Wednesday, September 9, 2015, Pawel Fludzinski and Amy E. Hamilton

Theme: It's another Wednesday, By Cracky!   We are presented with beautifully common two-word phrases, beginning coincidentally with B and C.  Is this a bold concept?  

20 A. *Competition won by a knockout? : BEAUTY CONTEST.  I have to admit I love this brilliant clue.  In one sense, a knockout is physically incapacitating one's opponent in a combat sport.  in another it's lady of beguiling charm.

But why chose?

36 A. *Certain cutlet : BONELESS CHICKEN.  As the name suggests, this is a cut of chicken with the bones removed.

Or so we are led to believe

53 A. *Nonviolent revolution : BLOODLESS COUP.   A Coup [d'état] is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually by a group of insiders.  It's bloodless if done by non-violent means.

You never know what gifts Mr. Google will provide

4 D. *Dressing with Buffalo wings : BLUE CHEESE.  Blessedly cool to balance/contrast the heat of buffalo chicken.

Also serving Buffalo Calimari

31 D. *Arm-strengthening reps : BICEP CURLS.  The barbell is curled upward from waist level to the chest.

Big contraction

And the unifier -- 66 A. Recently retired NCAA football ranking system, and, as a plural, a hint to the answers to starred clues : BCS.    Acronym Finder lists 106 various things, from Bar Code Scanner to Bangladesh Civil Service that might be indicated by the abbreviation BCS.    But, with the beginning of football season we have the somewhat more topical BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES. This was a system in place from 1998 through 2013 that used 5 Bowl games involving 10 of the top rated college football teams in a vain attempt to define a national champion.   Whether this was worth doing is a topic I'll let remain undiscussed.

Hi Gang, JazzBumpa here - though with symphony season back in session perhaps I should be Classical Bumpa, at least for today.  [Wait - that's backwards.  Oh, well.] At any rate, we have five long horizontal and vertical two-word theme answers, one a grid spanner, with the initials B and C.  We needn't go back to Old Testament times, nor will our excursion take us to British Columbia, Boston College, nor Baja California.   Let's see if we can blithely conquer this puzzle, before conceding.

Across:

1. "Hardball" station : MSNBC.   Chris Matthews hosts this politically oriented program.  'Nuff said.

6. McCain's org. : GOP.   John and the Grand Old Party.  'Nuff said.

9. Mardi Gras mementos : BEADS.  Mardi Gras will land on Feb 9 in 2016.  Are you ready?

I guess there is some sort of tradition about earning them

14. São __, Brazil : PAULO.  The most populous city in Brazil, the Americas, the Western Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.  It's named for Saul of Tarsus, who became St. Paul.

15. Body spray brand : AXE.

Body Conjured?

16. Baseball Hall of Famer Murray or Mathews : EDDIE.    Steady Eddie Murray was a first baseman and designated hitter for the Baltimore Orioles, 1977-1988. He played until 1997 for several more teams.  Eddie Matthews played 3rd base for the Braves as they were stationed in Boston, Milwaukee and then Atlanta from 1952 through 1966.  After a partial year in Houston, he finished up with the Tigers in 1968.

17. Arrange ahead of time : SET UP.

18. Irish actor Stephen : REA.   Best actor nominee for his performance in The Crying Game, and has been in many more films and TV series.

Source

19. Jeans accent : RIVET.

Bluejeans Characteristic

23. Magazine fig. : CIRC.  The abbrv'd figure is CIRCulation.

25. Easily led sorts : SHEEP.   Figuratively speaking.  We keep venturing dangerously close to politics.

Wouldn't be prudent

26. Seminary subj. : REL.  And now RELigion!  What did I do to deserve this?

27. Kerfuffles : HOOHAS.   Altercations, brouhahas, etc. This word also has other definitions, which you may discuss amongst yourselves.

29. Easily roused crowd : RABBLE.  Sheep with teeth and claws?

32. Single : UNWED.  Once wed, you are double, I suppose.

33. Highest North American peak, to natives : DENALI.   And to everybody, now.  [Well, almost] Formerly Mt. McKinley, so named in 1896 by a gold prospector who supported the then presidential candidate. This was made official by President Wilson in 1917.  To be clear, pretty much everyone in Alaska has always called it by the Athabascan name, meaning great one.  The Alaska Board of Geograhic Names changed it back to DENALI in 1975, and has been petitioning the Federal government to follow suit ever since..  It is located in a national park that has been named DENALI since 1980.  {Reference}

41. Not quite boil : SIMMER.  If you can't stand the heat  .  .  .

42. Grammar class subject : TENSE.  A verb characteristic expressing a time reference; Frex., past, present or future.   Once in grammar class the teacher asked me, "What tense would it be if you said, 'I have money?'"  My answer was, "Pretense."

43. Slide subject : AMOEBA.  Tiny critter on a microscope slide.  This has nothing to do with baseball, nor trombones.  I hope.

46. Common motel prohibition : NO PETS.   This refers to your animal friends, and presumably does not extend to physical contact.

47. Turned on : LIT.  As a light bulb.

48. With no affection : ICILY.  As, for example, when encountering one's ex.

52. Corp. bigwigs : CEOS. Chief Executive OfficerS.

57. First name on a 1945 bomber : ENOLA Gay.  Delivered a nuke.

58. SoCal team, on scoreboards : LAA.  Los Angeles Angels.  Long shot for a wild card this year.

59. Athenian with harsh laws : DRACO.  In the 7th century B. C. he replaced oral laws that could be arbitrarily applied and interpreted with a written constitution that was publicly displayed.  These laws led to the death penalty for even minor offenses, and were more lenient to the upper classes.

62. Race with batons : RELAY.  The baton is passed from runner to runner on a team, at set distance intervals.

63. Clean one's plate : EAT.   Figuratively,  except for the Sprats, of course. 

64. Respected church member : ELDER.

65. Deuce beaters : TREYS.  Twos and threes in a deck of cards.

67. Pitcher's arm, say : ASSET.  But only if he can get a grip.  

Down

1. U.S. Army cops :. Military Police (plural S.)

2. Encl. with a manuscript : SAE.  Self Addressed Envelope.

3. Type of ale : NUT BROWN.  

Not a rave review

5. Nightclub of song : COPA.  A Barry Manilow song that I will not link.

6. Brooks of C&W : GARTH.   A County singer who I will not link.

7. Daisy variety : OX EYE.  So prolific it is now considered to be a noxious weed.

Bad Chrysanthemum?

8. Flower child's parting word : PEACE.  

Is that an ox eye daisy?

9. Swiss capital : BERN.   Neither Francs nor Euros; instead the capital city.

10. Revise text : EDIT.

11. Sooner or later : ADVERB.  Self-referential clue.

12. Semi-filling liquid : DIESEL.  Fuel for semi tractor trailer rigs, not light beer.

13. Come to terms : SETTLE.   Reach an agreement.

21. Pearl Harbor's __ Arizona Memorial : USS.  United States Ship, a prefix applied to a commissioned ship of the U. S. Navy.  This is only used during the time that the ship is commissioned. 

22. Personality with an online book club : OPRAH.   Winfrey (b. January 29, 1954.)

23. Carp family fish : CHUB.  A common fish name applied to a variety of families and genera.

24. Prefix with sphere : IONO-.   The upper region of the atmosphere, from about 40 to over 600 miles of altitude, where the molecules of the atmosphere are ionized by solar radiation and cosmic rays.

28. Go off-script : AD LIB.

30. 2005 Bush Supreme Court nominee : ALITO.  Samuel (b. April 1, 1950)

33. Mil. award : DSM.  Distinguished Service Medal.   British, awarded from 1914 to 1993.

34. L.A.-to-Tucson dir. : ESE.  East-SouthEast.

35. ATM giant : NCR.  National Cash Register.

37. Phishing medium : EMAIL.

38. Rollerblading safety gear : KNEE PADS.  So they don't get skinned.

Protective armor

39. José's "this" : ESTO.   Spanish.

40. Loch near Inverness : NESS.   Scottish Lake with a mythical monster.

43. Angels' slugger Pujols : ALBERT.  He was more of a slugger, and hit for higher average with the Cardinals from 2001 through 2011.   Things fell off dramatically when he changed uniforms in 2012. This year the HR's are back on track, but the average is still slipping.

Baseball coverage

44. Martin of "Adam-12" : MILNER.  Sadly, passed away on Monday.

"I was never a celebrity"

45. "Lawrence of Arabia" Oscar nominee : O'TOOLE.   Irish stage and screen actor ((2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) 

Holds the record for most Oscar nominations without a win

46. 1785-'90 U.S. capital : NYC.  New York City.

49. Star : CELEBrity.  O'Toole, not Milner.

50. Newton associated with apples, not figs : ISAAC.  (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726)  English physicist and mathematician.  Very clever clue, too.  

51. Exams for future J.D.s : LSATS.  Law School Admission TestS.

54. Nivea rival : OLAY.   Skin care products.

55. Diary pages : DAYS.   

56. Old Greek theaters : ODEA.  Plural of ODEON.  Ancient Greek or Roman structures used for performances in singing, poetry, and theater.   I imagine some of the performances were odious.

60. Average grade : CEE.  Spelt out letter name.

61. Food scrap : ORT.  From Middle English, with cognates in German and Dutch; evidently derived from ǣt, Old English for food. 

Well, that wraps it up for today.  Lots of themeage, and some clever cluing but also a lot of 3-letter verticals, many of which were abbrvs.  There's always a trade-off.  And thus end my blog comments.

Big Cool Regards!
Jz[&C]B

Tuesday, September 8, 2015 Fred Piscop

Theme: We Three - Me, Myself And I.

17A. "Am I supposed to take this seriously?" : "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

39A. "Oops, thought you wouldn't hear that" : "TALKING TO MYSELF"

62A. Nursery rhyme plum finder's boast : "WHAT A GOOD BOY AM I!"

Argyle here. A simple theme delivered by three grid spanning answers. A minor annoyance, not having the AND but ok. All three are in the form of a spoken phrase which keeps things tight. A lot fewer proper names than Monday and some interesting words to boot should keep most solvers happy.

Across:

1. Ponzi scheme, e.g. : SCAM

5. Diplomat's specialty : TACT

9. Tire pattern : TREAD

14. Word of amore : CARA

15. Worker protection org. : OSHA. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

16. Wheel spokes, geometrically : RADII

20. Catholic sacrament of confession and forgiveness : PENANCE

21. Least healthy : SICKEST

22. LAX posting : ETA

23. British peer : EARL

25. "Alice" diner owner : MEL. TV series(1976–1985). I haven't seen any reruns of it in my area.

26. Cloistered sister : NUN

27. Four-song discs, briefly : EPs. (extended play)

29. Cut with acid : ETCH

33. Post-spill carpet spot : STAIN

36. Clean vigorously : SCRUB. To get the spot out?

38. Weed chopper : HOE. Much easier than breaking up sod.

42. Pound sound : [ARF!]

43. Lugged : TOTED

44. Bill's attorney general : JANET Reno

45. __ estate : REAL

47. Estonia or Ukr., once : SSR. (Soviet Socialist Republic)

48. Ten, in Toulouse : DIX

49. Tuna in a sushi bar : AHI

51. Shortest-shadows time : NOON

53. "Liquor not provided" letters : BYO. (Bring Your Own) I live in a 'dry' town.

56. Starts to melt : SOFTENS

60. Aged at the brewery : LAGERED. I didn't know LAGER could be used as a verb but I'm probably in the minority with all the brew meisters around.

64. Started the pot : ANTED

65. Shipping option : RAIL

66. Nights of anticipatory revelry : EVES

67. Like poorly drained rock gardens : MOSSY

68. Family map : TREE

69. Word of admonition : DON'T

Down:

1. Suffix with land or sea : SCAPE. Landscape / Seascape

2. Insertion mark : CARET

3. Sports venue : ARENA

4. Early Yucatán settler : MAYA

5. Bird on a Froot Loops box : TOUCAN Sam.

6. "Jeopardy!" contestant : ASKER

7. Windy City station, on Amtrak skeds : CHIcago

8. Little boys : TADS

9. Split second : TRICE

10. Rub the wrong way : RANKLE

11. Slight advantage : EDGE

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

13. Cola request from a calorie watcher : DIET

18. Blood bank quantity : ONE UNIT

19. Chinese appetizer : DIM SUM. We usually get some comments about the best DIM SUM. I only question should the clue have been appetizers?

24. Speaker's stand : LECTERN

26. Suffix with no-good : NIK

28. Cattle poker : PROD

30. In those days : THEN

31. Old King or Nat King : COLE

32. Test the weight of : HEFT

33. Marquee name : STAR

34. Button on a deli scale : TARE. To account for the weight of the container.

35. __ Romeo: sports car : ALFA. I expect an update from Anon T.

36. Superiors of cpls. : SGTS.

37. "Heavens to Betsy!" : "BY JINGO!". Quaint.

40. Snooping (around) : NOSING

41. Jazz band instrument : SAX

46. Foam-topped coffeehouse drinks : LATTEs

48. Not impossible : DOABLE. A word heard often here on the corner.

50. Intoxicating, as wine : HEADY

52. Any Everly Brothers tune, now : OLDIE

53. Curtain call cry : "BRAVO!". Also "Brava!".

54. Red Sea country : YEMEN

55. Pindar, notably : ODIST. An Ancient Greek.

56. Did pool laps : SWAM

57. "It can't be!" : "OH, NO!"

58. "Minnesota" pool legend : FATS. Fictional pool hustler. Rudolf Wanderone changed his nickname to Minnesota Fats to cash in on the fame of the name thus proving his ability to hustle.

59. Place in order : SORT

61. Gave the once-over : EYED

63. Rowboat mover : OAR

One last song. "We Three" by the Ink Spots.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Funny, Anon-T (Tony) just sent me this picture last night. His '86 Alpa Romeo Spider. Tony mentioned on the blog a few times about the troubles he went through to get the car from Florida to Texas.

Anon T (Tony)

Monday, September 7, 2015 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: Connection - One word that works with four different words.

62A. Perform a cheerleader's feat, and a hint to what 17-, 23-, 40- and 50-Across' first words have in common : DO THE SPLITS...and the connection is SPLIT.

17A. Sensible : LEVEL HEADED. Split level, like a house.

23A. Actor's tryout : SCREEN TEST. Split screen, like this film, Woodstock(1:12).

40A. Romantic anniversary getaway : SECOND HONEYMOON. Split second.

50A. Concert memento : TICKET STUB. Split ticket, when a voter doesn't follow party lines and votes for candidates from more than one party.

Argyle here. Personally, after the last three puzzles, I was ready for a Monday.

Across:

1. __ fit: tantrum : HISSY

6. Alabama civil rights march city : SELMA

11. Muddy farm abode : STY

14. Send to seventh heaven : ELATE. Like a pig in a sty.

15. Earlier : PRIOR

16. Drain-clearing chemical : LYE

19. Alias, for short : AKA. (also known as)

20. Private school attendee : PREPPIE

21. Actor Rob of "90210" : ESTES. Rob Estes was born on July 22, 1963 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. He appears as Harry Wilson on 90210, the fourth series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 continuity. Prior to this role, Estes starred in the franchise's second series as Kyle McBride, and appeared in the guest role of Sam Towler years earlier.

27. Padlocked fasteners : HASPS

32. Maintained, as beliefs : HELD TO. Colloquialism?

33. Extremely : EVER SO. Colloquialism?

35. Wheel tooth : COG

36. Judge's garb : ROBE

43. 1970s-'80s sketch show : SCTV. (Second City Television)

44. Letters of obligation : IOU. Sound it out.

45. Took by force : SEIZED

46. "Full House" acting twins : OLSENS. They both portrayed Michelle Tanner, the youngest daughter in the Tanner family.

49. January, to Juan : ENERO. The start of verano.

54. Irish actor Milo : O'SHEA

55. Hopi homes : PUEBLOs

61. Hard __ rock : AS A. Do not play if easily offended. Very suggestive.

66. Pester for payment : DUN

67. Bull on a glue container : ELMER

68. Assume as fact : POSIT

69. Up to now : YET

70. Curbs, with "in" : REINS

71. Sandwich cheese with ham : SWISS

Down:

1. "SOS!" : "HELP!"

2. Robert who played Anthony Soprano Jr. : ILER

3. Keep in reserve : SAVE

4. Ladder rung : STEP

5. Shrill bark : [YELP!]

6. Orator's delivery : SPEECH

7. Chapter in history : ERA

8. Jar cover : LID

9. Cohort of Curly and Larry : MOE. Not the bartender today.

10. Intensely devoted : ARDENT

11. List of candidates : SLATE. Straight ticket.

12. Tricycle riders : TYKES

13. Bread-baking need : YEAST

18. "__ Girl Friday": 1940 Cary Grant comedy : HIS

22. Enter angrily : STORM IN

24. Runner-up's demand : RECOUNT

25. North Carolina university : ELON

26. Outer margins : EDGES

27. Gas brand with collectible toy trucks : HESS. Hess has been sold to Speedway but does that make the Hess trucks even more collectible?

28. With, in France : AVEC

29. Breakaway religious group : SECT

30. Egg on : PROVOKE

31. ID on an IRS form : SSN

34. Creator of praiseful poems : ODIST

37. Move like slime : OOZE

38. Afrikaans speaker : BOER

39. Prefix with skeleton : ENDO

41. Sod-busting tools : HOEs

42. "__-haw!" : YEE. Almost done!

47. Orchestra conductor, e.g. : LEADER

48. Building custodians : SUPERs. Shortened superintendent.

50. Sycophant : TOADY

51. Magazine edition : ISSUE

52. Repeated unison rallying cry : CHANT

53. Urban transport : BUS

56. Omar of "House" : EPPS

57. Low __: cheap shot : BLOW

58. Italian actress Virna : LISI

59. Elevator pioneer : OTIS

60. Former Mach 2 fliers, briefly : SSTs

63. World Cup cry : ¡OLÉ!

64. Texter's "Keep the details to yourself" : TMI. (Too Much Information)

65. One in a coop group : HEN

Argyle

Sunday, September 6, 2015 Melanie Miller

Theme:  "Again" - A is added to the front of the second word in each theme entry.

 22A. Comedy club road sign? : CHUCKLE AHEAD. Chucklehead. The clue makes me smile.

 33A. Distaste for jury duty? : TRIAL AVERSION. Trial version. I like the big transition from version to aversion.

 52A. Digression to a cabbie? : PASSENGER ASIDE. Passenger side.

 70A. Erase? : RUB THE WRONG AWAY. Rub the wrong way.

 91A. Prize for the fastest delivery? : MATERNITY AWARD. Maternity ward. Nice change also. 

107A. Drag one's feet on the gangplank? : SHUFFLE ABOARD. Shuffleboard.

123A. Doctors' agreement? : MEDICINE AMEN. Medicine man. Nice change also.

I adore this theme & theme answers, esp those entries where the new A-words share no roots with the old A-less words.

Super smooth grid also, hallmark of Melanie Miller & Gail G. They might stump you with a twisty or  unfamiliar clue, not a strange entry.  

Across:

1. "__ the fruited plain!" : ABOVE.  "America the Beautiful".

6. "The Lion King" hero : SIMBA. No NALA today,

11. Holds : OWNS

15. Senior exec : CEO

18. Kvetch : CAVIL. I like both words.

19. Lament : BEMOAN

20. Kitchen protection : MITT. I bought a box of frozen egg tarts last week. All gone now, Jayce!

21. Type of current : AIR

24. Magnifies : ENHANCES

26. Get control of : TAME

27. Italian wine region : ASTI

28. Breakfast brand : EGGO. So I finally tried Eggo. No too bad. Egg tarts are better.

 

30. Two to one, for one : RATIO

31. King with fiddlers : COLE. I could only think of the fiddling NERO (46A. Emperor after Claudius)

37. Circus performers : ACROBATS

41. Four Seasons alternative : OMNI

42. Brand used in cones : EDY'S

43. Like moccasins : SLIP-ON

44. Pipe smoker's gadget : TAMP. Got via crosses.

48. Tout de suite : ASAP.  I wonder if Splynter uses "Tout de suite" in his daily conversations.

 

55. Immoral profit : LUCRE

56. Sonnet preposition : ERE

57. White-tailed eagle : ERNE

58. First European to sail to India : DA GAMA

61. Beer seller's concern : AGE

62. Said with a pinched nose : NASAL

65. Mollusks with beaks : OCTOPI

68. Hill worker : SENATOR. And 110D. Political employees : AIDES

74. Keeper, in a big way : PACK RAT. Boomer is one.

77. Road race city : LE MANS. Wiki says it's "the world's oldest active sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France".

78. Pre-Columbian people : INCAS

82. Conspiracy theory subj. : UFO

83. Top-drawer : CHOICE

86. Discontinued depilatory : NEET

88. Trading card stat : RBI. Be careful. Some of the old-looking cards are re-prints.

89. Party co-founded by Arafat : FATAH. So what's the difference between Fatah and PLO?

 

96. Worry : FRET

97. Tax __ : LOSS

99. Kid stuff : TOYS

100. Original : PRIMAL

101. Seriously injure : MAIM

103. O'Neill's "__ Christie" : ANNA

105. "Honest!" : SO HELP ME

112. Assigned amount of work : LOAD

113. Zany adventure : CAPER

114. Teller of stories : LIAR

115. Luxury Swiss watch : RADO. Belong to the Swatch Group. We also have OMEGA (11D. Arch-like letter).

117. Wine cellar item : CASK

121. Like potatoes pre-prep : UNPEELED. Here is D-Otto's Potato Dumpling recipe. He and his wife Susan make those every Christmas. 

 

127. Opponent : FOE

128. Fully assuage : SATE

129. Electrical measure : AMPERE

130. Tell stories, in a way : WRITE

131. December purchase : FIR

132. Biggest of three '50s-'60s TV brothers : HOSS . "Bonanza". I got via crosses.

133. River through Orléans : LOIRE

134. Clothing giant Bauer : EDDIE

 

Down:

1. No. on a bill : ACCT

2. Island band The __ Men : BAHA. "Who Let the Dogs Out?"

3. Female gamete : OVUM

4. Squad raiders : VICE COPS

5. Caribou kin : ELK

6. Super Bowl prize? : SEAT. Got via crosses also. Nice clue.

7. Paintball cry : I'M HIT

8. Sitcom beer server : MOE. OK, "Simpsons".

 9. Petting zoo call : BAA.  And 60. Kitten's "Got milk?" : MEW. Can you imagine a blog post written by Dave, Irish Miss?

10. From Quito, say : ANDEAN

 12. Bring around : WIN OVER

13. Unspecified power : NTH

14. Van Gogh's "The __ Night" : STARRY

15. Low-maintenance plants : CACTI

16. Three-note quintet : E I E I O

17. Bean in Hollywood : ORSON

19. Harassed : BESET

23. Fitness promoter born of French immigrants : LALANNE. My juicer is Jack LaLanne.

25. New Providence port : NASSAU

29. She put the ruby slippers on Dorothy : GLINDA. The Good Witch.

32. Slim woodwind : OBOE

34. Tomato option : ROMA

35. Little patience testers : IMPS

36. Pre-1868 Tokyo : EDO. Modern sushi was invented in Edo period. Sushi rice, though sticky, is different from sticky rice, Yellowrocks. Think of Japanese rice cake Mochi, it's made of sticky rice. Trader Joe's has this sinful Mochi Ice Cream.

37. Sun Valley alternative : ASPEN. Ski resort.

38. Nurse Barton : CLARA

39. Heads up : RISES

40. Offensive smell : STENCH

45. Knife-like ridge : ARETE. This and ESKER always remind me of Spitzboov.

47. Neurofeedback readout : EEG

49. Stray dismissal : SCAT

50. 2012 Affleck thriller : ARGO

51. Equal : PEER

53. Cave : GROTTO

54. Barking up the wrong tree, e.g. : IDIOM

55. Tropical veranda : LANAI. This one looks so nice.

59. How DVDs may be sold : AS A SET

63. Early solution for bad weather : ARK. Nice clue.

64. Reel : LURCH

66. Baby barn critter : OWLET

67. Paid leader? : PRE. Pre-pay.

69. "Who is John Galt?" writer Rand : AYN

71. Word of disapproval : BAH

72. McPhee's job, in a 2005 film : NANNY. Drew a blank. "Nanny McPhee".

73. Layered rock : GNEISS

74. Locomotive output : PUFF

75. Hardly within shouting distance : AFAR

76. Refuge for a frequent flier? : COTE. Nailed it.

79. Runner's bane : CRAMP

80. Delano : FDR :: __ : Garfield : ABRAM. Middle name. Nailed it also.

81. Move furtively : SIDLE

84. Online exchange : IMs

85. Winter melon : CASABA. In China, this kind of big gourd is called "winter melon". Cantonese love their winter melon soup

87. Pacific weather event : TYPHOON

90. Cost of bread? : ATM FEE. Another great clue.

92. Sicilian smoker : ETNA

93. Drag strip sound : ROAR

94. It may be residential : AREA

95. Joker : WILD CARD

97. Tiny, in a tiny way : LIL

98. They're folded in kitchens : OMELETS

102. In a new way : AFRESH

104. Unexceptional : NORMAL

 

106. Nostalgia source : OLDIE

107. Oxford mark : SCUFF. Oxford shoes.

 

108. Red River capital : HANOI. And 122. Mekong River language : LAO. No plural form in Lao neither. Or "the", my biggest problem.

109. Has the __ hand : UPPER

111. Less soggy : DRIER

116. Piece of farmland : ACRE

118. In an atmosphere of : AMID

119. Space exploration acronym : SETI

120. Spot for a bouncing baby boy : KNEE

124. Rock genre : EMO

125. Printer spec. : DPI. Dots Per Inch.

126. Livestock lady : EWE 

I just learned that there are nine Xi'an Famous Foods restaurants in New York City. Have any of you eaten there? I pored over their menu and found their food visually authentic. Try their cold noodles and pork burgers if you happen to be there.

 C.C.

Saturday, Sep 5th, 2015, Alex Vratsanos and Jeff Chen

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing F,W)

Blocks: 32

  We have had both constructors on Saturdays in the past, but I do believe this is their first duo, at least for the LA Times.  Mr. Vratsanos started our summer off with a Memorial Day weekend puzzle, and so it seems fitting that he close out the season on Labor Day weekend (as far as I am concerned; the Hamptons will be clearing out as of Tuesday, and UPS will be cooling off as well).  Alas, this puzzle was almost as brutal as that one in May; I did get three corners and the center solved, but the SW was never going to budge - so I Googled one answer, and the rest fell into place.  Oh well.  Triple 10-letter corners in a neat pinwheel grid.  Some of the longer answers;

17a. Elementary sextet : NOBLE GASES - Nailed it. 

14d. Its capital was Xianyang : QIN DYNASTY - hmmm, I know someone who knows a little history about Zhou, and Qin

65. High wind : SOPRANO SAX
 

- an a semi-clecho with;

28. Baroque wind : OBOE D'AMORE - according to Wiki, it's a third lower than a standard oboe

nadowr~?

ACROSS:

1. Eggy dessert : ZABAGLIONE - never heard of this, but working in an Italian-style restaurant, I ran with the perps and filled in what sounded good

11. La Salle of "ER" : ERIQ

15. Occurring at a constant temperature : ISOTHERMAL

16. Computer start-up? : MINI - early meh.  Mini-computer.  I get it, but....

18. Browning product : OVEN - I did not know the gun manufacturer made ovens as well

19. Older Pevensie sister in "The Chronicles of Narnia" series : SUSAN - again, perps

20. Turned brown, maybe : SAUTÉED - could you use a "browning" oven for this~?

22. Curling piece : STONE - I can actually watch this Olympic event; I like it - but I'm a big fan of shuffleboard like the one you'd find in bars

26. Square : NERDY

27. "Do wrong to __": Shak. : NONE - nixed my NONE at 57a.

30. Attended to bald spots on : SODDED - because ROGAINED didn't fit

33. Stop : BAN - not END

34. University of Miami mascot Sebastian the __ : IBIS - half perps/half wag

35. Climate Reality Project founder : AL GORE

36. __ moment : A-HA

37. Flimflam : CON

38. Slap target, informally : SKEETER - that is, mosquito, and it's better to flick than to slap, especially if it's a little more dangerous, like a stinging insect

39. Airline with the EuroBonus frequent flier program : SAS

40. Alpine parrot : KEA - oh, alpine meaning mountains - I was thinking "Alps", and didn't think you'd find any parrots there

41. Misses : LASSES - oops, not LADIES

42. Salon service : TINT

43. Names : IDs

44. Slap cause, maybe : INSULT - hysterics are about the only time I'd slap anyone

45. Dr. Jones, to Dr. Marcus Brody : INDY - characters from Raiders of the Lost Ark ( and the Last Crusade )

"an army that carries the Ark before it is invincible"

46. Mesoamerican crop : MAIZE

48. Column that won't support anything : PLUME - a column from a newspaper would have been a good answer, too

50. Involve deeply : IMMERSE

53. DeMille specialties : EPICS

57. It precedes one : NOON - ah, the clock.  ZERO was not working

58. Dept. of State employee : US DIPLOMAT

62. Secretary of Education Duncan : ARNE - ALAN~? nope. ANNE~? nope.

63. Like pen pals' relationships : EPISTOLARY

64. Hoot : JEER

DOWN:

1. Some reds, for short : ZINfandelS

2. Not worth __ : A SOU

3. Roaring Twenties hairdos : BOBS

4. Ones for the road? : ATLASES

5. 1814 treaty site : GHENT

6. It may be shaken or pulled : LEG - or admired

7. He outlived George by 46 years : IRA - the Gershwins

8. Sacred syllables : OMs - meditations, too

9. Dumbarton denials : NAES

10. Snow Queen in "Frozen" : ELSA - did not see it; I do long to have kids some day

11. Wax theatrical : EMOTE

12. Drainage area : RIVER BASIN

13. "Help" : "I NEED A HAND"

21. Bad way to go : UNDER

23. Certain Honshu native : OSAKAN - from the Japanese city of Osaka

24. Words of emphasis : NO LESS

25. Moves stealthily : EDGES UP

27. "Pink Friday" rapper : NICKI MINAJ - I have heard OF her, but nothing from her; my Googled answer

29. Singer who had a 1959 hit with "I Loves You, Porgy" : NINA SIMONE - the double 10-letter proper names sandwiching a vague musical instrument in this corner killed me; I'm sure there are plenty of people at the corner who are familiar with Nina's work

31. "Dish it up!" : "DO TELL~!"

32. 1974 hit sung entirely in Spanish : ERES TU - popular enough in crosswords that I threw this in having just the first "E" and last "U"

38. Foxier : SLIER

42. "The Banquet of Cleopatra" painter : TIEPOLO

the artist

47. __ cards, used in ESP experiments : ZENER - I did not know these had a name; derived from the psychologist's name - anyone else think of the opening of Ghostbusters~?

49. Dieter's breakfast : MELON - ah, not TOAST

51. Petitions : SUES

52. Beantown NHL nickname : ESPO - Phil Esposito - now here's a proper name I am familiar with

54. "Look at me, __ helpless ...": "Misty" lyric : I'M AS

55. Word spoken con affetto : CARA - not AMOR

56. Final crossing? : STYX - Two weeks in a row~?  I'm getting nervous

59. Party bowlful : DIP

60. Nation since 1948: Abbr. : ISRael

61. Ed. group : PTA

Splynter

Friday September 4, 2015, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Add a little Einsteinium (Atomic Symbol ES)

Back to back weeks of Jeffrey is a new twist on Friday, but the theme of adding ES to the end of the second word of an in the language phrase to completely change the phrase is a classic. (Concise!) The awesome part is that each phrase also completely changes the sound of the second word as well as its meaning. The new phrases are clued with humor. The central grid spanner gives the puzzle a nice appearance. We have all the letters but Q and Z so there are many fun words in the fill plus JW's usual two word fill. CAJOLED, FEEL BAD,  GENESES, NEW MATH, GAME FACE,  IN UNISON,  MILANESE, OLIVE PIT are the features.

17A. Affectionate moniker for a holy river? : OUR GANGES (9).  This GROUP morphs into the RIVER.

31A. Duffer's nineteenth-hole litany? : GOLF GRIPES (10). The grip becomes the complaint for the golfer.

37A. Where some climbers take smoking breaks? : CIGARETTE BUTTES (15). My favorite where the remnant of a cigarette becomes a  thing of BEAUTY.

44A. Highlights of the hippo ballet in "Fantasia"? : JUMBO JETES (10). Ah the 747 becomes this CLASSIC.

62A. Milliseconds? : TINY TIMES (9). Do you think of the Christmas Carol or Herbert Khaury? 

Well enough of the silliness let's get to solving.

Across:

1. Big name in arcades : SEGA.  They lost out to the others like Xbox and Wii in the home gaming but dominate the arcade MARKET.

5. Show pride : BEAM. When you look at a parent watching a child you can see the beam.

9. Speck : ATOM.

13. A or B, in preparations : PLAN.

14. Hard to watch : UGLY. Perhaps this might explain the CLUE.

15. Baseball commissioner emeritus Bud : SELIG.

19. Entry mechanism : STILE. For all you subway riders, this was a gimme.

20. Less prosaic : ODDER.

21. Canceled (out) : XED.

23. __-Picone: women's fashion label : EVAN. Last week it was Anne Klein.

24. Have regrets : FEEL BAD.

27. High court delivery : LOB. Tennis court in honor of the US Open going on now.

29. Storm dir. : ENE.

30. Job application ID : SSN.

34. Eponymous physicist James : JOULE. I found him fascinating, his career was not as a scientist but as a BREWER.

36. Star __: Asian spice : ANISE. And a controversial Herbal TEA.

42. "What's in __?" : A NAME? JW loves him Shakespeare.

43. Town in a 1945 Pulitzer-winning novel : ADANO. John Hersey novel.

47. WWII female : WAC.

50. "You're the __ That I Want": "Grease" song : ONE.

51. Nursery purchase : SOD.

52. 1960s educational experiment : NEW MATH.

55. Spirit : LIFE.

57. 22-Down sound : YIP.

59. Vital vessel : AORTA.

60. Amazon transaction, e.g. : E-SALE.

65. Port array : DOCKS.

66. "Amarantine" musician : ENYA.

67. Kick back : REST. I see it more as relax.

68. With 6-Down, savings : NEST. Gratuitous referential.

69. It contains diamonds : DECK. Good clue.

70. Deco designer : ERTE. Romain de Tirtoff (23 November 1892 – 21 April 1990) was a Russian-born French artist and designer known by the pseudonym Erté, from the French pronunciation of his initials, per wiki.

Down:

1. "SNL" staples : SPOOFS.

2. Loses, in a way : ELUDES.

3. Plant manager's domain? : GARDEN. Really fun misdirection.

4. Clarence Odbody, in a Capra classic : ANGEL. A wonderful character..

5. Cookout item : BUN. HBG or HD?

6. See 68-Across : EGG.

7. Author Haley : ALEX.

8. Whitman's "Song of __" : MYSELF. Last week he sent Poetry in motion, this week a POEM which I dedicate to the memory of Clear Ayes.

9. Braying beast : ASS.

10. Cabeza, across the Pyrenees : TETE. French equivalent of the Spanish for head.

11. Tapenade discard : OLIVE PIT. A discovery of southern France next to Italy and the land where they speak...

12. Lombardy dialect : MILANESE.

16. Points of origin : GENESES. The Latin plural of Genesis. A different use of ES.

18. NYSE trader : ARBitrage.

22. It may be a toy : DOG. Tricky for such a short fill.

25. Fluish symptoms : AGUE.

26. Doofus : DOLT.

28. Procter & Gamble brand : BRAUN. The razor PEOPLE.

32. Sic on : LET AT.

33. Fascinated by : INTO.

34. Entrance support : JAMB. Door jamb.

35. "Watch how wonder unfolds" snacks : OREOS.

37. Said "Pretty please" to, say : CAJOLED. Straight out of the French Cajoler.

38. Harmoniously : IN UNISON.

39. Determined countenance : GAME FACE. What a great fill; I have seen many game faces in so many different settings outside of sports.

40. Fall setting : EDEN. Oh this is devilishly clever, the fall of man.

41. Foundation : BASE.

45. Exultation : JOY.

46. Found the right words for, maybe : EDITED. I really like this clue.

47. More affable : WARMER. A tricky clue for simple fill.

48. Swear : ATTEST.

49. Unsullied : CHASTE. Not the word I would think of for these UNSULLIED.

53. Angkor __: Cambodian temple : WAT. This is only a recent gimme: A wat (Thai: วัด wat Lao: ວັດ vad, Khmer: វត្ត wōat) is a monastery-temple in Thailand, Cambodia or Laos. The term is borrowed from Sanskrit vāṭa "enclosure" per wiki.

54. Wavy pattern : MOIRE. From the French moi·ré meaning rippled.

56. Organization name selected over "Buffalos" in a close 1868 vote : ELKS. The BPOE voted 8 to 7. They have counted many Presidents of the US in their membership.

58. Yearn : PINE. This is an interesting word because along with desire, it can signal withering away. From the Latin poena, penalty, from Greek poinē;

61. 63-Down hrs. : EST.

63. Tumblr HQ site : NYC.

64. Jaw : YAK. I guess it is time for me to stop  yakking and wish you all a happy long weekend and Labor Day. Thanks Jeffrey and all the Corner. Lemonade out.

Thursday, September 3, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme:"In the Hood"

No reveal today. Just four entries that could be sites for hoods.

17-A. Hood sites : KING COBRAS. [shudder]

 26-A. Hood site : SHERWOOD FOREST. Robin, I presume?

46-A. Hood sites : GANGSTER MOVIES. Are they hoods?

61. Hood site : SWEATSHIRT. New England's favorite hood.

This was a fine offering from our fearless leader.  Should I confess that I only realized it was her after finishing my write-up, while entering the title for this post? As always, she has given us a nice clean grid with some zip.

Across   

1. iTunes Store category : SOUL.

5. Reach for the stars : GO BIG.

10. Ones dealing with deductions, briefly : CPAs.

14. Fit : ABLE.

15. Surpass : TRUMP.

16. Jessica of "Machete Kills" : ALBA. Oof. Not my cup of tea.

19. George H.W. Bush, once : VEEP.

20. Type of infection : STAPH. I always hesitate between STAPH and strep.

21. One eavesdropping, perhaps : SPY.

22. Royal decrees : FIATS.

23. "Cool!" : RAD.

25. Lesage hero Gil __ : BLAS. L'Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane. A picaresque French novel published  in the early 1700s.

33. Bourbon bigwigs : ROIS. More French.

34. "Trust me!" : I SWEAR!

35. Shad delicacy : ROE.

36. Fidgety : ANTSY.

38. Raggedy character : ANN.

39. Theatrical device : ASIDE.

41. "Friday" actress Long : NIA.

42. Enter carefully : EDGE IN. And a partial clecho at 56-A. Enters, in a way : TYPES (in).

45. Pet-adoption ads, briefly : PSAs. Public Service Announcements.

49. Mafia bosses : DONS.

50. Busy mo. for FedEx : DEC.

51. On hold, with "in" : LIMBO.

53. Fuel efficiency stat : MPG.

60. One of a classically opposed pair : EVIL.

63. Peony holder : VASE.

64. North Dakota home of the Roger Maris Museum : FARGO.

65. '60s sitcom boy : OPIE.

66. Technical sch. : INST.itute.

67. "Dude!" : OH, MAN!

68. Overflow : TEEM.


Down

1. Lord and Taylor competitor : SAKS.

2. Departure notice? : OBIT. Nice misdirection.

3. Bone involved in Tommy John surgery : ULNA. Named after the major league pitcher who first had the surgery. It involves replacing an injured elbow ligament with one from a different part of the body.

4. Weight training exercise : LEG PRESS.

5. Pontiac muscle car : GTO.

6. Spheres : ORBS.

7. Dining faux pas : BURP.

8. Reply offering hope : I MAY...or I may not.

9. Rental car feature, briefly : GPS. Our rental car in Austria will certainly have GPS.

10. Fancy spread : CAVIAR.

11. Standing order? : PLEASE RISE. Courtroom.

12. Harbor after a heist, say : ABET.

13. Gullible sorts : SAPS.

18. Scorch : CHAR.

22. Native plants : FLORA.

24. Post-Breathalyzer-test charge: Abbr. : DWI. I fill in the d and i, then wait for perps to tell me if it will be "u" or "w" in the middle. Once convicted, the driver might go through 43-Down. Drying-out hurdle : DTs.

25. Dancer's deg. : BFA. Bachelor of Fine Arts.

26. Colleague of Elena and Ruth : SONIA. Supreme Court.

27. Not reliable : HIT AND MISS. I always say "Hit or miss." You?

28. "August: ___ County": 2008 Pulitzer-winning play : OSAGE.

29. Pro sports VIP : OWNER.

30. GUESS material : DENIM.

31. Party supplies : SODAS.

32. Pro shop pickups : TEES.

33. Buzzed : RANG.

37. Kind of question : YES / NO.

40. Like Kung Pao chicken : SPICY HOT.

44. Subtle acknowledgment : NOD .

47. Wine holder : GOBLET.

48. Docs using cones : VETS. The cone of shame:

51. Son of Leah : LEVI.

52. "Terrible" ruler : IVAN.

53. [Air kiss] : MWAH. Nice.

54. Wave maker : PERM.

55. Lady __ : GAGA.

57. Water conduit : PIPE.

58. Home port for the USS Niagara : ERIE.

59. Peony part : STEM.

61. W. Coast airport : SFO. San Francisco.

62. Huge number : TON. I had a ton of fun, but now I'm done. Until next week!

Marti

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: Four of a kind ... Four Jacks in this case, as explained by the reveal entries:

39A. With 40-Across, toy with a crank ... and what each set of four circled puzzle squares graphically represents : JACK IN

40A. See 39-Across : THE BOX

Welcome to Wednesday, everyone. Steve here with an Ed Sessa "circles" theme. If you're one of the circle-less solvers amongst us you weren't at any disadvantage today, you just didn't get the post-solve "oh look, there's some names of people there" moment. 

We've got two actors - WEBB and LORD (Dragnet and Hawaii 5-0 respectively), one talk show host PAAR and one football player/politician KEMP.

I'm treating this more as a "Wednesday themeless", unless I'm missing something deep and mysterious about the names or the placement in the grid. 

Moving on ...

Across:

1. Flier among hangers : MOTH

5. Hurt : ACHE

9. Exams for future attys. : LSATS

14. Alpine feedback : ECHO. Yodeling probably wouldn't be as much fun without the sound rebound.

15. Something to chew on : FOOD

16. Open courtyards : ATRIA. "Open" in the sense of "uncluttered", not necessarily "open to the air".

17. Some Broadway theater handouts : SHOWBILLS. Hand up for HANDBILLS first. Interestingly, the only Broadway theater that gives you a showbill is the New Amsterdam, for reasons explained here. Who knew?

19. Green shampoo : PRELL. Crosses for me. I thought it might be eco-friendly, but no, it's just green.

20. Raised on one's own ranch, as a horse : HOMEBRED

21. Pilot-licensing org. : F.A.A. Our friends at the Federal Aviation Authority. The UK equivalent is the Civil Aviation Authority, which sounds to me like they must be jolly polite.

22. Like many senior part-timers : SEMI-RETIRED

27. Hemingway nickname : PAPA

31. Yours, in Toulouse : A TOI

32. Stadium level : TIER. You need one cross to decide between TIER and the also-popular LOGE.

33. __ husky : ALASKAN

36. PC exit key : ESC

38. Tournament advantage : BYE

42. D-backs, on scoreboards : ARI. Officially, the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball, but that would need to be one heck of a wide scoreboard to fit that lot in.

43. "Little Red Book" author : MAO

45. It's not pretty to look at : EYESORE

46. Certain bond, briefly : MUNI

48. Tae __ do : KWON

50. "The __ lama, he's a priest ... ": Nash : ONE L

51. Sherry in a Poe title : AMONTILLADO. A jaunty, cheerful and uplifting tale of burial alive.

55. When doubled, a number puzzle : KEN. From the Japanese word for cleverness, 賢 ken, so I'm told.

56. "Beatles '65" song : I'M A LOSER. Not one of their best-known, that's for sure. The album the song was on was released as "Beatles for Sale" in the UK, not the album title in the clue, so I thought '65 referred to the release year, but that was actually 1964. Confused yet?

61. Common news hr. : TEN P.M.

64. Intensely active state : OVERDRIVE

65. Greek storyteller : AESOP

66. Reject suddenly : JILT, as a lover.

67. Field : AREA

68. Land maps : PLATS. Learning moment for me. I had PLANS at first until INKPON showed up at 47D.

69. Ornamental band : SASH

70. Socially awkward type : NERD

Down:

1. Interlock : MESH

2. Nueve menos uno : OCHO. Spanish math.

3. McAn of footwear : THOM. Crosses for me. Never heard of the brand.

4. NHL great Gordie : HOWE

5. In flames : AFIRE

6. Camping gear company with a lantern in its logo : COLEMAN

7. "Wait a minute!" : HOLD IT!

8. People working for People, briefly : EDS. Magazine editors.

9. Wash gently against : LAP AT. This one seems to have been cropping up a lot recently, or perhaps I'm just noticing it more. Funny how that happens.

10. Narrow waterway : STRAIT. "Narrow" would appear to be a relative term. The Bass Strait, which separates Tasmania from mainland Australia, is approximately 220 miles wide.

11. "__ you coming?" : ARE

12. Up to, casually : 'TIL "Open 8 'til Late".

13. Mineo of "Exodus" : SAL

18. Air rifle ammo : BB'S

21. Full of gumption : FEISTY

23. Caviar, e.g. : ROE

24. Award often blue : RIBBON. The alternately-spelled BLUE RIBAND trophy is held by the liner United States for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by a passenger ship.

25. Pooh pal : EEYORE. With Piglet, my favorite character from the books (don't get me started on the Disney abominations). Is his rundown house EEYORE'S EYESORE?

26. Philadelphia university : DREXEL. Oh, so that's where it is. I wondered.

27. __ party : PAJAMA. PYJAMA in British English, so I waited for ALASKAN to resolve matters for me.

28. Shakespearean call to arms : ALARUM. Great word.

29. "Scarface" (1983) star : PACINO

30. "Try me" : ASK

34. "Bette Davis Eyes" singer Carnes : KIM. Gravelly-throated songstress. Good stuff.

35. Luke and Leia's father : ANAKIN. Get your Star Wars nerd on today.

37. Friend of Fidel : CHE. Cue iconic image:

41. Spanish "that" : ESO

44. Woodland mouser : OWL

45. Glossy coats : ENAMELS

47. Place to dip a quill : INKPOT. Corrected my erroneous PLANS at 68A

49. Piglet of children's books : OLIVIA. Cute looking pig!

52. Holiday hires : TEMPS

53. 35-Down, as a Sith lord : DARTH. I can't remember if I linked this before, but it tickles me to death every time I watch it. Adult language warning for a couple of F-bombs.

54. Rusted, perhaps : OLD

57. Setting of Camus' "The Plague" : ORAN. Algerian city which suffered a repeat outbreak in 2003.

58. Many a retired racehorse : SIRE

59. At any time : EVER

60. Spent time with Time : READ. You could clue either "Spend" or "Spent" and just change the pronunciation of the answer, which is neat, no?

61. Gentle touch : TAP. I had PAT first, which amused me when I noticed that I simply had it backwards.

62. Oft-smoked fish : EEL

63. DOD intel arm : N.S.A. The National Security Agency, brought to prominence (unhappily for them!) in recent times by Edward Snowden.

64. Drinks at IHOP : OJ'S 

That's about it from me. Here's the grid while I get my coat.


Steve