Friday June 20, 2008 Norma Steinberg

Theme: Man Friday

21A: Some western resorts: DUDE RANCHES

49A: Longtime New Year's Eve conductor: GUY LOMBARDO

3D: Second-story man: CAT BURGLAR

29D: Society: FELLOWSHIP

MATE in Australia, BLOKE/CHAP in the UK.

I've never heard of GUY LOMBARDO, nor am I familiar with DUDE RANCHES or CAT BURGLAR. But they are all gettable from the crosses. I am surprised to see Norman Steinberg's name on today's puzzle though, she is our Wednesday girl. This puzzle does have an easy Wednesday feel, doesn't it? I expect many of you will ace this one.

Not much to gripe about, except 32A: A & M student: AGGIE. It's not an accurate clue. Needs to add "Texas", as there is also a Florida A & M (Rattlers). FYI, AGGIE is also a variant spelling of AGATE (the "Playing marble"). (Update: I was wrong, please read Dr. Dad's opinion on Comments section).

I don't find this puzzle to possess any ELAN (14A: Panache). It's pretty dry and flat, with all those repeat offenders.

ACROSS:

5A: Misbehave: ACT UP

10A: Dorothy's dog: TOTO. Does TOTO have a star in Hollywood Walk of Fame? Look at this TITO (41D: Musician Puente) Star.

15A: Capital of Idaho: BOISE. I was the same as Bill, always thought that "I da ho" was only a type of potato.

18A: ___ of magnitude: ORDER. I would not have got it without down clues. I only knew the Chinese word 數量級. Can you read these 3 Chinese characters? Or are they just 3 square boxes to you?

19A: Part of a lot sometimes: ACRE. And 10D: Parcels of land: TRACTS

23A: Transmission cells: NEURONS

26A: McNally's partner: RAND. Foreign to me. Only knew Ayn RAND.

27A: Summons: SENDS FOR

34A: Chemist Pauling: LINUS. No idea. Wow, he got 2 Nobel prize (Chemistry in 1954 & Nobel Peace in 1962). Wikiepedia says he is "a member of a small group of individuals who have been awarded more than one Nobel Prize, one of only two people to receive them in different fields (the other was Marie Curie), and the only person in that group to have been awarded each of his prizes without having to share it with another recipient". I only knew this LINUS.

37A: Ricochet: CAROM. Billiards bounce.

45A: Traded without money: BARTERED

46A: Escaped: GOT AWAY. I don't know much about crossword construction, but I dislike when GOT and GETS (49D: Catches on to) appear in the same grid. I was also bothered by the appearance of both SLEEP & SLEPT on Tuesday Barry Silk's CLASS puzzle.

45A: Lyricist Gershwin: IRA. Yawner, yawner. When are you going to clue it as "Grp from Belfast"?

56A: Els or Kovacs: ERNIE. ERNIE Els has hopped onto the Butch Harmon's bandwagon. Not a good time for David Leadbetter right now, unless Michelle Wie pulls off a win at US Open next week. I wonder why our editor never Cubs' great ERNIE Banks, given that TMS puzzle primarily serves the Chicago area.

DOWN:

6D: Quantities of wood: CORDS. I was not familiar with this "wood stacks" meaning of CORDS.

9D: Every year: PER ANNUM. Could not jam in PERENNIAL.

24D: Fence piece: RAIL. My first response was EPEE (Fencing piece).

32D: Peck in "Moby Dick": AHAB. Have never watched "Moby Dick".

33D: Festive: GALA. Have some GALA apples.

34D: After midnight, say: LATE. Here is Simon & Garfunkel's "LATE in the Evening". I am now listening to Michael Learns to Rock's "That's Why You Go Away". I also love their "25 Minutes LATE": "Boy I've missed your kisses all the time, but this is 25 minutes too LATE...".

It's such a boring puzzle today, let's discuss a little bit about music. What have you been listening to lately? Who are your favorite singers? Please share with us.

37D: Chewy candies: CARAMELS

38D: Caesar's TV sidekick: COCA (Imogene)

44D: Gnawing animal: RODENT. How can you get rid of those squirrels? They love to RUIN (16A: Destroy) our vegetable garden.

46D: Pam or Rosey: GRIER. I did not know Pam GRIER. She was in "Jackie Brown". Rosey GRIER was one of RFK's bodyguards. Wikipedia says he was a member of the original "Fearsome Foursome" of the 1957 NY Giants & also a member of the "Fearsome Foursome "of the 1963 LA RAMS (31D: St. Louis football team), very interesting!

51D: Eli's alma mater: YALE. I think we've had enough YALE graduate presidents, almost 20 years, way too long.

52D: Newscaster Hume: BRIT. Anchor of Fox News' "Special Report with BRIT Hume". He is a very very avid crossword solver.

57D: New Deal agcy.: WPA (Work Projects Administration).

Alright, the last one, 40D: Deli offering: HERO. "There is a HERO if you look inside your heart..." Enjoy!

Thursday June 19, 2008 Michael T. Williams

Theme: QUIP

17A: Start of a Casey Stengel quip: THE YANKEES

21A: Part of 2 of quip: DON'T PAY

40A: Part 3 of quip: ME TO WIN EVERY DAY

54A: Part 4 of quip: JUST TWO

63A: End of quip: OUT OF THREE

Ah, the Stengelese, I admire so much his philosophical wit! A very intelligent man: "They say Yogi Berra is funny. Well, he has a lovely wife and family, a beautiful home, money in the bank, and he plays golf with millionaires. What's funny about that?"

My understanding of Casey Stengel's life mainly comes from the Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio books I've mindlessly leafed through. When I think of him, I think of the "Most ball games are lost, not won" quote. I always thought of him as a Yankees/Mets Manager. Did not know until this morning that he had played for both NY Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers before. That's amazing. Who else could claim that he played/managed all the 4 MLB teams in NY?

Good to see PEDRO (32D: Cy Young winner Martinez) in today's puzzle. I wish JOSH (54D: Kid) were clued as "Red Sox pitcher Beckett" and MINE (35A: Planted explosive) clued as " Outfielder's cry". It would have been a great baseball themed puzzle.

Had to flirt with Google again this morning. Had difficulty getting into this Michael T. William's wavelength. It's odd to get a QUIP puzzle from him.

ACROSS:

6A: Autobahn auto: AUDI. Regarding yesterday's OLDS (36D: Antique auto), I think Richard @ 1:35pm explained it very well. REO would be a perfectly fine answer for the "Antique auto" clue.

10A: __ does it: THAT. "EASY" does it Tiger! See you at the Masters next year!

14A: Pita fiber: ISTLE. I only knew "Pita" as the TASTY (10D: Delectable) flatbread topped with hummus. Had no idea that it can also be a fiber-yielding plant. ISTLE is a new word to me. Here is the definition: "a fiber from any of several tropical American plants of the genus Agave or Yucca, used in making bagging, carpets, etc."

16A: Dynamic intro?: AERO

20A: Singer Brewer: TERESA. Completely unknown to me. Mother TERESA & TERESA Heinz Kerry, yes.

23A: Camera-ready copy: REPRO

26A: Let down: LAY. Here is Eric Clapton's "LAY Down Sally".

30A: Disarranged: TOUSLED. This is Kate Moss' classic "Tousled, Just Out of Bed" look.

37A: Boot binding: LACE. And 9D: Boot cushion: INSOLE. How you guys could segue the topic yesterday from SCORIA into boots and sandwich is beyond me.

38A: Roeper's co-host: EBERT (Roger). He has not been on the show for a longtime. I don't think he can talk now.

44A: Murder: DO IN. Here is another great line from the great Casey Stengel: "Being with a woman all night never hurt no professional baseball player. It's staying up all night looking for a woman that DOes him IN".

47A: Ability to walk aboard: SEA LEGS. Is it gimme to you? I've never heard of "SEA LEGS" before.

52A: Mature: ADULT. "As youth lives in the future, so the ADULT lives in the past: No one rightly knows how to live in the present."

58A: Stevedore: LOADER

68A: Collection of artifacts: HOARD. Really? I thought HOARD has a negative "greedy" connotation.

71A: Some lilies: SEGOS Utah State Flower SEGO Lily.

DOWN:

5D: Wonderland service: TEA SET

7D: A. Godfrey's instrument: UKE (Ukulele)

11D: Dickens hypocrite: HEEP (Uriah). From "David Copperfield".

13D: Singer Orlando: TONY. Ah, got him this time, the "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" singer. This is the list of 2008 TONY Award Winners. That "In the Height" actor (Lin-Manuel Miranda) sounds extremely talented.

18D: City on the Tyrrhenian Sea: NAPOLI. Italian name for Naples. Here is the map. I am not familiar with the Tyrrhenian Sea at all.

22D: 2000 candidate Ralph: NADER. He wrote "Unsafe at Any Speed".

24D: Kagali's country: var.: RUANDA (Rwanda). New to me also. Dictionary says "RUANDA" can also refer to the "Bantu language".

25D: Seminole chief: OSCEOLA. I forgot his name again. How can I remember him?

27D: Goldman and Lazarus: EMMAS. I know neither of them. Got the answer from across clues. Oh, Another Goldman (Steven) has written a book titled "Forging Genius: The Making of Casey Stengel".

31D: Taxed: LEVIED

33D: Egghead: BRAIN. That's what he wished.

34D: "Funny girl" composer: STYNE. Another unknown. Pieced together from the across clues.

41D: "The Man Who ___ There": WASN'T. Cohen brothers' film. I wish the clue was "Rome _____ built in a day", it would form a mini Italy sub-theme with ITER (3D: Roman way) and 18D: NAPOLI.

42D: Completely surround: ENGULF. Lois has probably got her copy of "When You Are ENGULFed in Flame".

48D: Tim Burton film: ED WOOD. Here is more information about the film, starring Johnny Depp. I've never seen it.

49D: Three-hanging vegans: SLOTHS. What? SLOTHS do not eat meat? Are you sure?

53D: Lake near Reno: TAHOE. Could have been clued as "Chevy offering" to pair up with 6D: AUDI.

57D: Yorkshire river: OUSE

59D: Move with a mouse: DRAG

60D: One Saarine: EERO. His father is Eliel.

64D: Thoughtful letter: TLC. Oh I need some.

Alright, the last one, 1D: Skater Katarina: WITT. I did not know her. Wikipedia says she is in the World Figure Skating HOF now. I'm bad, I'm bad...who's bad?

C.C.

LAT Daily Newspaper Updates

Below is the most update information on all the newspapers that carry LAT Daily (distributed by Tribune Media Service) crossword puzzle.

I still need paper names from AK, AZ, DE, KS, MO, MS, TN, VT and WY. Please send me an email or just write a comment here so that I can add your paper to the list.

You can always go to LA Times website and print out the puzzle. They have a 30-day archive.

Thank you.

C.C.


Total: 95

International: 13

the Nation, Bangkok, Thailand.

Globe & Mail, Toronto, ON, Canada

Times Colonist, Victoria, BC, Cananda

The Province, Vancouver, B.C. Canada

The Montreal Gazette, Q.C., Canada (Sunday only, but publishes the puzzle on its Saturday "Weekend" section)

Arabian Sun (Weekly paper of Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arab)

Taipei Times (update) & Taiwan News (old TMS syndication), Taiwan

Viet Nam News, Vietnam

??? Philippines (Levie, pls provide me with your paper name)

Times of India, Bangalore & Mumbai & New Delhi, India

Buenos Aires Herald, Buenos Aires, Argentina



US: 82

AL: Anniston Star (Anniston); The Birmingham News (Birmingham)

AK:

AR: Arkansas Democrat Gazette (Little Rock)

AZ: The Arizona Republic

CA: Orange County Register (7-day); San Jose Mercury News (Mon. to Sat.); Bakersfield California; Daily Bulletin (Rancho Cucamonga); The Californian (Salinas, Mon.-Sat.); Redding Record Searchlight; "The Press-Enterprise" (Inland southern California, Riverside); San Francisco Chronicle

CO: Colorado Springs Gazette

CT: Waterbury Republican (Torrington, Sun.)

DE:

DC: Washington Post (Tue. to Thur, delivered to MD, DC and VA; Crossynergy puzzles from Monday to Friday).

FL: Palm Beach Post; Naples Daily News; Sun-Sentinel; St. Petersburg Times. Port Saint Lucie News (Port Saint Lucie); Tampa Tribune (Tampa); Florida Times Union- Jacksonville; The Ledger (Lakeland); Orlando Sentinel.


GA: Savannah Morning News

HI: Honolulu Advertiser

ID: Idaho Statesman (Boise) - No longer carries LAT.

IL: Chicago Tribune

IN: Herald-Bulletin (Anderson)

IA: Iowa State Daily (Ames)

KS:

KY: Daily News (Bowling Green); Lexington Herald-Leader; Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro).

LA: Lake Charles American Press; The Times Picayune (New Orleans); The Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

ME: Bangor Daily News

MD: Baltimore Sun (only Sun.)

MA: The Boston Globe; Berkshire Eagle

MI: Detroit Free Press; The Morning Sun of Mt Pleasant, Michigan

MN: Minneapolis Star Tribune (Mon.-Sun.); the Minnesota Daily (U of M paper); St. Cloud Times

MO:

MS:

NC: The Courier-Tribune (Asheboro, NC); The Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, NC. Monday-Friday); Charlotte Observer (LA Sunday)

NE: The Omaha World Herald (Omaha)

NV: Review Journal (Las Vegas, Sun. only)

NH: Concord Monitor Concord

NJ: Philadelphia Inquirer (South Jersey); The Newark Star Ledger

NM: Santa Fe New Mexican (Mon - Sat)

NY: AM New York; New York Daily News; Post-Star (Glens Falls); Times-Union (Albany); Utica Observer Dispatch; Post Standard (Syracuse); The Daily Freeman (Kingston, Mon-Sat)

ND: The Forum (Fargo)

OH: Dayton Daily News (Mon.-Sat.); Louisville Herald Leader, the News Herald (Willoughby); Spring Field News-Sun (Mon.-Sat.)

OK: Bartlesville Examiner Enterprise (Bartlesville)

OR: the Oregonian (Portland, Mon. to Sat.); Mail Tribune (Medford)

PA: Reading Eagle (Reading, Monday to Sunday); Philadelphia Inquirer; Beaver Valley Times (Mon.-Sat.); Pittsburgh Post Gazette (Sun.)

RI: The Providence Journal(Providence)

SC: The Sun News (Myrtle Beach).

SD: Argus Leader (Sioux Falls)

TN:

TX: Abilene Reporter News (Abilene, Mon.-Sun.); Amarillo Globe-News; Osessa American; San Angelo Standard-Times (Mon. to Sat.); Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, TX); Corpus Christi Caller-Times; San Angelo Standard Times; Dallas Morning News

UT:

VT:

VA: The Virginia Pilot; The Daily Press

WA: The Seattle Times; Spokesman-Review (Spokane)

WV: Daily Athenaeum (Morgantown, campus paper)

WI: Wisconsin State Journal (Madison); The Post Crescent (Appleton); The Green Bay Press Gazette

WY:

Wednesday June 18, 2008 Wayne Robert Williams

Theme: QUAD CITIES (14D: Mississippi quartet?)

10D: One of 14D: ROCK ISLAND (IL)

20D: One of 14D: DAVENPORT (IA)

25D: One of 14D: BETTENDORF (IA)

28D: Not exactly one of 14D: EAST MOLINE (IL)

The one left off the list is MOLINE (IL).

Great theme concept, very creative. I like it a lot. My first reaction to 14D clue ( Mississippi quartet?), though, was ESSES, since there are 4 letter S in the word "Mississippi".

But why "Not exactly" in 28D? Wikipedia says EAST MOLINE is still part of this misnomer "Quint Cities" QUAD CITIES, though BETTENDORF outgrew it and became the 4th in terms of size and population. You cannot say Penn State is "not exactly one of the Big Ten", can you?

I truly adore the OPEC clue (42A: Well-fixed grp.), what a sweet (crude oil) "Well"! I don't like how SENIOR (7D: AARP member) is clued, as the AARP abbreviation demands an abbreviated SENIOR answer. This might be a SENIOR moment cluing error from our editor, who finally decided to put his real name as the puzzle constructor today. Good, I am tired of the Josiah Breward and Willy A. Wiseman pretenses.

I could not finish today's puzzle unassisted, quite a few unknown words/places/names to me. Had some half-hearted flirting with Google and decided to call today a success.

ACROSS:

7A: Volcanic rock ejecta: SCORIA. Stumper. Not familiar with this geology term. SCORIA is "Porous cinderlike fragments of dark lava".

17A: Poorly matched: UNEQUAL

15A: Motives: REASONS. Here is Rod Stewart's "REASON to believe". "If I listened long enough to you, I'd find a way to believe that its all true.."

16A: Rolled pastry loaf: STRUDEL. I love apple STRUDEL.

17A: Contaminates: INFECTS

18A: City near Anchorage: KENAI. Foreign to me. Here is the map. I am not familiar with KENAI Peninsula either.

19A: Vedder of Pearl Jam: EDDIE. Did not know him, I took a SWAG. Here is the definition of SWAG according to Chris in LA: "Scientific wild a** guess for those of you who've never created a budget for a retail establishment".

21A: Cyclades island: KEA. Unknown to me. See here for more information.

25A: Feathered friend: BIRD. This BIRD (Larry) and CAGY (54D: Good at evasion) remind me of KG (Kevin Garnett) and his victorious Celtics. What a season for them! KG would have never got this NBA title had he stayed with the inapt Minnesota T-Wolves.

26A: Reverberate again and again: REECHO. Yes, I can hear/feel it miles away.

29A: Makes diverse: VARIES

32A: Narrow valley: GLEN

34A: U. near Tampa: ST. LEO. Unknown to me. Thought ST. LEO was a Pope. Wikipedia says Desi Arnaz graduated from there.

37A: "Beau___": GESTE. P. C. Wren novel. I've never read the book nor seen the movie.

39A: SASE, e.g.: ENC (Enclosed). SASE is "Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope".

40A: To any extent: AT ALL

41A: Composer Erik: SATIE. It's clued as "Gymnopedies" composer in a March TMS puzzle.

44A: Geraint's lady: ENID. I like this kind of romance.

45A: Very dark: pref.: MELANO. New to me. What, for example?

47A: Bamboo eaters: PANDAS. This Kung Fu PANDA looks cool.

49A: Ring rulings, briefly: TKOS (Technical Knockouts)

53A: Cartoonist Keane: BIL. Gimme for me. "The Family Circus" is placed side by side with "Dennis the Menace" in our Star Tribune newspaper. I like that middle panel.

54A: Schilling and Gowdy: CURTS. Know Schilling, not Gowdy. In fact, Ron Guildry (ex-Yankees' pitcher) popped into my mind when I saw Gowdy, so for a fleeting second I thought the clue was asking for an abbreviation of "Pitchers". Here is another CURT in baseball.

56A: Actress Esther: ROLLE. Of "Good Times". Unknown to me.

60A: Paper folding: ORIGAMI. This always reminds me of my poor Grandma and the agony she suffered due to foot-binding. She was very good at this ORIGAMI and needle work.

62A: Engender: INBREED. Really? Are they the same?

64A: Periods of immaturity: NONAGES

65A: Foliage: LEAFAGE. I don't like this "age" rhyme. "Greenery" would be fine with me.

66A: Crabtree's partner in skin care products: EVELYN. No, nope, I've never heard of this brand. Katherine might know it.

DOWN:

1D: Nightfall: DUSK. Ah, those wild times at DUSK til Dawn!

4D: Weekend cowboy-like: DUDISH. New word to me. I only knew "Dude".

5D: Abu Dhabi loc.: UAE. Have not seen EMIR/AMIR/EMEER/AMEER for a while. And another Middle East reference besides OPEC is ASSAD (12D: Syrian leader).

6D: Macpherson of "Sirens": ELLE. Know ELLE, have never seen Sirens.

8D: Type of society or curtains: CAFÉ. I've never heard of CAFÉ society.

9D: Sugary suffix: OSE

11D: Collegiate starter?: INTER

15D: Good __ to bad rubbish: RIDDANCE. Ha ha, I only know Good RIDDANCE. Had no idea that there is some bad rubbish following.

23D: Dress (up): TOG

26D: Riches, once?: RAGS. I like this clue also. RAGS to riches.

27D: Zeno's birthplace: ELEA. Gimme. Learned it from doing crossword of course. Now, next time, if the clue is "Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus nickname", CALIGULA will be a gimme for me also.

33D: "Trinity" author: LEON URIS. Great to see his full name in a grid.

36D: Antique auto: OLDS. And 48A: Automotive safety device: AIR BAG

46D: Keen insight: ACUMEN

50D: City on the Vyatka River: KIROV. It appeared on an April TMS puzzle before. I simply forgot. The city is known as the "City of Twins" for the unusually high number of multiple births there.

And 61D: Guy's date: GAL. "Oh, well, I love you GAL, yes, I love you...", "Peggy Sue" from Buddy Holly & The Crickets. Enjoy this precious clip!

C.C.

Tuesday June 17, 2008 Barry Silk

Theme: CLASS (36A: Word after 20A, 25A, 42A and 48A in flight)

20A: Largest sector of the gross domestic product: SERVICE ECONOMY

25A: Trickery: MONKEY BUSINESS

42A: Constitution Day in Slovakia: SEPTEMBER FIRST

48A: Fred Shero or Scotty Bowman, e.g.: ICE HOCKEY COACH

Not a good puzzle from Barry Silk today. Lots to dislike:

1) The largest sector of the GDP is SERVICE INDUSTRY, not SERVICE ECONOMY, which is a different economic term.

2) The word "briefly" should have been added to the clue for SLOT (63A: One-armed bandit). It's SLOT machine.

3) I hate the clue for 44D: Kind of monkey (RHESUS) because of the 25A: MONKEY BUSINESS. I found out this morning that there is a King RHESUS of Thrase during the Trojan War, and some complicated RHESUS factors. Both of them might be labeled as too obscure I suppose.

4) The clue for 36A CLASS is a total spoiler. Why not clue it simply as "Elegance"? It completely strips away the fun of ferreting out the theme title by myself. A precious "Wow" moment is regrettably lost. I do like how CLASS anchors the grid though.

5) The clue for 48A is perfectly fine, but I would prefer to have 3 instead of 4 theme answer entries. Airlines normally only have 3 travel classes: ECONOMY (COACH), BUSINESS & FIRST. Oh by the way, I've never heard of Fred Shero or Scotty Bowman before, not a hockey fan. Is Scotty Bowman somehow related to the Bowman card?

Are you ready? Allons-y!

ACROSS:

1A: British puzzle centre?: ZEDS. Great clue. I like how "centre" is spelled. (Update: ZED is the British pronunciation of ZEE, and there are 2 Z's in the word "puzzle", hence ZEDS).

9A: Georgia city: MACON. The "Heart of Georgia". Unknown to me. What? "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World"? That's a bold statement, isn't it? Love this SAKURA sidewalk.

16A: Kukla's pal: OLLIE. Kukla, Fran and OLLIE. Only learned this last Tuesday.

19A: Florida city: OCALA. Yawner. Same old, same old.

32A: Zestful: TANGY. Do you know that OCA can taste TANGY and sweet?

34A: Year Caligula died: XLI: Not familiar with this Roman ruthless emperor. Only knew Colts won Super Bowl XLI. Tony Dungy is very respected and loved here in MN. He played for the Gophers in the '70s.

38A: Pugilist Max: BAER. Quite a few AE/EA combination in today's grid. See 17A: PLEA, 13D: NEA, 27D: BEALE, and 49D: Normandy city: CAEN.

56A: Seine feeder: OISE. This is Daubigny's "Boats on the OISE".

57A: 20th cen. conflict: WWII

58A: Stop counting sheep?: SLEEP. And 30D: Snoozed: SLEPT. Lots of Z's to catch!

61A: Chrissie of the Pretenders: HYNDE. Completely foreign to me. Got it from down clues.

DOWN:

4D: Forage for scraps: SCAVENGE

5D: Mrs. George Burns: GRACIE. Can you believe this is a gimme for me? "Say goodnight, GRACIE".

7D: Der ___(Adenauer): ALTE. Der ALTE is German for "the old man". Wikipedia says Konrad Adenauer was "the oldest chancellor ever to serve German, leaving at the age of eighty-seven." Wait, let me see how old Mubarak is...80. I am sure there will be some grumbling for a new investigation on who on earth killed Sadat after Mubarak dies.

8D: Type of pear: BOSC. Have you tried NASHI pear? It's the sweetest.

9D: marshmallow-filled snack: MOON PIE. New to me. I don't think I will like it, not fond of marshmallow at all. I love MOON cake.

10D: Mississippi's ___ State University: ALCORN. Is it famous? I've never heard of it. Wikipedia says Alex Haley graduated from this university.

11D: Chowder chunk: CLAM. Have some, New England style.

12D: Unctuous: OILY And 48D: In a bad way: ILLY. Well, were 48D LEAN, I might have appreciated the symmetry here. But ILLY, ugh, I dislike it.

21D: Pitch black: INKY

22D: Desert springs: OASES. Just for you, Melissa Bee. These sweet dates are perfect for a single girl like you, aren't they?

25D: Pine Tree State: MAINE

26D: Beer list category: ON TAP

27D: Street in a W.C. Handy title: BEALE. "BEALE Street Blues". Unknown to me. Easily gettable though.

28D: Boom times: UPS

38D: Hooters: BARN OWLS. Look at three BARN OWLS.

40D: Pennsylvania town on the Delaware: NEW HOPE

41D: Conic sect: CIRC (Circle)

45D: Vestibules: FOYERS. Here is Degas' "Le FOYER de la Danse" at Musée d'Orsay.

50D: Amount paid: COST. "All that matters is that you treat me right, give me all the things I need...", from J. Lo's My Love Don't COST a Thing. Enjoy!

C.C.

Monday June 16, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: Rip Off

17A: "A Few Good Men" director: ROB REINER

64A: Exit furtively: STEAL AWAY

10D: Common Florida tree: THATCH PALM

31D: Pool table position: SIDE POCKET

So close to a pangram (J & Q missing)! Lots of K words today:

5A: Champagne musicmaker: WELK (Lawrence). Unknown to me. Sewed together his name from down clues. Wikipedia says he loved playing golf, and he was a regular at Bob Hope Desert Classics. His autobiography is titled "Wunnerful, Wunnerful!"

26A: Razz: HECKLE. Even the clue is very scrabbly, isn't it? Wunnerful!

42A: Army vehicles: TANKS

57A: Pop choice: COKE. Pepsi please, for those who think young!

61A: Spirit of a screwdriver: VODKA. "Spirit of Black Russian" too.

8D: Mini race car: KART

27D: Pottery oven: KILN

28D: Plumbing woe: LEAK

31D: Pool table position: SIDE POCKET

44D: Difficult journey: TREK

This is my favorite Monday puzzle after John Underwood's "Chess Mate" in April. Can you feel that the quality of our puzzles is getting better lately? I don't seem to groan and gripe as much as I did before. And no clue makes me cringe today. I like it. I like the direction where we are heading.

ACROSS:

1A: Knight's aide: PAGE. BethPAGE Black will host US Open next year. This sign makes me laugh.

9A: NJ military post: FT DIX. Unfamiliar to me. The abbreviation of FT (FORT) always tricked me.

14A: Latin I word: AMAT. I like how it intersects ETRE (4D: French 101 verb).

16A: Windy City airport: O'HARE

19A: Goes ballistic: RAGES. And 50D: Angry rant: TIRADE. This reminds me of Chris Matthews and his frequent tongue-lashing. He was noticeably absent in "Meet the Press" special tribute to Tim Russert yesterday though.

20A: Opts for: SELECTS

21A: Negotiator's need: TACT. Love "The Negotiator". Speaking of "Negotiate", this "Battle Royale" between Rocco MEDIATE and Tiger Woods today brings to my mind 2000 PGA Valhalla. The result might be the same too.

23A: U.K. honor: OBE (Order of the British Empire). J. K. Rowling was awarded OBE in 2000.

24A: Catherine __-Jones: ZETA. This is the sexiest Greek letter clue I've seen in TMS puzzle.

30A: Former Egyptian leader: NASSER. I am truly tired of this clue though. Here is another beautiful picture of Lake NASSER.

32A: Wall St. debut: IPO (Initial Public Offering). No need for Cargill to go public, obviously.

34A: Tore out: HIED. I've never used this word "HIED" before.

35A: Brenda Lee hit: I'M SORRY. Not familiar with this song.

37A: Broadway presentation: PLAY

38A: Miata maker: MAZDA. It's headquartered in Hiroshima.

41A: Day-__ paint: GLO. I wish J. Lo. would name her perfume G.LO.

43A: "Dies ___": IRAE

44A: Petty: TRIVIAL

46A: Bygone cosmonaut's insignia: CCCP. Russian (Cyrillic alphabet) for USSR. New to me.

48A: P. Lorre character: MR. MOTO. Unknown to me. Only knew he was in Casablanca.

52A: On land: ASHORE

54A: Speaker of Cooperstown: TRIS. Boring clue. Try something else to excite me, like OMEGA diamond watch, "Tris of Diamond"?

59A: Display piece: ÉTAGÈRE. This corner ÉTAGÈRE looks neat.

66A: Against a thing, in law: IN REM. Unknown to me. Only knew "REM" is thing in Latin. (Update: I was wrong. RES is thing in Latin)

67A: Part of MVP: MOST. And 61D: B. M. O. C.: VIP. B.M.O.C. is Big Man on Campus.

68A: Whipped up: MADE

69A: Hangs one's lip: POUTS. No wonder, I need to learn how to hang my lip.

71A: Observed: EYED

DOWN:

1D: Minister: PARSON

3D: Some roof ends: GABLES. Saw this clue before. Forgot promptly. Here are GABLES. Here is the GABLE that I am familiar with.

6D: Surrealist Max: ERNST This is his famous "The Elephant Celebes".

9D: Strong-arm: FORCE

11D: Diplomat Hammarskjold: DAG. This is probably the only good news we've heard from the UN chief lately.

13D: Marks on ballots: XES

18D: Itchy skin condition: ECZEMA. Would not have got it without the across clues. I can never seem to remember this word.

22D: Mariner's greeting: AHOY. Hmmm, Chips AHOY.

25D: 1948-1949 flights to Berlin: AIR LIFT

29D: Ice cream brand: EDY'S. I don't believe there is any EDY'S in China, Häagen-Dazs yes.

33D: B. C. or P. E. I.: PROV. O Canada.

38D: Isinglass: MICA

40D: Braff of "Scrubs": ZACH. Unknown to me. Only know ZACH Johnson, who regrettably missed the cut on Friday.

42D: Ankle-related: TARSAL

45D: Act just like: IMITATE

49D: Type of street: ONE WAY. Or Another.

51D: Did as told to: OBEYED

58D: Salinger lass: ESME

63D: "Red River" co-star Joanne: DRU. Foreign to me. Got her name from across clues.

65D: Lid: TOP. Why not clue it as "Zenith" to make the puzzle more scrabbly? Here is Take My Breath Away from the "TOP Gun". Enjoy!

C.C.

Sunday June 15, 2008 Arlan and Linda Bushman

Theme: Casting Re-Calls

23A: Movie not starring Queen Latifah?: THE KING AND I

36A: Movie not starring Sid Caesar?: ROMAN HOLIDAY

61A: Movie not starring Vincent Price?: CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN

73A: Movie not starring Billy Crystal?: ROMANCING THE STONE

97A: Movie not starring Orlando Bloom?: CACTUS FLOWER

119A: Movie not starring Robin Williams?: BIRD ON A WIRE

16D: Movie not starring Robert Morse?: THE DA VINCI CODE

49D: Movie not starring Gregory Peck?: PRELUDE TO A KISS

A decent puzzle, isn't it? No Roman numerals for a change! Are you bothered by the exceeding amount of suffixes "S"?

Given that today is Father's Day, I would have clued SIRE (113A: Royal address) as "Father", and POP (47A: What a weasel goes) as "Dad". Shouldn't the clue be "How a weasel goes" instead of "What a weasel goes"? The clue for LEMON (72D: Pop flavoring) needs to be changed to "Citrus fruit" or "Dud". I simply hate the word POP popped up twice.

Besides, the clue for OSTIA (74D: Port city of Rome) is incorrect, it should be "Port City of ancient Rome". It's not there any more. OSTIA the town yes. And STE (92D: Fr. title) should be "Fr. Holy woman". It has to be a Mlle.

Lots of 3-letter words in the grid, and "EE" combinations, CEE, DEEP, GEESE, SMEE (31D: Neverland pirate), FOR FREE, REDEEM (20A: Win back) and LEE (44A: Stan of Marvel Comics). By the way, I am eagerly waitinging for LEE Westwood to pull off an upset at US Open later today. I like Geoff Ogilvy too. Who are you rooting for? Tiger?

ACROSS:

21A: Soap Box Derby Site: AKRON OHIO. Knew AKRON, had no idea what was "Soap Box Derby". AKRON is also the location of National Inventors Hall of Fame.

25A: In an unhurried manner: LEISURELY. And then 107D: Rash: HASTY

26A: Greenhorns: NOVICES

29A: Struts: PARADES.

30A: Rugged mountain ridge: ARETE. I just learned that ARETE also means "the aggregate of qualities, as valor and virtue, making up good character". Greek origin.

31A: Disconnected musically: STACCATO. Another musical term: 58D: Slow musical passage: ADAGIO

34A: Writer LeShan: EDA. Not a familiar name to me. A rather short Wikipedia bio.

39A: __out (be a couch potato): VEG

42A: Goggle: STARE

45A: Resolve: DECIDE. Do you like the Cranberries "Free to DECIDE"? I am listening to their Linger right now..."you know I am such a fool for you..."

50A: When asked for: ON DEMAND

54A: Payback: REVENGE. "It's sweet and not fattening".

56A: At no cost: FOR FREE

60A: Andean tubers: OCAS. Has anyone tried them before? Does they taste like sweet potatoes?

68A: Author of "The Hundred Secret Senses": TAN (Amy). Only read her "The Joy Luck Club", and it's good.

81A: Queen of Sparta: LEDA. Ah, the Swan lady, mother of Helen of Troy. I am slowly learning this Greek mythology stuff.

85A: Backed off: EASED UP

88A: Bleak: DESOLATE. And 89D: Depressions: LOWS. How can I cheer you up? How about some Spanish OMELETS (86A: Folded dishes) and mozzarella ROTINI (91A: Pasta choice) salad? Now, are you feeling a bit ZESTFUL (114A: Spirited)?

90A: Hellenic vowel: ETA

94A: In the open: OVERT

96A: Year in Yucatan: ANO. And 51D: Yucatan dwellers: MAYANS.

102A: Kachina maker: HOPI. Look at these ones. Tough to identify the artist I suppose.

106A: "Take on Me" trio: A-HA. Here is the clip. I've never heard of this Norwegian band before, have you?

108A: Biddy condos?: HEN COOPS

109A: Body of rules: CANON. Wish it were clued as CANON camera to pair up with 13D: Camera adjunct: TRIPOD.

110A: Capital of Indonesia: JAKARTA. Too hot and humid there.

116A: Being: EXISTENCE. This reminds me of Sartre's Being and Nothingness.

121A: Intervening spaces: DISTANCES

122A: Titled: LEANED

124A: Suburb of Paris: ISSY. ORLY is another 4-letter city in the suburb of Paris.

126A: Literary compositions: ESSAYS

DOWN:

1D: Refreshing rest: CAT NAP

2D: Shudders at: ABHORS

3D: Irks: PEEVES. See also 65A: Pique: IRE. Not in good mood today...

4D: Nevis partner: ST. KITTS. Got it this time.

5D: "Judith" composer: ARNE (Thomas). Took an educated guess. Only keow ARNE as the "Rule, Britannia" composer.

7D: Nabokov novel: ADA. Have you read this book? Oh, ADA Lovelace is Byron's daughter.

8D: Diva Scotto: RENATA. Completely unknown to me. Got her name from across clues. Here is more information about this diva.

9D: Highway divider: MEDIAN

10D: Dishonor: SMIRCH

14D: Homer-hitter Sammy: SOSA. Not anymore, not without steroid!

15D: ICBM watchdog: NORAD (North American Air Defense Command)

17D: ___ E. Coyote: WILE. Learned this from doing crossword of course.

22D: Rudolf of ballet: NUREYEV

24D: Saloon rocks?: ICE

28D: Upbraid: SCOLD

32D: Schooner fill: ALE

33D: Make fast: TIE. I don't understand this one. What is "make fast"? And how is "TIE" related to "Make fast"?

36D: Hindu aristocrat: RANEE. Or RAJAH. The 4-letter answers would be RANI and RAJA.

37D: Harmony: ORDER

38D: Fashionable Simpson: ADELE. She was on April 22 TMS puzzle.

40D: Mystery award: EDGAR

41D: Silly skein?: GEESE. I like this clue.

43D: Lethargy: TORPOR

47D: Platoon mem: PFC

52D: Lark: ANTIC

54D: Peri on "Frasier": ROZ. I got her name from the across clues. Vaguely remember seeing this name mentioned in a comment long time ago.

56D: CAB successor: FAA. This should have become a gimme to you.

59D: Refuses to: WON'T . Why "refuses to" instead of "refuse to"? Why "s"?

62D: Reveal secrets: BLAB

63D: Old lab burners: ETNAS

64D: Egyptian leader: NASSER. There is also a Lake NASSER in Egypt.

71D: Botanist's study: FLORA

75D: Lambda followers: MUS. No idea. Why?

80D: MPG monitor: EPA

82D: Larter of "Heroes": ALI. Unknown to me. She is pretty.

87D: Wikipedia alternative: ENCARTA. Did you get this one?

88D: Data storage units: DISCS

95D: Direction giver's phrase: THAT WAY

98D: Serendipity: CHANCE. "Can once in a lifetime happen twice?" Silly movie.

99D: Quirk: FOIBLE

100D: Brightly colored parrots: LORIES. So pretty.

101D: Bizet creations: OPERAS

104D: Add, as a liquid: POUR IN

109D: Coastal recesses: INLETS

110D: "Star Wars" group: JEDI. Ha ha, I know this one.

111D: Chart line: AXIS

114D: Nickelodeon's "___101": ZOEY. Jamie-Lynn Spears TV series.

120D: Strand of evidence: DNA

Here is to you, Dr. Dad, and to all those who are Dads, Happy Father's Day!

C.C.

Saturday June 14, 2008 Allan E. Parrish

Themeless

Strange journey to the "Land of Oz" today. Too sudden a landing at the Munchkins' country I suppose. Had no idea who was "Mothers of Invention Inventor", could only think of Plato, who originated this "Necessity is the Mother of Invention"idiom. Did not know Ringo's oldest son ZAK, could only think of Julian, John Lennon's oldest son. ZANZIBAR was simply impossible for me, and ALYDAR was also completely foreign to me.

But I found my yellow brick road quickly, and conquered upper right corner after some mild struggle. Was not familiar with COLONNADE, had never heard of IDENTI-KIT, but ELAINE, INI and OSKAR helped.

The easiest part for me was the ALOE VERA corner. There was absolutely no IMPEDANCE (33D: Electrical resistance) there at all. With all those Blackwater shooting scandal talks last year, HESSIANS (Redux) came to me immediately.

The lower left also crumbled quickly, but I really dislike the clue for KAN (61D: Alternative to KS). Very lazy cluing. Would be very happy if it's reworded as Dorothy and " The Wizard of Oz" related, or simply "Neb. neighbor".

Then I went back to the thorny upper left corner, still could not get much done, and finally succumbed to Google. But hey, I arrived at the "Emerald City" and saw the great "Wizard of Oz".

I really like the below "?" clues today:

15A: Start of a number?: AREA CODE

27A: How much above?: A CUT

31A: Weapon of mass offense?: STINK BOMB. I wish its parallel ARMS (37A: Jacket parts) were clued as weaponry related.

44D: Shrinking flowers?: VIOLETS

Ready to tee off? Let's go!

Front nine:

1A: Island off Tanzania: ZANZIBAR. Here is the map. Wikipedia says the word "ZANZIBAR" probably derives from the Persian word "zangi-bar", meaning "Cost of the Blacks". And its main industries are spices, raffia and tourism. I like this zippy name.

I like country names with letter Z in them: Belize, Brazil, Czech Republic, Kazkhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mozambique, New Zealand, Switzerland, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Zambia & Zimbabwe. Mozambique looks very intriguing, with Z & Q.

9A: Scruples: ETHICS. No "Moral standards" any more?

16A: Fill with false hope: LEAD ON

17A: Glimpsed surreptitiously: PEEKED AT

18A: San ___, Texas: ANGELO. ANGELO is also the villain in Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure".

19A: Foot: suff: PED, as in "Biped" and "Moped", according to Dennis. "PEDI"or "PEDO" are prefixes for foot.

20A: Type of scheme: PYRAMID. I am not familiar with this stock scheme. Only know the "Ponzi Scheme". Here is definition from the dictionary: "A fraudulent moneymaking scheme in which people are recruited to make payments to others above them in a hierarchy while expecting to receive payments from people recruited below them. Eventually the number of new recruits fails to sustain the payment structure, and the scheme collapses with most people losing the money they paid in."

22A: Three-time runner-up to Affirmed in 1978 Triple Crown: ALYDAR. Who remembers those runner-ups? Exotic name though. Here is Belmont Stakes ALYDAR vs. Affirmed clip, very exciting finish. ALYDAR is in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame now.

30A: Kamoze of reggae fame: INI. This is his "Here Comes the Hotstepper". I think this constructor Allan E. Parrish loves reggae music also. Last time he clued another reggae singer MAXI Priest ("Close to you") in his puzzle.

36A: Actor Werner: OSKAR. Weren't you here yesterday?

38A: Follow obsessively: STALK

40A: Cover up: HIDE

41A: Like Batman and Robin: CAPED

43A: Tires out: ENERVATES

46A: City st. : AVE. Thought it would be better to clue it as "___, Caesar!" to pair with 62D: Caesar's seven: VII.

48A: Spinnaker, e.g.: SAIL. I forgot what a spinnaker is. Pieced "SAIL" together from down clue.

49A: Clampett patriarch: JED. Ah Uncle JED to to Jethro. Everything I know, I learned from doing crossword.

57A: Braided hairdo: PIGTAIL. Here is Chatty Cathy in PIGGTAIL hairdo. Is she original?

59A: Small deer: ROE. This ROE topped Canapé looks delicious, is it rosemary sprig on the top?

60A: Signaled subtly: WINKED

62A: Soothing plant: ALOE VERA

64A: Box up: ENCASE

67A: Mercenary soldiers: HESSIANS

Back nine:

1D: Mothers of Invention inventor: ZAPPA (Frank). Is this a gimme to you? Here is more information about "The Mothers of Invention" band. Why is "the" omitted in the clue?

2D: Staggering: AREEL

3D: Disadvantaged: NEEDY

4D: Ringo's oldest son: ZAK (Starkey). I am not familiar with him or "The Who" band.

5D: Frozen floating mass: ICE PACK. Does this clue sound OK to you?

6D: Training room offerings: BODY RUBS. Wherever you say!

7D: Hebrew month: ADAR. It's the Purim's month. Here are the 12 months in Jewish calendar: Tishri, Heshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, Adar, Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av, and Elul. So, there are total three 4-letter months in the calendar, I think I saw ELUL clued in a TMS puzzle before, not Iyar. I bet every one of those names has an unique origin, just like our calendar.

10D: Adjust, as margins: RETAB

9D: "Seinfeld" character: ELAINE. NEWMAN next time!

11D: Old crone: HAG

12D: Composite pic maker: IDENTI- KIT

13D: Portico: COLONNADE. "Colonne" is French for "Column", "Ade" is a simply a noun forming suffix.

14D: Alternative to chains: SNOW TIRES

21D: Talks indistinctly: MUMBLES

24D: Saint-Saëns' "___ Macabre": DANSE. Saw this clue in a Feb TMS puzzle. Here is Matisse's "La DANSE".

28D: Satchel's cousin: TOTE BAG

31D: Lewis and Clark's guide: SACAJAWEA. And 32D: On a tour: TRAVELING. Great parallel.

33D: Electrical resistance: IMPEDANCE. The symbol is Z. Not familiar with this electricity term. But "IMPEDANCE" is easily inferable.

34D: Playing piece: MAN. I don't get this one. What playing piece?

36D: Commandment word: SHALT

39D: WWII word: K RATIONS

42D: Most profound: DEEPEST

47D: Dracula's conquests: BRIDES. Isn't Dracula also CAPED?

51D: Hoard away: STASH

54D: "Two women" Oscar winner: LOREN (Sophie)

55D: Makes tight: SEALS. And Sealed it with a Kiss. Wow, what kind of dance is that?

I am just so sad that Tim Russert is gone. My Sundays will never be the same. I will miss him tomorrow, and next Sunday, and the Sunday after, and every Sunday... I will remember you, Tim Russert, always.

C.C.

Friday June 13, 2008 Barry Silk

Theme: PIG OUT

17A: Coin repository: PIGGY BANK

65A: Unskilled emoters: HAM ACTORS

11D: Fish of the wrasse family: HOG SNAPPER

29D: Flat-topped topper: PORK PIE HAT

I wish 65A were singular so all the theme answers can have a consistent form pattern. Good puzzle though, with Z, X, and all those K's. I did not strike out this morning, but I was half dazed by this new constructor Barry Silk's pitches.

This guy has quite an arm. I expect him to clue Reds' Edinson VÓLQUEZ (1.56 ERA, stunning!) in his next puzzle soon. By the way, regarding last Saturday's Tariq Aziz cross-hair target grid, Barry Silk said that the pattern he chose "was not meant to resemble anything in particular". I sure like Sandra's interpretation.

I would not have got OBOL (28D: Old Greek coin: OBOL) and KOPEK (36D: Part of a ruble) without the across clues. I did not know either of them, nor was I familiar with PHYLA. I was so happy to see OCHOA (64A: Lorena of LPGA) in the puzzle today. Love her and Suzann Petterson. The 2008 US Women's Open will be held here in MN next week. I've never seen Lorena in person before, nor have I seen Michelle Wie, who easily earned her qualification spot last week. I would have clued HOLE (27D: Aperture) as "Tiger's target", you know, with the US Open going on now.

Learned something new this morning: Piglets can also be called farrows; pigs between 100-180 pounds are called shoats; a gilt is a young pig that has not produced a litter; and a barrow is a castrated male pig.

Two more things:

1) JAF asked the other day "How to do better at crossword", I recommend reading "How to Conquer the New York Times Crossword Puzzle" written by Amy Reynaldo (Orange). I've benefited enormously from her tips and instructions. She said that yesterday ANTES, ANTI, ANTIC are unrelated, since they have different root words. ANTE comes from Latin (before), ANTI from Greek (opposite), ANTIC from Italian Antico or Latin Antiquus (ancient, old).

So, TMS crossword constructors, please let me know if my criticisms of your puzzles are not on solid ground. I will never improve if you remain silent. In the meantime, since today is "Blame Someone Else Day", let's heap on our editor all the inaccurate/wrong clues, dull theme, unaesthetic grid, etc.

2) As you all know, Times of India carries TMS puzzle as well, here is a Crossword Op-Ed piece written by Mangesh Ghogre, one of our fellow solvers in Mumbai. Thought you might be interested.

Alright, enough babbling, let's tee off:

Front Nine:

4A: BYU location: PROVO. Why abbreviation in the clue?

9A: TV screening device: V CHIP

16A: Tom T. Hall hit: I LOVE. I LOVE U2.

19A: Enter name and password: LOG IN

20A: National park in Alaska: DENALI. Nailed it this time. Alaska's first governor is William A EGAN.

23A: Master conductor: MAESTRO. I like almost every Bob Woodward book, except MAESTRO, too many sophisticated financial terms and economic lingo for me to understand.

27A: Navajo's neighbor: HOPI. Beautiful HOPI pottery.

31A: Discovery rival: VISA. You could not believe the troubles I went through to get a VISA to the US.

37A: Wham!: POW. Senator McCain's campaign staff need to make contact with our editor, that's for sure!

40A: "Casablanca" co-star Peter: LORRE

41A: U.S. pub. grp.: GPO. It refers to "General Post Office", right? (Update: It stands for Government Printing Office.)

42A: Word with big or bad: APPLE. Meet APPLE Martin!

45A: Lounge lizard: CREEP. Political junkies are probably familiar with Nixon's CREEP.

47A: Calvin of fashion: KLEIN. The Obsession, for Men.

52A: 2005 MVP: AROD. Justin Morneau's surname has 4 vowels, and he is the 2006 MVP. I wonder why crossword constructors do not clue him.

53A: CCCLIII tripled: MLIX. Just for Mkat!

58A: Driver's license requirement: EYE TEST

60A: Final summary: WRAP UP

69A: ___ nous: ENTRE. Listen to Debra Ollivier's advice dispensed in her wildly popular "ENTRE nous", drink your wine, eat your cheese and enjoy your chocolate!

71A: Several of Siena: SETTE

72A: Corp. investment in the future: R AND D

Back nine:

1D: Letters for Nob Hill cops: SFPD (San Francisco Police Department)

4D: Biology kingdom divisions: PHYLA. Singular is Phylum. A new word to me.

5D: End of pay?: OLA

8D: Actor Werner: OSKAR. No idea, only know OSKAR of "Schindler's List"

9D: TV handyman Bob: VILA. Stranger to me also. I strung his name together from across clues.

12D: Like Wrigleys' walls: IVIED

18D: More ill-smelling: GAMIER

24D: Power peak: SURGE

25D: Circus apparatus: TRAPEZE. Would not have got this one without ZEE (50A: Last letter)

32D: Author Dinesen: ISAK. "Out of Africa" author. I wonder if ISAK is now a popular name in Denmark.

38D: Mixed bag: OLIO. It's Zaqi Zaba (杂七杂八) in Chinese. Letter "u" does not always follow "q" in Chinese.

39D: Make one's way: WEND. Another new word to me.

43D: Dabble in: PLAY AT

49D: Obtain by intimidation: EXTORT

51D: English prince: EDWARD. Which EDWARD are we talking about here? Him, Prince Charles' brother?

53D: Persian words?: MEOWS

54D: French school: LYCÉE. French secondary education terms: Collège and LYCÉE (grades 9-12). The students are ÉLÈVES, which was clued as "French classful" by our editor in May and stumped many solvers. Just remember those"École attendees" ÉLÈVES can refer to a broad range of students (enfant/adolescent/adult), full time/part time.

56D: Old anesthetic: ETHER

Finally, 67D: Atlas abbr.: MTN (Mountain). Here is a message from the spice girl POSH (61D: Swank): "listen, baby, Ain't no mountain high enough...if you need me, call me...". Enjoy!

C.C.