Wednesday, November 30, 2011 David Poole

Theme: MONKEY BUSINESS. Since it's actually a double theme, I'll also go with APE IN THE MIDDLE. Second things first: The four longest answers each contain the hidden word APE, split between the first and last names of a real or fictional woman, consistently parsed as -A PE-.

18 A. Early Mary Tyler Moore role : LAURA PETRIE. Fictional Woman - Mrs. Rob PETRIE was a real dish on a favorite TV show from the distant past.

54 A. She played Carla Tortelli on "Cheers" : RHEA PERLMAN. Real Woman. You'd have to be, to be married to Danny Divito.

3 D. She played Nicole Chapman on "Fame" : NIA PEEPLES. Real Woman, who I've never heard of. Cute.

28 D. 1996 Madonna role : EVITA PERON. Real woman, fictionalized. Wow. Has it been 15 years?!?

Plus the extended unifier:

4 A. With 36- and 62-Across, kids' ball game, and something this puzzle's four longest answers have in common : MONKEY

36 A. See 4-Across : IN THE

62 A. See 4-Across : MIDDLE. In my neighborhood, we had a failure of imagination, and just called this often cruel game "keep-away."

Hi gang, it's Jazzbumpa, reporting from somewhere in APE country. Now, this dual theme is tight, cute, clever, and original. High marks for every bit of that. The only problem is that it's dead wrong! And thereby hangs a tail, so to speak. With that hint, I'll reveal why at the end, (which is sort of another hint, come to think of it.)

Let's see what other kinds of MONKEY BUSINESS we can uncover in APE country. Onward!

Across:

1. Trespass : SIN. I've heard these words used interchangeably in different versions of The Lord's Prayer.

10. Collar or jacket : ETON. The collar extends over the lapels of a jacket. Would these be worn together in an ensemble?

14. TNT element? : TRI. If all else fails, TRI-nitrotoluene. Here, breaking the word, rather than a molecule, into elements. Chemists love these run-on words.

15. Ring of color : AREOLA. An old favorite here at the corner.

16. Powerful TV princess : XENA. TV series from 1995 to 2001.

17. One of the Gershwins : IRA. George wrote the music, IRA wrote the lyrics.

20. Puts in a fresh pot : REPLANTS. RE-ANTES is a letter short.

22. Habeas corpus et al. : WRITS. Formal written orders from a judge or body with legal jurisdiction. Other examples are warrants and subpoenas.

23. Name of three presidents : GEORGE. Is it ironic that the first President George (Washington) led the fight for independence against King George III?

24. Noodle product? : IDEA. How long did you have to noodle this clue?

26. Glacial ridge : ESKER. I can never remember this word. Sounds Nordic.

27. Horticulturist's hangout : NURSERY. Full of potted plants. Or pot plants.

31. Happy co-worker? : DOPEY. Hi-Ho, I got this one right off. Disney Dwarfs.

33. Some TV screens : LCDS. Liquid Crystal Displays. Are TV and LCD still considered to be abrvs?

34. Go for, as a prize : VIE. Somehow, though, "VIE for it," never quite made it into the vernacular.

35. Hogwarts messengers : OWLS. From Harry Potter. In A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, they use ravens.

38. Tower city : PISA. Famous Italian landmark.

39. Bolo, for one : TIE. Neck wear - a western style string tie.

40. Nudge : PROD. I've heard of a gentle nudge. Gentle PROD seems a bit oxymoronic.

41. "I'm outta here!" : LATER. Alternative good-byes. Nope, can't say that just yet. Gotta do all those downs.

42. Meeting of Congress : SESSION. "Obstruction" has too many letters.

44. "Les Girls" actress Elg : TAINA. A Finnish actress. Here, you can see her, from teenager to octogenarian.

46. Latin word on a cornerstone : ANNO. A year in old Rome.

47. Getaway : ESCAPE. Either word can mean "get out of a bad situation," or "take a small vacation."

49. Ionian Sea island : CORFU. Dramatic.

52. Place for a bargain? : BASEMENT. That's a bit of retro language from department store days. Now it's all big box stores.

57. Genetic carrier : RNA. It goes DNA --> RNA --> protein.

58. Arena level : TIER

59. 2009 Ruben Studdard album : LOVE IS. Here he is, in some pretty good company.

60. Held by us : OUR. Plural possessive personal pronoun.

61. Numbers for one : SOLI. The plural of solo. This is also used to designate an orchestra section playing in unison or close parallel harmony.

63. Little thing to pick : NIT. There sure are a lot of female names in this puzzle.

Down:

1. Recipe direction : STIR. Drink recipe direction: Shake, don't stir.

2. Discount rack abbr. : IRREG. Irregular, i.e. containing some small flaw, like a Navajo Rug.

4. Trivia game that involves bluffing : MALARKY. Never heard of it.

5. Autumn color : ORANGE. Yellow also fit, in more ways than one.

6. Neither masculine nor feminine : NEUTER. I wanted DISENGENDERED.

7. Fashion designer Michael : KORS. Looks smug.

8. She, in São Paulo : ELA. Singular female pronoun.

9. Jabber : YAP. Lip flapping.

10. Cast-of-thousands actors : EXTRAS. Don't look for them in the credits.

11. Actress Hatcher : TERI. This Lois Lane portrayer was born on my 18th birthday.

12. "Don't count __!" : ON IT. An expression of skepticism or denial.

13. Rob Roy refusals : NAES Scottish expressions of skepticism or denial.

19. Washstand vessels : EWERS. Water pitchers.

21. Gets the consolation prize : LOSES. The winner gets the real prize.

24. Creep : INCH. Here, both "Creep" and "INCH" are verbs.

25. Snappy dresser : DUDE.

29. Increase : RISE.

30. Wine bottle datum : YEAR. Or ANNUM, if it's really old wine

31. Colon's pair : DOTS. Better than polyps, I suppose. No, wait, this is punctuation: ":".

32. Abrasion, to a tot : OWIE. I hurted myself.

33. Inc. abroad : LTD. Limited. In either case the owners have limited legal liability.

36. Golfer's selection : IRON. Some would choose a wood.

37. Thing to avoid : NO-NO. Or you might get an OWIE.

38. 2011 TV show with multiple pilots : PAN AM. Never saw it.

40. Calendar girl : PIN UP. This seems to be a common PIN UP pose.

41. Traffic cop's request : LICENSE. Along with vehicle registration and proof of insurance. Or so I've been told . . .

43. Jungle journey : SAFARI. A trek through APE country, maybe.

44. Working (with) : TEAMED. Snow White teamed with Happy and Dopey.

45. Lash out at : ASSAIL. The witch ASSAILED Snow White.

48. World-weariness : ENNUI. Boredom. Pronounced "ahn-wee." Must be French

49. PC monitors : CRTS. Cathode Ray Tubes. No so much, any more.

50. River formed at Pittsburgh : OHIO. The Allegheny and Monongahela rivers combine to form the beautiful OHIO.

51. Lively dance : REEL. It's a real lively dance.

52. L.A.'s Sunset, e.g. : BLVD. Strip doesn't fit, and an abrv. is called for.

53. Bakery offering : TART. Have any of you guys ever picked up a TART at a bakery?

55. Stately tree : ELM. Not so much, any more.

56. Louis XIV, par exemple : ROI. A French King, in French.

Answer grid.

If my hints didn't totally give it away, here's the scoop. An APE would be insulted if you called it a MONKEY. "W­ithin the suborder of anthropoids, primates are grouped into monkeys, apes and hominids. The easiest way to distinguish monkeys from the other anthropoids is to look for a tail. Most monkey species have tails, but no apes or hominids do." There are also many other differences.

This is a pretty big mistake, but I wouldn't go APE over it. I'm outta here.

Cheers!

JzB

Sunday August 21, 2011 Pamela Amick Klawitter

Theme: Scrambled Signals - The first word of each common phrase is an anagram indicator. The last word is an anagram of another word referenced in the clue.

24A. 91-Across? : GARBLED SPEECH. And 91A. Aviary sounds : CHEEPS. SPEECH and CHEEPS anagram. GARBED is the anagram signal.

49A. 1-Down? : ALTERED STATES. And 1D. Tries : TASTES. STATES & TASTES anagram.
ALTERED is the signal.

92A. 111-Down? : SHIFTING GEARS. And 111D. Barracks bigwig : SARGE. GEARS & SARGE anagram. SHIFTING is the signal.

121A. 58-Across? : MIXED BLESSING. And 58A. Lack of sincerity : GLIBNESS. BLESSING & GLIBNESS anagram. MIXED is the signal.

3D. 129-Across? : TWISTED SISTER. 129A. Put up a fight : RESIST. SISTER & RESIST anagram. TWISTED is the signal.

61D. 79-Across? : CHANGE OF HEART. The only three-word theme entry. 79A. Milky Way planet : EARTH. HEART & EARTH anagram. CHANGE/CHANGE OF is the signal.

All the long theme entries are symmetrical, the short ones are not. Too impossible a task.

Just a great theme! Pamela is one of few constructors who consistently give us creative puzzles. Her grid is never boring. Always challenging though. This theme has a bit of Dan Finan flavor, another innovative constructor.

Across:

1. Popular tank fillers : TETRAS. Fish tank.

7. First word in many addresses : LADIES

13. Aurora borealis region : ARCTIC

19. If all goes wrong : AT WORST

21. Venue for newsgroups : USENET. Sounds so old.

22. Slain Tejano singer : SELENA. J-Lo played her in the movie "Selena".

23. Chills : SHIVERS

26. Immobilizes, as a perp : TASES

27. She played Dottie in "A League of Their Own" : GEENA. Not a fan.

29. Florentine evening : SERA

30. Where to see the Kon-Tiki : OSLO

31. Sinusitis doc : ENT

32. Give the go-ahead : OKAY

34. One with "Esq." on the door : ATT (Attorney).

36. Xing people? : PEDS. Ped Xing. In Chinese, Xing means "doable". Xin means "new". So, Xin Nian = New Year.

38. "Woo-__!" : HOO

39. Flow slowly : SEEP

41. Utah city on I-15 : OREM

43. Hi, in Honduras : HOLA. Chickie's signature greeting.

45. "__ Peculiar Man": Paul Simon song : A MOST

47. React to humidity, in a way : DROOP. Does this refer to flowers or people?

53. __ Friday : CASUAL

55. Stir up : AROUSE

56. Gave a whirl : SPUN

57. Actresses Gray and Moran : ERINs

60. With a cast of thousands : EPICAL. Always thought the adjective is still EPIC.

64. Japanese-American : NISEI. Ni = Two. Sei = Birth. Literally "second birth/generation".

65. Sharp dresser's standard? : NINES. Dressed to the nines.

66. Directional finish : ERN. Western, for example.

68. "I get it," humorously : AH SO

69. Grounded flier : SST

70. Three sheets to the wind : SAUCED. Drunk.

72. Beethoven's "Pathétique," e.g. : SONATA

75. Both of racing's Unsers : ALS

76. Seine summers : ETES. And 126A. Hot months in Chile : ENEROS. Hot!

78. Colour suffix : ISE. Colourise. British spelling. Not fond of this clue.

80. Things of passing interest? : LANES. Nice clue.

82. "Do I __ eat a peach?": Eliot : DARE TO. Definitely a "Yes" from Argyle. He even dared to link this clip. You wanna give it a go?

84. StubHub competition : SCALPERS

87. Wistful remark : OH GEE

88. Thing to play : ROLE

90. Colored ring : AREOLA. Splynter already gave you the correct link yesterday.

96. White Owl alternative : TE-AMO. Both cigar brands.

97. Future, for one : TENSE

98. Has second thoughts about : RUES

99. Members of the flock : EWES

101. Bay Area blues, briefly : SFPD

104. NYSE figure : ARB (Arbitrager)

105. Parking area : SPOT

107. Spinning toon : TAZ. Tasmanian Devil.

110. Beaux-__: architectural style : ARTS

112. __ polloi : HOI

113. No longer worth discussing : MOOT

115. Some tabernacle singers : ALTI. OK, plural for alto.

117. Lacking integrity : LOOSE

119. 1990s-2000s Irish leader : AHERN (Bertie). Unknown to me. Here, the guy on the right.

124. Arranged in sequence : SERIATE. This is a word?

127. "Stand By Me" director : REINER (Rob)

128. Largest African country : ALGERIA

130. Pull out : SECEDE

131. Rice creation : LESTAT. the vampire. Anne Rice.

Down:

2. Fuel gas : ETHANE

4. Drift : ROVE

5. Sandbox comeback : ARE SO

6. Abbr. on outdated maps : SSR

7. Vehicle for supine sledders : LUGE

8. Hatha yoga posture : ASANA

9. Clear of vermin : DERAT. Spell checker doesn't like it either.

10. Having five sharps, musically : IN B. Whatever.

11. Skinny swimmers : EELS. Yum!

12. Skyline highlight : STEEPLE

13. Big name in Syrian politics : ASSAD. His days are numbered, it seems.

14. Gym unit : REP

15. Geppetto's goldfish : CLEO. Do you all know this?

16. Opening stroke : TEE SHOT. "Fore!" I could picture Husker Gary shouting.

17. How a macro lens is used : IN CLOSE

18. (In) partnership : CAHOOTS

20. Fictional author of "The World According to Bensenhaver" : T S GARP

25. Hates the thought of : DREADS

28. Private __ : EYE

33. __-Aid : KOOL

35. This and that : THESE

37. Suddenly paid attention : SAT UP

40. Danish fruit? : PRUNE. Danish rolls have prune filing. Tricky clue.

42. Iwo Jima figure : MARINE. Our Marine is frolicking in Boca.

44. Unrefined finds : ORES

46. Craze : MANIA

48. Welcome desert sight : OASIS

50. Like lungs : LOBED

51. Winery casks : TUNS

52. Out of gas : SPENT

53. Perfumed, as a chancel : CENSED

54. Label founded in 1975 by Clive Davis : ARISTA

55. Eatery "just a half a mile from the railroad track" : ALICE'S. "Alice's Restaurant".

58. Serengeti roamers : GNUS

59. Popular Nissan : SENTRA

62. Dead to the world : ASLEEP

63. Red ink entries : LOSSES

67. Three cheers, maybe : RAHS

71. Garlicky spread : AIOLI

72. Palate stimulus : SAPOR. Sure looks bland.

73. "... otherwise, you'll be sorry!" : OR ELSE

74. Wailuku welcome : ALOHA

77. Feudal laborers : SERFS

79. Ancient home of Parmenides : ELEA. I only know it's "Zeno's home". Don't know Parmenides.

81. Reminders to conversation monopolizers : AHEMS

83. Rainy day brand : TOTES. Umbrella brand.

85. Exercise wheel site : CAGE. Oh for pets.

86. "Give it __!" : A REST

89. Join the club : ENROLL

91. "__ Magnifique": Porter tune : C'EST

92. Barely get the words out : STAMMER

93. TV's Buffy, e.g. : HEROINE

94. Where work piles up : IN BOXES. I have TO-DO folder for those piled-up work.

95. Alley boundaries : GUTTERS

96. Saint of Ávila : TERESA

100. Isn't anymore : WAS

102. Shylock's adversary : PORTIA

103. Give business to, as a café : DINE AT

106. Longtime beer experiencing a 2000s resurgence : PABST. Why the resurgence, Windhover?

108. Dress with a flare : A-LINE

109. Divided into districts : ZONED

114. Actress Garr : TERI

116. Words with a nod : I SEE

118. Grimm heavy : OGRE

120. Makes tracks : HIES

122. Bob and flip : DOS. I like this clue.

123. [Not my mistake] : SIC

125. Allen wrench shape : ELL

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday, July 14, 2011, Jeff Chen

Theme: The Truth Is Out There, revealed in 64A. You can find one in the four longest puzzle answers, even if you don't believe: UFO.

17A. Continental alliance's intl. strategy: EU FOREIGN POLICY. Abbr. European Union, and abbr. international.

25A. Treat thicker than the original: DOUBLE STUF OREO. Extreme oreo.

43A. Toyota RAV4 competitor: SUBARU FORESTER. SUVs.

57A. Complaint after a reluctant act: YOU FORCED MY HAND.

Hi all, Al here as usual on a Thursday, with a hidden word theme. Did you spot the Unidentified Flying Objects split between words in all cases? I hope there wasn't any deep probing needed.

Across:

1. Medea's husband: JASON. Sorceress daughter of King Aeetes, who possessed the golden fleece. Unwilling to give it up, he set a series of impossible tasks for Jason to obtain it. Medea fell in love with Jason and assisted him in return for a promise of marriage.

6. Tarboosh : Arabic :: __ : Turkish: FEZ. The 11th Doctor says Fezzes are cool. (spoilers, his significant other doesn't agree.)

9. When bulls crow?: BOOMS. Bulls make money in the stock market when the economy is expanding (buy low, sell high later). Bears are betting that there will be a downturn or recession on the way (sell high futures, buy back low later).

14. Utah County seat: PROVO.

15. Obit number: AGE. Astaxanthin resveratrol

16. Hamilton of "The Terminator": LINDA. In her prime, except for the fourth pic...

20. Prime meridian hrs.: GMT. Greenwich Mean Time.

21. Drops a pop: ERRS. Baseball. Pop-ups should become easy outs.

22. Otolaryngologist's diagnosis: OTITIS. Inflammation of the middle ear.

23. "Richard III" star McKellen: IAN.

24. E or G, e.g.: NOTE. Music, A through G.

32. Bluesy Waters: ETHEL. I so wanted to fill this with Muddy.

33. Resistance units: OHMS. Named for Georg Ohm, a pioneer in electricity theory.

34. "Outstanding!": RAD. Shortening of radical.

36. Looking displeased: POUTY. Glad it wasn't MOUEY.

37. 50-50, say: TIE. In basketball, perhaps. Possible but unlikely in football, very unlikely in other sports.

38. Covered in goo: GUNKY.

40. Allotment word: PER. Per diem means "for each day".

41. Rabbit's title: BRER. Shortening of brother.

42. Actor Davis: OSSIE.

47. Two-time Indy 500 champ Luyendyk: ARIE.

48. Old boat-steering tool: OAR.

49. Yes or no follower: SIRREE.

52. Askew view: BIAS. True clue.

54. Storm of the '90s: GEO. GM's release of an Izusu.

60. Slop: SWILL. Old English swilian, swillan "to wash, gargle," related to the root word of swallow.

61. Canada's smallest prov.: PEI. Prince Edward Island.

62. Moved like goo: OOZED.

63. Country's Tucker: TANYA. A millionaire by the age of 16, married Glen Campbell (45 at the time) when she was 21. When you look up "wild child" in the dictionary, it has her picture by the definition.

65. Draws closer: NEARS.

Down:

1. File format for pics: JPEG. Joint Photographic Experts Group. A compression format that allows pictures to retain their image, yet not take as much storage (if you choose).

2. __ lily: ARUM. Pretty.

3. Player's piano?: SOFT. The full instrument name, pianoforte, literally means soft-loud.

4. Ab __: from the start: OVO. A reference to one of the twin eggs of Leda and Zeus, disguised as a swan, from which Helen was born. Had Leda not lain the egg, Helen would not have been born, so Paris could not have eloped with her, so there would have been no Trojan War.

5. "Seriously!": NO, REALLY!.

6. Not foul: FAIR. More baseball.

7. Clutch contents: EGGS. A clutch is a "nest" in reference to chickens, from clekken "to hatch" perhaps of imitative origin (cluck).

8. Path to enlightenment: ZEN. from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state".

9. Smashed: BLOTTO. Soaked.

10. Slicker: OILIER.

11. Taking care of business: ON IT.

12. Year when "Hamlet" is believed to have been completed: MDCI.To believe or not to believe, that is the question...

13. Remarks: SAYS.

18. Beach bird: ERNE. The sea eagle.

19. Vanishing sounds: POOFS. Unless you're trapped in an elevator and can't get away. SBDs are only funny to one person.

23. "Doubtful": I BET.

24. Dígito: NUMERO. Spanish digit, number.

25. He played Dillinger in "Public Enemies" (2009): DEPP. Johnny.

26. Great Plains natives: OTOES.

27. Swahili for "freedom": UHURU. Or, the communications officer of the USS Enterprise.

28. "Got that right!": SO TRUE.

29. One taking things wrong?: THIEF. Nice meta-clue. Did you take it wrong?

30. Dadaist Max: ERNST. Certainly not boring.

31. Jack of "The Great Dictator": OAKIE.

35. Batik artist: DYER. This has appeared enough times to not have to search for it, right?

38. Show leniency toward: GO EASY ON.

39. Red letters?: USSR. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

41. Prickly shrub: BRIER. To go along with Brer Rabbit.

44. Person sometimes 9-Down: BARFLY.

45. Biological ring: AREOLA. Not linking this, even with safe-search on.

46. Gallivant: ROAM. Play the gallant, flirt, gad about.

49. Part of DOS: Abbr.: SYST. Disk Operating System. Why is internal storage a "disk", but a CD-ROM is a "disc"? A disk is magnetic, and a disc is optical (and removable), but that still doesn't explain why...

50. Midwest university with 23 team wrestling championships: IOWA.

51. Bollix up: RUIN.

52. Grievance: BEEF.

53. Peculiar: Pref.: IDIO. Idiosyncratic.

54. Strip under duress?: GAZA. Today' geography lesson.

55. Cabinet dept. since 1977: ENERgy.

56. Numbers on horses: ODDS.

58. PC core: CPU. Central Processing Unit.

59. Soil-moving tool: HOE.

Answer grid.

Al

Friday, June 17, 2011, Gareth Bain

THEME: Kooky Curriculum. Each of the five, in the language phrases, is reclued with the second word a synonym for the credit hours needed to procure a degree, producing a new and witty study.  We have one of the most dependable and entertaining of the stable of regular contructors giving as a nice Friday work out with very few proper names, and lots of misdirection and wit. Lemonade here to lead you through the amazing maze of words, and the five (5) theme answers including a central grid spanner.

18A. Part of an astronomy degree?: LUNAR MODULE. Some university schedules are set in groups of requirements, called modules, so there the study of the moon would be the Lunar Module, as is the LEM which took the astronauts across the moon's surface.

24A. Part of a surgery degree? CUTTING CLASS. My favorite image, as surgeons do  consider themselves cutters, and we all have cut some classes.

36A. Part of a physics degree?: COLLISION COURSE. Even here I have trouble with Physics, even though I know objects do collide, and I guess one could study that. Neils Bohr, where are you? (hmm)

47A. Part of an economics degree?: MONETARY UNIT. We all study money, one way or another.

55A. Part of a theology degree?: GRACE PERIOD. Ah, the extra time we are given to pay a bill before going default, becomes a class where we study (a) how to say a prayer before a meal? or (b) achieving a state of tranquility with divinity?

Okay on with the show...

Across

1. Tool used for loosening: HOE. Gee Gareth, we all hate not getting 1 across and this was tricky; how do you spell wrench or screwdriver in three letters? Oh, loosening the earth to plant something, it is spring.

4. What some chambers hold: AMMO. Chambers of a revolver, not bedrooms, I guess it must be Friday.

8. Put down: ABASED.

14. Calder Cup org.: AHL. The trophy at the end of the minor league hockey season of the American Hockey League, named for Frank Calder, first president of the NHL. Pretty obscure.

15. Take it easy: LOAF. Probably adapted from German landläufer ‘vagabond’, a compound of ‘land’ and läufer ‘runner.’ 

16. __ threat: performer who can sing, dance and act: TRIPLE.

17. Ergot host: RYE.  Fascinating stuff which grows in rye bread as it goes bad, creating a substance with hallucinegenic properties. If you want the history and the alleged tie to the Salem Witch trials and LSD read this LINK .

20. All of us, to Bugs: DOCS.  What's up?

22. Like Inverted Jenny stamps: RARE? Do we have any philatelists among us?

23. As it __ : WERE.

27. Reward of a kind: RAISE. In this economy not getting a pay cut is a bonus.

28. "Good move, torero!": OLE. This means bullfighter; only English speaking people call the man with the cape the Matador; in Spanish, it is Matador de Toros, the killer of the bulls.

29. Shot target: FLU. How many had the shot this winter?

32. Component of some screwdrivers, briefly: STOLI.  A Russian vodka made from wheat and rye, full name Stolinyacha, which means Capital

34. West of Brooklyn: MAE. Very tricky, not another borough, but the creator of the buxom blonde persona. 

35. Crabby  SOUR. Sourpuss is such an evocative word, and so accurate.

40. Responsibility: ONUS. Burden.

41. Gp. for GPs: HMO. Group for General Practitioners, the non-specialists.

42. Like mottoes: PITHY. Pith being the core of a plant or an idea.

43. They're often sold in blocks, for short  TIX.  Tickets.

44. Bra part: CUP. I never thought of bras having parts; I have never taken one apart.

45. Surprise, sometimes: PARTY. How many have had their birthday's sprung on them? 

51. Bit with a nucleus: ATOM.

53. Act the affectionate grandparent: DOTE.  It works with grand nephews and nieces as well, see latest avatar of little Mia.

54. High-grade cotton: PIMA.  The best sheets.

58. Code word for "N" in the old U.S. Phonetic Alphabet: NAN.

59. Rather, once: ANCHOR.  Dan, the man.

60. Security concern: MOLE. The underground spy named after the gopher like animal.

61. __ salad: EGG. You got any other three letter salads? Eel?

62. Mendel's field: BOTANY. Yes, it was with plants he studies genetic progressions.

63. Actor Morales: ESAI. He was a regular back in the old pre LA Times days, where they loved that vowel combination.

64. The car in Thurber's 1933 story "The Car We Had to Push": REO.  Again, you know any other three letter cars from 1933?

DOWN:

1. Repeated cacophonic sound?: HARD C. Not our friend Don.

2. Words to a kidder: OH YOU. Sometimes, but today I am being serious.

3. Hoover rival: ELECTROLUX.  I still remember when my mother got hers.

4. Without exception: ALL. Hmm, so simple.

5. Grieves: MOURNS. Our thoughts to all who have lost anyone, a sad part of life we all most face.

6. Conduct: MANAGE. Like a business, not a symphony and not the noun.

7. Joan __: OF ARC. My favorite French Maiden Warrior appears again.

8. Gas station convenience: ATM.  Convenience? They charge you to get money for things you pay too much for, eh!

9. Shop for books: BROWSE.  In this day and age of web browsers, it was hard to focus on this 1870s meaning.

10. White House staffers: AIDES.

11. Type of poker?: SPUR. I wanted STUD, but I guess we are referring to attachment riders use to poke their horses to get them going.

12. Model Macpherson: ELLE.  Beautiful export from Oz.

13. "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" author Brown: DEE. A very interesting perspective of the mistreatment of the indigenous tribes of the Americas, which may not be accurate, but is a major best seller.

19. Bit of kindness from a bank: RELOAN. Kindness? Really, I have been a banker and a loan is not a kindness.

21. Gate divisions, at the track: STALLS. Where they line up before, "They're off!"

25. Unusual clock number: IIII. I have actually seen this instead of IV, but why?

26. Smart __ : ALEC. Baldwin?

29. Clementine's dad, for one: FORTYNINER.

30. Verdant: LUSH.  Green, like a golf course.

31. 1934 chemistry Nobelist: UREY. Never heard of this expert on ISOTOPES who trained with puzzle favorite Neils Bohr.

32. Caber thrower: SCOT. We remain in the highland to watch this SPORT.

33. "Unbreak My Heart" singer Braxton: TONI. LISTEN .

34. Milking murmur: MOO. Always alliterative.

35. Get ready to play: SUIT UP. Baseball players?

37. Ostracize: SHUN.

38. Bar: IMPEDE.  Like impediment.

39. Down-home theater: OPRY.  Grand olde.

44. "Be serious!": COME ON.

45. Artificial turf sites: PATIOS. Does anyone still have astroturf patio?

46. Ring of color: AREOLA. Where is C.C. now that you need her with her classic link?

47. Eponymous Yemeni seaport: MOCHA. Eponymous meaning taking the name of, and Mocha being now a coffee chocolate drink, though the seaport was the home of the leading naturally flavored coffee in the 1700s.

48. Singer with the 1995 album "Velvet and Brass": TORME. 

49. JPEG file content: IMAGE. Which picture format do you prefer?

50. Suggestive dance: TANGO. Aren't all dances suggestive? Marlon Brando? Paris?

51. Pisa's river: ARNO.  No new slant on this clue.

52. Savoir-faire: TACT. Quick French lesson; SAVOIR: to KNOW, FAIRE: to DO, together to know what to do.

55. Dubious "gift": GAB. Ah, the blarney stone.

56. Wield a crowbar: PRY.

57. Agnus __: DEI. We finish with a classic crossword clue. So I will leave you with best wishes for a wonderful Father's Day week end, and an entertaining US Open golf tournament and more questions than answers.

Answer grid.

Lemonade

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

Friday April 16, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: Losing (bat)TLE - TLE in a *TTLE ending common phrases are dropped.

17. Princeton jazzman?: JERSEY CAT(TLE). Jersey Cattle. Princeton = Jersey. Jazzman = Cat.

21. "Egg-laying for Dummies," etc.? : CHICKEN LIT(TLE). Chicken Little.

27. What a New York baseball owner would do to ensure player fitness?: TEST ONE'S MET(TLE). Test One's Mettle. Owner for the NY Mets.

42. Sign outside a boarded-up JFK?: AIRPORT SHUT(TLE). Dan also gave us ARR (37A. LAX datum) and TSA (31D. Airport safety gp.). TSA = Transportation Security Administration. Established after 9/11.

50. Little Londoner?: PEANUT BRIT(TLE). Peanut Brittle.

56. Carpet-cleaning android?: VACUUM BOT(TLE). Vacuum Bottle. Android = Bot. Short for Robot.

Besides battle, I could also think of mottle, scuttle, whittle. What else?

Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 20. Pretty high, esp considering the 60 theme squares. And a themeless like 72 words.

Across:

1. Fire starter?: MIS. Start of the word Misfire. Awesome clue. We also have 5D. Fired (up): PSYCHED. Fire echos.

4. Squabble: SPAT. And 41D. Quarrels: DUST-UPS

8. Exorbitant: STEEP

13. Mo. in 1781 in which Cornwallis surrendered: OCT. Cornwallis was the British general who surrendered to George Washington on October 19, 1781. Unknown to me.

14. "__ Really Going Out With Him?": Joe Jackson hit: IS SHE. Easy guess.

16. Volcanic flowers?: LAVAS. Flow-ers = Things that flow. I can hear Lois utter "Holy hotwick!".

19. Retirement legislation acronym: ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act).

20. One way to run: AMOK. Run amok.

23. Disappear: VANISH

25. Par __: AVION

26. Subj. including grammar: ENG. Instinctively filled in ESL.

32. It's hard to cut through: RED TAPE. Thought of DIAMOND.

33. Company with toy trucks: HESS. Some old beat-up toys are worth quite some money.

34. Young hooter: OWLET

38. Its youngest British member, Elise Tan Roberts, was admitted at age 2: MENSA. This girl is smart indeed. I drew a blank.

39. Pres. Jefferson: THOS. Was unaware that it's short for Thomas.

40. Like Wiener schnitzel: BREADED. Have never had schnitzel.

44. Joker: WAG

47. Figure of speech: TROPE

48. Hard to endure: SEVERE

54. Rte. through Houston: I-TEN

55. Litmus reddeners: ACIDS

58. Indian royal: RANEE. So is RAJAH. Also 5 letters. (Update: Sorry for the error earlier.)

59. Parts of some support systems?: D-CUPS. Bras. We also have AREOLA (45D. Colored circle around the pupil). Are(a) + ola. So, A or B Cup?

60. 100%: ALL

61. Imitators: APERS

62. Latin infinitive: ESSE. To be.

63. Hope unit: RAY. Ray of hope.

Down:

1. Desert known for Joshua trees: MOJAVE. I forgot again.

2. Nickname for a player who performs under pressure: ICEMAN. Not familiar with this slang. Thought of CLUTCH player.

3. Like espresso: STRONG

4. Bonn pronoun: SIE. German "you".

6. Author Sholem: ASCH. Author of "The Nazarene". Pronounced like ASH, right?

7. Pad __: Asian noodle dish: THAI. Rice noodle.

8. Record holder: SLEEVE

9. Sullied: TARNISHED

10. Not a good sign: EVIL OMEN

11. Facility: EASINESS

12. Jr.'s exam: PSAT

15. Abbr. often following a comma: ETC.

18. Brew follower?: SKI. Brewski.

22. Classic Welles role: KANE. "Citizen Kaze". Rosebud.

24. "Let it stand": STET. For editors.

28. Genesis: START

29. Shipping container weights: TARES. The old shipping allowance is TRET.

30. Day star?: OPRAH. Daytime talk show star. Meh!

32. Squad car cop, often: RESPONDER

34. Taxonomic suffix: OTA. A plural suffix occurring in taxonomic name. The singular is OTE, according to the dictionary.

35. Choppy seas feature: WHITECAP

36. Nancy's region: LORRAINE. Here is a good map.

38. Dole: METE

40. Author Harte: BRET

43. Works: OPUSES. Plural can be opera too.

44. Bachelor pad amenity: WET BAR

46. One way to break the news: GENTLY. Nice clue.

49. Get-up-and-go: VIM

50. Legal hire: PARA. Need "for short".

51. Underwear initials: BVD. What's your brand? I like Etam's thongs.

52. Sprint: RACE

53. "ER" areas: ICUS

57. "What's the __?": USE

Answer grid.

Happy 82rd Birthday, Dot!

C.C.