Interview with Bruce R. Sutphin

As Lemonade mentioned in his write-up of today's DROP IN, this is our third Bruce Sutphin puzzle. His previous two Friday grids also involved letter string addition (TAG) & deletion (RS, with a great LOSERS as the last Across entry to tie things together).

Bruce only started constructing in 2010, but you could feel his passion and talent for construction from his theme selections. His desire to constantly improve himself is also evident in his blog comments the last several time he visited us. I look forward to more challenges and fun from Bruce.

How did the LOSERS idea come to you? It's such a brilliant unifier. Very unexpected two consonants dropping.

I had really enjoying a NYT puzzle (12/1/09) by Vic Fleming and Jonah Kagan where they parsed BREAKFAST as BREAK FAST and a couple of times afterward had toyed with similar themes messing with word breaks. Obviously LOSER would have made for more possible theme entries, but I thought I would see what I could come up with for LOSERS. I made a version of this "LOSERS" puzzle and sent it to Rich Norris at the LAT and he rejected it, but commented that the theme was cute and he liked the ONEHOETOWN entry. I redid the whole puzzle keeping that one entry and after some revision had it accepted.

Tell us a bit about your background. How did you get into crossword construction?

I had solved crosswords a bit off and on growing up, but with no regularity. In August 2009 I found all these different blogs and Ryan and Brian's "Fill Me In" Podcast. I was completely hooked. In the spring of 2010 I decided to attempt constructing. My first puzzles weren't very good, but I really enjoyed making them so I kept at it. I came into contact through the blogs with Doug Peterson and he and I started working on a puzzle last summer. Working with him has been a blast, we have a couple puzzles we made together in the LAT pipeline and a couple of others out that we are waiting to hear back on. Although my first 2 puzzles accepted were solo efforts, there is no way I would have made publishable quality puzzles without Doug's support and feedback. He is a true Crossword Gentleman.

Which part do you normally spend the most time on in the construction process: theme brainstorming, gridding or cluing?

I definitely would say the theme brainstorming. Early on I was quick to try and make a puzzle based on half baked or incomplete themes which was setting the puzzles up for failure from the start. I have enjoyed collaborating with Doug (I also have a puzzle in the NYT pipeline I co-constructed with Neville Fogarty) and find that the bouncing of theme ideas and theme entries off someone else makes a huge difference. The gridding obviously poses its own challenges and it can be annoying when things don't quite work out as you want, but I do like finding good entries. I especially like cluing a puzzle and even though it is the last portion of the creation, there isn't a temptation there for me to rush it since the clues are the solvers entry into the puzzle and if they don't grab them, then they might not bother solving the puzzle.

How does constructing change your solving experience? And what kind of themes/fill fascinate you as a solver?

When solving a puzzle, I don't really think that I notice that much difference now. I am far from a speed-solver, but I find that I appreciate themes more when I am done with a puzzle, especially if it is something really unique that I wish I had thought of. All the puzzles with added elements I find interesting, whether it be a picture created, or a neat trick where the entries aren't just entered in the "usual" way. Fresh fill is always great, or even commonplace fill clued in a new and interesting way always gets me. When my first (or even second or third) impression of what a clue wants isn't right, I like that. You can always clue something I don't know in a way so that I won't arrive at it easily, but cluing an entry I know in a tricky way that takes some thought, that's the best .

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

I solve the NYT, LAT, Newsday, and CrosSynergy everyday. I do all the Brendan Emmett Quigley puzzles, the Fireball, WSJ, Boston Globe, Phil Inquirer, Post Puzzler, Matt Gaffney, ISwear, The Onion, InkWell, Chronicle of Higher Education.... I think about 43 a week. They take me a heck of a lot longer than the elite solvers, but I also spend a lot less time on them then I did two years ago. I have seen great improvements in my own solving time. Obviously I am a big fan of Doug Peterson's puzzles. I also think all the stuff put our by BEQ, Matt Gaffney and Peter Gordon is top notch.

Besides crosswords, what are your other interests?

I am a 35 year old married father of 3. I have two daughters 8 and 6 and a 1 year old son. I am a stay at home dad during the day and I teach a mathematics class for a community college at night each semester. I enjoy reading, movies, and getting out to golf when I can.

Friday, November 18, 2011, Bruce R. Sutphin and Doug Peterson

Theme: The INs are OUT! The letters IN are removed from in the language phrases or titles, to create a new and completely whimsical clue/fill combo. This is our third puzzle from Bruce, but his first sharing the honors with Doug Peterson one of my many favorite constructors. All of Bruce's LAT puzzles have been published on Friday, so I am now his caddy, his Stevie Williams; oops bad analogy. The theme is the same concept of his September offering, but I found getting started very hard maybe because I got up at 5:30, this morning, but I got 'er done, and had a really good time doing so. Very few three letter words, and lots of original stuff made this a treat. So let's go.

20A. Movie about a wacky submarine crew?: THE DIVINE COMEDY. The very unfunny book by Dante Alighieri, is juxtaposed with a silly clue. Once I got this I had the theme, and all the the corner, but it was hard, as I kept picturing the Cary Grant Tony Curtis movie, Operation Petticoat.

33A. Feeling when surrounded by taxis?: CABIN PRESSURE. Hard to picture than many taxicabs, but Cabin Pressure in an airplane is very important.

40A. Prince's request to the Pauper?: WILL YOU BE MINE? The classic story where the rich kid wants to experience the freedom of no responsibility, so he changes places with the poor kid, told so well by our own Mark Twain. I like the Anita Baker version of the song.

52A. Random criticisms from the Musketeers?: THREE POINT SHOTS. Pot shots are what are modern press believe is reporting; and 3 point shots are a basketball term for long distance scoring, worth more then regular scoring (2 points). Going to see the newest movie version?

The unifier,

48D. Unexpected visitor ... and a hint to 20-, 33-, 40- and 52-Across: DROP IN, suggesting the dropping of 'IN' from words. It came too late to help me.

Across:

1. Revolution for Caesar?: ANNUM. Latin for a year, one revolution around the sun.

6. Run together: BLUR. This is what my vision is like.

10. Midnight snack: NOSH.

14. "The Family Man" actress: LEONI. David Duchovny's long suffering wife, and the co-star with Nicholas Cage in this MOVIE variation of the Prince and the Pauper, where the rich single guy becomes married with kids in a bizarre flashback to what might have been

15. Mystical letter: RUNE. I am sure all of our crew with Germanic, English and Scandinavian backgrounds found this easy.

16. Home furnishings acronym: IKEA. The ultimate first letter challenge. The founder's name (Ingvar Kamprad),the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd), and his home parish (Agunnaryd).

17. Success symbol: AWARD. Who was taught 'let them have the credit, you take the cash.'

18. Alarm clock toggle: AM/PM.

19. Shout to a line: NEXT. Great visual, standing in line in the bank.

23. Give out in portions : ALLOT. Meant to say something...

24. Set-to: ROW. Not ROW which rhymes with BOW, oops I mean with BLOW, but the one which sounds like COW, HOW NOW? English is so easy to learn, right C.C.

25. Quarterdeck?: SPADES. Yes, the other quarters being clubs, hearts and diamonds.

28. Set the stage for: USHER IN. Is Usher still in?

32. Carpooler's __ lane: HOV. high-occupancy vehicle. Did you hear about the sad group from Jersey who could not decide between the Holland and Lincoln Tunnel to go to work? they suffered from Carpool Tunnel Syndrome.

36. Largest of a septet: ASIA. The seven continents.

38. Tote: LUG. To carry.

39. Certain surgeon's concern: TREE. The poor sap thought he was going to medical school.

45. In addition: AND.

46. Level of importance: STATURE. being short, I debate this.

47. Harper Lee recluse Boo __: RADLEY. Brilliantly played by ROBERT DUVALL in To Kill a Mockingbird, a wonderful courtroom drama to warm the soul of this old ex-litigator along with 7D. "12 Angry Men" director: LUMET. The movie and play about a jury trapped because of one holdout is marvelous, but Lumet's CAREER was awesome. He died April of this year.

49. Chicago city council mem.: ALD.

50. Prepare eggs, in a way: SHIRR. Simplified, you bake them; I learned the term from reading Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe mysteries, as Wolfe liked his eggs a la FRITZ BRENNER WM, you out there?

57. Thick-bodied fish: CHUB. See LINK not ot be confused with the very UN-PC (see below) slang meaning, though if you think about it, it all makes sense.

58. Stir up: RILE. Is this related to the Life of Riley?

59. Birthstones for some Scorpios: OPALS. The last week in October ones.

61. Farm housing: SILO. Housing for the grain? Missiles?

62. Letters from Hera : ETAS. We have lots of Greek going on today.

63. Cap: LIMIT. Like the NFL's salary cap.

64. Like the ocean around SEALAB: INKY. Not to be confused with INKA from earlier this week.

65. Run like a rabbit: DART. Do any of you like John Updike's books?

66. Green Goblin, to Spider-Man: ENEMY. GG is long dead, though.

Down:

1. In the vein of: A LA. Mode? Yummy.

2. Pond denizen: NEWT. I know he is not in favor anymore but this is awfully cruel to Mr. Gingrich.

3. Role in the musical "Two By Two" : NOAH. never heard of the musical, but it was a logical guess from the biblical story.

4. Like fliers on the windshield, usually: UNREAD. Actually crumpled and left in the parking lot; this whole corner was very hard for me.

5. Place to start for a young music student: MIDDLE C. One of the beauties of music, where do you start, in the beginning, no in the middle.

6. "Well played!": BRAVO. Also a network.

8. Offensive to some, briefly: UN-PC. There is nothing I can say which would not be political. so....

9. "Why'd I do that?" feeling: REMORSE. Or perhaps to do your code over again?

10. Trendy retailer named for its original 57th Street address: NINE WEST. These SHOES remind me of missing Robin, and our other youngsters, Tarra Jo, and recently missing Jeannie.

11. Gave the nod: OK'ED. Okay.

12. Tantalizing, in a way: SEXY. Your choice?

13. Magician's prop: HAT. Where did I put that rabbit?

21. Iconic Ingrid role: ILSA. Is this common fill crosswordese now?

22. Mineralogist with a scale.: MOHS. The one with a hardness scale (not quite like Lois' hardness scale).

25. Fiona of "Harry Potter" films et al.: SHAWS. Not one of our favorite type of clues, as the plural is entirely gratuitous, especially where there are other Shaws like George Bernard or Jaws actor Robert. Fiona, meanwhile was fabulous as MARNIE on True Blood, this season. (1:00)

26. Put forth: POSIT. A good two dollar lawyer word, as attorneys do not like to say anything, they aver, they propose, suggest...yaddah, yaddah.

27. Walled Spanish city: AVILA. How fun, the walled home of our Spanish saint, born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada,

28. Desire: URGE. I really would like to hear from all our missing ones; it was such fun to have Dennis back for the day

29. Bumpkin: RURAL. I had a hard time with this clue, as various forms of RUBE kept coming to mind; I do not think of rural as a noun.

30. Goddess of peace : IRENE. From the Greek, EIRENE, and my mother's name.

31. Down-and-out: NEEDY. Anyone else think seedy?

34. Down: BLUE. You think LOVE is? Paul Mariat you rock. (2:28)

35. Pint seller: PUB. The needed beer reference for a non-beer loving man who raised two boys each wanting to brew beer and run a pub.

37. Bible bearer, often : ALTAR BOY. Followed by another semi-religious clue.

41. Winter season: YULE. This comes from the Germanic pagan festival of yuletide, which was incorporated into the Christian history when the birth was moved from summer to December 25.

42. Put in place: ORDERED. I was thinking about putting someone in their place, not just organizing.

43. Pictures taken in a hosp: MRIS. Magnetic Resonance Images.

44. Football helmet feature: EAR HOLE. A very literal clue, so the players can hear the signals, the play calls etc.

50. Like some panels: SOLAR. Anyone using solar?

51. Earthshaking '50s event: H-TEST. Hydrogen bomb test, literally earth shaking.

52. Slender: THIN. I like slender better, thin always seems like a criticism.

53. Clumsy ship: HULK. I do not know why, but whenever we would drive by a big old ship, my father would say, "Look at that old Hulk." Those of you who sail, any reason?

54. Edible pocket: PITA. The bread from the Mediterranean, the word comes from the Greek word for Pie. In texting it means Pain in the, well you get it.

55. Get under control: TAME. Do you think of animals, your hair or your spouse?

56. Unlikely: SLIM, and his best pal none.

57. TV drama set in Vegas: CSI. Crime Scene Investigator; any thoughts on the Ted Danson experiment?

60. Wilbur's whereabouts, in "Charlotte's Web": STY. He actually spent most of his time in the barn, didn't he?

Answer grid.

Well my work is done, thanks Bruce and Doug. It is also my last chance to remind you lurkers and oldsters to come say hello on Wednesday the 23rd. You all know who you are. We like hearing from you and knowing you are all doing well and just too busy for this to be the daily stopping point. Happy Turkey Day all.

Lemonade

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday, Jimbo! Hope you're doing well and still read the blog every day.

Interview with Gary Cee

I mentioned earlier this year that Gary Cee's EYE OPENER is one of my favorite puzzles in 2010. Amazing interlocking of theme entries.

Gary only started constructing in 2007, but he already had 8 puzzles published by the NY Times alone. Today is Gary's 4th puzzle for the LA Times.

What's the inspiration for today's theme and what were the other theme candidates you also considered?

I pulled up to a traffic light and saw a bumper sticker that included the words "the wrong way." A common phrase is "rub the wrong way" or "rubs the wrong way," which was a nice 15 to go through the middle of this grid. So I went to work to find theme answers that included or broke up s-b-u-r and came up with today's theme answers.

I adored the theme entry intersection in your last EYE OPENER puzzle. I'm curious: Were CAFFEINE & NICOTINE parts of your original theme entry consideration or did they just come up in your filling process?

Gotta be honest, I totally lucked out on that one in the fill.

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

I'm the program director and afternoon host at 101.5 WPDH in New York's Hudson Valley. I've been here for 8 years and was previously at WLIR on Long Island. I'm the author of 'Classic Rock,' a coffee-table book released in 1995 that's still available from online book retailers. Grew up in Patchogue, Long Island, but now I live in LaGrangeville, just east of Poughkeepsie.

I started making puzzles in 2007 as a hobby, and got a ton of rejections before being accepted first by Will, then by Rich.

Which part do you normally spend the most time on in the construction process: theme brainstorming, gridding or cluing?

I'm not a patient person by nature but I've learned to become much more patient in the gridding process. That's the part I spend the most time on.

What makes a puzzle special to you? What kind of theme & fill fascinate you?

Anything funny and clever, I suppose. Lively vocabulary, fresh fill, clues that make me laugh, etc.

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

I do the NYT puzzle every day, but Friday and Saturday are very tough for me. My favorite constructors are Patrick Berry, who's been the most inspiring, Brendan Emmett Quigley, Joon Pahk, and Matt Ginsberg.

What would we be surprised to know about you?

I'm trying to finish writing a symphony!

Thursday, November 17, 2011 Gary Cee

Theme: Be careful how you pet my cats!

17A. Pirates' home : PITTSBURGH. This Major League Baseball team is the Pittsburgh Pirates, in the Central Division of the National League.

26A. Group working on tips? : NEWS BUREAU. Fun clue. "Tips" aren't the extra cash left on the restaurant table, but news items furnished from those in the know.

48A. Jersey Shore city popularized by Springsteen : ASBURY PARK. "The Boss" performed regularly at this seaside resort in the 70's. Here's his "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)".

59A. Trudeau comic : DOONESBURY. One of my favorite un-PC comics here. (Note: A "Deaniac" was a supporter of the liberal Vermont Governor Harold Dean's unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2004).

And the unifier:

39. Bugs, or what's literally found in 17-, 26-, 48- and 59-across : RUBS THE WRONG WAY. In each of the theme entries, the word "rubs" appears the "wrong way", or backwards.

Marti here, so it must be Thursday again. I started off very slowly on this one, but when I finally went back and figured out 2D. UZI, it finally seemed to all flow in the right direction! Loved this unusual theme, and clean execution. Let's look at the fill:

Across:

1. Big picture : MURAL. Why yes, that would be a really big picture.

6. Title holder? : SASH. I wanted "belt"...

10. Bean used in Asian sauces : SOYA. I'm sure C.C. uses this bean in her cooking, right?

14. Protective layer : OZONE. I skipped this one for the time being...

15. "Salome" solo : ARIA. This Strauss opera highlights Salome's disturbing obsession with St. John the Baptist that drives her to demand his head on a platter, in exchange for performing the "Dance of the Seven Veils".

16. Piece of mind? : OP-ED. "Opposite the Editorials (page)". And 11D. Write a 16-Across : OPINE

19. Complete, in Cannes : FINI. Literally, "end". Seen at the end of French films in Cannes.

Correction from Kazie (thank you!): "Fini" actually means "finished" rather than end which is "fin", which I think is more likely at the end of movies. 

And then we have 13D. Final word at Orly : ADIEU. Yes, I guess the last word you would say to someone embarking on the plane in Paris would be "adieu" (good-bye!)

20. Committed to : SET ON. I'm set on having a turkey next Thursday for dinner.

21. "Divine Comedy" poet : DANTE

22. High-tech printer capability : SCAN. I just bought a new printer that faxes, scans, and prints wirelessly. Problem is, I can't figure out how to make it work !

28. Playwright Pinter : HAROLD. Surely you know him as the author of "The French Lieutenant's Woman"?  Correction: Harold Pinter wrote the screenplay adaptation.  John Fowles didn’t write it, either (really).  In 1977, Fowles translated the 1893 novel “Ourika” by Claire de Duras, and titled it “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”. He later revised it in 1994.  What a tangled web !

30. Six-pack muscles : ABS. We have a mini-muscle theme going on here, with 29D. Back muscle, for short : LAT. (Could have been clued as "Publisher of this puzzle: Abbr."). And this is for the gals...

31. Laundry room brand : AMANA. I was looking for a detergent, not the washing machine!

32. About half a million square miles of Asia : GOBI. The Gobi desert is most notable as the location of several cities along the Silk Road.

35. Dept. of Labor arm : OSHA. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

42. Caesarean infinitive : ESSE. "To be" (or not to be...). Not to be confused with a Caesarean section, which has an entirely different meaning!

43. It parallels the radius : ULNA. The two bones of the forearm.

44. John Barleycorn : BOOZE. The "Z" in this one was my very last fill. I was thinking of "Daniel BOOnE". (What was I thinking???)

45. "___ Sera, Sera" : QUE. What will be, will be.

47. One with goals : SCORER. Loved this clue/answer! A real V-8 moment, when I realized they were talking about things like hockey goals. I bet Eddy B and JD got this one immediately!

54. Pol. convention attendees : DELS. I had "DEmS" at first. Then realized, they wanted "delegates", not "democrats".

55. Swing vigorously : FLAIL. I think of "flailing" as swinging randomly, not vigorously?

56. Flexible wood : OSIER. Willow wood, used for making baskets and other crosswordese items.

58. Down the drain : LOST. Oh goodness, my train of thought just went down the drain...

64. Largest of the Near Islands : ATTU. Part of the Aleutians, and site of a famous ski hill. (You knew I had to get in a reference to my favorite sport, right?)

65. Ornamental vases : URNS.

66. Aqua ___: alcohol : VITAE. Thank goodness, the constructor provided the "alcohol" hint. Otherwise, I would have penned in VELVA without any hesitation!

67. Singer who said "Men should be like Kleenex: soft, strong and disposable" : CHER. Always the philosopher, that one...

68. Enlightened response : I SEE.

69. Frost and others : POETS

Down:

1. Clean, in a way : MOP

2. Israeli gun designer ___ Gal : UZI. My one gate-opener for this puzzle! It's usually clued as "Israeli submachine gun". Nice to see this attribute to it's creator. (I think...)

3. Turn bad : ROT.

4. Exterminator's target : ANT. Wanted "rat", at first.

5. Diminished state : LESS. Ah, but "Less is more", right?

6. Brown : SAUTE. Wow! This one whacked me upside the head when I finally sussed it through perps. What an ambiguous clue for such a common word. Loved it!

7. Robin's weapon : ARROW. Had to think: "Batman" or "Hood"?

8. Traces : SIGNS

9. "That's rich!" : HAH. HAH! Loved this one, too!

10. "Everything's fine for now" : SO FAR SO GOOD. Wonderful, lively fill. And so far so good...only 31 more clues to unravel.

12. Gossipmonger : YENTA. A Yiddish busybody.

18. Give a little : BEND

21. Add (in), as music to a film : DUB

22. Piece of the pie : SHARE. Hands up for all who filled in "slice"??

23. "The Stranger" writer : CAMUS. "L'Etranger" by Albert Camus. Said to be an existentialist novel, but the novel had much broader meanings and explores absurdism to the extreme. Curious to know, have you read it, Hahtool?

24. Most Egyptians : ARABS

25. Conclusion that doesn't follow : NON SEQUITUR. "So, I plan to make meatloaf for dinner tonight..."

27. Scott of "Happy Days" : BAIO

32. Hair goop : GEL

33. Have : OWN

34. Uplifting garb : BRA. For the guys..

36. Cursed : SWORE. #*^@&!~$%#&@* puzzle...

37. Not brown or blue, perhaps : HAZEL. Like this here.

38. Australia's ___ Rock : AYERS. In the land of "Oz" (Australia).  I immediately thought of our Kazie.

40. One of three duck brothers : HUEY. Dewey and Louie are the other two, but they wouldn't fit here.

41. Letters after C or MS : NBC. CNBC and MSNBC are both cable networks. CNBC is the "Consumer News and Business Channel". MSNBC is another cable news channel, whose name comes from a combination of "Microsoft" and "NBC".

46. www address : URL. Does anyone need an explanation of this one? (email me...)

47. Arcade game starter : SKEE. -ball

48. Company with a spokesduck : AFLAC.

49. A deadly sin : SLOTH. To cover all the bases, you need to have wrath, greed, pride, lust, envy and gluttony as well.

50. Moisten while cooking : BASTE. See 20A. It requires careful basting.

51. Standard partner : POORS. Standard & Poors, a US based financial services company that publishes financial research analysis on stocks and bonds.

52. In cahoots : AS ONE. Any questions?

53. Light wash : RINSE. Hmmmm...I still think a light wash requires some sort of soap?

57. Invitation letters : RSVP. "Répondez s'il vous plaît". Literally, "Respond, if it pleases you." Well, what if I don't feel like responding?? Emily Post would frown on that attitude, I'm afraid.

59. SADD focus : DUI. Students Against Drunk Driving are concerned about people who Drive Under the Influence.

60. Theater program item : BIO. Biography. No hint of abbr. in the clue? So, I guess "bio" is a legit modern term?

61. Colorado native : UTE. What's a "ute"??? (See "My Cousin Vinny" clip, done before.)

62. Informer : RAT. "You dirty rat..."

63. Celebratory cry : YES! ("I FINISHED THIS BAD PUPPY!!")

Answer grid.

Thanks for hangin' with me for a while. I'm looking forward to hearing all your comments. I am flying down to Chapel Hill, N.C this morning to meet DH (he's doing a project down there this week). So I will be offline for part of the day. But I will check in as soon as I get settled into our hotel room. In the meantime, carry on, and play nice!

Hugs,

Marti

Wednesday, November 16, 2011 Julian Lim

THEME: GO OFF, don't GOOF OFF! Common phrases starting with the words, "GO OFF" are clued* as if the words showed up in the theme answers; but instead, they are reserved for the unifier. This results in some odd-looking partials until you pull it all together. Then, you find that the theme questions define the answers quite nicely.

* With asterisks.

A 17. *Get carried away : (GO OFF) THE DEEP END.

A 64. *Act prematurely : (GO OFF) HALF COCKED.

D 11. *Lose it : (GO OFF) ONE'S ROCKER.

D 28. *Digress : (GO OFF) ON A TANGENT.

And the unifier: A 40. Explode, and words needed to complete the four starred answers : GO OFF. This filled in partially from the perps, and it was not immediately obvious how to parse the goofy-looking "_OOFF" until I took a good look at the clue.

Hi, gang. Reporting here from the DEEP END, it's JazzBumpa, the HALF-COCKED trombonist. I don't recall seeing a theme approach quite like this before, so high marks to Mr. Lim for a creative and tight theme. With that in mind, let's GO OFF exploring it. We'll find some other gems, for sure.

ACROSS

1. Response to a good barb : OH, SNAP! Really? the urban dictionary informs me that this is a playful phrase, usually uttered by a bystander rather than the barbee, and attributes it to Tracy Morgan of SNL.

7. Wyo. neighbor : IDA. Why oh, why oh did I ever leave Ohio? 'Cuz I went to IDAHO in search of spuds. Or abbreviations.

10. Horticulturalist's supply : POTS. Flower pots, perhaps. Is there another interpretation?

14. Water delivery system : PIPAGE. I stumbled over this odd, clumsy, but perfectly legitimate word.

15. Relatives : KIN. I have one sister, and three brothers-in-law.

16. One-named "May It Be" singer : ENYA. This is not the first time Eithne Ní Bhraonáin has appeared in my puzzle blogging. I totally forgot that she performed this hauntingly beautiful song - her original composition - over the closing credits of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first movie of the Lord of the Rings sequence. The rest of the magnificent score is by Howard Shore.

19. Didn't chuck : KEPT. Chuck, as in throw out.

20. The Trojans, familiarly : SO. CAL. The SO CALLED Trojans are the athletic teams of Southern California University. Is there another interpretation?

21. Obvious : EASY TO SEE. I hope everyone was able to see this easily.

23. Sash worn in a ryokan inn : OBI. Having no clue what a ryokian inn might be, but having the "I" from a perp, I took a swag at OBI.

25. Always : EVER.

26. Everett of "Citizen Kane" : SLOANE. He played Mr. Bernstein.

30. __Vista: Google alternative : ALTA. Does anyone use ALTA VISTA? Does it mean "Another View?"

32. Missions, to spies : OPS. Operations. Not just for spies, though. My older step-son (more KIN) is in the USAF Special Ops. I have no idea what he does, though, and he aint tellin'!

35. Fly without a plane : HANG GLIDE. Is GLIDING really flying? Let's check with Rocky.

37. Car window adornment : DECAL. This is a shortened form of the original Decalcomania. Decorated glassware is often made from a ceramic decal fired onto the glass surface.

39. Course often taken with physiol. : ANAT. Physiology and Anatomy. Short courses, apparently.

42. Scottish terrier breed : SKYE. From the Hebrides Island of the same name, I presume.

43. "Midnight Cowboy" hustler Rizzo : RATSO. Played by Dustin Hoffman.

45. Informed of the latest news : UP TO SPEED. In the know. On top of things.

47. Korean automaker : KIA.

48. Bark's pole : MAST. A bark is a ship with anywhere from three to five masts, all of them square-rigged except the after mast, which is fore-and-aft rigged. I have no idea what this means.

50. Comedy, horror, etc. : GENRES. Categories of films or novels

51. 12 : NOON. Timely clue and answer.

53. "We the Living" author Rand : AYN. One of her lesser known works.

54. Nutty Hershey's treat : MR. GOODBAR. Little peanut chunks surrounded by chocolate. Yum!

58. Alacrity : HASTE. From the Latin alacritās, from alacer lively.

63. Bailiff's cry : OYEZ. Does anyone know why?

66. Breeze indicator : VANE. Weather vane

67. Mil. training academy : O.C.S. Officers Candidate School. Note abbrv 'n cl & ans.

68. Flubbing it : ERRING. Consult that awful Lions-Bears game from Sunday for many real life illustrations.

69. Laryngitis specialists, for short : E.N.T'S. Ear, Nose and Throat. Dr's. Not Tolkein's Tree-like entities, who are covered with BARK, but never go sailing.

70. Reporter's question : WHO? Along with What? Where? When? Why? and How? An old singing TV AD for the Detroit News went "What in the world's going on? If you read the News you'll know."

71. Taoism founder : LAO TSE

DOWN

1. Elects : OPTS

2. Greeting from Kermit the Frog : HI-HO. According to Answers.com, this is correct. Ribbit!

3. Design detail, briefly : SPEC. Specification.

4. Zilch : NADA. Nothing, slangily.

5. Unending : AGE LONG. I tried TOO LONG, which was just LONG enough, but wrong.

6. End of a quip? : PEE. The letter "P." This is awful. A spelt out letter is lame, lame, fill; and cluing it self-referentially only compounds the lame-itude, marring an otherwise fine puzzle.

7. Big name in do-it-yourself furniture : IKEA. Some of my KIN love this place.

8. Loud noises : DINS. The rule for quiet hideaways is "no DINS in the dens!"

9. "Even so ..." : AND YET

10. Earl Grey alternative : PEKOE. Teas for your nice cup, eh! Perhaps someone can fill us in on the subtleties of tea GENRES. I can say that Earl Grey is black tea flavored with essence of bergamot, a citrus fruit.

12. Compose email : TYPE. We all type, but does anyone use a typewriter, these days?

13. Fill totally : SATE. Typically, but not exclusively, referring to an appetite.

18. Prov. in the Gulf of St. Lawrence : P.E.I. Prince Edward Island. Here you can take a tour.

22. Living room plug? : TV AD. This was slow to sink in. An advert (plug) on the telly. Mine, however is not in the living room.

24. Where Flanders red ale is brewed: Abbr. : BELG. Belgium, where they make some darned fine brews (not tea.)

26. "Jaws" menace : SHARK. It has pretty teeth, dear.

27. Molokai neighbor : LANAI. These are lesser known Hawaiian Islands.

29. CIA employees : AGTS. Agents of the Central Intelligence Agency

30. Get from a shelter : ADOPT. Acquire from a pet shelter. Sneaky.

31. Remaining : LEFT. Quite a few clues LEFT. Are you still with me? If not, raise your hand.

33. Check recipient : PAYEE.

34. Hillside whizzers : SLEDS. Frolicking children gliding down a snowy hillside on their sleds, now that I get it. You don't want to know what mental image this elicited.

36. Chits in a pot : I-O-U-S. Chit and I-O-U are synonyms for a brief document indicating debt. Evidently, gamblers use these when they run out of cash.

38. Jocks' channel : ESPN. All sports, all the time; a channel, not a station.

41. Square oldster : FOGY. AKA: fuddy-duddy.

44. Melville adventure : OMOO. This puzzle evergreen gets clued in a variety of ways. I don't recall ever seeing Moby Dick in a X-word.

46. Portuguese lady : SENHORA. Like Spanish, kinda, sorta, but spelt different.

49. "Amen!" : AND HOW! Odd phrase indicating emphatic agreement.

52. Exhibits in abundance, as confidence : OOZES. Another odd phrase. OOZE seems a bit unsightly.

53. Corgi's cry : ARF. Barking dogs.

54. Budge : MOVE. Usually indicated in the negative.

55. Strikeout king Nolan : RYAN. He pitched in the Major Leagues for 27 years, playing for the Mets, Angles, Astros and Rangers. Wow!

56. "Hunting Cantata" composer : BACH. Johann Sebastian, not one of his many musical KIN. Never heard of it. And, at 33 minutes, I'll probably never hear it - though it does start off nicely.

57. Besides : ALSO. Plus, too, in addition, etc. . . Besides the long theme answers, this puzzle has lots of 7 and 9 letter fill.

60. "MADtv" segment : SKIT

61. Summer's column : TENS. Major misdirection for the number column between the units and the hundreds. I could make no sense of this until I realized that "Summer" mean "Adder." Snaky sneaky.

62. Perimeter : EDGE. Border. Rim.

65. Disney gift store purchase : CEL. Short for CELlulloid, a clear plastic sheet used for drawing an animation.

Answer grid.

Hope you enjoyed the puzzle, and I didn't GOOF or GO OFF on too many TANGENTS.

Cheers!

JzB

Hall Monitoring

#9 of our Curious Conundrums series.

One of my favorite baseball players is on 2012 Veterans Committee' Hall of Fame ballot. The committee will vote on Dec 15 at their winter meeting and the result will be announced on Jan 9 next year.

Don and I made this puzzle in early September to support his Hall effort.

Here is PDF (click on File, then Download).

Here is puz file (click on File, then Download).

Spoiler: Here is the answer grid. Here is an autographed copy of the puzzle. Please also click here and help the Hall right a wrong. Thank you.

Thanks for solving, and we look forward to your comments.

C.C.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 Pam Klawitter

Theme: How's the Grub, Bub? - The theme seems right up front but the unifier reveals an extra tidbit.

20A. On-the-go morning snack : BREAKFAST BAR

37A. Cash for a sandwich : LUNCH MONEY

43A. Waiter's handout : DINNER MENU

57A. Familiarly, nutritious trio found twice in this puzzle : THREE SQUARES

Argyle here. I never completely read the the unifier and so I was surprised to find circles in three corners of the puzzle. Some of you may not have gotten these circles. In the NE, SE, and SW corners, the word MEAL forms a little square. See here.

There are at least two different theories on where we got the phrase, a square meal. One is that it comes from the wooden board that served as a plate.

The other comes from the idea that a square meal was an honest, fair meal. Square is used in the sense of getting a square deal. Three hots and a cot!

Across:

1. Onetime VHS rival : BETA. Both are gone now.

5. Like honed knives : SHARP

10. Relaxed : CALM

14. The Earth turns on it : AXIS

15. Swiss calculus pioneer : EULER. Leonhard Euler, 1707 – 1783, was a pioneering Swiss mathematician and physicist.

16. Hebrides hillside : BRAE. The Hebrides is the archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. Map.

17. Rules, in brief : REGS. Regulations.

18. Grassy Southwestern tract : LLANO

19. "Mike and Mike in the Morning" radio station : ESPN. Check your local listings.

23. Flight that may be round : TRIP

24. Craft stabilizer : KEEL

25. "¡No __!": Mexican's "Enough!" : MAS. A phrase made famous in the Roberto Duran vs. Sugar Ray Leonard fight.

28. Story spanning decades : SAGA

31. St. Teresa's home : ÁVILA. Ávila is the capital of the province of the same name in the center of Spain.

33. Matador's cloak : CAPA

40. Tenth of a sawbuck : ONE CLAM

42. Tailgaters' beverage carriers : COOLERS

45. Dorothy's dog : TOTO

46. Run the show : EMCEE. Used as a verb.

47. Vidal's Breckinridge : MYRA. Myra Breckinridge is a 1968 satirical novel by Gore Vidal written in the form of a diary. It was made into a movie in 1970.

49. Actress Sandra : DEE

50. Moan and groan : CARP

53. Browning work : POEM

61. Dubai big shot : EMIR

64. Medium's card : TAROT

65. Part of a float : SODA

66. Take it easy : LAZE

67. Bacteria in rare meat : E. COLI

68. Footnote word : IDEM. "the same". Ibid.(short for ibidem), means the same place.

69. Biblical heirs, with "the" : MEEK

70. Barber's chair attachment : STROP. The leather strap used to sharpen a straight edge razor.

71. Corporate __ : SEAL

Down:

1. Farm fence feature : BARB

2. Put into action, as effort : EXERT

3. LSU mascot : TIGER

4. Very, musically : ASSAI

5. __-centered: egotistical : SELF

6. Luau entertainment : HULA

7. Sarah Palin, notably : ALASKAN

8. Yvonne's income : RENTE. French.

9. Legislative investigation : PROBE

10. "Good buddy" : CBer

11. Horace's "__ Poetica" : ARS. Also known as "The Art of Poetry".

12. Comfy spot for some cats : LAP

13. Guys : MEN

21. GI mess crews : KPs. Kitchen Police; fits with today's theme.

22. Memorable Texas landmark : ALAMO

25. "Giant" actor Sal : MINEO

26. Ready for whatever : ALERT

27. Final authority : SAY-SO

29. Old apple spray : ALAR

30. Frances __: Judy Garland's birth name : GUMM

32. Battery unit : VOLT

33. Encrypted : CODED

34. Japanese cartoon style : ANIME

35. Pound divisions : PENCE. Since decimalisation in 1971, the British pound has been divided into 100 pence.

36. Adolescent woe : ACNE

38. Manhattan campus, for short : CCNY. City College of New York.

39. Rush __ : HOUR

41. Bloodsucker : LEECH

44. Invisible-clothes wearer in an Andersen tale : EMPEROR

48. "The Simpsons" storekeeper : APU

51. José's humanities : ARTES

52. Show one's feelings, say : REACT

54. Kalahari refuge : OASIS. Southern Africa.

55. Wear away : ERODE

56. Jason jilted her : MEDEA. The cad!

57. Taxing trip : TREK

58. Go it alone : SOLO

59. You may stick it in your ear : Q-TIP

60. Dan'l's cousin? : SAM'L. And they ride on a cam'l.

61. Street shader : ELM

62. Ginnie __ : MAE

63. Special ending? : IZE. Specialize.

Answer grid.
Argyle

Monday, November 14, 2011 Betty Keller

Theme: I can't tell you. - But you'll guess soon enough.

17. Big corporations, lawsuit-wise : DEEP POCKETS

27. Godiva choice : DARK CHOCOLATE

48. Anonymous fan : SECRET ADMIRER

64. "For your ears only" ... and a hint to first words of 17-, 27- and 48-Across : "MUM'S THE WORD"

Argyle here. For those of you that like to solve in just one direction, this is your puzzle.

Across:

1. Out of the office : NOT IN. Post election, this phrase takes on added significance.

6. NRA part : RIFLE

11. La-la lead-in : TRA

14. Madison Square Garden, e.g. : ARENA

15. How some losses are shown : IN RED

16. French water : EAU

19. Sprint alternative : AT&T

20. Alan of "M*A*S*H" : ALDA

21. Retriever restraint : LEASH

22. Folk music's Kingston __ : TRIO. Their song about a deep, dark secret. Tom Dooley.(3:02)

23. Divining implement : ROD. Dowsing, from Wikipedia.

25. Native blanket makers : NAVAJOs

32. Sch. in the smallest state : URI. The University of Rhode Island.

33. Bull: Pref. : TAUR

34. Petite pastries : TARTS

37. Money maker : MINT

39. More factual : TRUER

42. Hop, __ and jump : SKIP. The triple jump is sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump. This is one answer you need the perp to decide which is right.

43. Lox holder : BAGEL

45. Hollywood Walk of Fame feature : STAR

47. Campus URL ender : .EDU

52. Shapewear fabric : SPANDEX

54. Quaint stopover : INN

55. Sir __ Belch of "Twelfth Night" : TOBY. Sir Toby, Olivia's uncle, drinks a great deal, keeps late hours and is generally rowdy by nature.

56. Lavish celebrations : FETEs

59. Bangkok tongue : THAI

63. Play for a sap : USE

66. V.P. Biden's state : DEL. Ah, the state with an arc on its northern border.

67. March march VIP : ST. PAT

68. U or I, e.g. : VOWEL

69. Armani competitor, initially : YSL. Yves Saint Laurent was founded in 1961.

70. Flashy tank fish : TETRA

71. Part of a college application : ESSAY

Down

1. Nothin' : NADA

2. Baseball's Hershiser : OREL

3. Ready for kickoff : TEED. Usually with UP.

4. Out of gear, as a car : IN PARK because neutral doesn't fit.

5. Hammock snooze : NAP

6. Paddy product : RICE

7. Durante song title word : INKA. Rare record recording version.(3:05)

8. City ESE of San Francisco : FRESNO

9. Murderous : LETHAL

10. Newspaper VIPs : EDs. Editors.

11. Two-hanky film : TEARJERKER

12. Betting odds, e.g. : RATIO

13. Traffic jam components : AUTOS

18. Passé : OLD HAT

22. Breezy bye-byes : TATAs. Word Origin & History - "good-bye," 1823, a word first recorded as infant's speech. Abbreviation T.T.F.N., "ta-ta for now," popularized 1941 by BBC radio program "ITMA," where it was the characteristic parting of the cockney cleaning woman character Mrs. Mopp, voiced by Dorothy Summers. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

24. Leaf-peeping mo. : OCT.

26. Winery container : VAT

27. Idiotic : DUMB

28. "La Traviata" number : ARIA

29. Sounds familiar : RINGS A BELL

30. Pronoun for you and me : OUR

31. Sicilian pizza has a thick one : CRUST

35. Ocean phenomenon : TIDE

36. Cowpoke's prod : SPUR. I was watching an early TV Lone Ranger(#2, I think) when he tamed Silver and proclaims he and Silver will be compatriots for life and his trusty steed will to his bidding out of friendship. So why is he wearing spurs?

38. Itsy-bitsy : TEENY

40. Expected coming-in hr. : ETA

41. Red root veggie : RADISH

44. HDTV feature, often : LCD

46. LBJ follower : RMN. Lyndon Baines Johnson & Richard Milhous Nixon.

49. Prove wrong : REFUTE

50. Not subject to taxes : EXEMPT

51. Paired up : IN TWOS

52. Hit the books : STUDY

53. Prepares to be photographed : POSES

57. Old Russian despot : TSAR

58. Bluesy James : ETTA

60. "__ it going?" : HOW'S. ¿Qué Pasa?

61. Word with dining or picnic : AREA

62. Lazy way to sit by : IDLY

64. Hrs. in Phoenix, Arizona : MST. Mountain Standard Time.

65. Eden's second resident : EVE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday Nov 13, 2011 Jeff Chen

Theme: "Kewpies" - Each two-word theme answers start with Q(U) & P.

22A. Fast food item since 1971 : QUARTER POUNDER. Earlier than I thought.

35A. Market report detail : QUOTED PRICE

63A. "'Sup, señor?" : QUE PASA

92A. "Shh" : QUIET PLEASE

108A. Hawking field : QUANTUM PHYSICS. Stephen Hawking.

14D. Fruity dessert : QUINCE PIE. I've never had it. Looks tasty.

20D. Leg cramps treatment : QUININE PILLS. Are they preventive or you take them when you're having leg cramps? Boomer sometimes suffers Charlie horse after a round of golf.

51D. Template at a bee : QUILT PATTERN

74D. Look that doesn't last : QUICK PEEK. Quick! Don't you think Bar Refaeli is pretty?

Occasionally I spot cute Kewpie dolls during my flea market hunts. The plastic ones. I've never seen an original bisque.

Solid grid today. QU are tough to place. Quite challenging to locate Q-starting intersecting entries that are familiar words/abbreviations.

Across:

1. "Monty Python's Life of __" : BRIAN. We also have ENO (116A. Co-producer of the U2 album "Achtung Baby".

6. It usually occurs twice a day at the shore : EBB

9. Locks in a stable : MANE. Hair locks.

13. Condo meas. : SQ FT

17. Hershey's competitor : BOSCO. Chocolate syrup brand. New to me.

18. Corrida competitor : TOREADOR

20. Reason for some holdups : QUEUES

24. GPS data connection : UPLINK

25. Babe's home : STY. Babe the pig.

26. Improves in the cask : AGES. Wine.

27. Hit on the head : NAIL

28. Like baked dough : RISEN

29. Dossier letters : AKA

30. Homes for the Skipper and Gilligan : HUTS

31. Stimpy's friend : REN. Ren & Stimpy.

32. Duped? : CC-ED. Dupe copy.

40. Name for a poodle : FIFI

41. Polo of "Meet the Fockers" : TERI

42. "Burnt" color : UMBER

43. Rotating machine : LATHE

44. Lady's employer? : AVON. Oh, Avon Lady.

45. The "Star Wars" films, e.g. : EPIC

46. Duel tools : EPEES

47. Burden : ONUS

48. Electrician's supply : WIRE

49. Dutch engineering feat : DIKE

50. Hitchcock title : SIR. Sir Hitchcock. Not movie title.

51. Small cleaning tool : Q-TIP. And 55A. 51-Across target : EAR.

52. Blowing in the wind, as hair : UNKEMPT

56. Cressida's love : TROILUS. No idea. Son of Priam.

59. Scornful expression : SNEER

60. "Embraceable You" lyricist Gershwin : IRA

62. Martial arts master : SENSEI. "Teacher". Same characters as Chinese "Mister"/"Teacher".

65. Seldom : LITTLE

69. Bien's opposite : MAL

70. Up to : UNTIL

71. Loser : ALSO-RAN

72. Letters for Johnnie Cochran : ESQ. Lemonade, did you want to be a lawyer when you were a kid?

75. Enter on tippytoe : STEAL IN

77. NCAA Bulldog rivals : VOLS. Tennessee Volunteers. I drew a blank.

79. Money alternative? : INC. Both are magazines.

80. RSVP part : VOUS

82. Unit for a duel : PACE

83. 1958 winner of nine Oscars : GIGI

84. Religion that uses the pentagram : WICCA. This pendant is pretty.

86. "And When __": Blood, Sweat & Tears hit : I DIE

87. Sets a price : ASKS

88. Holiday cookie bakers : ELVES

89. Brown et al. : IVIES

90. "Livin' La Vida __": Ricky Martin hit : LOCA. Ear worm.

91. Binds : TIES

94. Many a Punjabi : SIKH

95. Media mogul Turner : TED

96. Signaled to enter, say : CUED

97. Clio award honorees : ADS

98. Gondolier, e.g. : POLER. 106. Wolf, at times : LEERER. Sometimes you just need "Meh" entries.

100. Crossword pattern : GRID. 21*21 for Sundays.

101. Box office take : GATE

103. 19th Greek letter : TAU

111. Traps at a lodge, maybe : ICES IN

112. Shouldered weapons : BAZOOKAS. Great answer.

113. Like many Poe works : EERIE

114. Jab : POKE

115. "Divine Comedy" river : STYX

117. Condo documents : DEEDS

Down:

1. Jul. 4 events : BBQS

2. Beat the pants off : ROUT

3. Holmes preceder? : I SAY. Sherlock Holmes? I don't get this clue.

4. Unlike this ans. : ACR (Across). This answer is Down.

5. "Isn't anyone interested?" : NO TAKERS?

6. Tours infinitive : ETRE. Tours, France.

7. Conks : BOPS

8. Pal : BRO

9. Mammal linked to mermaid folklore : MANATEE

10. Half of Ethiopia's capital : ADDIS. Addis Ababa.

11. Seasonal song : NOEL. Very soon Santa will be busy.

12. Botch the job : ERR

13. Picked : SELECTED

15. Bog : FEN

16. Cluck of disapproval : TSK

19. Harem guards, usually : EUNUCHS

21. Shipping choice : UPS. My favorite UPS guy. He should be your home improvement choice too. You've seen the consistently quality posts he produces here every Saturday.

23. "Omigosh!" : EGAD

28. Turn over a new leaf : REFORM

29. Fit to __ : A TEE

30. Put the bite on : HIT UP

31. Mediterranean resort : RIVIERA. Been there, Marti?

33. Soap Emmy winner Slezak : ERIKA. She looks familiar.

34. Chopping gadget : DICER

35. Knightly missions : QUESTS

36. Masked man, maybe : UMPIRE

37. Fairy king : OBERON. King in "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

38. Plans with malice : PLOTS

39. Sari-wearing royal : RANI

40. Guy from England : FAWKES. Guy Fawkes.

52. Let down, as hair : UNPIN

53. Harlem Globetrotter great Curly : NEAL. Nope. Total stranger to me.

54. Speaker of baseball : TRIS. Tris Speaker. HOF-er.

57. End of a belief : ISM

58. Farm lands : LEAS

59. Alien-seeking org. : SETI

61. From __ Z : A TO

63. Made like a mallard : QUACKED

64. Hedger's word : UNLESS

66. '60s-'70s White House daughter : TRICIA. Nixon's daughter.

67. Knight sticks : LANCES

68. Completely cover, as a museum piece : ENCASE

71. Cream of the crop : A-LIST

72. Pandora's release : EVILS

73. "Me too!" : SO DO I

76. Less like a stumper : EASIER

77. Strikingly bright : VIVID

78. Graceful molding : OGEE

81. Fish with a prehensile tail : SEAHORSE. True. Cantonese make soup with dried seahorse. Good for skin.

83. Transfixed by : GLUED TO

84. Agog : WILD-EYED

85. "Variations on 'America'" composer : IVES (Charles).

88. March time : EQUINOX. Another nice answer.

93. Route : PATH

96. Bonkers : CRAZY

99. Luau wear : LEI

100. Neighbor of Mex. : GUAT. Guatemala.

101. FBI agent : G-MAN

102. Lhasa __ : APSO

103. Flag : TIRE. Verb "flag". "His interest/energy is flagging"

104. It turns litmus red : ACID

105. Dupes : USES

106. Guff : LIP

107. "Foucault's Pendulum" author : ECO (Umberto)

108. They may pass from shotguns: Abbr. : QBS

109. Luau instrument : UKE

110. "Got it?" : SEE

Answer grid.

C.C.