

2. Handle for a little shaver?: ATRA. Handle meaning name, cute clue.

3. Animal, vegetable or mineral: NOUN. We had this clue before.

4. Unsettled one?: DEBTOR. People are said to settle their debts when they resolve them.

5. Head-slapper’s cry: DOH. Most of us at one time or another and Homer.

6. Scoreboard initials: RHE. Runs, hits and errors at a baseball game. This was a clue in the first puzzle I blogged.

7. How adorable!: AWW. Exactly how a feel about new grand nephew and niece.

8. Big name in Dairy: BORDEN. I do not believe the company was named after Lizzie.

9. Sports logs since 1972: SWOOSH. The Nike logo, made famous by Mr. Jordan.

10. Like cameos: ENGRAVED. I had a hard time with this one, as I was thinking about brief appearance in a film, not the jewelry. I am not sure all cameos are engraved.

11. Lascivious: LEWD. In the law these two words go together.

12. Title river in a 1957 film that won 7 Oscars: KWAI. Love the MOVIE. Once again Alec Guinness performs.

13. Eyelid malady: STYE. Yes, those of us with eye problems wish all we had to deal with were styes, or hordeolum, small bumps that can appear on the outside or inside of the eyelid.

18. Latin lover’s declaration: TE AMO. Real Latin, not Hispanic, I love you.

19. Stock term: NO PAR. We have had this many times, it just means the stock has no intrinsic value.

23. Saudi royal name: FAHD. The son of the founder of the country who ruled until his death in 2005; also another Arabic word, meaning courageous, fierce.

24. Talking Heads song, "Sax and ____": VIOLINS. Another SONG .

25. Missed out maybe: DOZED. I never saw this clue, but I guess it personifies if you snooze, you lose.

26. Met tragedy, perhaps?: OPERA. The question mark tells you it is the Metropolitan Opera, many of which are tragedies like OTELLO.

27. It merged with Piedmont in 1989: US AIR. Deregulation leads to consolidation. Not to be confused with 58D. Piedmont wine region: ASTI. Where Italian sparkling wine is made.

28. Playful bite: NIP. Many puppies and a few babies I know.

29. Swiftly: APACE. The dreaded "A" word.

30. Jacket style popular with 60's rockers: NEHRU. The man, and his influence.

31. Words that lead to nothing: ALL OR. Very cute, all or nothing.

36. Educated: LETTERED. The original studies were of letters.

38. Game based on crazy eights: UNO. Once again, this game in my blog, and once again, we played SkipBo to please Ma Grand-Mère. And 39D. Card in 38-down: SKIP.

42. Meager: SCANT. For our Norwegian contingent, from Old Norse SKAMPT.

44. Words after play or for: A SONG. No money, just some singing.

47. Idle: OTIOSE. Our five dollar word of the day, taken directly from the Latin otiosis. American IDLE, where the OTIOSE become OBESE.

48. Where GOOG is traded: NASDAQ. GOOG is the stock symbol for GOOGLE, which is traded on the Over the Counter Market, National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations" controlled neither by the New York nor American Stock Exchange. It is now the largest market of listed companies.

49. Canine mascot of the National Fire Protection Society: SPARKY. A post Smokey rip off, but you gotta love a dog in a yellow slicker IMAGE .

52. Badlands Natl. Park site: S DAK. The abbreviation of NATL tells you the answer will be an abbreviation also.

53. Dustin’s "Tootsies"co-star: TERI. These puzzles haunt me, as dear Teri Garr appears again on my blog day.

54. Denounce: DAMN. Another reminder of Rhett and Scarlett.

56. Wine partner: DINE. The old dating tradition of wining and dining, to replace with the post honeymoon whining and shopping.

57. Down but not out: IN IT. If you are not out, you are in.

60. Bird in the bush: EMU. A call out to our transplant from OZ, Kazie, where these flightless but low in cholesterol birds roam.

61. ___Dhabi: ABU. Part of the UAE and home for a new golf course and golf tournament, owned by Martin Kaymer.

62. ___Tafari: RAS. Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned Haile Selassie I, the 225th Monarch of the Solomonic Dynasty in Ethiopia in November of 1930. He also was the prophet of the RASTAFARIAN movement which emerged in Jamaica. He claimed to be a direct descendant of King Solomon, and therefore of Moses.

Answer grid.

Well, that was fun, and next week, I should be back to whatever normal is for me; be careful out there especially on Valentine's Day; thanks Mr. Sajdak and all the corner.

Lemonade

Note from C.C.: A special "Thank you" to Al & Lemonade for blogging under very difficult circumstances in the past couple of days. Puzzles were not available in regular hour and Lemonade still needs more time to heal his troublesome eye. Jazzbumpa also blogged on Wednesday with a cold. And the YouTube links in this write-up work now only because the workhorse Argyle stayed up late and helped. Aren't we lucky to have them?! (Oops, forgot our beautiful Melissa!)

Thursday, February 10, 2011 Don Gagliardo

Theme: Shaken, not stirred, the reveal is found in 57 Across: Its components are hidden at the ends of 17-, 20-, 35- and 53-Across: DRY MARTINI.

17A. Delta location: RIVER MOUTH. An "aromatized" wine, flavored with herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, chamomile, marjoram, cardamom.  The inventor was inspired by a wine which in German was called Wermuth (flavored with wormwood, a component of absinthe).

20A. Source of showroom shock?: STICKER PRICE.

35A. Standing by for an on-air appearance: ABOUT TO GO LIVE. The word "oil" in several languages is derived from words for olive and olive tree.  Originally, oil only meant "olive oil".

53A. Risk calculation: SAFETY MARGIN. Shortening of geneva, altered by influence of the similarity of the name of the Swiss city, with which it has no other connection. from Dutch genever "juniper" because the alcohol was flavored with its berries.

Hi all, Al here again on a Thursday.  Today's theme answers were both helpful and yet not helpful for me. Recognizable phrases, so they filled in missing letters, but the endings were disguised as part or parts of words, so that had me scratching my head how the full words could be related. See Don's note at the bottom of the write-up.

ACROSS:

1. Get used to it: ADAPT.

6. PBS moderator Ifill: GWEN. A new name for me..

10. Go for: COST. A yooper scooper for handling large amounts of snow?  How much does that go for?

14. Martinez with three Cy Young Awards: PEDRO. Baseball pitching award.

15. By __: from memory: ROTE.  Bi rote "by heart," of uncertain origin.  I thought for sure this would have a Latin root, but I guess not...

16. Sale modifier: ONLY. And you can have it for ONLY 19.95 per month, and your first born child.

19. Actor Sitka who appeared in numerous Three Stooges films: EMIL. Apparently called "the fourth stooge". Another unknown name for me.

22. Healthy routine: HYGIENE. From Hygiea, daughter of the god of medicine, Asclepius.  His other daughters were Iaso ("Medicine"), Aceso ("Healing"), Aglæa/Ægle ("Healthy Glow"), and Panacea ("Universal Remedy")

25. "Catcher in the Wry" author: UECKER. Bob. Named "Mr. Baseball" by Johnny Carson.

26. Make __ dash for: A MAD.

27. Hershiser with a Cy Young Award: OREL. And some more baseball pitching excellence.

30. Wind instrument vibrator: REED.

31. Send: THRILL. Sam Cooke: You send me.

33. Battle gp.: REGT. Armed Forces group, Regiment.

40. Bauble: GAUD. A large ornamental bead in a Rosary.

41. Citi Field org.: NY METS.  And baseball again.  I'm catching on to this sub-theme, you don't have to hit me over the head with a bat...

43. Central Chinese city: XIAN. Today's geography lesson.

46. Jazzman Stan: GETZ. I get misty.

48. Some are named for music genres: ERAS.

49. Carrying limit: ARMFUL.

51. Fit for consumption: EATABLE. This seems odd, I hear "edible" more often, but it's been around since the 15th century.

56. Beard-preventing brand: ATRA.

61. Forest denizens: DEER.

62. Capri, e.g.: ISLE.

63. Quilt filler: EIDER. Duck down harvested from nests after the young leave.

64. Used too much: OD'ED.

65. USNA part: Abbr.: ACAD. United States Naval Academy.

66. Puts in a hold: STOWS. Sometimes you have to wrestle it down the stairs...

DOWN:

1. Mortgage no.: APR. Annual Percentage Rate.

2. "De Civitate __": "The City of God," St. Augustine work: DEI.

3. -ly word, usually: Abbr.: ADV. Get your Adverbs here.

4. Spanish fort: PRESIDIO. From Latin præsidium, from præsidere "to sit before, protect". Related word, preside.

5. Rich dessert: TORTE.

6. Food merchant: GROCER. One who buys and sells in gross quantities.

7. "The Caine Mutiny" novelist: WOUK. Herman.

8. Cigar tip?: ETTE. A suffix clue: cigarette.

9. Early Indian leader: NEHRU. Jawaharlal. Prime minister having the longest time of service to date, 1947-64

10. Strong-arm: COERCE.

11. Wired for sound: ON MIKE.

12. Did a deli job: SLICED.

13. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" singer Bonnie: TYLER. Obligatory link.

18. Camera company that merged with Konica: MINOLTA. I hope they didn't mind.

21. With some sauce: PERTLY. Saucy, variant: sassy, giving off a little heat, using spicy language.

22. One of many jobs, in metaphor: HAT.

23. Jewish social org.: YMHA. Young Men's Hebrew Association.

24. Things to wear: GARB. "Elegance, stylishness," from M.Fr. garbe "graceful outline", from It. garbo "grace, elegance,"

28. Wear away: ERODE. Originally a gnawing-away at, as of rodents.

29. Relay runner's assignment: LEG.

32. Wheel securer: LUG NUT.

34. Spokane university: GONZAGA. The bulldogs.  It all started on Thanksgiving Day, 1892. A new sport – then often referred to as American rugby – was played for the first time on the Gonzaga campus in front of 500 fans. The sport soon became known as football and Gonzaga was able to compete until 1942, when there were not enough male students to field a team due to their service in World War II.

36. Play with a dog toy, maybe: TUG.

37. Response to "You were kidding, right?": I MEANT IT.

38. Word of action: VERB.

39. And friends, facetiously: ET AL.

42. Capt.'s heading: SSE.

43. Like DVDs in a restricted room: X-RATED.

44. "We can talk now": I'M FREE.

45. Terrified, to the bard: AFEARD.

47. Designated: TERMED.

49. South American grilled meat dish: ASADO. A barbecue.

50. Croesus' kingdom: LYDIA. Now Anatolia (Asia Minor)

52. Exhausts: TIRES.

54. "Happy Days" mom, to the Fonz: MRS. C. Marion Cunningham, played by Marion Ross.

55. Auel heroine: AYLA. Jean Auel, The Clan of the Cave Bear. Played by Daryl Hanna.

58. Altar promise: I DO.

59. Fresh: NEW.

60. Letters seen in many forms: IRS. Sigh.Yes, it's that time of year again.

Answer Grid.

-Al

P.S., Thanks to C.C. for getting me the puz file last night after Cruciverb made some changes again.

A note from Don about today's theme:

"As a solver, I really like puzzles where words just pop out of nowhere to form new words.  I wanted to hide something at the end of phrases where, when all was solved, one could take those items and put them together to make something.  A mixed drink sounded like a good possibility.  ICE and GIN came to mind, and I thought this would be easy.  OLIVE?  The phrase “About to go live” popped out of my head as something that I have heard a million times on TV.  But how do you clue it?  Rich and I struggled with that one.  I don’t know yet how it ended up.  I was afraid VERMOUTH from RIVER MOUTH was going to be too obvious and tip the whole puzzle theme from the getgo.  We’ll see!"