Sunday July 5, 2009 Richard Silvestri

Theme: Heard Down Under

23A: Cookie made with Chianti instead of figs? WINE NEWTON (Wayne Newton)

25A: Wood for sashes?: WINDOW PINE (Windowpane)

34A: Blue Danube relative: PURPLE RHINE (Purple Rain)

50A: Discovery of the mother lode?: MINE EVENT (Main Event)

76A: Put an "X" where you want to cut the cord?: MARK TWINE (Mark Twain)

90A: Female chiropractor?: LADY OF SPINE (Lady of Spain)

105A: Squall at sea?: BRINE STORM (Brainstorm)

107A: "I never forget a face," e. g.: MEMORY LINE (Memory Lane)

Hmm, the Aussie/Kiwi (Down Under) long A pronunciation does sound long I, doesn't it?

LADY OF SPINE is my favorite theme entry. I thought of Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Su Ki. She is a real LADY OF SPINE.

Lots of interesting clues in today's puzzle. I had several V-8 moments. Normally I am not fond of ALER (American Leaguer) or NLER (National Leaguer), but today's clue (48A: Ray or Jay) is outstanding. Tampa Bay Rays & Toronto Blue Jays. Nice rhyme.

I was also happy to see MINN (11D: Gopher's home?) again. Golden Gophers is the sports team for the University of Minnesota. I collect those adorable Goldy bobbleheads.

Across:

1A: Titanic obstacle: BERG. The last known Titanic survivor just died last month. She's 2-month old when she boarded Titanic.

9A: Opening frames: JAMBS. I need a "door" hint in the clue.

14A: Try: STAB. Have a try/STAB.

18A: 19th century tale of South Seas travel: OMOO. One more letter, the answer would be TYPEE/MARDI.

19A: Reach via radio: RAISE. Dictionary defines RAISE as "Make contact with by radio", then it gives an example: couldn't RAISE control tower after midnight. New meaning to me.

21A: Girl George?: ELIOT. George ELIOT, who's a "girl". Playing on Boy George. I suppose you can clue SAND as "Girl George" too.

22A: Lobby for: URGE

27A: Like some pens: ERASABLE. Have never used one.

28A: Collect little by little: GLEAN

30A: Snack maker's gizmo: POPPER. Popcorn POPPER.

32A: Samples from a doctor: PILLS

33A: Atheistic: GODLESS. I hope there is a God.

40A: Symbol of penance: ASHES. Oh, that's how we have Ash Wednesday.

41A: Dismayed cry: OY VEY

42A: Carpenter who sang: KAREN. I like her "We've Only Just Begun".

46A: Vientiane native: LAO. It's literally "old" in Chinese. LAO Tzu is literally "old master".

47A: Highest in order: UPMOST. Only knew uppermost.

49A: Scout outing: HIKE

53A: Malt drier: OAST

55A: Yankees' captain: JETER (Derek). I have his rookie card.

56A: Small biological cavities: AREOLES. Why "cavities"? They are just nipple rings.

57A: "I'll say": AND HOW

60D: Had right to: CLAIMED

63A: Unit of work: MAN-HOUR. Normally the answer is ERG.

65A: "My cousin Vinny" Oscar winner: TOMEI (Marisa).

68A: To boot: NO LESS. Why? They are not synonymous to me.

70A: Abates: EASES UP

74A: Hot spots: OVENS. Nice clue. I was thinking of North Korea/Iran.

75A: Money maker: MINT

78A: Buck, for one: MALE. "Tom, for one" too.

81A: Eats into: ERODES

83A: UV index monitor: EPA

84A: Letters on a lunch menu: BLT. Also PBJ. This bento lunch box looks so inviting.

85A: Woolly, perhaps: OVINE. Stumped. Hope ewe got it.

86A: Brilliance: ECLAT

87A: Jellied garnish: ASPIC. Why "garnish"? My grandma always made us ASPIC during Chinese Spring Festival.

89A: Incline: SLANT

92A: Thanksgiving activity: BASTING

95A: Inn group: MAIDS. Great clue.

97A: Troop troupe sponsor, briefly: USO

98A: Frequently traded, in the stock market: ACTIVE. Like the stupid GE stock.

99A: Ballet with a hoedown: RODEO. No idea. It refers to Copland's ballet RODEO I suppose.

100A: Create financial trouble for: STRAITEN. New word to me.

109A: Tartan wraparound: KILT

112A: Work in the cutting room: EDIT

114A: German seaport: EMDEN. See upperleft? North Sea port. I've never heard of it.

116A: Carmine's family?: REDS. Had to check dictionary for "carmine".

Down:

1D: He beat Holyfield twice: BOWE (Riddick). No idea. Have never heard of this boxer. I only remembered Tyson bit Holyfield's ear.

2D: Islamic title: EMIR

3D: Columnist Barnett: RONA. Or Author Jaffe.

4D: Completely loses it: GOES APE

5D: High range: TREBLE. Guessed.

6D: Ketch kin: YAWL. Both two-masted sailboats.

7D: Toy with a tail: KITE

8D: Paul Anka's "__ Beso (That Kiss): ESO. Literally "that".

9D: Lapidary's product: JEWEL. Did not know the meaning of "lapidary".

10D: Item on a forged document, perhaps: ALIAS

12D: Physique: BOD. Needs "slangily", right?

13D: Brief visit: STOPOVER

14D: Price factor: SUPPLY. Plenty of corn & soy in the market this year.

16D: Hooey: TRIPE. To some, it's a delicacy.

16D: David Copperfield's second wife: AGNES. No idea. Have never read "David Copperfield". Thought of Claudia Schiffer, ex-girlfriend of David Copperfield.

17D: Round at the bar: BEERS

20D: Fire trucks: ENGINES

24D: They're at your fingertip: NAILS. My favorite clue.

26D: God for whom Wednesday was named: WODEN. Always thought Wednesday is named after Odin. Dictionary says WODEN is "Anglo-Saxon god identified with Odin."

29D: 2001 U.S. Open champ Hewitt: LLEYTON. I could picture his face. His name escaped me.

32D: Turn on one foot: PIVOT

33D: "Earth in the Balance": GORE. Wikipedia says his "An Inconvenient Truth" is based on this book.

34D: Balearic Islands capital: PALMA. Sigh, both the clue and the answer mean nothing to me. Ibiza is wild.

35D: Carrier that merged with Piedmont in 1989: USAIR. Not familiar with the Piedmont Airlines.

36D: River through the Lake of Geneva: RHONE

37D: Entices: ROPES IN

38D Choir offering: HYMN

39D: '80 Bond portrayer: DALTON (Timothy). Love the current 007 Daniel Craig.

42D: Buckwheat dish: KASHA. I tried buckwheat porridge once. Terrible taste. Cold buckwheat soba noodle is delicious.

43D: Sharp quality: BITE

44D: Strings of islands?: UKES. Nice clue too.

47D: Optic layer: UVEA. Latin for "grape".

49D: Talmud tongue: HEBREW. Talmud is literally "instruction".

51D: Tertiary Period epoch: EOCENE. I forgot. EO is prefix for "early". EOCENE is characterized by the advent of the modern mammalian orders, says the dictionary. And it occurred from 55 to 40 million years ago.

52D: "American Psycho" author: ELLIS. No idea. The book sounds horrifying.

54D: USN VIPS: ADMS (Admirals)

55D: Knight game: JOUST

57D: Arabian Sea's Gulf of __: ADEN

58D: Hack's question: WHERE TO. Hack is taxi driver.

61D: Point in time: MOMENT

62D: Slur over: ELIDE

64D: Symbols of might: OAKS

65D: Crypt: TOMB

66D: Kind of round: OVAL. Indeed.

67D: Get all gooey: MELT. Reminds me of Dali's "The Persistence of Memory".

69D: Metal playing marble: STEELIE

71D: Basso Cesare: SIEPI. No, no, nope. Total stranger to me.

73D: Word spoken with a two-fingered sign: PEACE

76D: Gets into shape: MOLDS

77D: Forever partner?: A DAY. Forever and A DAY.

79D: Fade away: EVANESCE. Another new word to me.

80D: Double checker?: KING. Checkers. Here is Embien's explanation: You make a "king" in checkers by putting another piece on top, thus a "double checker" (the checker piece).

82D: Colts' home before Lucas Oil Stadium: RCA DOME (1984-2007). I guessed. Wikipedia says it's similar in design and appearance to Twins' Metrodome.

85D: Oil source: OLIVE. I was in the crude oil direction.

87D: Ore analysis: ASSAY

88D: Third-party candidate, perhaps: SPOILER

89D: Is frugal: STINTS

91D: Like many mammals: FURRED

92D: Spongy cake: BABKA. The cake with raisins and rum. Diminutive of baba, Polish for "grandmother".

93D: Bitter: ACRID

94D: Underground gate: STILE. Subway turnstile.

95D: "What has God wrought?" sender: MORSE

96D: Commercial developers: AD MEN. Excellent clue.

99D: Route for Bob and Bing: ROAD. ROAD to....

101D: It's a drag: TOKE. OK, TOKE is "a puff of a marijuana cigarette".

102D: Phenomenon measured by a marigraph: TIDE. Had to check the meaning of marigraph: a device that automatically registers the rise and fall of the TIDE.

103D: Oklahoma city: ENID

104D: Trawling gear: NETS

108D: Costar of Teri, Felicity, et al.: EVA (Longoria). From "Desperate Housewives"

Answer grid.

Happy Birthday, Linda, wherever you are!

C.C.

Friday November 28, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: Same Rhymes

18A: Comden/Green musical: AUNTIE MAME

24A: Rainout remedy: MAKEUP GAME

37A: University of South Bend: NOTRE DAME

54A: Cooperstown attraction: HALL OF FAME

61A: Delano or Alva, e.g.: MIDDLE NAME

I wish I could say "I CAME, I saw, I conquered". With all those ?AME endings, you would think I should have finished this puzzle without googling or wite-out.

I love the appearance of SURI (33A: Daughter of Tom Cruise). I also like the clueing of ALASKAN (3D: Palin, to name one). I could picture this constructor having fun working out his puzzle rather than sitting in the libary and laboring over some archaic fills.

I only wish LONGA (7D: Ars__, vita brevis) were clued differently. You know, with MAME, GAME, DAME, FAME and NAME, don't you think LONG A would be a better fill? How about the clue "LAME part?"

Across:

5A: Moolah: GELT. I've never heard of this slang before.

9A: Canada's __ National Park: BANFF. I bet no other English word ends with *NFF. What a strange name! I like how BANFF intersects NIAGARA (11D: Famous falls).

14A: Stitch's sidekick: LILO. I can never remember this Disney film. Always confuse LILO with REN ("Stimpy's pal").

15A: Melville novel: OMOO. The "Typee" sequel.

16A: Historian Durant: ARIEL. I would not have got this name without the down fills. I am more familiar with "Disney's Little Mermaid" clue. ARIEL Durant and her husband spent over 40 years writing "The Story of Civilization", and they died within 2 weeks of each other. How moving! I like this Will Durant quote: "A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within".

17A: Comet rival: AJAX

20A: Legendary Cardinal: MUSIAL (Stan). A rare gimme for me. He is in HOF.

22A: Stan of sax jazz: GETZ

27A: "Bambi" character: ENA. Also the "Spanish queen".

52A: Toshiba rival: NEC

53A: Channel island: SARK. See this map. It's new to me.

59A: Golf warning: FORE. I think the most dangerous shot in golf is shank. Are you a hooker or a slicer?

64A: Australian lake: EYRE. It's in South Australia. Saw this clue somewhere before. I am sure Jane EYRE is happy to stay away from this unwanted Xword limelight.

66A: Reebok rival: AVIA. The other 4-letter rival is FILA.

67A: Weizman of Israel: EZER. I googled. EZER Weisman was Israel's 7th President (1993-2000).

69A: Ex-Georgia Senator Miller: ZELL. I watched and loved this interview, but I forgot the senator's name. I wanted Zoey.

Down:

1D: Big house: SLAMMER. Slang for prison. "Big House" is new to me. I was thinking of mansion.

2D: San Diego's sister city: TIJUANA. The answer revealed itself after I filled in the surrounds. I did not know this before.

4D: Roker of "The Jeffersons": ROXIE. Which one is Roker? I've never heard of this actress or "The Jeffersons". I am surprised that ROXIE is not clued as "Velma's rival in "Chicago", since this constructor seems to be in a rival mood today.

5D: Gridiron upright: GOAL POST

6D: Big bird Down Under: EMU. Look at this EMU egg. Is it edible?

8D: Kind of pole: TOTEM

9D: Joan of folk: BAEZ. Here is Joan BAEZ and Bob Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind". I think I like Peter, Paul and Mary's version.

13D: Language of Flanders: FLEMISH. Most Belgians seem to be fluent in French, FLEMISH and English.

25D: Natural vessel: GOURD. This reminds of my grandma's GOURD scooper. What's the difference between GOURD and squash?

26D: Normand of silent movies: MABEL. She appeared in many movies with Chaplin. I've never heard of her name before.

42D: Fulminations: TIRADES. "Fulmination" is a new word to me. The spelling is so similar to fumigation.

45D: Break down: ANALYZE. Do you like "ANALYZE This"?

46D: Imation rival: MEMOREX. I had no familarity with MEMOREX.

47D: Ham actor's nosh: SCENERY. See Chew the SCENERY origin.

56D: Tear out: LEAVE. Is this a slang? I've never heard of it.

57D: Tears out: FLEES. I used to be very bothered by the same clue for different answers. Not any more. It's not a crossword construction sin.

59D: "___ Joy" (1972 Supremes hit): FLOY. New song to me.

63D: Inch fraction: MIL. Brewers fans probably want another clue for MIL.

C.C.

Sunday May 11, 2008 Annabel Michaels

Theme: HEADY DOINGS

28A: Passing gossip: CHIN WAGGING

66A: M-m-m-good: MOUTH WATERING

103A: Awesome: JAW DROPPING

3D: Psychiatrist's treatment?: HEAD SHRINKING

15D: Nuzzie greeting: NOSE RUBBING

40D: Eerie: HAIR RAISING

56D: Verbal chastisement: TONGUE LASHING

66D: Maximally boring: MIND NUMBING

Here are more:

EAR SPLITTING, EYE OPENING, TEETH CLENCHING, BRAINWASHING or BRAINTEASING, LIP SYNCING, BROW LIFTING, What else?

I am of two minds on today's puzzles. I do like the "HEADY DOINGS" theme idea, but I get dizzy just looking at this inordinate amount of ING's (8, including 29D: GOING OUT). What's your opinion?

It's a bit disappointing, thought hardly surprising given this editor's poor track record in timing his puzzles, that a "Mothers' Day" theme or even a "Related to the mother's side" (ENATE) clue is no where to be seen today. You would think he could work out a TV MOMS themed puzzle to balance his TV DADS puzzle (Tuesday May 6, 2008).

And 48D: Wake of a scythe (SWATHE), no VAR mark with the clue? Did you expect me to know that SWATHE could be spelled as SWATH when it means "the scythe path"? Obviously you MISOVERESTIMATED me, the way this country MISUNDERESTIMATED President Bush's resolve to get things done.

I laughed when I first saw 73A: I came: Lat. VENI. Then I filled in ALLUDE for 79A: Refer indirectly and LAY for 93A: Non-clerical. Then I found myself writing CAME for 94A: Showed up. I was stunned. CAME twice in less than 2 minute? You are amazing! Very ÉTÉ (98A: Nice hot time?) indeed.

But nothing is funny about 90A: Win a chase (OUT RUN). 93D: Ran out (LAPSED). You've gonna be kidding me. Just when I thought he could not sink any lower, along come this ghastly cluing! This editor definitely has no intention to improve the quality of his puzzles. His stubbornness is only paled by his arrogance.

Quite a few obscure city names in today's puzzle: NIAMEY, NEVERS, ALEPPO. The only place I know is 70D: Strasbourg's region (ALSACE). QUAGGAS, TOCSIN, MIOSIS, BOCCI were completely unknown to me. I've never heard of Nicolas ROEG either. But thanks to this editor's painful "Medical pref:" clue in April, I was able to get 54A: Healer: pref (IATRO) without any problem, otherwise, I would have big trouble with RICTUS (50D: Fixed, gaping grin). And without the generous help from those ING's, I think I would have completely tanked this puzzle.

ACROSS:

4A: Bring upon oneself: BUCK FOR. I am only familiar with BUCK UP, not BUCK FOR.

11A: Michael of Monty Python: PALIN. Nailed him today.

16A: Letters in math proofs: QED (Quod Erat Démōnstrandum). Latin. I am so proud I got this one.

20A: Shakespearean tragedy: OTHELLO

21A: Dispatch boat: AVISO. I completely forgot this word. But was able to string it together by the down clues. Always want a verb for the fill.

24A: Widespread slaughter: CARNAGE

30A: Fraction of a joule: ERG. 1 joule = 10⁷ erg.

35A: Mount Hood's state: OREGON. Hi there!

39A: NATO word: ATL (Atlantic). Do you know that NATO also stands for "North African Theater of Operations"? IKE served both NATO's.

41A: "Teenage __ Ninja Turtles:": MUTANT. Not familiar with this comic book at all.

42A: Singer Carter: DEANA. "Everything's Gonna Be Alright". Here is my favorite "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" (Bob Marley).

48A: Squelch: STIFLE

53A: Ascended: WENT UP

55A: Like plays and movies: SCRIPTED

65A: PA nuclear accident site: TMI (Three Miles Island). To me, TMI is simply "Too Much Information".

70A: Painter Matisse: HENRI. This Luxe, Calme, et Volupté is the only Matisse I've seen in person, and I don't think I like it.

72A: Raw fish dish: SUSHI. Technically, it's SASHIMI. SUSHI toppings are always cooked. I like how SUSHI parallels MOUTHWATERING. M-m-m good!

74A: Greek contest: AGON. I simply forgot. It's "a contest in which prizes were awarded in any of a number of events, as athletics, drama, music, poetry, and painting" in ancient Greece.

75A: Tense state: EDGINESS

82A: "M*A*S*H" co-star: STIERS (David Ogen). No idea. I've never watched "M*A*S*H".

83A: Strolls easily: MOSEYS

89A: Silver or Gold: METAL. I put MEDAL first, then my fill for 80D: Husband of Salt? became LOD, which confused me for a long time.

92A: Big bell sound: BONG

97A: Most favorable conditions: OPTIMA. Singular form is OPTIMUM.

99A: Pig's sire: BOAR

101A: Norse pantheon: AESIR. Ugh, I forgot. This word is hard to remember.

106A: 90 deg. from vert. HOR (Horizontal)

107A: Scatter: DISSIPATE

110A: Type of general: ONE STAR

111A: O.T. book: ISA (Isaiah)

114A: Make a widow: BEREAVE. It bothers me a bit to see BEREAVE crossing 89D: Connubial: MARITAL.

117A: Pituitary or pineal: GLAND. I did not know the meaning of "Pituitary" and I have never heard of "pineal gland" before. Had to consult my dictionary.

118A: Washington Post honcho: BRADLEE (Ben). I did not realize that he is still with the Washington Post (vice president). Thought he left long time ago. I like his "A Good Life".

DOWN:

4D: Italian lawn bowling: BOCCI. Completely unknown to me. It's "an Italian variety of lawn bowling played on a dirt court that is shorter and narrower than the rink of a bowling green."

6D: Legendary Giant Mathewson: CHRISTY. Gimme for me. One of the first crop of Baseball HOFers 1936. The other 4 are Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner and Walter Johnson.

7D: Condominium for canines: KENNEL

8D: Blemishes: FLAWS

10D: "Performance" director Nicolas: ROEG. No, I've never heard of him.

11D: Neighbor of Iran: PAKISTAN

13D: Lisa of "The View": LING. She is not with "The View" any more.

16D: Extinct kin of zebra: QUAGGAS. No idea. Gettable though. Here is a picture.

18D: John's last name?: DOE. I like the "?" in the clue.

29D: Becoming extinguished: GOING OUT. Two OUT in the fills today, see 90A: OUT RUN.

32D: Crevices: CLEFTS

35D: Syndicated astrologer Sydney: OMARR. Unknown to me.

39D: Syrian city: ALEPPO. No, no, have never heard of it.

46D: Alarm bell: TOCSIN. No idea. Dictionary says this word derives from French "tocasenh", "tocar" means to strike, "senh" comes from the Latin signal, so it's bell.

48D: Wake of a scythe: SWATHE. A "VAR" mark is essential for this clue in my opinion.

49D: Designated: TERMED. Why? Can you explain it to me?

50D: Fixed, gaping grin: RICTUS. Completely unknown to me. It's from the past participle of Latin word ringī (to gape).

57D: Incarnate: EMBODY

58D: Keaton and Ladd: DIANES. Know Keaton, not Ladd.

61D: Down Under one?: AUSSIE. Good one.

63D: City on the Loire: NEVERS. Capital city of Nièvre (central France), on the Loire River. I've never heard of it.

67D: Bleached: WHITENED

68D: Capital of Niger: NIAMEY. I did not know. Got it from across clues. Interesting, they grow millet there. Have you had millet couscous before? The capital of Nigeria is Abuja, pretty cool name, isn't it?

74D: Strasbourg's region: ALSACE. In eastern France. The food there is mostly German style, lots of rye bread.

80D: Husband of salt?: LOT. Great clue. What is exactly the name of LOT's wife anyway? A Pillar of Salt? She shouldn't have looked back obviously, the same with Orpheus. He would have brought his wife out of Hades if he did not glance back. But it's just so hard to resist the temptation in life.

82D: Make a strong metal connection: SPOT WELD. No idea.

84D: Moo __ gai pan: GOO. "Moo GOO" means "mushroom" in Chinese. Gai is chicken. Pan means slice. Americanized Chinese dish. You won't find it in a real Chinese dining table.

89D: Connubial: MARITAL. It bothers me to see MARITAL crossing BEREAVE.

92D: Defeated: BEATEN

95D: Contraction of the pupil: MIOSIS. No, nope, total stranger to me. It's "excessive constriction of the pupil of the eye, as a result of drugs, disease, or the like". I do like how this author structured MIOSIS and 2D: Membrane of the eye: CORNEA in the same grid in such a balanced fashion. Very nice. And one more, 51A: Eyes, in poems (ORBS)

96D: Listing of text mistakes: ERRATA

99D: Goofy error: BONER

104D: Pitcher Nen: ROBB. Wow, I've never heard of his name before. Not a Giants fan.

108D: Tape-counter abbr.: IPS (Inches Per Second)

C.C.

Monday December 31, 2018 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Say it Again - The last words are all homophones

17A. Persistent ache: NAGGING PAIN.

23A. Window section: GLASS PANE.

48A. Heartthrob in the band One Direction: LIAM PAYNE.

57A. "Common Sense" author: THOMAS PAINE.

Boomer here. 

Hello Auld acquaintances! Trust me, you will not be "forgot".  Happy New Year!  Now for the bowling scores - Monday 171-209-188, Thursday 158-179-158. The Thursday bowling center has changed the oil pattern and it's fairly difficult for me because I am still weak and my ball speed is around 10 MPH.  I think as I get healthier my Thursday results will improve. 

I peeked in on last week's blog about the West Virginia and noticed someone mentioned that John Denver replaced Chad Mitchell in the trio. They changed the name to the "Mitchell Trio" but did not last long after that. This vaulted a solo Mr. Denver to huge success.  I might add that I attended a single performance by Chad Mitchell at a crummy speakeasy bar in a Minneapolis west suburb back in the sixties and he was terrible.

Across:

1. Actress Vardalos: NIA. I had only heard of Nia Peeples

4. Chapel vow: IDO.

7. Fine apparel: ATTIRE.

13. Bird that gives a hoot: OWL. In Minnesota, we used to have a grocery called "Red Owl".  An interesting name and logo.

14. Stock horror film servant: IGOR.

15. Came down and spoiled the picnic: RAINED. Uh Huh, Oh No Don't let the rain come down.

16. Open __ night: MIC.

19. Ski resort feature: SLOPE.  Chad Mitchell Trio -

Well, they called him Super Skier
As he sat around the sun-deck,
For he swore that he would never take a spill
When they finally took him down
They had to use three toboggans
To carry all the pieces down the hill

21. Self-defense spray: MACE.  This is nasty stuff.

22. Fey of "Date Night": TINA.  On SNL she looked more like Sarah Palin than Ms. Palin did.

25. D.C. pro: POL.

26. Yard sale caveat: AS IS.

27. Bar for circus swingers: TRAPEZE.  "He flies through the air with the greatest of ease."

31. Long-faced: SULLEN.

34. Tire, with "out": WEAR.  Replace your tires when they wear out.

35. Controlled Substances Act org.: DEA.  Drug Enforcement Administration.  One of the decent ideas of Richard Nixon around 1973.  I wonder if they are working during the shutdown.

36. Hyde Park buggy: PRAM.  I thought they called these "Handsome Cab".  Reminds me of when Kramer fed his horse beans.

37. Madison Ave. pro: AD MAN.  Now we get hundreds of ads on Facebook.

39. Main point: GIST.

40. Lincoln or Ford: CAR.

41. Poker variety: STUD.  5 cards without a draw, or where they send retired racehorses.

42. Lawn service company that merged with TruGreen: SCOTTS.  I have never found anything that works. Maybe because winter messes up lawns and it takes until May just to start turning green again. 

44. Fairbanks resident: ALASKAN.

46. Period of prosperity: BOOM. Not reason for my boom. I am part of the "Baby Boom" of 1947.

47. Windy City train org.: CTA.  If the Chicago Transit Authority, (Better known as the CTA) raises their rates, "Charlie may never get off of that train."

53. Off-kilter: AWRY.

55. Fuzzy green plant that grows on rocks: MOSS. Number 84 Randy of the Minnesota Vikings.  Was controversial, however now headed for the hall.

56. Dimwit: IDIOT.

60. Down Under bird: EMU.  It's a pretty big bird, but also an acronym for Eastern Michigan University.

61. Make pure, as sugar: REFINE.  This could happen if you park in a restricted zone more than once.

62. Maker of Aspire laptops: ACER.

63. Young fellow: LAD.

64. Show up at: ATTEND.  Did anyone attend a bowl game this year?  I did not go, but our Gophers took care of Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.

65. Winter hrs. in Minneapolis: CST. While you are reading your L.A. Times, I'll be getting ready for lunch.

66. Beats by __: audio equipment brand: DRE.

Down:

1. Chinese menu assurance: NO MSG.

2. Volunteer's words: I WILL.  Who will take out the trash ?

3. Reynolds Wrap maker: ALCOA.  Also producer of Aluminum wire of which Graybar sold many thousands of miles.

4. Grocery chain letters: IGA.

5. Rigid beliefs: DOGMAS.

6. Church instrument: ORGAN.  Here's my experience. I sang in a church choir back in the 60's and there was an organist who played wonderfully. The church I attend now has an electronic piano which can sound like an organ, a flute, bongo drums, an accordion, a trumpet, two guitars, and a tambourine.  It sounds like a bit much, but they are well- rehearsed and don't play everything at the same time.  

7. Obama Education secretary Duncan: ARNE.

8. Garment label: TAG.  You're it.  Played in Minnesota in the summer.

9. First-rate: TIPTOP.  Retailers have used this as an adjective for their business.  I seem to remember Tiptop Bread.

10. "Aced that test!": I NAILED IT. Hit a golf ball 300 yards.

11. Horse rider's strap: REIN.

12. Writer Ferber: EDNA.

14. Actually existing: Lat.: IN ESSE.

18. Summer pitcherful: ICE TEA.  I think I saw this before.  I prefer to call it "Iced tea."

20. Biblical song: PSALM.

24. Whacked gift holder: PINATA.

25. Links standard: PAR. A rare event for me these days (especially in winter).  A piece of cake for Dustin Johnson.

28. Coerced payment: RANSOM.

29. Citrus peel: ZEST.  A tricky clue.  I would prefer soap or energy.

30. Puts away dishes?: EATS.  I am not too fond of these tricky clues.  Especially in a Monday Puzzle.

31. Animal welfare org.: SPCA. I only know them as ASPCA from TV commercials where they ask for donations.

32. Eurasian border river: URAL.  What Peggy Bundy calls her husband. ("Married with Children")

33. "Tomb Raider" heroine: LARA CROFT.

34. Iraq War armament: Abbr.: WMD.

38. Big name in tires: DUNLOP.  They have also sneaked into the Tennis market, balls and racquets.

39. Lose one's marbles: GO MAD.  Which loss made you madder?  Peeries, steelies, agates, or shooters ?

41. Jamaican music genre: SKA.

43. Paper jam site: COPIER.

45. Thwart: STYMIE.  The only Stymie I remember appeared with Buckwheat in the our gang comedies back in the 1930's.  No, I am not THAT old, I saw replays in the 1950's.  When I watched, I did not realize it was a racist characterization.

46. Nuts and bolts: BASICS.

49. Sir __ Newton: ISAAC.

50. Give ground: YIELD.  A triangular yellow sign.

51. Red Sox great Garciaparra: NOMAR.  Great Major League.  He received his unique first name from his father, Ramon.

52. Practice piece: ETUDE.

53. Razor brand: ATRA.  I don't use these.  I like the Bic 5 blade.

54. Spark, as an appetite: WHET. I think this can also mean sharpen like a knife, dear Liza.

55. Grad. degree for teachers: MSED. Master of Science in Education.  This is a highly scholarly degree so why break acronym rules by using the first two letters of Education

58. Landers of letters: ANN.  The sister of Abby Van Buren, who is grandmother of Minnesota's new congressman Dean Phillips.  (3rd Congressional District where C.C. and I live).

59. Driving range barrier: NET.  Not too often on the range, but how might you get the fish into the boat ?

Boomer

Notes from C.C.:

Here are three more pictures of Baby Boomer. The older girl is my sister-in-law Barbara, who lives in San Francisco. (Note from Boomer: I believe this is a Cushman motor scooter, owned by my dad.  We did not have a car when I was young.)

Thursday August 13, 2009 Don Gagliardo

Theme: ALFRED HITCHCOCK (7D: Born 8/13/1899, he directed the answers to the starred clues)

21A: *Very difficult task: MURDER!

29A: *Aristophanes comedy: THE BIRDS

38A: *You may be picked up if you are under it: SUSPICION

49A: *Music to an interrogator's ears: I CONFESS

57A: *Loony: PSYCHO

12D: *Sunnybrook Farm girl: REBECCA

13D: See 51-Down: SCENE

41D: *Dizziness: VERTIGO 1958

51D: With 13-Down, something 7-Down is famous for in his films: CAMEO

Wow, 10 theme entries. Don "Hard G" Gagliardo did it again. Great tribute puzzle.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK had a CAMEO role in all the five Across movies. Excellent intersection. I also like vertical placement of VERTIGO. REBECCA is kind of scary, so is "Rear Window". I wish I had never seen PSYCHO.

Of all the HITCHCOCK movies, I like "To Catch a Thief" the most. How about you?

I don't know who Aristophanes was, but THE BIRDS came very easily, so did the other theme answers. I just adore this puzzle. Almost aced it.

Don G, if you are reading this blog, can you email me crosswordc@gmail.com?

Across:

1A: Toto's two?: ARF ARF. Toto is Dorothy's dog from "The Wizard of Oz". I was fixated on the two letter T/O in Toto's name.

7A: PC key next to the space bar: ALT

10A: Needle bearers: FIRS. Pine needle.

14A: Soap opera, e.g.: SERIAL

15A: Grassland: LEA

16A: Certain util.: ELEC

17A: Infant who succeeded Russia's Empress Anna in 1740: IVAN VI. Ivan the Terrible. I had IVAN?I sitting there forever.

18A: Interoffice memo, maybe: FAX

19A: North Sea feeder: ELBE. It simply means "river".

20A: Fifth bk. of the Torah: DEUT. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and DEUTERONOMY.

24A: Gazzara or Stiller: BEN. Only know BEN Stiller.

25A: Unit of work: ERG. From Greek ergon, meaning "work". It's ten-millionth of a joule.

26A: Freelancer's end: SAE (Self-Addressed Envelope). SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope) is more common.

27A: Seldom seen: SCARCE

33A: Sans opposite: AVEC. Voulez-vous coucher AVEC moi (ce soir)?

34A: Clinton's department: STATE. Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State. Boy, she was testy.

35A: Towel word: HIS

37D: Educator LeShan: EDA. Always wanted ADA/IDA.

41D: Chocolate-making vessel: VAT. Tend to associate VAT with wine.

43A: Chocolate lover, often: TOT. I like the consecutive "Chocolate" clues.

44A: Fetch: GO GET

47A: Perry's creator: ERLE. Perry Mason. ERLE Stanley Gardner. Inspiration for Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

51A: Pressing issue?: CREASE. Great clue.

53A: Bunny __: HOP. Dance?

54A: "Fantasia" frame: CEL. Some of those cartoon CELS are highly collectible.

56A: Words with distance: AT A. Oh, AT A distance.

59A: Ale designation: PALE

60A: "La Bohème" heroine: MIMI. Obtained the answer from Down fills.

62A: Seesaw need: TWO

63A: Intervene: STEP IN

65A: "Omigosh!": EGAD. God probably does not really mind people invoke his name directly.

66A: Vocation: Abbr.: OCC (Occupation)

67A: Hire: TAKE ON

68A: "It slipped": OOPS. I do hit the PREVIEW button before I press PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT. Still have OOPS. .

69A: Indus R. country: PAK. Again, got the answer from Down fills. Not familiar with Indus River, the longest river in Pakistan. It rises in Tibet.

70A: Like some icy weather: SLEETY

Down:

1D: Lateral remark: ASIDE

2D: Goes back (to): REVERTS. Wrote down RETURNS first.

3D: Full of , with "with": FRAUGHT

5D: Toyota __ 4, SUV model: RAV. Ridiculous ad. RAV4 stands for "Recreational Active Vehicle with 4-wheel drive". Did not know that.

6D: Like the worst excuse: FLIMSIEST

8D: X-ray vision thwarter: LEAD

9D: Political hot button: TAXES

11D: Lacking social graces: ILL-BRED

22D: Old Mideast org.: UAR (United Arab Republic). A union of Egypt & Syria, from 1958 to 1961.

23D: Color TV pioneer: RCA

28D: Vindicate: AVENGE

30D: "Chico and the Man" setting, briefly: EAST LA. The answer revealed itself. Have never heard of the sitcom "Chico and the Man".

31D: Heat unit, briefly: BTU

32D: [error left as is]: SIC. Here are the brackets marks again, indicating a non-verbal expression.

36D: Turnpike features: SIGN POSTS

39D: Pasty Hawaiian staple: POI

40D: Gut-punch reaction: OOF

42D: Local cartographer's creation: AREA MAP

45D: Reason for a search party: ESCAPEE

46D: "Four Quartets" poet: T. S. ELIOT. Nice to see his full name in the grid.

48D: Uncommon sense?: ESP

50D: "Wow!": OOH

52D: Legally prohibit: ESTOP. Learned from doing Xword.

55D: Controversial Bruce: LENNY. Why was he controversial?

58D: Fem. advocacy group: YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association). Established in 1855.

59D: Chinese toy: PEKE. We call them lion dogs due to their resemblance to the guardian lions. The lions always come in pairs, male on the left, female on the right.

61D: Fingers: IDS

64D: 1960-'61 chess champ Mikhail: TAL. "The Magician from Riga". He was born in Riga, Latvia.

Answer grid.

Alright, as promised yesterday, here is a closer look at our blog "it" girl Melissa Bee. She is just beautiful, including her incredible brain. I also adore this avatar photo, ethereal looking.

C.C.

Sunday Dec 2, 2012 Kathleen Fay O'Brien

Theme: "Heard Down Under" -Long A sound is replaced by Long I sound, the Aussie way.

 23A. Arranged pickling solutions on the shelf? : RACKED ONE'S BRINES. Racked one's brains. I use singular "brain".

 40A. Funhouse admission fee? : FRIGHT CHARGE. Freight charge.

 73A. "Your shingle work stinks!" e.g.? : ROOFING SLIGHT. Roofing slate. I can picture PK shouted at those roof workers: "Your shingle work stinks!"

 105A. "Don't take candy from strangers," say? : GUILE WARNING. Gale warning.

 123A. Empty church basket? : COLLECTION PLIGHT. Collection plate.

 16D. Landing with just a toothbrush? : LIGHT ARRIVAL. Late arrival.

 67D. Indian chef's series of adventures? : SPICE ODYSSEY. Space Odyssey. I think Indians even use spices in their breakfast.

Three sound changes occur in the back, the rest front. You don't want an odd man out.

Hope Kazie finds time solve this puzzle today, right up her alley. Dave moved back to the States when he was 6 years old (?), he might not have an Aussie accent.

Another grid with only 68 black squares and no cheater squares. Lovely.

 Across:

1. Not as risky : SAFER

6. Influential collegian, briefly : BMOC (Big Man On Campus)

10. Mus. direction in a dramatic passage : CRESC

15. Dalmatian, e.g. : SLAV. People of Dalmatia, rather than the dog.

19. Where surfers shop : E-MALL. Nice clue.

20. Sphere opening : IONO. Ionosphere.

21. Romney foe : OBAMA. Waiting for gift, Mr. President.

22. __ colada : PINA

26. Breakfast fare : EGGS

27. Name on sweet pieces : REESE

28. Deceptive handle : ALIAS. Deceptive clue.

29. Memorable Shakespearean trio : WITCHES

31. Solstice mo. : DEC

32. "Ghostbusters" goo : SLIME

34. Like blue cheese : RICH

37. Cosa __ : NOSTRA

38. Virginie, e.g. : ETAT

43. Syst. with gestures : ASL. This is in sign language. The title is "Start All Over Again". My go-to song when I'm feeling blue.

44. Furrowed : STRIATE. Gimme, Spitzboov? I'm more familiar with STRIA.

46. Patriotic chant : USA USA

47. Island S. of 10-Down : SAR (Sardinia) 10. Napoleon I's birthplace : CORSICA

49. Program writer : CODER

50. Pre-coll. exams : SATs

53. Place setting items : MATS

55. __ flakes : BRAN

58. ACLU concerns : RTs

60. Like leaves : LOBED

63. Drug in Shatner novels : TEK

64. Roller coaster, e.g. : RIDE

65. Tough call : TOSS UP

68. Firenze's land : ITALIA. Florence.

70. Verb in the classic "Mission: Impossible" opening scene : DISAVOW. No idea. Did you all get this easily?

72. One in a military march? : HUP.  "___, two, three, four..."

76. Litigator's org. : ABA

77. Outfit for an outfit : UNIFORM

79. Official commands : EDICTS

80. Biceps band : ARMLET

82. 13th-century date : MCCI. 1201.

83. President pro __ : TEM

85. Uppity sort : SNOOT

86. Beach shirt : TEE

87. "Fawlty Towers" producer, with "the" : BEEB. BBC.

88. Old dagger : SNEE

90. Cognac grade, initially : VSOP (Very Special Old Pale). I dated a guy who drank Cognac & tonic water every night. 

92. Reuben need : SWISS

96. Spanish she-bear : OSA

98. Not really, with "only" : IN NAME

101. Quiet : EASEFUL. This is a word? OK, then.

103. Goal for a H.S. dropout : GED

109. Urgent : DIRE

110. Beefeater product : DRY GIN. Beefeater is a gin brand. New to me.

112. Algerian port : ORAN

113. Oct. 24, 1947 declaration : UN DAY

115. __ school : MED

116. Abby and Martha's poison of choice, in a 1939 play : ARSENIC. "Arsenic and Old Lace".

118. Types : KINDs

120. Asian wraps : SARIS

122. Democratic donkey designer : NAST (Thomas)

128. Wineglass feature : STEM

129. Water from France : EVIAN

130. City west of Caen : ST LO

131. Reverberations in une grotte : ÉCHOS. French plural.

132. Mitty portrayer : KAYE (Danny). Walter Mitty.

133. Data update mechanisms : FEEDS

134. Partings : BYES

135. Venezia casino winner : SETTE (Seven). Venezia, Venice.

Down:

1. Sun. speech : SER (Sermon)

2. Disaronno Originale product : AMARETTO. Italian for "a little bitter". Argyle might know the brand.

3. King or queen : FACE CARD

4. Sommer of film : ELKE

5. Like May through August, in a way : R-LESS

6. Book flap feature : BIO

7. My friend abroad : MON AMI. Literally "My friend".

8. Long John Silver feature : ONE LEG

9. "__ fan tutte": Mozart opera : COSI

11. Sac fly result : RBI

12. Suffix with Jacob : EAN. Jacobean.

13. Diving duck : SMEW

14. Sausage skin : CASING. I like Cantonese sausage. They are sweet. 

15. Short details? : SPECS

17. Infuriates : ANGERS

18. Feudal servant : VASSAL

24. Dutch pottery city : DELFT. Vermeer's hometown.

25. St. __: Caribbean island : BARTS. Never heard of it.

30. Little piggies : TOES

31. Invoice column hdg. : DESC. Description, I suppose.

33. Infuriates : IRES

35. Pal : CHUM

36. Goes after : HAS AT

39. Theater sections : TIERS

41. Conserves : HUSBANDS. Boomer does not know the "Conserve" meaning of HUSBAND. I learned from doing Xword.

42. Like "Mary Poppins" : RATED G

45. Maestro Toscanini : ARTURO

48. Magician's opening : ABRA

51. Arabic alphabet opener : ALIF

52. Funny Fields : TOTIE. No memory of this lady.

54. Topper seen on a mogul : SKI HAT. Marti style clue. Alas, I was picturing Donald Trump's "real hair" toupee.

56. Hacienda brick : ADOBE

57. A beginner in : NEW AT

59. Man cave topic : SPORTS

61. Onetime Rolex rival : ELGIN. I wanted OMEGA.

62. Find : DISCOVER

65. Opposable digit : THUMB

66. Prevention measure? : OUNCE.  "An ounce of prevention..."

69. Choir section : ALTOS

71. Put in bold type, say : STRESS

74. Subtitle of the sequel "Damien" : OMEN II. Looks disturbing.

75. Analogy words : IS TO

78. Trivial lies : FIBS

81. Spoke Siamese? : MEWED

84. __ Park: Edison lab site : MENLO

89. Nuke-testing dept. : ENER

91. Remain undecided : PEND

93. "Allow me ..." : IF I MIGHT. I say "If I may".

94. Deadeye : SURE SHOT

95. Arctic carrier : SLED

97. Rube's "anti" : AGIN'

99. Opens one's eyes : AWAKENS

100. Crazed : MANIC

102. Audibly awed : AGASP

103. Southern Baltic Sea port : GDANSK. Wiki said it's the birth place of Lech Walesa's Solidarity movement.

104. List of typos and such : ERRATA

106. Worldwide relief org. : UNICEF

107. It's common in some camps : NUDITY. Never been to one. You?

108. Boot part : INSOLE

111. "Capisce?" : GET ME?

114. Many pin tumbler locks : YALES

117. Shelter from a storm, perhaps : COVE

119. Airline investigative org. : NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board)

121. Fried __ : RICE. Have some!

124. Golfer's concern : LIE. Downhill lie is hard to work with.

125. Chap : LAD

126. Stats, e.g. : NO.s

127. "Cats" poet's monogram : T.S.E.

C.C.