Wednesday, April 15th, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: Split the Distance - as the reveal explains at 60A, the three theme entries are book-ended by 1,760 yards.

17A. Key collection of records : MASTER FILE.

27A. Canadian crooner with four Grammys : MICHAEL BUBLE. I could link a song here, but I'll spare you the schmaltz.

45A. Telltale white line : MILK MUSTACHE. I could link a "Got Milk" topless David Beckham here, but I'll spare you the torso.

60A. Not even close to an agreement ... or, literally, what 17-, 27- and 45-Across have in common : MILES APART

Happy Tax Day, if there is such a thing. Hopefully everyone has come to an agreement with our friends at the IRS over how much figurative blood should have been sucked from our 2014 income. It's a sobering thought that Tax Freedom Day for the average American - the day you stop working for the IRS and start working for the state and finally yourself - doesn't arrive until April 21st. Now I've cheered you all up, let's dig into what Ed created for us today.

Its a straightforward theme, with the MILE separated on a 1-3, 2-2, 3-1 pattern. Is MASTER FILE still a thing? It's been quite some time since I've heard anyone refer to such a thing.

Across:

1. Request an ID from : CARD

5. Classic milk flavoring : BOSCO. Dick Van Dyke was a pitchman. His cockney accent in "Mary Poppins" was a thing of beauty. Not.

10. Degs. for choreographers : M.F.A.S. Masters degrees in Fine Arts.

14. Yours, to Yves : A TOI. What if you're an Yves who isn't French?

15. One making a leaf pile : RAKER

16. Wild speech : RANT

19. Command to Fido : STAY

20. Trophy : PRIZE

21. Slyly suggest : INSINUATE

23. Religious offense : SIN

24. Common "terrible twos" responses : NOS. Usually accompanied by a foot stamp, followed by a clip around the ear by a parent (back in the good old days), then squawking.

26. Quiet time : LULL

32. Came out with : ISSUED

35. Protein-rich beans : SOYS

36. Sushi fish : EEL. Food! Smoked eel is delicious in sushi rolls.

37. Scratching post users : CATS

38. Peeper : EYE. Jeepers, Creepers!

39. "Divergent" heroine __ Prior : TRIS. Thank you, crosses. This young lady has never before visited my wheelhouse.

40. Uplifting wear : BRA. OK, have at it, all you linkers.

41. Oil magnate Halliburton : ERLE. He also designed aluminum suitcases and was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame (What?) in 1957.

43. Feared African fly : TSETSE. Nasty little buggers, these. They cause sleeping sickness in humans and animals.

48. Home to Sean O'Casey : ERIN. "E" and wait for the crosses to decide between ERIN and EIRE.

49. Take to court : SUE

50. Buzzy body : BEE

53. Aspiring rock star's submissions : DEMO TAPES. Do these even exist any more? I'd have thought A&R men would today expect an emailed link to a YouTube clip, not a cassette tape in a padded envelope.

57. Mineral used in water softening : BORAX. We had a discussion about mule teams, muleteers and borax recently.

59. Dr. Seuss' "If __ the Circus" : I RAN

62. Like some beers : LITE. I'm not sure if these actually qualify for the term "beer". All the ones I've tried are a little bland for my taste.

63. Visually teasing genre : OP-ART

64. Continuously : EVER

65. Creepy look : LEER

66. Smallville family : KENTS. Jonathan and Martha were farmers in Smallville who adopted an alien from the planet Krypton named Kal-El. He grew up to be a pretty good journalist at the Daily Planet.

67. Zilch : NADA

Down:

1. Tent sites : CAMPS

2. Centipede video game creator : ATARI

3. Pitcher's gripping aid : ROSIN. Versatile stuff, it's also used on violin bows.

4. Ding-a-ling : DITZ

5. "Close the window!" : BRR

6. Like a boor : OAFISH

7. Crispy fried chicken part : SKIN Food! Sinful, but oh so good! I'm in Atlanta for a couple of days, I should go hunt down some righteous soul food.

8. Cartoon collectibles : CELS

9. "No Spin Zone" newsman : O'REILLY

10. Enterprise helmsman, to Kirk : MR SULU

11. "Hey hey hey!" toon : FAT ALBERT. Also a new visitor to my wheelhouse. He caused me a couple of problems in the nor'east today.

12. Gross subj.? : ANAT. If you want to be educated and entertained by all things human anatomical and dead, read "Stiff" by Mary Roach. She followed up with "Gulp", an entertaining journey through our alimentary canal. I love her writing.

13. 38-Across sore : STYE

18. Counting word in a rhyme : EENIE. I caused something of a stir before when I mentioned that this could also be spelled "EENY". I was surprised by the reaction, so I won't say that again. Oh dear, I think I just did.

22. Well-worn pencils : NUBS

25. Med. condition with repetitive behavior : O.C.D. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Excuse me while I go and make sure all the labels on my spice jars are facing the same way. There's only 60 or so jars to check.

27. Conservatory subj. : MUS. Oh - not the "greenhouse" definition. Although you could play music in the greenhouse, apparently tomatoes enjoy Mozart. I'm not kidding.

28. So far : AS YET

29. Fair-hiring initials : EOE. Equal Opportunity Employer

30. Flowery rings : LEIS

31. Ultimatum ender : ELSE. Back to the bratty two-year-old? Stop that squawking or else!

32. Long-range nuke : I-C.B.M. Inter-continental ballistic missile.

33. Rani's wrap : SARI. Vibrant, colorful garb for this Indian "Queen"

34. Deadlock : STALEMATE

38. Aboveground trains : ELS

39. Golf gadget : TEE. I think "gadget" is a bit of an elaborate description for a stick that you put your ball on.

41. Exude : EMIT

42. Go wild : RUN AMOK

43. Ft. Worth campus : T.C.U. Texas Christian University, home of the Horned Frogs.

44. Queen of __: noted visitor of King Solomon : SHEBA

46. Copenhagen coins : KRONER. I had "KRONAS" first, then saw sense.

47. State as fact : ASSERT

50. Cry to a prima donna : BRAVA. Bravo! to the tenor, Brava! to the soprano.

51. Dog-__: folded at the corner : EARED

52. Spare : EXTRA

53. Pickle herb : DILL

54. Albany-to-Buffalo canal : ERIE. When it was first built, "Clinton's Ditch" was dug only four feet deep to save on construction cost, to the befuddlement of potential suicides who tried to drown themselves in it by leaping from various bridges. It's 12 feet deep now.

55. Water carrier : PIPE

56. Spirited style : ELAN

58. Major tennis event : OPEN. Three Opens (Australian, French and US) make up three-quarters of the tennis Grand Slam. The fourth event, "The Championships, Wimbledon" is the only one played now played on grass. Those Brits have to be different, eh?

61. MD and ME, e.g. : STS. Which T in STATES is the abbreviation? I think we should be told.

That's enough from me - here's the answer grid.

Steve

Note from C.C.:

I got below note from Irish Miss. Can any of you help her? I recall JD had the same problem with her iPad before.

"Every time I go to the blog to post, I have to sign in to Google.  I have never signed out but this happened once before, although it eventually cleared itself up, until recently.  When I go to the blog home page, in the upper right hand corner, it shows only Sign In, there is no Dashboard.  When I post my comments and sign in, then go back to the home page, my email address shows and Dashboard, too.  If I go back to the blog later, no email address or Dashboard appears, just Sign In.  I'm at a loss how to get signed in and stay signed in.  Any ideas?  Thanks."

Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Gary Cee

Theme: Dizzy - Yes, you'll be dizzy too if you watch all these spinners.

63A. Ride around ... or what the ends of 18-, 24-, 39- and 55-Across can do : GO FOR A SPIN

18A. Superfluous individual : FIFTH WHEEL

24A. Compilation of wacky outtakes : BLOOPER REEL

39A. Summer blouse : HALTER TOP

55A. Olympian's achievement : WORLD RECORD

Argyle here. We're rolling like a wheel. Some nice tall columns in the corners. Gary Cee interview here.

Across:

1. Drain problem : CLOG

5. GI sought by MPs : AWOL

9. Jewish authority figure : RABBI

14. Fallon's predecessor : LENO. The Tonight Show.

15. "Get a __!" : LIFE

16. Estate measures : ACRES

17. Like single-malt scotch : AGED

20. Food from heaven : MANNA

22. Long-necked bird : EMU

23. Ivy League school : YALE

28. Pioneer Carson : KIT

29. PC key near Z : ALT. I looked.

30. Eastern path : TAO. The way.

31. Police warnings : SIRENS. Get out of the tao.

33. Some deli breads : RYEs

35. Part on the stage : ROLE

38. Stable female : MARE

42. Steer clear of : SHUN

44. iPhone voice-activated app : SIRI

45. Hunk of bacon : SLAB

49. Like many warm sweaters : WOOLEN

51. Snaky fish : EEL

53. Miner's discovery : ORE

54. Little terror : IMP

59. Have to have : NEED

61. Flight connection word : VIA

62. Capital of Senegal : DAKAR

67. Single : LONE

68. Occupied : [IN USE]

69. Currency symbolized by € : EURO

70. Coffee holders : MUGS

71. Fax forerunner : TELEX

72. Zipped : SPED

73. Editor's "Leave it in" : STET

Down:

1. Seaside eatery : CLAM BAR

2. Within the law : LEGALLY

3. Without variation, musically : ONE NOTE

4. "Please tell me that's not true" : "GOD, NO!"

5. Sitcom E.T. : ALF. (Alien Life Form)

6. PlayStation 3 rival : Wii

7. Put on the market : OFFER

8. "I'll handle this" : "LET ME"

9. Word before data or deal : RAW

10. In need of aspirin : ACHY

11. Crashing wave : BREAKER

12. Direct route : BEE LINE

13. Lands in the sea : ISLETS

19. Shades : HUES

21. Abbr. in many an urban address : APT. (apartment)

25. __ of Sandwich : EARL

26. Tree anchors : ROOTS

27. Airport waiter : LIMO

32. Performs hip-hop music : RAPS

34. Synagogue : SHUL. Easy for some, perpable for others.

36. Polynesian wreath : LEI

37. Blundered : ERRED

40. From square one : ANEW

41. Concert ticket info : TIER

42. "__ to Watch Over Me" : SOMEONE. The Incomparable Ella.

43. Optimistic : HOPEFUL

46. "Watch it!" : "LOOK OUT!"

47. Orchestrate : ARRANGE

48. Recuperation advice : BED REST

49. Proceed without preparation : WING IT

50. Smoked salmon : NOVA. Nova Lox: This lox, which comes from Nova Scotia, is actually cold-smoked after the curing or brining process. ~ www.thekitchn.com

52. Showed the way : LED

56. Hemingway's "The Sun Also __" : RISES

57. Really enjoy, as praise : LAP UP

58. Allays the fears of : CALMS

60. Prescription amount : DOSE

64. Bills coach Ryan : REX. Easy for some, perpable for others.

65. Wrath : IRE

66. Buddy of Wynken and Blynken : NOD. The Poem

Argyle

Monday, April 13, 2015 Ray Hedrick & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: R U a Quicker-Picker-Upper?

59A. Counter wipers, or what the starts of 16-, 23- and 49-Across are : PAPER TOWELS

16A. King of ragtime : SCOTT JOPLIN

23A. Presley film set in Sin City : VIVA LAS VEGAS

49A. One chasing outlaws for money : BOUNTY HUNTER

Argyle here. Also here is the latest constructor duo. Fast and easy Monday. We sure can use it.

Across:

1. Software versions that probably have bugs : BETAs

6. Deer sir? : STAG. Cute.

10. Long-running TV forensic series : CSI. (Crime Scene Investigation) Viva Las Vegas and formally, Miami, NY and now, Cyber. ~ CBS. All the theme music is by "The Who".

13. Reason for some food recalls : E COLI

14. Tractor brand : DEERE. "Nothing runs like a Deere."

15. Gavel sound : RAP

18. California's Santa __ Mountains : ANA

19. 2,000 pounds : TON

20. Lee in the frozen foods section : SARA

21. Gives off : EMITS

26. Noisy insect : CICADA

29. Seuss' "Horton __ a Who!" : HEARS. OK but I want to hear the cicadas.

30. In any way : AT ALL

31. Artist Francisco : GOYA

33. Right-angled pipes : ELLs

36. Penalty flag thrower : REF

37. Sincere : EARNEST

40. Promise to repay, for short : IOU. (I owe you)

41. The "E" in FEMA: Abbr. : EMER. (Federal Emergency Management Agency)

43. Fez and fedora : HATS

44. Speaks scratchily : RASPS

46. "Sour grapes" storyteller : AESOP

48. Multi-room accommodations : SUITES

53. Domed home : IGLOO

54. Zip, as a Ziploc : SEAL

55. Static jolt : ZAP

58. Bikini top : BRA

63. Lanai wreath : LEI

64. Preface, briefly : INTRO. (introduction)

65. Yeas and nays : VOTES

66. Mass. clock setting : EST. (Eastern Standard Time)

67. Mix, as a salad : TOSS

68. Make into a statute : ENACT

Down:

1. Unsurpassed, or surpass : BEST

2. Danish shoe company : ECCO. Web Site

3. Animated character : TOON

4. Mountain hgt. : ALT. (altitude)

5. Isn't used, as machinery : SITS IDLE

6. Leaf under a petal : SEPAL

7. Phone book no. : TEL.

8. Tycoon Onassis : ARI. Shipping magnate married to Jackie.

9. Swiss convention city : GENEVA

10. Site for online bargain hunters : CRAIG'S LIST

11. Legendary sleigh rider : SANTA

12. "Not interested" : "I PASS"

14. Animated kid explorer : DORA

17. Morning cup : JAVA or 28D. 17-Down with hot milk : CAFE AU LAIT

22. For a __ pittance : MERE

23. Actor Kilmer : VAL

24. "Now I remember" : "AH YES"

25. Caspian and Black : SEAs

26. Handle with __ : CARE

27. Gossip column couple : ITEM

31. Boardroom diagram : GRAPH

32. Toronto's prov. : ONT. Ontario

34. More than trot : LOPE

35. Figure (out), slangily : SUSS

38. Shout between ships : "AHOY!"

39. Soul mate : TRUE LOVE

42. Nevada city : RENO

45. Word before base or ball : AIR

47. "Cut that out!" : "STOP IT!"

48. Fantasy baseball datum : STAT. (statistic)

49. Holy Scriptures : BIBLE

50. Fairy tale baddies : OGREs

51. Password creators : USERs

52. Fictional sleuth Wolfe : NERO

55. Second of four rhyming Greek letters : ZETA. (beta, zeta, eta and theta)

56. Actor Baldwin : ALEC

57. Hissed "Hey!" : "PSST"

60. "Is that __?": "Are you declining?" : A NO

61. Pair in a qt. : PTs. (pints)

62. Took first place : WON

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Ray Hedrick is Rainman on our blog. Huge congratulations on your debut, Ray!

Sunday April 12, 2015 Alex Vratsanos

Theme:  "Book Case" -  With THE (66A. Word that precedes the start of each answer to a starred clue to form a 112-Across best-seller), each theme answer starts with a John Grisham legal thriller. And THE is placed at the very center of the grid.

23A. *Protectorate, e.g. : CLIENT STATE. I know it as "Puppet state". The Client.

28A. *Pirate lords' group in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" : BRETHREN COURT. No idea. Wikia shows that "The Brethren Court is composed of the nine Pirate Lords, the greatest pirates in all the Seven Seas". The Brethren.

34A. *Rises to the occasion : SUMMONS UP COURAGE. Needs "the", no? "Summons up the courage".  The Summons.

59A. *Trios and quartets, e.g. : CHAMBER MUSIC. The Chamber.

71A. *Salsa, e.g. : PARTNER DANCE. The Partner.

93A. *Some undergrad awards : ASSOCIATE DEGREES. The Associate.

100A. *They're hard to sway : FIRM BELIEVERS. The Firm.

112A. Author with over 275 million books in print : JOHN GRISHAM

Here is a list of his thrillers. Quite a few start with THE, but no workable phrases start with "Litigators",  "Testament",  "Racketeer", "Confession" or "Rainmaker". Alex's theme entries are quite complete. Constructors are very thorough with research and theme answer selection.

What's your favorite Grisham book? Mine is "The Pelican Brief".

Across:

1. Google __ : CHROME. Browser. I like my Firefox.

7. Propels, as shells : OARS

11. Back to school, once? : MARM. Tricky clue. Schoolmarm.

15. Triangle calculation : AREA

19. Clipper's find : COUPON. Have you ever used Groupon?

20. Dry and crack : CHAP

21. City near Santa Barbara : OJAI. Chickie's daughter lives here.

22. "A Few Good Men" co-star Moore : DEMI. Probably my favorite Kevin Bacon movie.

25. Drive aimlessly : TAKE A SPIN. Great fill.

27. Mythological name meaning "all-gifted" : PANDORA. I did not know the "all-gifted" meaning. Bill G is getting gifts every day, then, with his various Pandora stations.

30. Post-bath powder : TALC

32. Cooper's tool : ADZE

33. City, quickly : URB. "Quickly" indicates an abbr.

42. Divulge : BLAB

45. Set right : ORIENT

46. Matches in a pot : SEES

47. Sheeps' clothing? : WOOLS. Lovely clue.

49. Far from 100% : ILL

50. Unbelievable : FISHY

51. Fillers of envs. : LTRs

52. Physicist Tesla : NIKOLA

53. Romantic murmur : COO

 

54. Some univ. staff : TAs

55. Relative of -ship : HOOD. Adulthood. Friendship. Distant relative, I guess.

56. Battleship success : HIT. Board game again.

57. Super Bowl III winning coach : EWBANK (Weeb). The only coach to win both NFL and AFL championships. Joe Namath days.

 

63. Italian who was a contemporary of Euler : LAGRANGE. Total stranger to me. Wiki said this guy "became the first professor of analysis at the École Polytechnique upon its opening in 1794." I know a guy who graduated there.

65. Strategic WWI river : MARNE. Needed crossing help.

 67. Trickier to drive on : ICIER

68. Traveler's oasis : HOTEL BAR. Steve Kroft said "Yes!"

76. Texas oil city : ODESSA

77. Welcome home? : MAT. Nice clue also.

78. "Other people," to Sartre : HELL. Hell is other people.

79. "__ work is done" : OUR

80. Zip : NIL

81. Co-Nobelist with Rabin and Peres : ARAFAT. 1994. The year I left Xi'an and my loving family.

84. Lucas princess : LEIA

85. Clothing prefix meaning "small" : PETTI.  As in petticoat.

87. Proper : DUE

88. "Super Bass" singer Nicki : MINAJ. Not fond of her. You?

89. Weaving component : WEFT

90. Neverland creator : BARRIE

91. Increases, with "up" : AMPS

96. Alley __ : OOP

98. Currency honoring Mandela : RAND

99. Actress Kunis : MILA. She and Ashton are a cute couple.

106. Soloist in a 1925 Broadway title song : NANETTE. Oh, "No, No, Nanette".

111. Result of sleeping in : LATE START

114. Disney CEO since 2005 : IGER (Bob)

115. Coagulate : CLOT

116. 84-Down for Fonda : ULEE. And 84. Something for a star : LEAD ROLE

117. Disentangle after a fumble recovery : UNPILE

118. Sci-fi escape vehicles : PODS

119. Touch up : HONE

120. Neuter, in a way : GELD

121. Transgressor : SINNER

Down:

1. Soyuz insignia : CCCP. Soyuz is Russian for "Union".

2. Hidalgo greeting : HOLA

3. Trash : RUIN

4. Slanted column : OPED. With slanted views.

5. Speech problem : MONOTONY

6. Fee payer, perhaps : ENTRANT

7. 31-day mo. : OCT

8. "... thou damned whale!" speaker : AHAB

9. Sources of daily pressure : RAT RACES

10. Some small suits : SPEEDOS

11. Good sense : MOTHER WIT. Holy cow. I never heard of this phrase.

12. Close to closed : AJAR

13. Earn big time, with "in" : RAKE

14. Look : MIEN

15. Accumulate on a surface : ADSORB. Not a word I use. "Absorb", yes.

16. Lincoln or Bush : REPUBLICAN

17. Arabian commander : EMIR

18. Informal negative : AIN'T

24. "Do the Right Thing" pizzeria : SAL'S

26. Puncture lead-in : ACU. My uncle (mom's older brother) is an expert in acupuncture.

29. Lao-__ : TZU

 

31. One who's always right? : CUSTOMER. Indeed.

34. Capital of Cyprus? : SOFT C. The first letter in Cyprus is soft. The answer is normally CEE.

35. Dickens' Heep : URIAH

36. "__ Solemnis": Beethoven work : MISSA. Sadly, I know nothing about classical music.

37. Word of indifference : MEH

38. Unseen : PERDU

39. Mission control go-ahead : A-OK

40. Ooze : GOO

41. Fashion magazine spin-off : ELLE GIRL. I thought it was discontinued a while ago.

43. Word after string or sing : ALONG

44. British fellow : BLOKE

48. Got steamed : SAW RED

51. Literary Doone : LORNA

52. Not as inclement : NICER

55. Collections of plant specimens : HERBARIA. Learning moment for me. Herb aria.

56. Pair of cymbals : HI-HAT

58. Vamp Theda : BARA. Does she look attractive to you?

60. Fr. titles : MMES

61. Aromatic fir : BALSAM

62. Annual parade celeb : ST PAT. And 77. Parade twirler : MAJORETTE. Parade echos.

63. Accounting entry : LINE ITEM

64. Boston-D.C. service : ACELA

68. Pilot maker : HONDA

69. Hatred : ODIUM

70. Moved with Scotty's help : TELEPORTED. "Star Trek"

72. Eighth Commandment taboo, per KJV : THEFT. King James Version.

73. __ Dame : NOTRE

74. Affectionate nickname : CUTIE

75. Ohio natives : ERIEs

82. Q&A part: Abbr. : ANS (Answer)

83. Musical fourths : FAs

85. "24 Caprices for Solo Violin" composer : PAGANINI

 

86. Fumble, say : ERR

89. "Rubáiyát" vessel : WINE JUG. "...A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread..."

90. Minsk's country : BELARUS

92. Brett who played Oscar Madison's TV wife : SOMERS. I only know Suzanne Somers.

94. LeBron, again, briefly : CAV

95. Parking lot mishap : DING

97. __ Kids: "Sesame Street" brand : PBS

100. Go wild : FLIP

101. Conniving Shakespearean soldier : IAGO

102. Permanently mark : ETCH

103. "Mission: Impossible" theme composer Schifrin : LALO

104. Retired Monopoly token : IRON

105. Poet Silverstein : SHEL

107. "Those Guys Have All the Fun" subject : ESPN. I passed by ESPN's Shanghai Office in 1999 and I had no idea what ESPN was about.

108. Slender : THIN

109. Account : TALE

110. Part of FEMA: Abbr. : EMER

113. Nancy Drew's guy : NED

C.C.

Saturday, Apr 11th, 2015, David C. Duncan Dekker

Theme: None

Words: 72 (pangram~!)

Blocks: 27

  I can't believe I finished the whole thing - OK, I looked up two proper names - but I'm claiming victory, considering the clever and vague cluing.  I did not see Mr. Duncan Dekker's name in the blog list, so I have to assume this is his first publication for the LA Times; he maybe a regular for the NYT, but I wouldn't know - I am lucky to have had the time to work last Sunday's crossword in my local paper, Newsday ( BTW, Gail Grabowski).  Anyway, this grid started off very white, with big chunky corners and a staircase of answers up the middle.  Some of the longer fill;

17a. Tiny cylindrical structure : NANOTUBE - I had nanoDUCT, which was not working with my ideas for the crossings

12d. Scaly reproductive organ : PINE CONE - phew~! glad we're not talking about such an organ in the animalia taxonomy

53a. Title I of the Agricultural Act of 1956 : SOIL BANK - The Wiki

31d. Seat of Peru's Constitutional Court : AREQUIPA - Cheat #2 - I punched in "major cities of Peru" and this came up after Lima - and it meshed with my perps

 

 

Adelante~!

ACROSS:

1. Staples Center team : L.A. LAKERS - good start, as I know the LA Kings play there - but not this spring~!!  The Stanley Cup champions are out this year; the NY Rangers take the President's Trophy for the best record in the NHL; usually not a good sign for winning the whole thing

9. Not flat : SLOPED - SHARP was not long enough

15. Minor issue? : AGE LIMIT

16. Brazilian ballroom dance : MAXIXE - new word/dance for me; two "X"s, nice - I got them via the perps

18. Without a key : ATONAL

19. B's 5 and C's 6 : At. NoS - dah - got me this time - I did not think of Atomic Numbers when I read this clue; B = Boron, C = Carbon

20. Home entertainment option : CABLE - I was thinking SONOS

22. Label for the Poison album "Poison'd!" : EMI - WAGed MCA, was 100% wrong

23. Links acronym : IHOP - ah - not a golf links reference, but a sausage links one - International House of Pancakes

24. Crawford of the NBA's Clippers : JAMAL - looked him up; don't know from basketball - makes this clue a "fun sponge"

25. 40% of DX : CCIV - bust out Husker Gary's Roman calculator; 510 * .4 = 204

26. Common doo-wop soloist : SAX - ah, the instrument, not the player

27. Radar screen blip : BOGEY - yeah, PLANE seemed too easy

28. It has a ring to it : PHONE - BA dum tisss~!

29. Shoe attachment? : MAKER - I tried shoeLACES - Bzzzt~!

30. Clubby type : JOINER - dictionary.com says a "clubby" person joins in with members, but not so much outsiders; sounds a bit like me....

31. Works up : AROUSES
 
34. Places to see arrows : QUIVERS

35. Sat for a bit : RESTED - a WAG that lasted

36. Semblance : GUISE

37. Kitchen additions? : ETTES - kitchenETTEs

38. Prepare for winter flight, in a way : DE-ICE

39. Energy Reorg. Act of 1974 creation : NRC - Nuclear Regulatory Commission

42. Pounds : QUID - Oh, I am so disappointed with myself - parents born and raised in England, regular viewer of Top Gear, and I forgot about this definition of pounds - the colloquial name for the currency in Great Britain ( and elsewhere )

43. Elegant : RITZY

44. Krombacher output : BIER - sounded German, WAGed 'beer'

45. Keats' "Sylvan historian" : URN - "Ode on a Grecian" to be exact

46. Farm deliveries : FOALS - I had GRAIN at first - this is the birthing kind of delivery

47. "Taxi" actor : DANZA - Tony, who played Tony

48. "Soon" : IN A FEW

50. "You've got to be kidding me!" : "OH COME ON~!"

52. Debussy's "__ Suite" : PETITE

54. Dug : ADORED

55. Betrays : TWO-TIMES

DOWN:

1. Outdoor sitting areas : LANAIs - Bam~! right off the "L" in 1a.

2. Dame of mystery : AGATHA - Bam~! right off the "A" in 1a.

3. Former heavyweight champ __ Lewis : LENNOX - BAM~!  That's a powerful punch

4. Knock for __ : A LOOP - like, say, being in the ring with Lennox

5. Little beavers : KITS - had kiDs, which slowed me down

6. Cassowary cousin : EMU

7. Trunk structures : RIB CAGES - had it, took it out, put it back in, took it out....do the hokey-pokey....and a semi-clecho with the next;

8. __ trunk : STEAMER - argh~!  I tried STORAGE

9. Insignificant : SMALL

10. How some busy people run : LATE

11. Maker of SteeL kitchen products : OXO - three-letters and kitchen utensils~? Try OXO

13. Free West Coast daily : EXAMINER - pondered a Spanish named paper - but couldn't think of one

14. Gets the job done : DELIVERS

21. Pound sound : BAY - this time, it's the "dog" type of pound

24. Wasn't serious : JOKED

25. Leek relative : CHIVE

27. Sacks of diamonds? : BASES - har-har

28. Presence : POISE

29. Soft : MUTED

30. Risqué : JUICY - minis, yes, Lemonade, fishnets, no - I am strictly pantyhose - but thanks for the images~!

32. Made a comeback? : RETURNED

33. Repeated musical pattern : OSTINATO - the Wiki

34. 1994 film about a scandal : QUIZ SHOW - IMDb

36. Demand to split : "GET LOST" - not D-I-V-O-R-C-E

38. Calendario entry : DIA - I took a Wild-Ass Adivinar

39. Time to flip the sign, perhaps : NINE A.M. - I went with "P.M.", but that was close enough

40. Change in boundaries : RE-ZONE

41. Stimulates, with "up" : CRANKS

43. Like many boats on lakes : ROWED

44. Tale of a whitetail : BAMBI - original way to phrase it

46. Big affair : FÊTE

47. Birdbrain : DOLT - ooops, not DODO, but 50% correct

49. Douglas __ : FIR

51. Labor gp. that initially supported FDR : CIO

Splynter

Notes from today's constructor:

Greetings, Word Nerds!

Firstly, I hope everyone who took the time today to challenge my puzzle enjoyed their solve.

Secondly, there may be some folks out there that may be interested in doing a double-take on this one, as one may or may not have noticed - that, there is also a bit of a mini-theme that has been added to this puzzle...

Did you spot it? ...

If so, just post "Got It", so that others can also try to "Get It" on their own.

Happy puzzling y'all,

David C. Duncan Dekker

Interview with Peg Slay

Peg Slay is our own C6D6 Peg, who has been quietly posting on this blog since May, 2014.

Today's DROPPER is Peg's third puzzle for the LA Times. Her first puzzle was published on May 30, 2013. Click here, you'll see that she loves wordplay and all her puzzles have a distinctive style.

Steve (Peg's husband) & Peg

 

I loved the reveal! How did this theme come to you and what were the other theme answers you also considered but discarded? 

I like to either add or drop something in a phrase to make a fun theme answer.  When DROPPER came to mind, the first theme answer was ONECENTMILK.  I use an on-line dictionary to find other answers that start or end with PER to come up with the others.  I originally had HERMESFUMES (Son of Zeus loses his cool) and BUMMAGNET (One who attracts loafers), but Rich didn’t think enough people were familiar with Hermes Perfumes or Bumper Magnets.  I really wanted two entries to drop the PER at the beginning and two at the end, but finally settled with JALAPENOPOP, which was Rich’s favorite.

I imagined you tried DROPPER at the very right edge intersecting JALAPENO POP or the central 8th row, then you settled down at the current 39-Down spot. Or did you have this current theme entry arrangement from the very start?  

Yes, I had wanted DROPPER at the very right edge, but when trying to complete the fill, had to rearrange the theme answers and grid so I didn’t have fill that started and ended with vowels or unusual consonants. 
 

What problems did you encounter in the filling process? 

It’s really hard for me to come up with 3-letter fill that’s interesting and not the usual crosswordese.  This fill was pretty easy, the hardest being 15D (Starts with an S and ends with an I). 
 

Tell us a bit about yourself. What's your background? And how did you get into crossword construction?

I’ve been retired 4 years after 35 years in the business field.  Originally, I’m from Milwaukee, but now live south of Houston.  I’ve been solving crossword puzzles for as long as I can remember.  My husband and I have been doing the LA Times for over 13 years.  After retirement, I was looking for a hobby to fill some time, and my husband suggested I create a crossword from an old program we had.  The first couple of puzzles were mostly done by hand.  I really like Crossword Compiler, and try to use as much of the help it will give.  

What kind of theme & fill fascinate you and what kind do you try to avoid in your grids?   

I love the play on words theme most, although I really enjoy Saturday’s themeless.  I like a puzzle that will really make me think.  I really try to avoid the crosswordese fill and look for some new words for solvers to learn. 
 

Which part do you enjoy the most in the construction process: theme development, filling or cluing?  

Best part of the process is coming up with the theme development and then the fill.  I think it gives the solver some clue into your personality and mindset.  However, it takes me a long time to come up with a theme that I feel is clever enough, or one that I can develop into at least 4-5 theme answers. 
 

What kind of reference tools do you use for crossword construction & cluing?   

As I said, Crossword Compiler is great, but I also use a lot of on-line dictionaries, Word Search (More Words), Google and other sites.  I also have two books on Phrases and Idioms that I use occasionally. 
 

Besides crosswords, what else do you do for fun? 

My husband and I do a lot of volunteer work.  We love watching movies.  I also play handbells (thus the name C6D6Peg).  We like to go camping in spring and fall and love the time away.

Friday, April 10, 2015 Peg Slay

Theme: "Name Droppers"

The reveal is hidden at 39-Down. Medicine dispenser, and, in another way, a hint to the answers to starred clues : DROPPER. (DROP "PER")

17-Across. *Bargain dairy product? : ONE CENT MILK. One percent milk.  Anyone who was alive during the Great Depression will remember milk selling for a penny a quart.

32-Across. *Nickname for a roller coaster highlight? : THE BIG DIP. The Big Dipper. Much better than "The Big Loo"...

37-Across. *Security workers asleep on the job? : BUM GUARDS. Bumper guards.

52-Across. *Really hot cold drink? : JALAPENO POP. Jalapeno popper. This was my favorite entry.

Just missing the Q for a pangram. Nicely done C6D6 Peg! Let's look at the nuts and bolts in the rest.


Across

1. Roam : GAD. Usually with "about."

4. Got ready for company, perhaps : SWEPT.

9. Norse shape-shifter : LOKI. Also, the evil villain in the 2012 movie "The Avengers."

13. Word often following "further" : ADO.

14. One adopting a puppy, say : NAMER. I might have considered putting NAMEs crossing TsE in this spot.

15. The Tempter : SATAN.

16. Trivial amount : SOU.

19. Go out : EBB. I toyed with "die" (like a fire).

20. Dedicated lines : ODES.

21. Eliminates completely : ERASES.

22. Bar supply : SELTZER.

24. Farm cries : BAAS. In Boston, BAAs are where we mix drinks with seltzer.

25. Vessel with a spout : EWER.

26. Database command : SORT.

27. Spots : ADS. I was on the "vision" line of thinking, so it took way too long to come up with this short name for advertisements.

30. __ of roses : ATTAR. Immediately started filling in "a bed," but ran out of letters before squares.

34. Reclined : LAIN.

35. Easily provoked : FIERY.

36. Soap containing ground pumice : LAVA.

39. Only Dwarf without a beard : DOPEY.

40. Had : ATE.

41. Goes after : SUES.

42. Oath for toondom's Dick Dastardly : DRAT.

43. Provide money for : FUND.

44. It's named for a trapeze artist : LEOTARD. When Leo Tard's accountant asked him what was his net worth, he answered "Every penny!"

47. Turkish tabby : ANGORA.

50. Deaden, as a piano string : DAMP.

51. Reason for an extra period : TIE.

54. Violin ending : IST.

55. Cuckoopints, e.g. : ARUMS. We used to call these flowers "Jack in the Pulpit."

56. Merge : UNITE.

57. "Well now!" : OHO.

58. Bar offerings : RYES.

59. It's a stunner : TASER.

60. Reject : NIX.


Down

1. They may be noble : GASES.

2. __ Reader : ADOBE.

3. Holiday rate, perhaps : DOUBLE TIME.

4. Loser-to-be? : SNOOZER. "You snooze, you lose!"

5. Stray : WANDER. I was on the "Tom cat" track.

6. Arab potentate : EMEER. Var. of "emir."

7. Muscle mag display : PECS.

8. Green Day drummer __ Cool : TRE. This was probably one of his best performances. 0:21

9. Lorenzo of "Renegade" : LAMAS. I remember him from "Falcon Crest."

10. Man with rising aspirations? : OTIS. Haha. The elevator guy.

11. Iron-rich cabbage : KALE. I love sautéed KALE.

12. Signs : INKS.

15. Layered clouds : STRATI.

18. Neighboring : NEARBY.

23. Bluegrass characteristic : TWANG.

24. Transvaal settlers : BOERS.

26. Shakes off : SHEDS. My cats are getting rid of their winter coats. I could make another cat from what they have SHED.

27. 2002 Cage/Streep film : ADAPTATION. I missed that one, but I did see "Being John Malkovich," which is part of the plot.

28. Honky-tonk : DIVE.

29. Fix, in a way : SPAY.

30. Goya's "The Duchess of __" : ALBA. He was supposedly romantically involved with her.

31. Stretched : TAUT.

32. Overused : TIRED.

33. Unsportsmanlike look : GLOAT.

35. Regional animal life : FAUNAE. I don't think I have ever seen this plural outside of scientific journals.

38. Seizes unlawfully : USURPS.

42. Bump at the office, maybe : DEMOTE.

43. Bar heads : FOAMS.

44. Blue gem, briefly : LAPIS.

45. Hindu sage : RISHI.

46. Withdrawal process : DETOX.

47. Open a touch : AJAR.

48. Not : NARY...a clue.

49. Kindergarten staple : GLUE.

50. Spanish lady : DONA.

53. Hardware item : NUT.  Sometimes you feel like a hardware item...sometimes you don't.

T.G.I.F. !

Marti

Thursday, April 9, 2015, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: Now where did I hide my dope?

Another treat for me as marti and I have switched so I can blog her Thursday effort. It seems particularly timely as I have recently returned from visiting my son who lives in Denver. Denver has now added a new dimension to its nickname of mile high city. As a child of the sixties, it is very strange to walk around and see the marijuana shops. Anyway, on to the puzzle. It involves hiding a word (DOPE) which spans two-word fill. In the first three the break is D OPE, with the last DO PE. Not an expert on Thursday word length, but we do have a less than 5 letter average. Aside from theme answers, the longest fill is 6 letters, featuring DROWSE,  ENGULF,  HOODOO, NOVELS,  OBJECT,  OWED ON,  SEVERE,  SPIRAL,  SPONGE,  TAIPAN,  TENONS and ZEALOT. She was nice enough to include a J. So let us dance....

18A. Genre that often includes a ballet : GRAND OPERA. am familiar with the TERM generally but I am not as high brow as miss m.

23A. TV teaser before the first commercial : COLD OPENING. Another TERM I do not know, but it was easily inferred.

37A. James Bond and others : FIELD OPERATIVES. Wiki prefers the TERM Field Agents.

52A. "Great" 1975 Redford role : WALDO PEPPER. I actually was glancing through the various clues when I saw this one, immediately put in the answer and saw the Theme and went back to fill the rest. This MOVIE character may have been based on a real pilot who died flying in a movie.

And the reveal:

58A. Skinny, so to speak, or what's hidden in 18-, 23-, 37- and 52-Across : INSIDE DOPE (10)  A perfect reveal, as the DOPE is on the inside of the theme answers. An interesting slang word, the SKINNY on skinny.

Now for the skinny on the rest....

Across:

1. "That's terrible!" : OH NO.

5. Like some stockings : MESH. Oh my, Splynter?

Easy for them to say

9. Guck : SLIME. It reminds me of this scene from a slime MOVIE.

14. Windfall : BOON.

15. "The Salt-N-__ Show" : PEPA. The answer was easily inferable as I know the group but never heard of the SHOW.

16. Trojan War figure : PARIS. Now a name for the ladies, but this was a ladies man who stole away Helen from her Greek husband leading to war and the great measure of female beauty- the millihelen.

17. Roman god of the sky : JOVE. By Jove, I knew it was not Jupiter.

20. Utopias : EDENS.

22. Excited, with "up" : WOUND. Picture children with too much candy in them .

26. Côte d'Azur sight : MER. The sea in French. Not to be confused with 12D. Orbiter for 15 years : MIR. It seemed that it lasted longer. LINK.

29. Lean-__ : TOS.

30. Nasser's confed. : UAR. United Arab Republics. marti likes her initialisms.(#1).

31. Harsh : SEVERE. Winter 2014-5 in NE?

33. Swamp : ENGULF. I was thinking like the Everglades, not being swamped.

36. Bone-dry : ARID. I like the clue.

42. Open org. : USGA. United States Golf Association. (#2) See, I told you.

43. Second book in Clavell's "Asian Saga" : TAI-PAN. Not be confused with 61D. One might keep you from seeing the show : PAN. Of the SERIES of Books, I think SHOGUN is the most famous.

44. Fanatic : ZEALOT.Another interesting WORD which is appropriate for the season.

47. One-up : TOP.

48. Time zone word: Abbr. : STD. Standard as opposed to daylight.

51. Buddhist branch : ZEN.

56. Free-for-all : MELEE.A fun word

57. Savanna heavyweight : RHINO.

63. Lined up, with "in" : A ROW.

64. Movers' challenge : PIANO.

65. Degree holder : GRADuate.

66. Without : SANS.

67. Choose to join : OPT IN.

68. Ages and ages : EONS.

69. Choice word : ELSE.


Down:

1. Protest : OBJECT.

2. Jinx : HOODOO. Again? Who cursed me?

3. King output : NOVELS. Probably she means Stephen, not Don or Martin Luther nor Elvis.

4. Upright : ON END.

5. EPA sticker stat : MPG. Miles Per Gallon (#3).

6. Adverb in odes : E'ER.

7. Produce : SPAWN.

8. Capital NE of Vientiane : HANOI.

9. Quick learner : SPONGE.

10. "Dragnet" force, briefly : LAPD. Los Angeles Police Department (#4).

11. Rage : IRE.

13. Spanish "that" : ESA.

19. Pressures for payment : DUNS.

21. Ting or ping : SOUND. Ting?

24. When doubled, a South Pacific capital : PAGO. The capital of American Samoa, PAGO PAGO has nothing to with a volcano in Papua, New Guinea named Pago, which may or may not...

25. Blow : ERUPT.

26. First name in game shows : MERV. Griffin, responsible for both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

27. Iroquoian people : ERIE. Do we have any Native Americans reading this?

28. Cabs and syrahs : REDS. No Cincinnati to commemorate the baseball season? Oops, marti does not like baseball.

32. "You're So ___": 1973 #1 hit : VAIN

33a. Carrier that doesn't fly on the Sabbath : EL AL.

34. Where to hear maas and baas : LEA. Paa!

35. Popular chip : FRITO. Corn chips which led to nacho chips.

37. __ bass : FUZZ. A musical interlude; the effect can be from the amp or a pedal.
xxxx

38. Words of understanding : I SEE.

39. Eddie __, detective involved in the actual "French Connection" : EGAN.His OBITUARY.

40. Each : A POP.

41. Slender candle : TAPER. Finally, the TAPER from BG's April Fool's Day post.

45. Was in debt regarding : OWED ON.

46. Yarn : TALE. You may spin one but it will not make a scarf.

48. Fusilli shape : SPIRAL. A fun pasta.

Twist and shout

49. Mortise partners : TENONS. We have had this debate before.

50. Nod : DROWSE.

53. Pigeon's place : LEDGE.

54. Golden, in Guadalajara : DE ORO.

55. Full moon, e.g. : PHASE.

56. Thigh-high attire : MINI.
More for Splynter?

58. 2010 GM financial event : IPO. Initial Public Offering (#5).

59. Little bite : NIP.

60. Did nothing : SAT.

62. Magazine VIPs : EDS. Editors.

Well Lemonade thanking marti for the chance to explain her work, and  now I'm on my way to create a new recipe to prepare food with matzoh, though the fusilli and Cecile both look yummy.