Sunday April 21, 2013 Robin Stears

Theme: Herbal Tease - One word in each theme entry is replaced by a sound-alike herb.

23A. Observation about sprouting aromatic plants? : SOMETHINGS ARE MINT-TO-BE. Somethings are meant to be.

36A. "Yes, I'm positive this seed is in five-spice powder"? : THAT'S MY FENNEL ANSWER. That's my final answer. Not fond of fennel or the Five-spice powder. My dad used star anise in meat dishes.

55A. "We should whip up some pickle flavoring"? : LET'S MAKE A DILL. Let's Make a Deal.

80A. Like something even better than a pungent herb? : BEYOND BAY LEAF. Beyond belief.

 

96A. Incense hung in two places? : MYRRH MYRRH ON THE WALL. Mirror Mirror on the Wall. Never thought of Myrrh as herb.

117A. Getting by with a loaner herb? : LIVING ON BORROWED THYME. Living on borrowed time. Pure homophone.

Very nice puzzle title!

Grid spanners can make things easier on a week day puzzle, but they're tricky to grid for a 21*21. Plus, Robin has a couple long 19's to deal with. Hence, 6 theme entries today. An extra 7th in the very middle row would make this extra tough, even if it's short.

Across:

 

1. Pricey sweaters : MOHAIRS. Angora goats.

8. They remove bad marks : ERASERS

15. Vertebral bones : SACRA

20. "__ Flame": Bangles ballad : ETERNAL

21. One in the running : NOMINEE

22. Blood of the gods : ICHOR. Learned from doing Xword.

26. Elementary fivesome : A E I O U. And 49. Alphabet trio : BCD

27. Roo's refuge : POUCH

28. Soul-searching events? : SEANCES. I love "Ghost". So good.

29. XIII x IV : LII

31. __-mo replay : SLO

32. "Washboard" muscles : ABS. Which angel do you like the best?

35. __ y Plata: Montana motto : ORO

43. Period relative : ERA

44. Trifle : SOU

45. Ultimate goal : END ALL

46. Easy target : SAP

48. Where It.'s at : EUR. Pay attention to the . in It.

51. Chinese tea : CHA. Literally "tea". Yum Cha ("Drink tea") is a daily activity for retired people in Guangzhou/Hong Kong. Dim sum & Cha & lots of idle gossip. It often takes 2-3 hours. Young people usually "Yum Cha" on weekends.

52. "Sideways" co-star Paul : GIAMATTI

60. Proceed (from) : EMANATE

61. Mythical sea nymphs : NEREIDS. This word reminds me of RESTAURANT in my early days of English learning. Hard to spell. Now looking back, nothing complicated in RESTAURANT.

62. Yield to gravity : SAG

64. 2005 Nobel-winning dramatist : PINTER (Harold). He wrote "The French Lieutenant's Woman".

65. Tears down, in Dover : RASES. Our Razes.

68. Broadband letters : DSL

69. Hägar creator Browne : DIK

71. Can't forgo : NEEDS

72. Bear witness : ATTEST

74. "My country, __ ..." : TIS

76. Every garçon has one : CEDILLA. The mark under that c. I bet this clue will stump some garçons. "I have a what?"

78. Pasture critters : GRAZERS

85. Black-and-tan terrier : AIREDALE

87. Center of gravity? : VEE

88. "__ rang?" : YOU

89. Aladdin's monkey : ABU

90. California's Big __ : SUR

91. Patio-brewed beverage : SUN TEA

93. Many IRA payees : SRS

95. Stimpy's sidekick : REN. "Ren & Stimpy".

103. Sushi tuna : AHI

104. Part of MYOB : OWN

105. "Nerts!" : BAH

106. Poetry Out Loud org. : NEA

107. Working like a dog : SLAVING

111. Prevent : DEBAR

113. Razzle-dazzle : ECLAT

122. __ acid : AMINO

123. Groundbreaking Reagan appointee : O'CONNOR. First woman on the Supreme Court. Tough lady. I think she intimidated even Terry Gross.

124. Showed disdain : SNEERED

125. Forms : MODES

 
126. Positively charged particles : PROTONS

127. Leather treaters : TANNERS

Down:

1. Cactus League spring training city : MESA. Cactus League is in Arizona. Grapefruit League is in Florida.

2. Native Oklahoman : OTOE

3. Half up front? : HEMI. As in, Hemisphere. Tricky, as DEMI, SEMI fit too.

4. Biological ring : AREOLA

5. Goes with one's gut : INTUITS

6. "Yay, team!" : RAH

7. Maidenform buy : SLIP

8. Swamp : ENGULF

9. The "R" in Edward R. Murrow : ROSCOE. Never knew this.

10. Eastern nursemaid : AMAH. Lots of Filipino AMAHS in Hong Kong. Cheap labor. Plus, they speak English.

11. McCartney title : SIR

12. San Diego-to-Albuquerque dir. : ENE

13. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" band : REM

14. Jorge's half-dozen : SEIS

15. Bollywood strings : SITARS. 65. Music for 15-Down : RAGAS

16. Urgent come-on : ACT NOW

17. Prefix with -aholic : CHOC

18. Boxer's attire : ROBE

19. Olympian warrior : ARES. 86. Warrior companion of 19-Down : ENYO. Learning moment for me.

24. Always butting in : NOSY

25. Old electronic display source : NEON LAMP

30. Weatherman's line : ISOBAR

32. They're history : ANNALS

33. Murphy __ : BED. Never saw one in person.

34. Blast furnace refuse : SLAG

36. Honest : TRUE

37. "The Wizard of Id" co-creator Johnny : HART. The "B.C." cartoonist.

38. Tossed in, as a losing poker hand : MUCKED. Don't know this term.

39. Radar's soda brand : NEHI

40. Byron's words before "'Tis but the truth in masquerade" : A LIE. "And, after all, what is a lie? 'Tis but the truth in masquerade." Don Juan.

41. Probate concern : ESTATE

42. Snitched : RATTED

43. Flotsam or Jetsam in "The Little Mermaid" : EEL. Nice new clue!

47. Beach resort strolling spots : PIERS

50. Jefferson, for one : DEIST

51. MP3 holders : CDS

53. As a rule : MAINLY

54. Temper : ANNEAL

56. Earn a blessing? : SNEEZE. Not sure what Boomer is sensitive to. He sneezes a lot. Probably some kind of scents. Going to Kohl's or some other department stores can set him off.

57. __ around: wasted time : MESSED
 

58. Wing it : AD LIB

59. Weighed down : LADEN

63. Euphoric : GIDDY

66. Lobby brightener : ATRIUM

67. Characterized by twinkling : STARRY

70. Put the __ on: quash : KIBOSH

73. Criticizing harshly : TRASHING

75. U.K.'s longest river : SEVERN

76. Country singer David Allan __ : COE. Never heard of him. Not a country music fan. Wow, look at his hair!

77. Polo VIP : LAUREN. Ralph Lauren. Polo shirt.

79. Gentrification target : SLUM

81. "You betcha!" : YEAH

82. Viscount's superior : EARL

83. Third man? : ABEL

84. Kicks : FUN

92. Credit checker Experian, pre-1996 : TRW

94. Equal-ize? : SWEETEN. Equal sweetener.

97. Gorge : RAVINE

98. Safari sights : RHINOS. JD had a few Safari trips.

99. Moon of Uranus : OBERON. Named after the king in "A Midsummer Night's Dream". 

100. Pyle portrayer : NABORS (Jim)

101. Leave out of the freezer : THAW

102. City SW of Essen : AACHEN. See Essen a bit to the east?

 

107. Bridge feat : SLAM. Hi there Spitzboov!

108. Chauffeured car : LIMO

109. Voracious : AVID. Anyone noticed the similarities between Clear Ayes & Yellowrocks? Both knowledgeable, curious & voracious readers.

110. Gunk : GOOP

111. Villain on Crab Key : DR NO. Thanks for the "Villain" hint.

112. Symbol on a staff : REST

114. Ancient harplike instrument : LYRE

115. AKC part: Abbr. : AMER

116. Nugent and Turner : TEDS

118. ATM maker : NCR

119. Heckle : BOO

120. Fort Erie's prov. : ONT. China uses provinces too. 23 provinces. Lu Lingzi is from Shenyang Province. Due to China's One-Child policy, she was her parents' only kid.

121. Letters from your parents? : DNA. Nice clue.

C.C.

Sunday, August 2, 2020 Dan Schoenholz

Theme: "Double Features" - Movie hidden in another movie.

 

23A. Two that received Oscar nods in all four acting categories: A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. Reds.

39A. Duo from the Deep South: STEEL MAGNOLIAS. Selma.

53A. Pair for the holidays: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Elf.

74A. Couple in the 21st century with Best Director Oscar winners: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. Roma.

 91A. Two period pieces from across the pond: THE KING'S SPEECH. Tess.

107A. Pair of divergent tales of the paranormal: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Tiny dupe with the street in 23A. Ghost.
 
 Movie within a movie. Such a super tight set.

Great to see Dan Schoenholz back. Seems like a long time since we saw his last byline.

  

Across:

1. Defeat big-time: STOMP.

6. Food chain with a smiley face in its logo: IHOP. Not fond of their P/B flip a while ago.

10. Oma's "Oh, my!": ACH.

13. Car company that owns SolarCity: TESLA. I'm pretty lousy with cars. I don't think I can recognize a Tesla car. Also 98. Bygone Swedish car company: SAAB.

18. __ eclipse: LUNAR.

19. Super stars?: NOVAE.

21. Wish to do over, perhaps: RUE.

22. Get on the wagon: HOP UP.

27. Vietnamese soup: PHO. The broth is flavored with star anise.

28. Chocolate choice: DARK.

29. Nile danger: ASP.

30. Meet activity: SWAP.

31. Homer's TV neighbor: NED.

32. Samoa's largest export before the blight: TARO. Wiki shows the Taro Leaf Blight epidemic of Samoa happened in 1993.

33. Lurid material: SMUT.

34. "Just to clarify ... ": I MEAN.

36. Fancy neckwear: ASCOTS.

44. Reinforce, with "up": SHORE.

45. "Come again?": WHAT.

46. Kisser: YAP.

47. One soaking things up: SPONGE.

48. Word with up, mid or down: TOWN.

49. Feudal lord: LIEGE.

50. Orca group: POD.

52. Olympic sledder: LUGER.

58. Versailles VIP: ROI.

59. Coolidge's VP: DAWES. No idea. Charles Dawes.

60. Iris ring: AREOLA. Vowel-rich. So grid-friendly.

61. Retina part: CONE.

62. Gathers in a condensed layer: ADSORBS.

65. Disrespects: SNUBS.

67. Big game centers: ARCADES.

69. Supply orders: Abbr.: REQS.

70. Big name in pain relief: ANACIN.  We have all kinds of pain pills/gels/creams at home.

72. Weasel relative: STOAT. Cute.

73. Sigma follower: TAU.

80. More than annoyed: IRATE.

82. Recycle container: BIN.

83. Band led by the Wilson sisters: HEART.

84. Mystical old letter: RUNE.

85. Soda shop freebies: STRAWS.

87. Game console letters: NES.

89. "Relax": EASY.

90. Category: GENRE.

94. Went sailing, say: BOATED.

95. Have confidence in: BET ON.

96. Go for the passer: RUSH.

97. Innate talent: GIFT.

98. Insignificant amount: SOU.  Not worth a SOU.

100. Bird one hates to eat?: CROW. Ha.

102. Before, to Byron: ERE.

103. Second: AIDE.

104. Bounty title: HMS.

112. Tree-lined walkway: ALLEE. Grande Allee, Quebec City.

113. Actress Longoria: EVA.

114. "Attack, Rover!": SIC 'EM.

115. Date component, often: COMMA.

116. Digital units: BYTES.

117. Work with thread: SEW.

118. Model: POSE.

119. Bouncing off the walls: HYPER.

Down:

1. Hockey's __ shot: SLAP.

2. Heinie: TUSH.

3. Not fooled by: ONTO.

4. Scrape, say: MAR.

5. Happen before: PREDATE.

6. "101" course title word: INTRO.

7. Pawn at a shop: HOCK.

8. In vitro supply: OVA.

9. Defining characteristic: PARAMETER.

10. Escort's offering: ARM.

11. Sticks maintained with chalk: CUES.

12. Harry Potter's owl: HEDWIG.

13. Whom prosecutors represent: THE PEOPLE.

14. Canon camera line: EOS.

15. Equipment shunned by fly fishers: SPINNING ROD. Because?

16. Entice: LURE.

17. Mimicked: APED.

20. Happen next: ENSUE.

24. Pair with drums: EARS.

25. In a relevant way: APTLY.

26. Puts a curse on: DAMNS. Amazed that Rich allowed it.

32. Fujita scale subjects: TORNADOS.

33. __ fright: STAGE. Finally went to my dentist's office on Friday. Felt like I had a fever on  Friday night. Thankfully I was fine yesterday. Mental thing.

35. Jesus of baseball: ALOU.

36. Italian bubbly: ASTI.

37. Tequila order: SHOT.

38. Jerseys, e.g.: COWS. Jersey cows.

39. Gets rid of: SHEDS.

40. Sources of fall colors: MAPLES.

41. Olympics speed skater Ohno: APOLO.

42. When many walk: AGE ONE.

43. Set of TV programs: SERIES.

45. One trashing a cab, maybe?: WINE SNOB. Cabernet.

49. Type of weightlifting squat: LOW BAR. Look similar to me.

51. Tending to procrastinate: DILATORY. Not related to "dilate".

54. High-card-wins game: WAR.

55. Zoologist's subject: FAUNA.

56. Metro area, informally: URB.

57. '60s "Sweet!": FAR OUT.

61. Snack for Tabby: CAT TREAT. And 90. Lab order?: GO FETCH.

62. Hopper or Whistler: ARTIST.

63. Serious shortage: DEARTH.

64. Broad and solidly constructed, in Sussex: SQUARE-BUILT.

65. Act parts: SCENES.

66. Writing tip: NIB.

68. Fire at work: CAN.

71. Pulitzer playwright Zoë: AKINS.

72. Big shot in tennis: SMASH.

74. Entrances: BEWITCHES.

75. Nabisco cracker made with cheddar: CHEESE NIP.

76. Stacy who played TV's Mike Hammer: KEACH.

77. Rosemary Clooney, to George: AUNT.

78. Subject opener: INRE.

79. "__ I say more?": NEED.

81. Grab: TAKE.

86. Stable sound: SNORT.

88. Buying time big-time?: SPREE.

92. Fabled underground treasure guardians: GNOMES.

93. Capital of France: EUROS. Not PARIS.

94. Auction actions: BIDS.

97. The Stones' "__ Shelter": GIMME.

99. No more than: ONLY.

101. Permanent __: WAVE.

103. Sierra Nevada products: ALES.

104. Rope source: HEMP. Any of you tried hemp seeds/hearts?

105. Internet __: viral item: MEME.

106. Headliner: STAR.

108. "No kidding": GEE.

109. Not even rare: RAW.

110. Green opening: ECO.

111. Pop artist Lichtenstein: ROY.

C.C.

 

Friday, November 14, 2014, Steve Salmon

Theme: I loved this puzle (sic). It was awsome (sic). I had to fight with my computer to stop the correcting of the theme answers.

I believe this is the LAT debut of Mr. Salmon (the other pink meat) who has created a few NYT over the years. The five theme answers each have a common spelling mistake where a letter is omitted. How many of these do each of you get wrong? The missing letters can be silent in speech so they do not trigger an immediate sense of error. Initially I tried to make a secondary (meta) answer from the missing letters but can only come up with the anagram RUNGS from the missing letters, and there is no ladder tie in, so I guess they are just letters missing from misspelling. I do like the symmetry of theme 1/3/5 all missing a double letter and 2/4 missing a new letter. Another puzzle with many cheater squares (8) but a Fridayish word count and some nice words like ALLEGRO, ECUADOR, GLISTEN, OLD SALT, TIMPANI, AUGUSTAN, EYELINER, IN BACK OF, OFF RAMPS.
Okay, let's cast our lines and see what we catch...

17A. Making flush : EMBARRASSING (11). I often forget the double R, which in itself is....

32A. Feature of some jellyfish : FLUORESCENCE (11). If you can remember the element FLUORINE (at. no. 9) you will spell this one correctly. The only fishy clue.

24A. Pushy : AGGRESSIVE (9). RUG? Needed perp help.

46A. Administration : GOVERNMENT (9). I recall kids in school making this error, but the way the word is said is regional and some pronounce the "N" (me fore example) so this one was tricky. Listening to the news, I hear the word without the N as the dominant rendition.

52A. This puzzle's five longest answers are common ones : MISSPELLINGS (11). For a moment I was looking for a 5th (albeit 6th) misspelling, tricked by the reveal also being part of the theme. I thought that was great.

Across:

1. Arguing : AT IT. Can you believe the juxtaposition of this multi-dimensional fill with...

5. Colored part of the iris : AREOLA. A word this Corner associates with a woman and a lily.

11. Fold call : BAA. Cute poker misdirection.

14. Ho Chi __ : MINH. The life and times of this REVOLUTIONARY  present an interesting historical lesson.

15. Caribbean stopover : NASSAU. Our back yard, here in So. Fla.

16. Munic. official : Alderman. Most cities now have commissioners or councilmen but the ABBREVIAION is accepted.

19. Army E-5, e.g. : NCO. Non-Commissioned Officer.

20. You can usually see right through them : PANES. Nice misdirection.

21. Country named for its location : ECUADOR. Meaning 'of the Equator' in Spanish; I do not know where the term equator comes from though it sounds like it has a common stem with equal. The COUNTRY is a bit of an enigma with a socialist democracy.

23. Picnic contest gear : SACKS. Such as the ones used in the three-legged race.

26. Signs : INKS. LeBron inked his deal to go back to Cleveland.

27. Son, to Sartre : FILS. Simple French.

28. London gallery : TATE. We have seen this fill often, and maybe Steve and NC can share some personal moments at the Tate.

29. Obit bit : BIOgraphy. Which might be about...

30. Exiled Amin : IDI.

31. Test area : LAB.

37. Things to consider : IFS. Nice clue.

38. Golf club part : TOE. I do not associate the word with golf, though obviously I have hit it off the toe of a club. I found this one hard.

39. Thanksgiving staple : YAM. Are yours candied? Or are they sweet potatoes?

42. Instant : JIFF. Does Jiffy really need an abbreviation?

44. Suffix indicating absence : LESS. meaningless clue.

45. Blend : MELD. Pinochle anyone?

48. Selling points : MALLS. Modern misdirection.

49. Seasoned seaman : OLD SALT. I presume from the saltiness of the Ocean.

50. Willies-causing : EERIE.

51. Broadcast : AIR. Radio and TV.

56. Island loop : LEI.

57. Pre-WWII pope : PIUS XI. I do remember XII. Roman numerals.

58. Adopted great-nephew of Claudius : NERO. A great way to learn about these two and other Roman Emperors is watching this PBS series as I did back in the 70's. More Roman fill.

59. Initials seen at Indy : STP. They say it was named for Scientifically Treated Petroleum, and became famous when endorsed by Andy Granatelli and his driver Mario Andretti. I like Standard Temperature and Pressure.

60. Drinks daintily : SIPS ON.

61. Expected 2015 MLB returnee : A-ROD. He has made it clear he wants back on the Yankees and he has a contract. Imagine, you lose Jeter but  get A-rod.

Down:

 1. __ Zion Church : AME. African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. I had this before or I would not have been able to answer; a Friday piece of knowledge. LINK.

2. Symphonic set : TIMPANI. Fancy name for kettle drums used in orchestras.

3. Behind : IN BACK OF. Literal.

4. Response to a helper : THANKS. So simple.

5. Literary collections : ANAS.
an·a ¹  (n, än)

n. pl. ana or an·as

1. A collection of various materials that reflect the character of a person or place: definitive ana of the early American West.

2. An item in such a collection.

6. Dorm minders, for short : RAS. Resident Advisers.

7. Sicilian capital? : ESS. The Capital "S" at the beginning of the word.

8. Willows for wickerwork : OSIERS. A botanical fact and a Friday word as well.

9. Camelot weapon : LANCE. King Arthur had to be careful of his wife to be sure she did not Lance a lot.

10. Like the works of Virgil and Horace : AUGUSTAN. A Golden Age of LITERATURE. Another reference to old Rome.

11. Crook : BANDIT.

12. Nook : ALCOVE. Not a cranny.

13. Worship : ADORE.

18. Attorney's thing : RES. More Latin.

22. Easy __ : AS ABC. We just had "as pie."

23. Jacob, to Esau, for short : SIBling.

24. Hill helper : AIDE. Refers to Capitol Hill and the aides to the Senators, etc.

25. What icicles do in the sun : GLISTEN.

27. Douglas and others : FIRS. Oh Tannenbaum, almost time for the tree shopping.

31. Sediment : LEES. Not to be confused with TRUB. Despite my children's involvement in the beer and wine industry, I did not know this TERM.

33. "__ Little Ironies": Thomas Hardy collection : LIFE'S. never read them.

34. Some exits : OFF RAMPS. Not 'of framps', relating to one of Peter Frampton's guitars.

35. Run to : COST. Took me a long time to get to, how much is repairing my car going to run to.

36. Goth makeup : EYELINER. My youngest hung out with some of these young ladies in High School.

40. Score direction : ALLEGRO. I will let JzB explain this slowly.

41. HMO group : MDS. Medical Doctors.

42. City SW of Chicago : JOLIET. Somehow I always associate this city with the old Untouchables TV series.

43. ICU hookup : IV DRIP. Intravenous Drip. More Latin meaning within the vein.

44. Eases : LETS UP.

45. Place with berth rights : MARINA. An old puzzle pun.

46. Shootout successes : GOALS. In Hockey and Soccer to settle ties after overtime.

47. Mid-11th-century year : MLIII.

48. Harris of "thirtysomething" : MEL. One of the early big ensemble cast dramas.

50. Tiger's ex : ELIN. I gave her pictures last time.

53. Ltr. afterthoughts : PSS. More Latin, Post Scriptum.

54. Outside: Pref. : EXO.

55. Astrodome field's lack : SOD. What a convoluted clue for grass.

Well we have lots of Latin, and old Roman, two Roman numerals and a consistent theme and some challenging fill. Sounds like what a Friday should be. Thanks for coming our way Mr. S. and thank you all for being here. Lemonade out.

Thursday, March 28th 2019 Timothy Schenck

Theme:

10D. *Italian pistols: BERETTAS. (Beret) In the early James Bond novels, his pistol of choice was a Beretta 418, but a firearm expert and a fan of the books wrote to Ian Fleming criticizing his decision as the weapon had no real stopping power. Fleming replaced the firearm with a Walther PPK in Dr. No.

11D. *A skeptic's wont: TO QUESTION (Toque) I was impressed that Timothy found a way to use the proper name for the tall chef's hat, among other styles.

28D. *Quaker Oats cereal with a naval officer on the box: CAP'N CRUNCH (Cap)

38D. *The Sunshine Skyway Bridge spans it: TAMPA BAY (Tam). The bridge was involved in a tragic incident in 1980 when a freighter collided with it during a thunderstorm and brought down a large section.

38A. Partners of tails ... and what's found in the answers to starred clues: TOP HATS. See the picture of the royals below.

Happy Thursday, everyone, and I'm thinking a particularly happy Thursday for the constructor, as I believe this is his debut for the LA Times. The theme is simple, but nicely done. The theme entries are all in the downs so that the hat can sit "on top." as the reveal suggests.

[Edit: It's actually Tim's second LAT).

Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. Ancient gathering place: STOA

5. Warm place to chill: HOT TUB

11. "Waterfalls" pop trio: TLC. I know the song, I had no ideal that was the name of the group.

14. Medical breakthrough: CURE

15. Revolt: UPRISE

16. "That looks good!": OOH!

17. Dict. label: ABBR.

18. Not as nice: MEANER

19. Sine __ non: QUA. An "essential condition or necessary component" for you non-ancient Romans out there.

20. Impressive vocal quality: RESONANCE

22. Spew: ERUPT

24. Have a feeling: SENSE

25. Reason for a warm eye compress: STYE

26. Race town near Windsor Castle: ASCOT. Gentlemen are encouraged to dress formally for the annual Royal Ascot meet in June. Here's some royals being, well, royal at Royal Ascot. Prince Harry looks like he just got off a horse.

29. Information to process: DATA SET.         

32. "Sounds fair": DEAL

33. Berth place: MARINA

36. Greek cross: TAU

37. ChapStick target: LIP

39. Doctrine suffix: -ISM

40. The Stratford, in TV's "Newhart": INN. Here's the Waybury Inn in Vermont which was used in the show "acting" as the Stratford.

41. Pupil surrounder: AREOLA. Quiet at the back.

42. Frost lines?: POEM

43. Flatters: BECOMES

45. Masculine: MANLY

46. Cheats, with "off": RIPS

47. "__ always makes it better": Anne Burrell: BACON. I never heard her say it, but didn't take long to figure this one out.

50. Throat dangler: UVULA

52. Aboveboard: ALLOWABLE

56. Solder component: TIN along with lead, or silver and copper for lead-free solders, and commonly with a flux core.

57. Caviar source: BELUGA

59. Morsel on a shellfish platter: CLAW. Depends how big your crustacean is. The biggest lobster caught on record was a 44lb behemoth off Nova Scotia in 1977. Those claws are certainly not "morsels"!

60. Anti-apartheid org.: A.N.C. The African National Congress.

61. Landfall for Noah: ARARAT

62. Word before and after sweet: HOME

63. Part of a snarky laugh: HEH

64. Approvals: YESSES

65. Terminal info: E.T.A.S

Down:

1. Emotional trauma consequence: SCAR

2. Skin cream holder: TUBE

3. Poetic spheres: ORBS

4. Spray starch dispenser: AEROSOL

5. Likely to err, eventually?: HUMAN. You can be divine, and forgive though.

6. Hits theaters: OPENS

7. Vestige: TRACE

8. Spork prong: TINE

9. Finish, with "up": USE

12. __-garou: werewolf: LOUP. First mentioned in 60 B.C. by Roman author Petronius, so they've been around a while. Before the invention of firearms and silver bullets, they pretty much had the run of the place at full moon time. Apparently you can bludgeon one to death with a blunt silver object, but I'd prefer to keep my distance.
.
13. Facebook option: CHAT

21. Safety feature at a trapeze school: NET

23. Scandinavian rug: RYA. Thank you, crosswords past.

25. Seasonal visitor: SANTA

26. Stage surprise: AD LIB

27. River with 37 bridges in Paris: SEINE. I was going to tell you how many bridges cross the Seine in total, but when I went to Wikipedia I realized I'd be here all day counting them. Just know, there's a lot!

29. Retro phone part: DIAL

30. Conference room stand: EASEL. For the flip chart. Still a fixture in these days of whiteboards and flat-panel TVs.

31. Tot's ache source: TUMMY

33. Social customs: MORES

34. Imitates: APES

35. Letter before sigma: RHO

42. Grand style: PANACHE

44. Safflower __: OIL

45. Cut grass: MOW

47. Gets fuzzy: BLURS. Gets fuzzy, not Get Fuzzy:

48. Diet for some aquarium fish: ALGAE. The Siamese Algae Eater is described on one website as "easy to keep, and will eat anything put in the tank". I hope not, they'd eat all the plants, the other fish and the treasure chest if that was the case.

49. Paint layers: COATS

50. Arches National Park state: UTAH

51. Hollywood crosser: VINE. Here's the iconic Capitol Records tower seen from the intersection. There's a flashing light on the top of the mast which spells out "Hollywood" in Morse Code.

52. "Oh dear!": ALAS

53. Ink smudge: BLOT

54. Revered Tibetan: LAMA

55. Farm females: EWES

58. "Blood hath been shed __ now": Macbeth: ERE. On seeing Banquo's ghost.

"...The time has been

That, when the brains were out, the man would die,

And there an end. But now they rise again

With twenty mortal murders on their crowns

And push us from our stools. This is more strange

Than such a murder is."

I don't have a lot of sympathy for Macbeth - he didn't just push Banquo off his stool, he pushed him off his mortal coil.

And with that thought, here's the grid!

Steve

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: No Middle Ground - The unifier (37Across) says ON and OFF can be placed in front of each of the other two-word entries. This will take some explaining.

17A. Where sea meets sand : SHORELINE. Not necessarily sand, NH has only 14 miles. Onshore: either a wind blowing towards the shore or something already on the shore. Offshore: the opposite except things offshore be much farther away. On-line and off-line are usually thought of these days as Internet connections.

25A. Behind-the-scenes worker : STAGEHAND. Workers associated with a stage, roadies are also behind the stage workers but not in one spot. Onstage and offstage are just that. On hand and offhand are not just opposites. Onhand means in one's possession, while offhand means in an informal or casual manner.

37A. Light controller—either of its first two words can precede either part of 17-, 25-, 51- and 61-Across : ON/OFF SWITCH

51A. Distract : SIDETRACK. Originally referred to trains. For the most part, onside and offside are sports-related terms. On track is keeping to a schedule and off track is more like something that isn't directly associated with the matter at hand.

61A. Sentry's job : GUARD DUTY. To many these days, Guard duty involves being shipped overseas. Being on guard will prevent you from being caught off guard. On duty and off duty are just that.

Argyle here. It seems funny to have a Jerome puzzle without puns. Well, I may have wasted too much time on the theme; I better get busy on the rest of it.

Across:

1. Poker Flat chronicler Harte : BRET, His short story, "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" was first published in January 1869 in the magazine Overland Monthly

5. Syrup brand : KARO. Light corn syrup.

9. Scatter : STREW

14. Plane opening? : AERO. Aeroplane.

15. Farsi-speaking republic : IRAN. Farsi 1878, modern Persian language, the usual Iranian word for it, from Fars, Arabic name for region of Pars (no "p" in Arabic) in Iran.

16. Sports venue : ARENA

19. Like most attics : DUSTY

20. Mob enforcer : HITMAN

21. Gp. concerned with fluoride safety : ADA. American Dental Association.

23. Links elevator? : TEE. Golf.

24. Old Great Lakes natives : ERIEs

28. Christmas mo. : DEC.

29. Water temperature gauge? : TOE

31. Pro vote : YEA

32. USPS carrier's assignment : RTE.

33. Words of sympathy : "I CARE"

35. Potato cutter : RICER. Has anyone bought one since the last time we had this item.

40. Flora eaters, perhaps : FAUNA. Occasionally, it works the other way. Venus Flytrap.

42. Brief and forceful : PITHY

43. Pilot's no. : ALT. Altitude.

44. Toothed tool : SAW

47. Unused : NEW

48. Rock guitarist's aid : AMP

54. Spring time : APRIL

56. Place for a pint : BAR

57. Place for a cup : BRA. (hee, hee, hee)

58. Anatomical ring : AREOLA. (hee, hee, hee)

59. Steppes native : TATAR. Good map of the steppes

63. Carrying a lot of weight : OBESE. One of the nicer ways to say 'fat'.

64. Cold capital? : OSLO. Norway.

65. Largest continent : ASIA

66. Used hip boots : WADED

67. Feat : DEED

68. Winemaking waste : LEES. The dregs.

Down:

1. Lambasted : BASHED

2. Put to work again : REHIRE

3. Titillating : EROTIC

4. Singer with the Mel-Tones : TORMÉ. Some good info with this mellow number. Willow Road(3:01) from 1946.

5. Brick baker : KILN

6. George W.'s first press secretary : ARI. Ari Fleischer.

7. Attacked with clubs and such : RAN AT

8. In the future : ONE DAY

9. Glum : SAD

10. Liar's undoing : TRUTH

11. Fact-finding process : RESEARCH

12. Understanding between nations : ENTENTE. From French, as you might expect.

13. Method : WAY

18. It stretches from Maine to Florida : EAST COAST

22. Make better, as cheddar : AGE

25. Lord's laborer : SERF. Lord of the manor, that is.

26. Falling object's direction : EARTHWARD

27. __ Spiegel: German magazine : DER. Europe's leading news magazine.

30. Stumblebum : OAF

33. Roadside rest stop : INN

34. Clairvoyance, briefly : ESP

36. Like many a slick road : ICY

37. Passé : OUTDATED

38. Lash flash? : WINK. Good one.

39. Suffix with cord : ITE. A smokeless explosive powder consisting of nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, and petrolatum that has been dissolved in acetone, dried, and extruded in cords.

40. Scale fourths : FAs. JzB?

41. Fictional Arabic woodcutter : ALI BABA

45. Wall St. hedger : ARB.. Arbitrageur.

46. Ares or Mars : WAR GOD. Greek or Roman.

48. Stimulate : AROUSE

49. Uncle __: Berle nickname : MILTIE

50. Western dry lakes : PLAYAs. Pictures.

52. How to turn something into nothing? : ERASE

53. Effect's partner : CAUSE

55. Go by bike : PEDAL

58. Youngest to reach 500 HRs : A-ROD. Third baseman for the New York Yankees.

59. Auto club offering : TOW

60. What mad people see? : RED

62. Pint contents : ALE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Wednesday, February 27, 2013 Mark Bickham

Theme: All-In Poker Hand

The six (!) theme entries all have four A's and no other vowels. If I was playing poker and I find four Aces in my hand, I'm shoving all my chips into the middle - it's unbeatable!

17A. *Largest port in NW Africa : CASABLANCA. Timely nod to the winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1942

24A. *Warrior's cry : ATTACK! ATTACK! Enough to make me turn and run the other way.

 

32A. *Picnic side dish : PASTA SALAD Food! The best pasta salads never seem to have anything green in them beyond a few basil leaves for garnish and maybe some pesto.

42A. *Knocking sound : RAT-A-TAT-TAT. Nice pairing with 24A - the sound of automatic weaponry or spear on shield. Again, I'm hightailing it.

51A. *Delighted : HAPPY AS A CLAM. My friend Heidi always finishes off this phrase with "..sitting in the sand where no-one's digging". That's one happy clam.

60A. *Island nation in the Indian Ocean : MADAGASCAR. One of the more toe-curling moments in NBC's coverage of the opening ceremony in the 2012 Summer Olympics was Matt Lauer opining that "[Madagascar]" (is) "a location indelibly associated with a couple of recent animated movies", and that was ALL he had to say.

And the unifier:

69A. Incursions ... or, phonetically, what the answers to starred clues contain : FORAYS

Happy Wednesday everyone! Steve here with what I thought was a great offering from Mark Bickham. Six theme entries (plus a unifier) and four 10-letter downs seemed to me a really slick constructing job. I thought the theme was smart and I'll now always know how to spell "Madagascar" without wanting to sneak an "e" in there. Wonderful.

The fill had some good stuff, so let's go see what else is out there.

Across:

1. Not interesting : JEJUNE. I resolve to use this word in conversation tomorrow.

7. Real heel : CAD

10. German exports : BMWs. Because "Bayerische Motoren Werke" won't fit around that little blue and white badge.

14. Beaucoup : A LOT OF. Shouldn't the answer be French? "Un buquetload de" or something?

15. Eight-time Norris Trophy winner : ORR. Bobby, Hockey Hall-of-Famer. The James Norris Memorial Trophy is awarded to the best defensive player in the NHL.

16. Bit attachment : REIN

19. "Black Beauty" author Sewell : ANNA. Well known in the UK - not so well-known here?

20. Metric distances: Abbr. : KMs One kilometer is one ten-thousandth of the distance between the equator and the north pole.

21. Athos, to Porthos : AMI. French day today, mes amis - I mean - my friends.

22. Word with dark or gray : MATTER. Or my hair, which went from one to the other.

27. Hersey novel setting : ADANO. Crosses all the way for this one - totally unknown to me.

30. Rob Roy's refusal : NAE. Scottish horses say this a lot.

31. Four-time Grammy winner Lovett : LYLE

35. 23-Down's div. : N.L.E. This would be the National League East, home of the Atlanta Braves.

37. As found : IN SITU

38. Pupil surrounder : AREOLA. Stop the schoolboy snickering back there, will you?

41. Ft. Worth campus : TCU. Texas Christian University. I don't punctuate college abbreviations with periods, it seems superfluous.

46. Australian six-footers : EMUs. I had ROOs first. They're about 6ft tall too.

49. Punching tool : AWL

50. "SNL" alum Mike : MYERS

54. Animals who like to float on their back : OTTERS

55. Female hare : DOE

56. "Hardly!" : NOT!

59. Violin holder : CHIN. I tried to make "CASE" work at first. Not good.

64. A sweatshirt may have one : HOOD. In which case it's called a "hoodie" nowadays, I believe.

65. Rocker Rose : AXL. Oh Lordy. More schoolboy sniggering at the back. Presenting Axl Rose to a group of anagram-minded folk is not going to get us anywhere G-rated.

66. Sedative : OPIATE

67. Overnight lodging choices : INNS

68. Low grade : DEE

Down:

1. With 2-Down, "Rio Lobo" actor : JACK. Never knew ..

2. See 1-Down : ELAM .. his name

.. until now

3. __ stick: incense : JOSS

4. Hagen often mentioned on "Inside the Actors Studio" : UTA.

5. Head, slangily : NOB. I've never used this outside of a cribbage game.

6. Key of Beethoven's "Emperor" concerto : E FLAT. Major or Minor? I'm sure our erudite musical experts can enlighten me.

7. Funnel-shaped : CONICAL

8. Compass-aided curve : ARC. Ah, the joys of grade school geometry, where they allowed you to carry a sharp implement to stab the person next to you in the kneecap (that hurt the most) before going back to proscribing your arcs. Happy days.

9. Pulitzer category : DRAMA

10. Like a spoiled kid, often : BRATTY. Compass-wielding ones especially.

11. Unwritten reminder : MENTAL NOTE. I lose mental notes, that's why I write 'em down.

12. Cab storage site : WINE CELLAR. Hmmm - has "Cab" attained "not an abbreviation" status? I liked the misdirection here, notwithstanding.

13. Hunted Carroll creature : SNARK. This is a great, fun, nonsense poem that's worth checking out if it's new to you. Wonderful word-invention along the "Jabberwocky" lines.

18. Microwave maker : AMANA

23. Braves, on scoreboards : ATL. Those NL Easters from 35A.

24. Against : ANTI

25. Exactly :  TO A "T"

26. Mauna __ : KEA. I was in Hawaii last week. I climbed a part of Haleakala, but not this volcano.

27. "Whoso diggeth __ shall fall therein": Proverbs : A PIT

28. Fundraiser with steps? : DANCE-A-THON.

29. Thing taken for granted : ASSUMPTION

33. California's Big __ : SUR. I think it's more long than big, but it's a beautiful road trip whichever direction you look at it.

34. Not dis? : DAT. I loved this little gem.

36. Chow : EATS. I looked sideways at this for a little while, and then realized that "eats" is singular, as in "good eats".

39. Avatar of Vishnu : RAMA. I just read "Midnight's Children", so thankful for this as I couldn't get the Mike MYERS entry crossing it.

40. Wd. derivation : ETYM. Etymology, not to be confused with entomology.

43. Some Duracells : AAs

44. Silly talk : TWADDLE

45. Foil maker : ALCOA

47. Capsizes : UPENDS. My boss had his boat capsized by some Australians that borrowed it to race in the America's Cup. It didn't end well.

48. Neighbor of Isr. : SYR. Syria is a friendly old country, it is neighbors with Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan as well as Israel. Keep baking those "welcome to the neighborhood" apple falafels!

51. __ Minh : HO CHI.

52. Comparable to a March hare : AS MAD. Hatters and Hares - what's with those H's to make you crazy?

53. Words with lamb or mutton : LEG OF. Food! My favorite roast.

56. School sports org. : N.C.A.A. You'd think the National Collegiate Athletic Association would try to come up with something shorter by now. Or maybe that's the point - you get a workout just typing the name.

57. Like Cheerios : OATY

58. Half of seis : TRES

61. Fire truck item : AXE. Because "Dalmatian" doesn't fit.

62. G.I.'s mail drop : A.P.O. Army Post Office, not Acute Pulmonary Odema in this context.

63. Paul McCartney, for one : SIR. Macca was knighted for "services in making the Liverpool accent intelligible and cool."

I appear to have run out of space, so I'd better call this a wrap. Have a great day and see you all next time.

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

Do any of you attend ACPT (American Crossword Puzzle Tournament) this year? Rich Norris (editor for the LA Times Daily Crossword) and many constructors (including our own John Lampkin) will be there. If you do, I hope you won't miss the Cru Dinner organized by Mike Alpern. The dinner officially kicks off the tournament and is a great opportunity to meet with constructors and fellow solvers.

Kim (Rich's lovely wife), Mike & Rich, ACPT Cru Dinner 2011