Thursday, Feb 14, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: Quip

23A:Start of a quip: If at first you
37A: Part 2 of quip: Do not recede, diet
48A: End of quip: And diet again

I don't quite get this quip. I guess I don't understand the meaning of "recede" here. Tide recedes, your heart-broken memories recede. What the heck does Mr. Olschwang try to say here? (Update: This is a Evan Esar quote, see here).

I see no hints of love in this Valentine's Day puzzle, do you? The crossword editor only wants us to diet, and diet again. And I will, from today. On our kitchen table, right now, besides a beautiful "Rose Are Red..." card, are ten apples styled in the shape of a heart and one sweet gold pineapple. My sweet husband!

My only hiccup today is the lower middle corner. I had no idea who Eric the magazine founder is (UTNE, 60A). I did not know who wrote "Jane Shore" (57D: ROWE). I put ATOM rather than IOTA for 49D: Tiny bits. And I was thinking of silver lining for 46D: Like some linings.

Across Entry:

1A: Vegas quote: ODDS

9A Prepared to take notice: SAT UP

14A: Tabby's comment: MEOW

15A:Sister/Wife of Zeus: HERA. Greek mythology. Daughter of Rhea.

16A: Try to get one's goat: TEASE. I nailed this one. This clue appeared on Jan 29's puzzle.

17A: Stridex target: ACNE

19A: Duck down: EIDER

20A: Zola novel: NANA (Huge failure for Anna Sten)

26A: Founded: abbr.: EST (Established)

27A: Jogged: RAN

28A: Above, to a poet: O'ER

31A: Theatrical comment: ASIDE

35A: Poetic contraction: 'EER

36A: Ray of "Battle Cry": ALDO

42A: Vichy water: EAU

43A: Rhone tributary: SAONE. Most of the river names bother me. Are river names acceptable in Scrabble?

44A: "__ Soffel": MRS. Never saw it. Mel Gibson and Diane Keaton starred in this movie.

45A: Shell propeller: OAR

46A: Fast flier's letters: SST (Supersonic Transport)

54A: Fen: MARSH

57A: "Jane Shore" dramatist: ROWE (Nicholas). The complete name is "The Tragedy of Jane Shore".

58A: Parasites on people: LICE

60A: Magazine founder Eric: UTNE. Never read Utne Reader. Never heard of this guy. Just found out that he actually lives here in MN.

61A: Garfield's pal: ODIE (the comic strip)

64A: Oregon city: BEND. Your primary is too late.

65A: Prevailing tide: TREND

66A: ID info: SSNS. Driver's License does not have SSN on it.

67A: Tense: EDGY

Down entry:

1D: Man from Muscat: OMANI

2D: Low-boost coffee?: DECAF. Why question mark on the clue?

3D: Prima __: DONNA

5D: Proposition maintained by argument: THESIS

8D: Date producer: PALM TREE. In Middle East, yes. In Far East, No. Dates are smaller and they grown in normal fruit trees.

9D: Trample: STEP ON

10D: Kindergarten quintet: AEIOU (A E I O U, all vowels)

13D: Dijon dad: PERE (French for Dad)

24D: Leg ends: FEET

28D: Highly spiced stew: OLIO. Sometimes it's OLLA.

30D: Memorizing process: ROTE

31D: First of billions: ADAM. I like this clue.

32D: Go off, as milk: SOUR

34D: E-mail address symbol: DOT

35D: Old French coin: ECU. Sometimes it's Sou.

36D: Oklahoma town: ADA

38D: Study: READ

39D: Sound sensors: EARDRUMS

40D: Como ___ Usted?: ESTA

45D: Postponed: ON HOLD

46D: Like some linings: SEWN IN

47D: Proud mounts: STEEDS

48D: Pale: ASHEN

49D: Tiny bits: IOTAS

50D: Spherical map: GLOBE

53D: Indigent: NEEDY

54D: Money maker?: MINT. Again, why question mark?

55D: Hebrew month: ADAR. This is the only Jewish month I know.

56D: Speak incoherently: RAVE

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

C. C.

Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008 Philip J. Anderson

Theme: Construction project in D. C. ?

20A: Assemble a panel
38A: Build a consensus
51A: Hammer out a deal

And engineer another "bridge to no where"?

Can not stand "The Hammer" DeLay. I change channel every time I see his mug. Glad he is out!

I love this puzzle, it makes me feel so smart this morning. If not for 60A: Long-distance swimmer Diana (NYAD) and the 56D: Heroine of "The Clan of the Cave Bear" (AYLA), I would have conquered the whole field sans googling.

Here are some highlights:

1A: Beatles film: HELP!

5A: Comic Laurel: STAN. Lurel & Hardy fame.

9A: Durkheim or Zola: EMILE

14A: Peter Fonda film role: ULEE. His recent role is in movie 3:10 to Yuma (also starring Russel Crowe.).

16A: Gruesome: LURID

17A: Fashionable Christian: DIOR

24A: Cockney abodes: 'Omes ("H" is dropped in Cockney dialect)

25A: Thorns: SPINES

34A: Old road to Fairbanks: ALCAN (Alaska-Canadian Highway)

35A: Mr. Doubleday: ABNER. I got the answer from the down clues. Never heard of his name before. Wow, he invented the game of baseball. I've never been to Cooperstown. Maybe my husband will take me there when Tony Oliva is voted in. By the way, the name of the Doubleday publisher is Frank Nelson Doubleday.

42A: Luges: SLEDS

43A: Composure: POISE

44A: Golfer Sabbatini: RORY. South African golfer. So close to win the Masters last year. He once said: "You lick the lollipop of mediocrity once and you’ll suck for ever.” Mr. Alan P. Olschang, if you are reading this blog, please quote this line in your puzzle.

46A: Half an African fly: TSE

47A: Easy gallop: CANTER

48A: Shrink's org: APA (American Psychiatric Association)

50A: Yalies: ELIS (Elihu Yale). Bush, John Kerry, Clintons, all yalies. Strange that Bill Clinton did not join the Skull and Bones, or is it a pure Republican secrecy?

58A: Swelling: EDEMA

59A: Bring up: REAR

60A: Long-distance swimmer Diana: NYAD. She has accomplished so much in her life.

62A: "Psycho" setting: MOTEL

63A: Novelist Wiesel: ELIE

64A: Feature of some skirts: SLIT

65A: Rhone tributary: ISERE

67A: Dumbo's wings: EARS

Down clues:

1D: Newman movie: HUD. Love the Sting, the Hustler, Cool Hand Luke.

2D: Director Kazan: ELIA

3D: Tolstoy & Durocher: LEO.

4D: Private: PERSONAL

7D: Blue dye: ANIL (indigo plant or the blue dye from the plant)

13D: Biographer of Henry James: EDEL (Leon). He won a Pulitzer for his Henry James work.

22D: Yellow Fever mosquito: AEDES. Got it from the across clues. Never heard of it. Both singular and plural are aedes.

25D: Cavalryman's weapon: SABER

26D: Mickey's pup: PLUTO

28D: Residence: ABODE

31D: Postulate: POSIT

32D: Maltreatment: ABUSE

33D: Stair part: RISER

40D: Absurdity: NONSENSE

45D: Complain peevishly: YAMMER

47D: Dry red wine: CLARET

49D: U.S. painter Rembrandt: PEALE

50D: Online trade: ETAIL

51D: Half: pref: HEMI

54D: Utah city near Provo: OREM

55D: Ubangi tributary: UELE. 3 vowels in this Congo river.

56D: Heroine of "the Clan of the Cave Bear": AYLA (played by Daryl Hannah). This movie is on our Netflix queue after one reader recommended it to me. The surname of its author Jean M Auel was clued on Jan 31 puzzle.

61D: Sot's shakes: DTS (Delirium tremens, alcohol withdrawal symptom).

Bring it on Thursday.

C. C.

Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008 Allan E. Parish

Theme: Rhyming "ole"

21A: Royalty of rhyme: Old King Cole
37A: "One Soldier's Story" author" Bob Dole
55A: Star part: Leading Role

This puzzle is impossible, simply impossible for me. I feel so bloodied and battered. Never heard of those drugs: DEMEROL (23A: Morphine-like narcotic), NO DOZ (11D: Vivarin rival). Our local TV Stations keep playing Ambien sleeping pill ads.

This constructor did Feb 1, Friday's Robin William movie role puzzle, with the tricky Politico Perot (HROSS) clue.

The right lower corner is brutal, I am just not a football fan, never heard of WEEB (67A: Hall of Fame coach Ewbank), never heard of ESPN football analyst Merril (HOGE). Have no idea what was the word for 52A: Fastened, nautically (BELAYED).

Mythical crier (16A) NIOBE? "The Wayward Wind" singer Grant (GOGI, 6D)? Way too much for me.

My hats off to you if you complete this puzzle without googling.

Across Clues:

1A: Letters before www: HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

5A: Computer image file format: JPEG (digital image in a disk, short for Joint Photographic Experts Group.)

9A: Old lab burners: ETNAS. It's a gas burner in a lab. I always thoughts ETNA is the volcano in Sicily.

14A: MP's target: AWOL (Absent Without Leave). MP here refers to the Military Police.

16A: Rice-like pasta: ORZO

16A: Mythical crier: NIOBE. Greek mythology character. Here is who she is: "The daughter of Tantalus and wife of Amphion of Thebes. She provoked Apollo and Artemis to vengeance by taunting their mother, Leto, with the number and beauty of her own children; Niobe's children were slain and Zeus turned her into stone, in which state she continued to weep over her loss."

17A: 2002 AL Cy Young winner: ZITO (Barry). Gimme for me. He is not that good any more. right now, Johan Santana is the best.

18A: Uncommon blood type: B NEG

19A: Directory: INDEX

21A: Royalty of rhyme: OLD KING COLE. Celtic nursery rhyme. I never heard of it.

23A: Morphine-like narcotic: DEMEROL. Anna Nicole Smith would have filled this one easily. Oh, I just found out that Robert Kennedy's 4th son David actually died of this Demerol overdose in 1984.

25A: Thunderstruck: AMAZED

26A: Surveyor's map: PLAT. I thought of "PLOT".

27A: Backless sofa: DIVAN

29A: Turn bad: SPOIL

31A: Flow oh-so-slowly: OOZE.

32A: Rip off: SCAM

36A: D. C. Figure: POL.

37A: "One Soldier's Story" author: BOB DOLE. Gimme for a political junkie.

40A: Ms. Thurman: UMA

41A: Chopped down: AXED

43A: Part of FDA: FOOD. China executed its FDA head for bribes last year. Our ex-head of FDA joined a big lobbying firm. Who knows if he was corrupted or not?

44A: Shady spot: ARBOR

46A: __ Park, CO: ESTES

48A: Tot holder: CRIB

46A: Abrasion: SCRAPE

52A: Fastened, nautically: BELAYED, unknown to me.

55A: Star Part: LEADING ROLE

58A: Turn left!: HAW

59A: Milk dispenser?: UDDER

60A: Sheep output: WOOL

61A: ESPN football analyst Merril: HOGE. Sorry, sir, I never heard of your name. The only ESPN guy, or rather ex-ESPN guy I know is Keith Olbermann, the host of MSNBC's Countdown.

62A: Pine Tree State: MAINE

63A: Writer Ferber: EDNA

64A: French pronoun: ELLE

65A: Goads: PRODS

66A __-do-well: NEER

67A: Hall of Fame coach Ewbank: WEEB. Forgive my ignorance. He had an incredible career.

Down clues:

1D: Initiated fraternity pledges: HAZED.

2D: Packing cord: TWINE

3D: Indian post: TOTEM POLE

4D: Middle East org.: PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization). Just think of Arafat & Abbas.

5D: Merchandise unit: JOB LOT

6D: Gearshift letters: PRNDL (Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive, Low).

7D: O. T. bk: EZEK (EZEKIEL). Tricked into EZRA first.

8D: "The Wayward Wind" singer Grant: GOGI. She is still alive.

9D: Conumdrum: ENIGMA

10D: Destroyers, casually: TIN CANS. Navy slang term for destroyer.

11D: Vivarin rival: NO DOZ. I learned a few brands this morning: No Doz, Alert, Stay awake and Vivarin). Coffee is sufficient for me.

12D: White poplar: ABELE. I only knew Aspen.

13D: H. S. course: SEX ED

21D: Reach dental rival: ORAL B. Stared too long at this clue. I am using a Oral B toothbrush, yet I could not figure out what the heck is Reach competitor. My mind is fixed on Reach Floss.

22D: Type of Orange: NAVEL

27D: Bygone birds: DODOS

28D: Alligator shirt maker? IZOD. Izod Clothing.

30D: Chicken __: POX

31D: Hautboy: OBOE

33D: Storage spot: CUBBYHOLE

34D: Latin lesson word: AMO. To love. Amo, Amos.

39D: Singer Steve: EARLE. Here is more detailed information about him.

42D: Cul-de-sac: DEAD END

45D: Small inlet: RIA

47D: Steeple toppers: SPIRES

48D: Basement: CELLAR

49D: Losing streak: SLUMP. I can not wait for the baseball season to start. I truly enjoy seeing Torii Hunter in a slump.

50D: Fragrant wood: CEDAR

51D: Brit's wireless: RADIO. (Update: British call radio wireless, they call TV telly. )

52D" "Have Gun Will Travel" star": BOONE (Richard). Too old a TV star for me. If it's clued as baseball family name, I would have nailed it. Bret Boone was with the Twins for less than 3 weeks in 2005, and he was awful.

53D: Philly gridder: EAGLE

54D: Nerd: DWEEB

56D: Singer Stefani: GWEN. She has a style. No Doubt about it.

61D: Cut with an ax: HEW

OK, now I need my breakfast, and lick my wounds.

C. C.

Monday, Feb 11, 2008 Phillip J. Anderson

Theme: Film/TV Mr. & Mrs.

17A: Mr. & Mrs.: LUCKY AND MINIVER
41A: Mr. & Mrs.: MOM AND DOUBTFIRE
65A: Mr. & Mrs.: MOTO AND DALLOWAY

If you come to my blog today, then you probably have trouble finishing this Monday puzzle too. Ha ha, that's very comforting for me to know. Very comforting.

I worked my tail off, but I just did not know who is Lily's relative (CAMAS), I kept thinking "calla lily". Had no idea AVISO means dispatch boat. Did not know that EUROPA is another Jupiter satellite. Why did they name satellite names after Greek God & Goddess?

Across Clues:

1A: Kett of the comics: ETTA. He appeared in yesterday's crossword. Wherefore art thou, ETTA James?

2A: Go a round with: SPAR

9A: Book composition: PAGES

16A: Existing: ALIVE

17A: Mr. & Mrs.: LUCKY AND MINIVER: Never saw Mr. Lucky or Mrs. Miniver. Sound so old to me.

20A: Purloined: STOLEN

25A: Puff stuff: TALC

30A: Casa component: SALA.

32A: Temptresses: SIRENS

38A: Teases: RIBS

41A: Mr. & Mrs.: MOM AND DOUBTFIRE. "Mrs. Doubtfire" is goofy, I never watched Mr. Mom.

44A: Dispatch boat: AVISO. Unknown to me.

45A: Columnist Bombeck: ERMA. I tend to confuse her with "Joy of Cooking" author/chef IRMA Rombauer.

46A: Hefty volume: TOME

47A: Seed for a bun: SESAME. Eat more sesame seeds, your hair will be thicker and fuller.

49A: Dash gauge: TACH

52A: Farm tower: SILO

54A: Neighbor of Libya: CHAD. Anti-French riots in Chad, that's all I know about this country.

59A: Nothing in Nogales: NADA

61A: Satellite of Jupiter: EUROPA. On Sunday's crossword, the Jupiter satellite is ELARA. OK, I stole this definition for Europa: Classical Mythology. a sister of Cadmus who was abducted by Zeus in the form of a bull and taken to Crete, where she bore him Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Sarpedon.

65A: Mr. & Mrs.: MOTO AND DALLOWAY. Never watched Mr. MOTO. Love "The Hours" with Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf.

70A: Hawaiian goose: NENE. Another pretty thing, look at here. I still cannot believe Huckabee ate squirrels while in college (fried in a popcorn popper, Meet the Press yesterday).

71A: "Teachers" star Nick: NOLTE. Too much drug/alcohol problems. He should start doing crosswords. That will cure him. Seriously. Alice Cooper cured his alcohol problem by taking up golf.

72A: Bring up: REAR

73A: Tolkien's tree creatures: ENTS

Down Clues:

2D: Track tipster: TOUT

3D: Tex-Mex order: TACO

5D: Recognized authority: STANDARD

6D: Brooch: PIN

8D: Send payment to: REMIT

9D: Jury member: PANELIST

13D: Withered: SERE

24D: Lose traction: SLIDE

26D: Vessel: CRAFT

27D: Lily relative: CAMAS. Stared at the CA_AS for a long time. It's the prettiest thing I've seen this morning.

28D: Garlic section: CLOVE

29D: Penultimate round: SEMIS

31D: Terminate: ABORT

33D "Silas Marner" writer: ELIOT (George)

34D: Bellini opera: NORMA. I know nothing about opera.

35D: Look of a villain: SNEER

37D: Haciendas: CASAS. Look at 30A: Casa component. I don't like it when the clue word is also the answer in the same puzzle.

39D: Singer Yma: SUMAC. A fresh change. This editor loves to clue Singer Sumac a lot.

42D: Appoint: NOMINATE

48D: Flair: ELAN. Obama has plenty. Did you watch 60 minutes last night?

50D: Transport by truck: HAUL

53D: Stranger: ODDER

55D: Plane without a pilot: DRONE

58D: Lat. list-ender: ETAL (Single: et alibi, plural: et alii)

60D: For two, in music: A DUE. Never heard of it.

62D: Writer Wister: OWEN. Never read any of his books.

63D: Huff and puff: PANT

67D: Coach Parseghian: ARA. The "Era of Ara." Here in MN, we have our own Tubby Time. Go Gophers!

Please let me know if you spot any mistake. I am just terrible at spelling and very prone to typo. Thank you & have a wonderful week.

C. C.

Sunday, Feb 10, 2008 Willy A. Wiseman

Theme: Broken Hearts (with the word "heart" embedded in the phrases, but broken into pieces)

23A: "Arrangement in Black and Gray No 1:_": The Artist's Mother
44A: Some sculptures: Papier Mache Art
70A: Be induced: Hear the call
93A: Certain Native American item of value: Apache Artifact
120A: Antique Gallic hearing aid: French ear trumpet.
17D: Warm browns: Rich earthtones
52D: Succeed at eavesdropping: Overhear things

An early Valentine's gift for us, thank you editor, whoever you are. I decided not to whine today. Soldiers never complain.

Here are some keys:

Across:

1A: Candle wax: PARAFFIN. I am currently obsessed with bee wax product.

9A: Green clusters: LEAFAGE

16A: Scottish hillside: BRAE. Scottish word for "hill".

20A: Australian city: ADELAIDE. Capital of the State of South Australia.

21A: Formula math: ALGEBRA

22A: Enunciation problem: LISP

23A: "Arrangement in Black and Gray No 1:_": The Artist's Mother. Also known as Whistler's Mother.

29A: "Over there" composer: COHAN (George)

30A: Product to mine: ORE

31A: Prescribing medicine: DOSING

35A: Variety of corundum: EMERY

36A: Silk-fiber binder: SERICIN , "viscous gelatinous protein that forms on the surface of raw-silk fibers." Never heard of this word.

39A: Mil. address: APO (Army & Air Force Post Office)

44A: Some sculptures: Papier Mache Art. Lots of old dolls are made of Papier Mache.

49A: Doc in training: RES (Resident)

50A: German toast: PROSIT. Remember the "L'chaim and Prosit" clue for Toast on Friday?

54A: Russian chess champion: TAL (Mikhai).

55A: Once, once: ERST

57A: Stable staffers: LIVERY MEN.

59A: Indonesian island: JAVA

60A: For example: SUCH AS

64A: S. American tuber: OCA. It looks like this. Has anyone had it before? Is it good?

65A: Southwest desert: SONORA

67A: Taiwan Strait islands: MATSU

68A: Word after Scotland: YARD. British Police Force.

70A: Be induced: HEAR THE CALL.

74A: Deck off. BOSN (BOATSWAIN)

75A: For a specific purpose: AD HOC

77A: Backs of boats: STERNS

78A: Memory unit: BIT

80A: Beat follower: NIK

81A: See-through curtains: SHEERS

83A: Art colony in New Mexico: TAOS

84A: Sea-scented air: SEA BREEZE

87A: Beginning on: AS OF

88A: Yuck!: ICK

89A: Explode: POP

90A: China's Sun___: YAT-SEN

91A: 90 degrees from vert: HOR (Horizontal)

93A: Certain Native American item of value: APACHE ARTIFACT

99A: "__ Gracias": DEO. Thanks be to God.

100A: Star in Scorpio: ANTARES

104A: Iranian religion: BAHA'I. Never heard of it. Most of the Iranians are Shias I think. Read more if you are interested in it. I have no curiosity for this faith.

106A: Die dot: PIP

109A: Fragrances: SCENTS

110A: 1964 A. L. Rookie of the Year: OLIVA (Tony). He should be in Hall of Fame. Those baseball writers/voters are deaf and blind. OK, Maybe I am too harsh, but some of them indeed are oblivious to what Oliva has achieved.

116A: Actress Arden: EVE

117A: Glossed term: LEMMA

119A: Cows: KINE. Such a weird plural form.

120A: Antique Gallic hearing aid: FRENCH EAR TRUMPET

124A: M. I. T. grad: ENGR

125A: Responded to a stimulus: REACTED

126A: Reduce by ten percent: DECIMATE

127A: Scottish loch: NESS

128A: City on the Loire: ORLEANS

129A: Desalination byproduct: SEA SALTS.

Down Clues:

1D: Pitifulness: PATHOS

2D: Stick: ADHERE

3D: Jai follower: A LAI

5D: Gambler's card game: FARO

4D: Tailor's concern: FIT

7D: Brutal Amin: IDI

9D: Patronymic: LASTNAME (sorry for the mistake yesterday)

11D: Greek contest: AGON. Here is the definition from dictionary.com: (in ancient Greece) a contest in which prizes were awarded in any of a number of events, as athletics, drama, music, poetry, and painting.

12D: Gala celebrations: FETES

13D: Really hate: ABHOR

14D Caribbean island: GRENADA

15D: Jug handle: EAR

16D: Blossom: BLOOM

17D: Warm browns: RICH EARTHTONES

18D: Fertility goddess: ASTARTE. BAAL is God of Fertility.

19D: Names turned into words: EPONYMS

24D: Mai __ cocktail: TAI

29D: Vitamin brand: CENTRUM. I don't like it, the pills are too big.

31D: Painting in two panels: DIPTYCH. New word to me. Here is how it looks like.

32D: Sailor's grp: ONI (Office of Navy Intelligence)

33D: Coll. student's rating: GPA

37D: __ dixit: IPSE. Latin. He himself said it (an assertion without proof)

40D: Numbers at the pump: OCTANES

42D: Greek god of war: ARES. Mars is the Roman God of War.

46D: Take flight: RUN

47D: Widespread confusion: HAVOC

48D: Satellite of Jupiter: ELARA

50D: Spanish beaches: PLAYAS

51D: Capital of Saudi Arabia: RIYADH. Would you believe I nailed this one?

52D: Succeed at eavesdropping: OVERHEAR THINGS

56D: Wound cover: SCAB

61D: Court session: ASSIZE. Never heard of this word.

62D: Submerged: SUNKEN

63D: Set the rowing pace: STROKED

66D: Jessica of "Dark Angel": ALBA. She is very pretty.

69D: Bunny moms: DOES

71D: Top room: ATTIC

72D: Stretch: REACH

73D: Tripoli populace: LIBYANS. There is also a seaport in Lebanon called Tripoli.

76D: Land of Zagreb: CROATIA.

79D: Flier: TRACT

82D: Letters from Nob Hill cops: SFPD (San Francisco Police Dept)

84D: Bar fly: SOT

85D: Center starter: EPI

86D: Kett of the comics: ETTA

89D: Continues after a pause: PROCEEDS

91D: Sinatra's birthplace: HOBOKEN. I forgot. I actually read Kitty Kelley's His Way a few months ago. Too gossipy.

92D: Like a translucent gemstone: OPALINE

94D: Hopeful one: ASPIRER. Always thought it was Aspirant.

95D: DDE's rival: AES. Can never remember Stevenson's middle name Ewing.

101D: Flutist Jean Pierre: RAMPAL. He is unknown to me.

102D: Clown Kelly: EMMETT. Next time I will remember this tramp clown.

103D: Sudden flows: SPATES

105D: States with conviction: AVERS

107D: Paradigm: IDEAL

108D: Pieces of pounds?: PENCE (plural of penny, British way)

111D: Socially inept losers: NERDS. Bill Gates is a nerd, look at how successful he is. He is a also good bridge player. Oh, he also plays golf. I picture him slicing the ball. I bet he can't hook.

115D: Proceedings? ACTA. I don't understand the answer to the clue. Pls help me here.

117D: San __ Obispo: LUIS

118D: Jane Austen novel: EMMA. I should read this book. I wasted over one hour this morning reading Victoria Beckham's "That Extra Half Inch" while waiting for our newspaper (crossword) to arrive.

123D: Pioneering TV co. RCA

That's all. Pls let me know if you spot any mistake.

Oh, by the way, you can watch Orange (Amy Reynaldo) on Merv Griffin's Crossword show here and here. The quality of Part I is very good, but I had trouble viewing Part II. Read her Feb 7 blog recap should you have time. She is just incredibly talented & efficient.

C. C.

Saturday, Feb 9, 2008 Ed Voile

Theme: NONE

I got bogged down by 15A: Wild way to run? (AMUCK). I had no idea that AMOK can be as wild a variant as AMUCK. I just did not know 9D: Capital of Macedonia (SKOPJE).

I gave up the fight very earlier on, and started googling without shame. I am convinced that I am simply not capable of finishing a Saturday puzzle without cheating. Right now, my targets are Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Here are the recaps:

10A: Gun maker: COLT

14A: Gospel singer Winans: CeCe (BeBe & CeCe Winans)

15A: Wild way to run? AMUCK. Did you get this one easily?

18A: Calgary Stampede, e.g.: RODEO

19A: First name in denim? LEVI

20A: River of Venezuela: ORINOCO. Never heard of it. It flows into Atlantic Ocean.

22A: Formed into a ball: SPHERED

24A: Chita of "West Side Story": RIVERA. Remember the multi-talented Rivera clue on Feb 1?

25A: Shove aside: JOSTLE

25A: Clairvoyant: SEERESS. Female clairvoyant.

28A: Refer to incidentally: MENTION

29A: Greek letter: OMEGA

31A: Complete extent: GAMUT

32A: Hors d'oeuvres spread: PATE

36A: Military tactic: SIEGE

38A: Jazz sessions: SETS.

39A: In an upright position: ON END

41A: "The Prisoner of __": ZENDA. Come here for more information on this adventure novel.

43A: Sea lavender: STATICE. Unknown to me. They look so pretty.

45A: Superlatively ventilated: AIRIEST

50A: Actress Wright: TERESA. She is the wife of Lou Gehrig in "The Pride of the Yankees." Great movie. Watch 61 if you are a baseball fan, it's about Yankees' 1961 season when Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris try to break Babe Ruth's home run record.

51A: Plowed but left unseeded: FALLOW

52A: Pub patron: DRINKER

54A: Course outlines: SYLLABI (plural of syllabus)

55A: Questionable contraction? AIN'T

56A: Mount of Moses: SINAI

58A: Face features: EYES

59A: Carryall: TOTE

60A: Dress up: ADORN

61A: Annoying fit: SNIT

62A: Love god: EROS

63A: Mark sale items: RETAG

64A: Vietnamese holidays: TETS (Feb 7 this year, the same as Chinese Spring Festival).

Down Clues:

1D: Players: ACTORS

2D: Sweet-'ums: DEARIE

3D: Moving here and there: ACTIVE

5D: Cutting bits of wit: SARCASMS

6D: Melville's "Typee" sequel: OMOO

7D: Failure: DUD

9D: Capital of Macedonia: SKOPJE. How can I remember this word? Slavic words are strange.

10D: Keyboard percussion instrument: CELESTAS

11D:Worker's additional income: OVERTIME

12D: Flatten: LEVEL OUT

13D: Three-pronged weapons: TRIDENTS

23D: __ Kong: HONG. I put KING first.

27D: Confiscate: SEIZE

28D: __Carta: MAGNA

30D: Turn right!: GEE. Turn left is HAW.

32D: Follow in time: POSTDATE

33D: Located on the front: ANTERIOR.

34D: Rip open: TEAR INTO

35D: International understandings: ENTENTES. I tend to confuse Detente with Entente, a lot.

37D: Encouraging intellectual improvement: EDIFYING

40D: Data storage item: DISK

44D: Roman autocrat: CAESAR

47D: Comic Boosler: ELAYNE. I think I blogged her a few days ago.

48D: Amen!: SO BE IT!

49D: Plot surprises: TWISTS.

54D: Gilbert of Teasale: SARA. Sara Teasale is a poet. Sara Gilbert is Melissa Gilbert's sister.

Now I am famished. Need some power breakfast. Have a good weekend everyone.

C. C.

Friday, Feb 8, 2008 Michael T. Williams

Theme: Brand Names for Chocolate/Candy Bars

17A: Giggler's treat?: Snickers

42A: One for all and all for one treat: Three Musketeers

65A: Astronomer's treat?: Milky Way

Also, 12D: Generic Treats: Candy Bars.

37D: Generic treat: Chocolate

It's a sweet puzzle. But some of the clues were beyond my knowledge, ie, 35D: Prehistoric tomb (CIST), 28D: Cardinal flower (LOBELIA), 51D: Pagliacci role (TONIO), 63A: Bacchante (MAENAD).

I don't like the clue for 18D: Hot peppers: CHILIES. Hot pepper is either chili or chile or chilli. I am confident of my across fills, so I guess this fake chilie stays here today. (Update: The plural form of chili is either chilies or chilis. So, the crossword clue is right. I was wrong. My bad. I should have checked the dictionary before I commented).

Here are some of the highlights, please correct me if I am wrong.

1A: O. T. book: ISA (Isaiah)

8A: "Two Women" director: De Sica. Sophia Loren won Oscar for her role in this movie.

14A: Mil. installation: NAS (Navy Air Station)

15A: French religious figures: STES

19A: Actress Moreau: JEANNE. French actress.

24A: Write Dickens: MONICA. Great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens.

27A: Actor Mineo: SAL (sorry for the typo earlier).

29A: "Enola __": GAY

32A: Director Browning: TOD. Director of "Dracula".

36A: Set in motion: ACTIVATE

40A: Dwarfed tree: BONSAI. Knew this Japanese miniature tree, but forgot the spelling.

44A: L'chaim and prosit: TOASTS. (Jewish & German)

45A: Show on TV: TELECAST

46A: H. S. subj. SCI

49A: Droop: WILT

58A: Nancy of "Pollyanna": OLSON. Unknown to me.

60A: Gadgeteer Popeil: RON. But wait, there is more!

61A: Vocalized team spirit: RAHS. Feel a bit awkward to me.

63A: Bacchante: MAENAD. Never, never heard of this word. "A priestess or female votary of Bacchus". Too hard. Both the clue and the answer.

68A: New York prison: ATTICA

69A: Morse code: DIT

Down clues:

1D: Concisely, briefly: IN SUM

2D:__ Domingo: SANTO

5D: Goddess of folly: ATE. Here is the definition from dictionary.com: "an ancient Greek goddess personifying the fatal blindness or recklessness that produces crime and the divine punishment that follows it."

8D: Erving of hoops: Dr. J (Julius Erving)

11D: Corfu's location: IONIAN SEA.

18D: Hot peppers: CHILIES.

22D: CD's competition: DAT (Digital Audio Tape)

25D: Interviewer Dick: CAVETT.

26D: "Born Free" writer: ADAMSON (Joy)

28D: Cardinal flower: LOBELIA. New to me.

31D: R-V hookup: STU

33D: You don't say!: Do Tell!

35D: Prehistoric tomb: CIST. Note to you, this word can also be spelled as Kist, in case the crossword editor wants to trick us next time.

36D: Lawyers: abbr.: ATTS (Attorneys)

38D: Lionel products: TRAIN SETS

41D: Hummingbirds' eatery: NECTARY

43D: London garden: KEW. Royal Garden in Britain.

51D: Pagliacci role: TONIO. Here is more information.

53D: Mausoleums: TOMBS

55D: Like cut wood: SAWED

56D: Light olive brown: KHAKI

59D: Table salt: NACL

66D: Unit of illumination: LUX

67D: Vocal pitch: KEY

I am exhausted. Blog software acts weird this morning.

C. C.

Thursday, Feb 7, 2008 Alan P. Olschwang

Theme: William Hepworth Thompson Quote

20A: We're none of us
35A: Infallible
42A: Not even the
43A: Youngest of us

Never heard of this Thompson guy, but the quote is familiar to me. Bush could not think of ANY mistake he made when asked on a live press conference, then some pundit called upon this "none of us infallible" quote.

I was bogged down on the UNAU/ROUE part, and could not get myself out of the mess. I decided to try Mike's advice (Comments yesterday) and go to oneacross. I only cheated a little bit.

Here are some of the highlights:

Across Clues:

14A: Hoof beat: CLOP

15A: Dental exam: ORAL

17A: Charmer's instrument: OBOE

19A: River frolicker: OTTER

25A: Overthrows: USURPS.

29A: Chef Rombauer: IRMA. She wrote The Joy of Cooking.

39A: Two-toed sloth: UNAU. They look ugly.

46A: Pith: GIST

48A: Pioneering TV Co.: RCA (Radio Corporation of America)

49A: Spoils: LOOT

51A: Beaver hat: CASTOR. I put in CASPER.

61A: Abyss: CHASM

64A: Yankee Berra: YOGI. The Transcendental Meditation Yogi (guru to the Beatles) died on Tuesday.

65A: Flag fabricator: ROSS (Betty). I don't like the word "fabricator" in the clue.

69A: Man who played Chan: OLAND (Warner). I blogged about "Chan Portrayer" a few days ago, then I forgot it quickly. My brain simply refuses to absorb certain information.

71A: Charon's river: STYX. Basically I hate most of the crossword rivers.

Down Clues:

1D: Angry frown: SCOWL

2D:"A Delicate Balance" playwright: ALBEE

3D: Harmonizes an effort: COORDINATES

4D: "Pursuit of the Graf __": SPEE

5D: Hawaiian island: MOLOKA'I. Never been there.

7D: Chummy: MATEY. I heard of MATE/CHAP.

9D: Awakening: AROUSAL

10D: Taiwan Strait island: MATSU

22D: Roll up: FURL.

26D: Lucky charm: RABIT's FOOT. I never heard of this phrase. "A rabbit's foot is the foot of a carried as an amulet believed to bring good luck, American folklore". It has to be the left foot!

30D: Reprobate: ROUE. Could not get this one, and could not get that silly two-toed UNAU sloth from across.

31D: Wild party: BASH. I still could not believe those young kids would set fire on the antique furniture at Frost's home, why? Why did you pick up this road?

33D: Of an ancient alphabet: RUNIC (sorry for the mistake earlier).

37D: Airplane ride: FLT (Flight)

38D: "Othello" evildoer: IAGO. Maybe Orange can add this word on the "100 Must-Know Words" chapter on the next edition of her book.

43D: Sped like a toy truck: VROOMED

45D: Hard to catch: ELUSIVE

50D: Giant slugger?: OTT. Why question mark on the clue?

52D: Actress Cicely: TYSON. Unknown to me.

53D: Greek marketplace: AGORA

54D: Sired: BEGOT

56D: Sled dog: HUSKY

62D: Linden or Roach: HAL

63D: "Take on me" group: A HA. Norwegian band.

The Merv Griffin's Crossword is shown here at the Twin Cites at 3:00pm ONLY. I was misled by their website time (3:00pm & 5:00pm). Missed the opportunity to see how Orange looks like.

C. C.

Amy Reynaldo (Orange) on TV

Orange will be on Merv Griffin's Crosswords this afternoon (Feb 6 Wednesday) 5:00pm on KSTP Chanel 5.

C. C.

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008 Philip J. Anderson

Theme: Retail come-on

17A: Retail come-on: One-Stop Shopping
37A: Retail come-on: Two-Year Warranty
57A: Retail come-on: Three-Month Trial

I felt the strong wind from the very beginning. A hard struggle today. Did not even know how to cheat on 25A: Type of penguin (ADELIE) and 33A: Crevasse pinnacle (SERAC). Seriously, I spent more than 10 minutes just to google these 2 words.

Here are the interesting fills:

1A: Conductor Seiji: OZAWA. He was actually born in China, during the Japanese occupancy of China in the 1930s.

6A: In ___ Veritas: Vino. Literally, Truth in Wine. When you get drunk, you tend to tell truth, don't you? I don't. I only want to sleep.

10A: Glazier's piece: PANE. I googled my own blog and got this one.

16A: Fencer's stiletto: EPEE

20A: Legal thing: RES

22A: Large groups: MASSES

23A: Letters for Nob Hill cops: SFPD. Got this one. My sisters-in-law live in SF.

25A:Type of penguin: ADELIE. Look at here. Cute. Happy Feet.

33A: Crevasse pinnacle: SERAC. Hard clue, hard answer. This is why.

34A: Military trainee: CADET

35A: Clerical vestment: ALB

40A: Ref. set: OED (Oxford English Dictionary)

41A: Barely sufficient: SCANT

50A: Diet drastically: STARVE

54A: Arab Robe: ABA.

62A: Non-major studio film: INDIE

65A: Hindu grouping: CASTE

Down clues:

1D: Redolence: ODOR. I confused the word with Insolence. I tried to jam Idle in the blanks.

2D: Designated area: ZONE

4D: Director Craven: WES. Nightmare on Elm Street director.

5D: Ruses: ARTIFICES

6D: Insipid: VAPID. I thought of Sapid.

7D: __ dixit: IPSE. Literally, he himself said it. An assertion without proof. Peggy Noonnan sometimes sprinkles Latin in her columns.

8D: bk after Ezra: NEH

10D: Stomach enzyme: PEPSIN. I just found out that the commercial Pepsin is obtained from the stomach of hogs. Horrible.

11D: Sacred bull: APIS. I stole this explanation from dictionary.com "A sacred bull of the ancient Egyptians, acting as an intermediary between Ptah and humans."

12D: Oahu goose: NENE

13D: Mind readings: EEGS (Electroencephalograms)

18D: Greek flask: OLPE. Here is the definition.

19D: Dawber or Tillis: PAM

23D: Bowl over: SLAY. I put Stun first.

24D: Mubark's predecessor: SADAT. Gimme for me.

25D: "The Maltese Falcon" co-star: ASTOR (Mary).

26D: __ Decimal System: DEWEY. Never heard of it.

30D: Poem division: CANTO

32D: Deep chasam: ABYSS

34D: Stick one's neck out: CRANE

35D: Extremely stressful: TRAUMATIC

38D: Of schooling: ACADEMIC

39D: Pismires: ANTS

46D: Balderdash!: TOSH

50D: Caen's neighbor: ST LO. Caen & St. Lo are two cities in France, heavy fightings took place there during Battle of Normandy.

51D: Whale's location: THAR. But why???

52D: "Rule Britannia" composer: ARNE

53D: Scottish dagger: SNEE

54D: Helpful hints: AIDS. I put Cues first.

That's all friends. Now I need to find out what the heck happened in New Jersey last night. Here in MN, Obama 67%, Clinton 32%.

C. C.

Tuesday, Feb 5, 2008 Randall J. Hartman

Theme: Sobbing phrases

20A: Riparian tree: Weeping Willow

41A: Yellowbelly: Sniveling Coward

57A: Stephen Rea film: The Crying Game

I scanned the whole crossword quickly while dabbing the Burt's Bee around my eyes.

Then I saw 57A, I grabbed my pen and filled in the film name, rather smugly. I blogged about this Stephen Rea a few days ago. Then I filled in PUDGE for I-Rod (7D: Rodrigues, to fans) and a few other gimmes. I fought my way through other areas with little resistance until I came to the left lower corner.

I could not figure out who was 63D: Fidel's amigo (CHE), all I can is Hugo Chavez. It did not fit, then I thought Chavez must have a 3-letter nickname. I did not know the model's name, and I could not get know HILT for 58D: Excalibur's handle. So I called Uncle.

Here are the highlights:

16A: Veil material: TULLE, named after the French City where it's made.

20A: Riparian tree: Weeping Willow. In Far East, willow symbolizes sadness, esp when a loved one is leaving and you have no idea when you will see them again, if ever.

24A: Ferrara family: ESTE

30A: Sharpens a razor: STROPS

40A: Actress Marisa: TOMEI. "My Cousin Vinny" girl.

41A: Yellowbelly: Sniveling Coward. Mealy mouthed, Lily livered.

47A: Lose one's cool: SEE RED. I put Seethe first.

64A: Blackhorn fruit: SLOE

67A: Mini mountains: HILLS. I put MESAS. Sometimes my mind does not think straight.

69A: Corsica's neighbor: ELBA (new to me)

72A: Prognosticator: SEER

Down Clues:

2D: Hill crest: BROW as in Eye Brow?

7D: Catcher Rodriguez, to fans: PUDGE. Our catcher Joe Mauer is pretty good too. He just needs to stay healthy.

9D: Short dagger: STILETTO.

11D: Remove flawed ones: CULL

21D: Singer Tillis: PAM. Here is more information about this country singer.

31D: Competes at Henley: ROWS. The annual Henley Royal Regatta.

32D: Half a tape: SIDE A. I don't fall this kind of trap any more.

39D: Worker's refrain: TGIF

42D: Work out: EXERCISE

43D: Tight grippers: CLINGERS

50D: Obvious toupee: RUG. I put Wig first.

53D: Bulletin board operator: SYSOP (System Operator). Good to know.

57D: "__ Is Spinal Tap": THIS. Never heard of this movie.

58D: Excalibur's handle: HILT

59D: Model Macpherson: ELLE. Is she still modeling? I adore Heidi Klum.

62D: Hamburg's river: ELBE. Never heard of it.

63D: Fidel's amigo: CHE (GUERRA). He died in 1967.

Finally Super Tuesday!

C. C.

Newsday Crossword Puzzle, Have a Look

Orange advised me to try Newsday crossword last week. You can see her reason here on my Jan 30 entry.

She is an expert solver, and respected by so many constructors and editors and other expert solvers. So when she says Jump, I just... jump, with some hesitation and resistance.

This morning I did their Monday puzzle by Gail Grabowski.

Do you want to know the result? I almost finished the puzzle. Only one blank left, but I also made one mistake. I put CRANK JOKE instead of CRACK JOKE for 11D Make someone laugh. So for 23A: Anklets and argyles, now I have _ONKS. I did not know the meaning of argyles, and I always thoughts anklets are those pretty ankle bracelets. Socks! I also had difficulty to think a word for 22D: Musical number. I was really thinking of number. The answer is SONG.

The whole solving process was very smooth. The clues felt very natural, and the answers were words I actually use in daily life. Nothing strained. It felt like making putts on a well-kept green with no breaks, just straight.

The Star Tribune green sometimes feels like a newly aerated one, you know, so grainy, and the ball runs amiss from time to time. But it's my home course. I guess I will stick with it for a while. In the meantime, I am starting my journey with Newsday.

C. C.

Monday, Feb 4, 2008 Michael T. Williams

Theme: Silver Screen Diamond Flicks (Baseball Films)

17A: The Natural
26A: Eight Men Out
40A: The Bad News Bears
53A: Major League
63A: Bull Durham

I've seen 4 of the above 5 films. I never heard of The Bad News Bears. I watch Major League every year when the season starts. I also love Field of Dreams. My husband can lip almost every line of Bull Durham. Silly.

You would think I would breeze through this puzzle given my love for baseball. But I failed miserably. The problem started with 7D: Wetlands. I put a MOORS rather than MARSH. Then I put ALTER rather than ADAPT for 8D: Changes to fit. I had ENSUED rather than TAILED for 18D: Followed. So I could not get the movie Eight Men Out.

Here are the recaps:

1A: Amo, ___, amat: AMAS. Oh Latin.

15A: __-masochism: SADO. I felt sick after learning the meaning of this word. Those people should watch Major League.

20A: Nabokov book: ADA. I only knew Lolita.

21A: Sample: SPECIMEN

23A: Clicking sound : TSK

29A: Color of the Italian sky: BLU. That's the color of my dream too.

50A: Elec. switch: IGN. I don't like this clue. I put OFF immediately.

59A: Vespers service: EVENSONG. New word to me.

Down Clues:

1D: Knack: ART

2D:__ - Jongg: MAH. Most of the Mah Jongg players are retired folks, right?

5D: 2nd Best: GRADE B. I could not get this one out.

9D: Sacred: SOLEMN

10D: Dead, as a dragon: SLAIN

11D: Cinematic Topper: COSMO. (Update: Please read the Comments part, one reader has explained very well why COSMO is the answer).

12D: Nice farewell?: ADIEU. No need for the question mark after the clue, Editor, we know Nice is a city.

13D: Intended: MEANT

18D: Followed: TAILED. I put ENSUED first.

22D: Show-biz notable: CELEB. Clooney & Pitt are real CELEBS, look at what they have done for Darfur & New Orleans. Randy Moss is a controversial CELEB.

23D: Willful injuries: TORTS.

24D: "Magnificent Obsession" director: STAHL (John). The 1935 film, not the 1954 film with Jane Wyman.

25D: Part of ROK: KOREA. South Korea (Republic of Korea). Kim Jong-il's North Korea is DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea).

27D: '50s TV series "Peter __": GUNN. Never heard of it.

32D: Naut. direction: EBN (East by North)

38D: Muse of poetry: ERATO. I got this one.

42D: Early American political party: WHIG

43D: Made a smooth transition: SEGUED. Got it.

49D: Faculty status: TENURE.

51D: Interstellar cloud: NEBULA

54D: Hail from a sailor: AVAST. I put AMAST first.

55D: Cafeteria dessert: JELLO

56D: In a dominant position: On TOP (I put AT TOP initially)

57D: Love-lit: AGLOW. I was thinking of some literature, like Chick Lit.

66D: Peer Gynt's mother: ASE. Only learned last week who Peer Gynt was, now his mother.

Have a good week everyone.

C. C.

Interview with Amy Reynaldo (Orange)

I got Amy Reynaldo's book How to Conquer the New York Times Crossword Puzzle: Tips, Tricks and Techniques to Master America's Favorite Puzzle as a Christmas gift.

The whole mystery of the crossword was unveiled to me when I read her explanation on understanding the themes. I loved the part on how those constructors try to trick us. And I got immense help from the chapters on "100 Must-Know Words" and "Word Bank".

I started my blog before I finished her book, that's how excited I was!

Amy Reynaldo (Orange) writes a daily blog Diary of a Crossword Fiend, where you can find tons of information on anything crossword related.

I am so happy that Orange agreed to answer a few questions for me. So, please get your cup of tea/coffee, sit back, and learn a few more things about this expert crossword solver.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I grew up in the Chicago area as a shy, quiet nerdy kid. I attended college in Minnesota (Carleton College), and I was probably solving the Strib puzzle when I had a copy of the paper, but I don't recall it specifically. I've lived in Chicago since graduation, and have a husband and a son in second grade.

Who got you started at crosswords and when did you realize that you were really good at solving them?

I started doing crosswords when I was a kid, following my grandparents' lead. They liked to work the New York Times puzzle syndicated in the Chicago Sun-Times. When I was about 12, my mom or grandma got me a gift subscription to Games magazine, which was where Will Shortz and the "New Wave" of crosswords kicked into high gear. So I've been doing crosswords for about three decades now.

Ten or 15 years ago, my assistant and I would race each other on the NYT crossword--and I always beat her even though she was an incredibly smart University of Chicago graduate. That was one inkling. Then in early 2004, I started subscribing to the NYT's online crossword service, which gives access to the puzzle the night before publication, and also lets you access a decade of archived puzzles. Solving the crossword online in the NYT's Java applet let me compare my solving time with others', and it gave a clear indication that I was a fast solver.

How would you describe a typical day for you in terms of crosswords solving and blogging? I noticed that you solve 4 or more crosswords a day.

I usually solve the NYT and NY Sun crosswords in the evening and then blog about them. The LA Times and CrosSynergy puzzles aren't released early, so I do those in the morning and update my blog post. Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, there are several other crosswords I like, so I pack those ones in where I can. Now that the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is just a few weeks off, I'm trying to do more crosswords in book collections, too--but I don't get to them every day.

How have blogging and writing the book (How to Conquer the NY Times Crosswords) affected your solving speed and accuracy?

Blogging helps me to remember the new things I learn. If I see an unfamiliar word in the crossword and just go on with my life, I might not remember it. But if I Google it and read a dictionary definition or a Wikipedia article about it, I'll learn a bit more. And writing it down helps cement it in my memory. It's like jotting down a list of things to get at the store. You might not even need to consult the list--you'll remember what you need because you wrote it down. But going to the store without making a list? I think it's harder to retrieve those items from your memory.

I don't think the process of writing the book improved my crossword skills much, but it was valuable to distill what I've absorbed over the years into concrete advice. If nothing else, it helps me to give better advice to other solvers.

How do you prepare the coming 2008 American Crosswords Puzzle Tournament?

Puzzle books! I try to focus on the sorts of crosswords that will be used at the ACPT. That means putting aside the tough Saturday themeless puzzles I love so much, and working on themed crosswords of various sizes. I also choose puzzle books with crosswords by the constructors who've been hired by Will Shortz to make tournament puzzles, since their style may pop up again at this year's tournament. These include Merl Reagle, Patrick Merrell, Maura Jacobson, and Cathy Millhauser.

What advice would you give to novice solvers like me to improve ourselves and keep motivated?

Try to focus on good-quality puzzles, which will be less likely to contain woefully obscure words. It's hard to stay motivated if the crosswords you're doing aren't fun, aren't clever, and aren't rewarding, or if they're boring because they're too easy.

Learn the basic crossword vocabulary--those words that contain common letters and show up again and again in crosswords. And pay attention to the sorts of clues that recur for these answers--answers like ERIE, ARIA, ERA, EON, ERN, and ESE. There's a reason there are two different sections in my book with word lists--because it really is key to absorb these words. Soon enough, those will be the gimmes that you can fill in right off the bat.

If you just can't finish a puzzle, check the answers the next day or Google some clues. Isn't it better to learn things than to give up and avoid learning them? Some people call Googling "cheating," but the goal is to look things up and remember them next time, gradually being able to finish without looking things up.

When you're stuck, don't give up too quickly. Put the puzzle aside and come back to it later in the day, or the next morning. Quite often, something that made no sense at first suddenly "clicks."

Thank you, Orange.

Sunday, Feb 3, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: Product Placement

23A: Offer really big reward?: PLEDGE hefty BOUNTY

38A: Watch over fledgling avian?: Safeguard DOWNY DOVE

56A: Promote West African nation?: Boost IVORY Coast

76A: Wreak havoc on hidden forest clearing?: RAID secret GLADE

89A: Flatter muscular Trojan War Hero?: Soft soap BRAWNY AJAX

109A: Observe Kilauea's huge outpouring?: Behold lava CASCADE

Those are all the brands I have identified, did you find more?

Very tough to bite into this puzzle. I almost used up my bottle of Liquid Paper. I googled like crazy, and still could not fill in 1/3 of the blanks. Then my husband woke up, and helped me a lot, but we still could not finish the damned thing.

Across:

1A: Cartoon apparition: CASPER. Put CASPAR first.

7A: Overcharge: SOAK. Never know "soak" has such a meaning.

11A: Premiere notables: STARS

19A: Programs with pop-ups: AD WARE. My mind is fixed with Spyware.

20A: Glazier's Piece: PANE. I didn't know the meaning of Glazier.

27A: Stephen of "The Crying Game": REA (not RAE). I cannot say how much I am moved by this movie. I also enjoyed The Devil's Own, which is also IRA related.

28A: Sent to the canvas: KOD (knocked out). I was thinking of CANVASS, Get out and Vote.

29A: Editorial symbols: CARETS.

30A: Tibetan monk: LAMA. Love Dalai Lama as a spiritual person. But I can not support his cause.

31A: Display of oils: ART SHOW

34A: Rubberneck: STARE

36A: Equal-angled figure: ISOGON

42A: Slop contraptions: T BARS

46A: One of the "Pump you up!" duo: FRANZ. Hans & Franz. Never heard of their names before.

47A: Hockey defensive great: ORR. Gimme for me.

48A: Curly-tailed pooch: AKITA

51A: Vacation option: CRUISE

60A: Info-gathering mission: RECON

62A: Title city in a Russell Crowe flick: YUMA, "3:10 to Yuma". Never watched it.

64A: Livid: IRATE

65A: Crazy Horse tribe: OGLALA

66A: Bonnet holder: HAT PIN

68A: Scoffs: JEERS

69A: Printer fill-up: DRY INK? Not sure of this why. Pls help me with this one.

80A: Tanker mishaps: SPILLS

84A: Motor or mechanism starter: SERVO. Never heard of it.

87A: Bridge seats: EASTS

96A: Except that: UNLESS

97A: Fluctuates repeatedly: YOYOS

98A: Word for Word: LITERAL.

102A: Muffed: BLEW

103A: Gaucho domain: PAMPAS

106A: Gumshoe: TEC

107A: __ du Diable: ILE

108A: Sock end: TOE

114A: Resinous secretion: LAC

116A: Novelist Murdoch: IRIS

117A: Call together: MUSTER

119A: Cornered: AT BAY

120A: Beekeeper's milieu: APIARY. A beekeeper is called Apiarist.

Down Clues:

1D: "Meet John Doe" director: CAPRA. I should put this movie on our Netflix Q.

2D: Freud colleague: ADLER (Alfred Adler). I know Jung.

4D: Energy unit: ERG

6D: Assault with nostrils with: REEK OF

8D: Galoot: OAF. I was thinking of Ape.

11D: Made a basket, say: SCORED. I was picturing a real basket is being made.

14D: Greek wines: RETSINAS. No idea. I don't drink any wine.

17D:"Foundation" series author: ASIMOV. Our Newspaper carries Asimov Quiz every day.

18D: Fuel for a lighter: BUTANE. New to me.

24D: Inventor Elias: HOWE

25D: National poet: BARD

30D: Polish city: LODZ. Would you believe that I actually got this one?

32D: Old map abbr: SSR

33D: Does after: HAS AT. I was trapped again, put "s" in the end first.

34D: Molasses base: SUGAR

35D: Menlo Park initials: TAE (Thomas Alva Edison)

37D: Enhanced combined effect: SYNERGY? Not sure of this one.

39D: Gainesville athlete: GATOR My husband got this one quickly.

40D: Helpful: OF USE

41D: Court order: WRIT

42D: Drinking mug: TOBY Very silly looking mug.

43D: Commotion: BROUHAHA

44D: Fragrant: AROMATIC

49D: Fuzzy fruits: KIWIS. Full of Vitamin C.

50D: Lendl or Pavlov: IVAN

51D: Uncouth: COARSE.

52D: Piper following: RATS. Why?

53D: Tabloid fare: SCANDALS. I used to watch E! News for their endless scandals. Now my mind is set on Super Tuesday.

54D: Spot pattern: POLKA DOT

57D: Smooth fabric: SATIN

61D: Architect Sarrinen: ELIEL. I know his son's name EERO.

65D: Sound off: ORATE?

67D: Take over: POSSESS

68D: Monopoly corner: JAIL

70D: Networked units: PCS

71D: 19th-century round dance: GALOP. Brutal, never heard of this dance.

72D: Matter-of-fact: PROSY (Sorry for the mistake earlier).

76D: __ Ridge (Derby winner, 1972): RIVA. Unknown to us.

77D: Highland units: CLANS

81D: Potential customer: PROSPECT

84D: Brood: STEW

85D: Wage Receipt: PAYSLIP

86D: Brace or span: TWO? Why?

88D: Chopper: AXE

89D: Not obvious: SUBTLE

90D: Borrowed: ON LOAN ( I put loaned at first)

91D: Take to the cleaners: FLEECE. This reminds me of that greedy DC judge who sued his cleaner for $54 million over his stupid lost pants.

92D: Side action: BYPLAY

93D: Course: ROAD

94D: Writer Waugh: ALEC

95D: Turnip-shaped root vegetable: JICAMA Saw this tuber before. Never eat it.

99D: Rodeo-accessory: RIATA. I just hate this word.

100D: Pile wood: ALDER. Unknown to me.

101D: Suspicious and distrustful: LEERY

104D: Pequod skipper: AHAB. "Moby Dick" again. Never read this book.

105D: Colorful fabric panel: MOLA. It's a "colorfully appliquéd piece of fabric handcrafted by the Cuna Indian women of the islands in the Gulf of San Blas and used for clothing, decoration, etc." Dictionary.com says so.

Now I am done.

C. C.

Saturday Feb 2, 2008 Matthew Higgins

Theme: NONE

With the exception of REEVE for 44A: Superman in movies, this puzzle has no mention of any pop culture stuff. All those obscure authors/bands/singers/old actors/actresses are taking today off.

I stumbled on 1A: the Jewish sect immediately. I penned in a few with authority, inked a few with hesitation, and gratefully filled in a few "S", "ED", "ER" lots of "ING"s .

Have you noticed that there are 5 clues ending with ING:

27A: Lamenting loudly: ULULATING

30A: Supposing: REPUTING

52A: Directing: GUIDING

6D: Beginning: INCEPTION. I was wrong to put "ing" here.

8D: Donning official vestments: ROBING.

A nightmarish struggle. But I was smart enough to realize that this war was not worth fighting for. I shifted to cheat gear (Thank you Larry Page & Sergey Brin) quickly.

Here is a quick recap:

1A: Memebers of a Jewish sect: HASIDIM. Hasid is the single form. Strange plural form. This word "Hasid" looks very wrong.

8A: Even more isolated: REMOTER. Shouldn't it be More Remote?

15A: Surpassed: OUTDONE

16A: Chrysolite: OLIVINE. Too technical for me.

17A: Divide into three equal parts: TRISECT

18A: Emotional stability: BALANCE. That's what Britney Spears needs now. It's not fun to watch her stumble any more. It has become a tragedy.

19A: Dry, as wine: SEC

23A: Jab: POKE

25A: Dried Plum: PRUNE. I love dried dates. After they are dried, plums becomes prune, grapes become raisin, dates are still dates. That's consistency. No flip-flop.

26A: Right on maps: EAST

27A: Lamenting loudly: ULULATING. Unknown to me. This word looks very loud and noisy.

29A: Abalone eater: OTTER. So many ways to clue this creature.

30A: Supposing: REPUTING. I put POSITING first.

31A: Formal, informally: DRESSY

32A: Inventor of catchphrases: SLOGANEER. Mission Accomplished?

34A: Upolu resident: SAMOAN. Apia is the capital.

37A: Resound: RESONATE.

42A: City of the Temple Mount: JERUSALEM

45A: " Clair de __": LUNE. French for "Moonlight". I don't know whether refers to the poem or the Broadway play here.

47A: Short-legged, long-eared hounds: BASSETS

50A: Roughly vehement: VIOLENT

54A: Tract of farmland: ACREAGE

55A: Anticipatory payment: ADVANCE

56A Took up again: RESUMED

57A: Inland passages for oceangoing ships: SEAWAYS

Down Clues:

1D: Impetuous person: HOT SPUR. I never heard my husband used this word before.

2D: Halo: AUREOLE. I know Aura. Aureole can also be spelled as Aureola. Let's be prepared in case the crossword editor decides to trick us with a variation next time.

3D: Robbery at gunpoint: STICK UP

5D: Activist: DOER

6D: Beginning: INCEPTION. I was trapped to put an "ING" at the end.

7D: Stamping, in a way: METERING. Why? Can anyone explain this to me please?

9D: Fill with high spirits: ELATE

10D: Wire measures: MILS. Dictionary says it's "a unit of length equal to 0.001 of an inch (0.0254 mm), used in measuring the diameter of wires." I will forget it soon I think.

11D: Caesar's eggs: OVA. The singular form for Latin egg is ovum.

12D: Old-time soldiers' headgear: TIN HAT

13D: Contains in a box: ENCASES

14D: Opposite of launch: RE-ENTRY

21D: Denim overalls: DUNGAREES. The singular form "Dungaree" refers to the denim fabric. It's also a Hindu Goddess.

24D: Cleverly evasive: ELUSORY

26D: Perpetual: ETERNAL.

31D: State of inactivity: DESUETUDE. I put in INERTNESS initially. Here is the explanation of the word.

33D: Banned war weapon: NERVE GAS

34D: Urn with a tap: SAMOVAR. Saw this word before. Russian teapot. Here is the look.

35D: Cupidity: AVARICE. Greed.

36D: Trusted teacher: MENTORS

38D: Corundum: ALUMINA. Unknown to me.

39D: Period of occupancy: TENANCY. I was thinking of a different occupancy period, like "Occupied Japan", "Meiji Period", or something like that.

40D: Comes forth: EMERGES

42D: Made witty remarks: JESTED

44D: Scope: RANGE

47D: Smile broadly: BEAM. I put GRIN first.

48D: Hindu Deity: SIVA. Also, DEVA, KAMA, RAMA. At least, Hindu Gods have short names, those Greek Gods, or Roman Gods all have fancy long names.

51D: Romanian currency: LEU. Never heard of it. "The subdivision of leu is the ban, pl. bani, meaning both "money" and "coin".

53D: European crow: DAW. I don't like any kind of crow. Did not even bother to check how they look like.

Have a great weekend.

One more thing to blog: My husband bowled 747 last night, his 5th 700 series this year.

C. C.