Monday 24, 2009 Norfleet Pruden

Theme: Scope of a Thorough Search

17A: HIGH AND LOW

27A: INSIDE AND OUT

44A: HITHER AND YON

60A: FAR AND WIDE

Argyle here.

Four theme entries is unusual for a Monday puzzle. The first three consist of words that are opposite each other. The last one is not.

That said, let's see how many more we can come up with. I'm sure most of us will have extra time on our hands after breezing through this weak start to the week.

Across:

1A: Dogie-catching tool : ROPE.

5A: Looking like you've seen a ghost: ASHEN.

10A: Poi base: TARO.

14A: "Iliad" or "Odyssey: EPIC.

15A: Not a soul: NO ONE.

16A: Greek war god: ARES. Thor in Norse myth.

19A: Rod's companion: REEL.

20A: Sweater wool: ANGORA.

21A: Mythical city of gold: EL DORADO. What they drive in EL DORADO and who might drive them while ELO plays on the radio.

23A: Ottoman governor: BEY. Under the Ottoman Empire a BEY was the governor of a province. Other Turkish titles are AGA & PASHA.

24A: Nightmare street of movies: ELM. And MAIN (54D: Common street name).

26A: One having a little lamb: EWE.

33A: Planetary shadow: UMBRA. Still in the dark?

36A: Thinks (over) carefully: MULLS.

37A: Partner of a tournament "am": PRO. Pro-Am golf tournaments are usually a lot of fun and raise money for charities. The AMatures will pay a lot to play with a PROfessional.

38A: Chat: TALK.

39A: Roman senators' attire: TOGAS.

40A: Immense: HUGE.

41A: Previously: AGO.

42A: Pine product: RESIN.

43A: Headquartered: BASED.

47A: Walking on __: elated: AIR.

48A: Doo-wop horn: SAX.

49A: Play segment: ACT.

52A: Gloria Steinem, notably: FEMINIST. Yesterday's CATT ("Friend of Anthony") too.

57A: Home beverage counter with a sink: WET BAR.

59A: One with burning pants?: LIAR. Liar Liar Pants on Fire! is an expression of unknown meaning but well-established origins. In its most complete version, it is rendered “Liar, liar, pants on fire/ Hangin’ on a telephone wire!” It is most commonly associated with accusations of dishonesty

62A: Very dry: ARID.

63A: Up in arms: IRATE.

64A: Bad day for Caesar: IDES.

65A: Lottery-like game: KENO.

66A: Dressed like a superhero: CAPED.

67A: Keeps after taxes: NETS.

Down:

1D: Post-op treatment: REHAB.

2D: Offer one's view: OPINE.

3D: Word with bank or back: PIGGY.

4D: Canyon phenomenon: ECHO. Also a lovely Greek nymph who pined away for Narcissus.

5D: Historical records: ANNALS.

6D: Instant lawn: SOD.

7D: Digger's creation: HOLE.

8D: Carbon compound: ENOL.

9D: Renegotiated contracts: NEW DEALS.

10D: Paved: TARRED.

11D: Vicinity: AREA.

12D: Physician Walter for whom an Army hospital is named: REED. Dr. Walter Reed (1851-1902), Conqueror of the Yellow Fever.

13D: Norway's capital: OSLO. Previously Christiania.

18D: Venue for games: ARENA.

22D: Has title to: OWNS.

25D: Champagne and orange juice cocktail: MIMOSA.

27D: Bug: IRK.

28D: Made trenches: DUG IN.

29D: Spiral-horned antelopes: ELANDS.

30D: Numbered work: OPUS. Plural can be OPUSES or OPERA.

31D: Encourage: URGE.

32D: __ the line: obeyed: TOED.

33D: Brigham City's state: UTAH. Home of the Jazz.

34D: Wise men: MAGI. Singular is magus.

35D: Stain: BLOT.

39D: Fabulous: TERRIFIC.

40D: Solo played by Harrison: HAN. Also the name of a Chinese dynasty.

42D: Jockey strap: REIN.

43D: Put in cartons: BOXED.

45D: Arrangement of locks: HAIRDO.

46D: Acted sleepy: YAWNED.

49D: Put up with: ABIDE.

50D: West Point undergrad: CADET.

51D: Rapunzel feature: TRESS.

52D: Anti-aircraft fire: FLAK.

53D: Emerald Isle: EIRE. Sometimes it's ERIN.

55D: "Nobody doesn't like __ Lee": SARA.

56D: Mouth, in slang: TRAP.

58D: Duplicate: TWIN.

61D: Had lunch: ATE.

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is great photo of our fellow solvers T Frank and his lovely wife Jean. They are going to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary this coming weekend. The invitation to the reception contains this photo taken at a NROTC Ball held in the armory at Brown University. It was taken shortly before they were married. Jean was a senior at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she majored in fashion and design.

Argyle

Sunday August 23, 2009 Gary Steinmehl

Theme: Changing Sides - The first and last word of familiar phrases are swapped.

23A: Miners' detritus?: LITTER OF THE PICK (Pick of the Litter, the best of the bunch.)

38A: High ground at Graceland?: HILL OF THE KING (King of the Hill, the most powerful person in the group.)

61A: Like an estate seller?: FREE OF THE LAND (Land of the Free, America.)

85A: "Nova" episode about out sun?: SHOW OF THE STAR (Star of the Show, the headliner.)

103A: Heirs?: PEOPLE OF THE WILL (Will of the People, upon which democracy is founded.)

15D: Manor owner's jewelry?: RINGS OF THE LORD (Lord of the Rings, Tolkien novel)

48D: Moments when an omen appears?: TIMES OF THE SIGN (Sign of the Times, something that signifies the nature of the current society.)

I have never heard of idiom "King the Hill" before. Dictionary says British call it "King of the Castle".

I do love the entry HILL OF THE KING a lot. Joe Jackson should learn from Priscilla Presley, though I doubt he could transform Neverland into another Graceland.

I did not jump around today. Solved the puzzle systematically from upper left to lower right. Struggled with the multiple-word entries again.

Across:

1A: Knotted sash: OBI. Nice to have a gimme start.

4A: Easy __: AS ABC. Thought of DOES IT first. Easy DOES IT.

9A: Magnitogorsk's river: URAL. I've never heard of Magnitogorsk, a Russian mining and industrial city located by the URAL River.

13A: "Green __": ACRES. The Eva Gabor TV series.

18A: Cool, in a way: FAN. Verb here.

19A: Attacked: CAME AT

21A: She played Roz on "Frasier": PERI (Gilpin)

22A: Toast indicator: CLINK. Nice crossing with CLANG (14D: Sound from a forge).

26A: Like Mr. Fix-it: HANDY

27A: One way to think: LOUD

28A: Prepare for a job transfer, perhaps: RETRAIN. And REHIRE (78D: Brings back to board). I like both of the clues, neither indicating a RE answer directly.

29A: Fictional oil family name: EWING. Of "Dallas".

33A: Mag. stand item: ISS (Issue)

34A: Tries to hit: SWINGS AT

41A: Plastic __Band: ONO. No idea. According to Wiki, it's a conceptual band (1969-1975) formed by John Lennon and Yoko ONO before the dissolution of Beatles. Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were once members.

42A: "Wonder Dog" of comics: REX. Nope. Have never heard of Rex the Wonder Dog.

43A: "Free" gym gear: Abbr.: WTS. Weights? Why is "Free" in quotation mark?

44A: Operate with a beam: LASE. LASE/LASER. TASE/TASER.

45A: __ concern: OF NO. Had problem obtaining this multiple world answer.

46A: Fragrant extract: ATTAR. And LEI (94A: Fragrant gift). The latter stumped me.

51A: Spread choice: PATE. Tried OLEO first.

52A: Subbed: SAT IN

53A: Cheats: CHISELERS. New word to me. Looks like a person who chisels.

55A: Passé demo item: TAPE. Passé indeed.

56A: Tries to sell: PUSHES. I can't stand CNBC's Jim Cramer.

57A: Hit the trail, in a way: CAMPAIGN

58A: Thames islets: AITS. Often clued as "River islets".

59A: "Purgatorio" writer: DANTE. "Divine Comedy" writer as well.

60A: 2002 baseball All-Star Game result: TIE. An embarrassing moment for Bud Selig.

64A: Word in southwestern place names: LOS. As in LOS Angeles.

67A: Go after: SET AT

69A: Lofgren of the E Street Band: NILS. Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

70A: Democracy, e.g.: IDEOLOGY

72A: Does an Act of Contrition: ATONES. Did not know "Act of Contrition" is a prayer. No wonder the phrase is capitalized.

74A: People Magazine's 1999 Sexist Man Alive: GERE (Richard). I guessed PITT (Brad).

75A: Idealist' bane: REAL WORLD

76A: Support: BE FOR

77A: "Symphony in Black" artist: ERTE. Gimme to you, right? I've linked "Symphony in Black" a few times before.

78D: Fishing gear: RODS

79A: Where lines met: NODES. Why? I wanted CORNER.

80A: Two-timers: RATS

81A: Tug's burden: SCOW. Flat-bottomed boat.

82A: Alter, perhaps: SEW

84A: Pompeii burier: ASH

89A: Outsourced item, perhaps: JOBS

92A: Timon and Uncle Max, in "The Lion King": MEERKATS. New word to me. They are also called suricates. Members of the mongoose family.

95A: Where It.'s at: EUR (Europe). It.=Italy.

96A: Guitar __: video game: HERO. Unknown to me.

97A: Like a fleabag: SEEDY

98A: Inn Crowd member: BOARDER. Wordplay on "In Crowd".

100A: "Foolish Games" singer: JEWEL. Here is the clip. Reminded me of Samuel A Donaldson's "Closing Acts" puzzle, PINK, JEWEL, SEAL & PRINCE.

101A: Not exactly vertical: ATILT

106A: It makes sense: LOGIC. Yes, indeed.

107A: Tombstone lawman: EARP

108A: Looked happy: SMILED

109A: Fed. income supplement program: SSI (Supplemental Security Income). Unknown to me.

110A: "Dune" director David: LYNCH. I've yet to experience the utter bliss David LYNCH often experiences in his Transcendental Meditation.

11A: Chop __: SUEY. SUEY is literally "pieces".

112A: '90 "SNL" regular Cheri: OTERI. Friendly vowel & consonant combination.

Down:

2D: Pearl of "St. Louis Woman": BAILEY. Got the answer from Across fills. Have never heard of this singer/actress.

3D: Sing, as Gregorian chant: INTONE

5D: Fraternal org. since 1889: SAR (Sons of the American Revolution). DAR is Daughters of American Revolution.

7D: Happened to: BEFELL

8D: Friend of Anthony: CATT. Carrie Chapman CATT & Susan B. Anthony. Both suffragists. Stumped me.

9D: Snooty: UPPISH. Wanted UPPITY.

11D: It's measured in degrees: ARC. True.

12D: "Me, too": LIKEWISE

13D: Sore: ACHING

16D: Nip in the bud: END

17D: Word with jack or box: SKY. Skyjack = Sky & (Hi)jack.

20D: Using coupons, say: THRIFTY

25D: Bridge positions: EASTS. Could also be WESTS.

30D: Choice from a list: WINE. I was thinking of the computer drop-down list.

32D: Fan mag graphics: PIX. Singular is PIC.

34D: Inline item: SKATE

35D: Poker whiz __ Duke: ANNIE. I recognized her face when I googled.

36D: Popeye et al.: TOONS

38D: Next life: HEREAFTER. Do you believe in next life?

39D: Dominates, in sports lingo: OWNS. PWNS in computer talk. Easy to accidentally hit the P instead of O key when typing.

40D: Slip by: ELAPSE

42D: Sing like Satchmo: RASP. Did not know RASP can be a verb. Satchmo is the nickname of Louis Armstrong.

45D: Hops drier: OAST

46D: S & L holding: ACCT. S & L= Savings & Loans.

47D: Cuisine using jasmine rice: THAI. Love THAI food, not jasmine rice though. Dislike the taste.

49D: Father, biblically: BEGET

50D: D-day invasion river: ORNE. See this map. The "Caen river".

51D: Maze option: PATHS

52D: Evening cocktail, to a Brit.: SUNDOWNER. Drink taken at sundown. New to me.

54D: Turkey tender: LIRAS. Turkish money. Got me. I was picturing the bird turkey.

55D: Mr. or Mrs.: TITLE

56D: Comics frame: PANEL

58D: Smoking, probably: AFIRE

59D: Tots' pops: DADAS. Chinese babies talk the same thing: DADA/BABA.

62D: Ali's pair of socks: ONE-TWO. The ONE-TWO punch, a left-hand jab immediately followed by a right cross. Nicely misleading "pair of socks".

63D: Spread canards: LIED

65D: Eye up and down: OGLE. Too bad EYE is also the answer for 37A: Check out.

66D: Pink Floyd's Barrett et al.: SYDS

68D: Space chimp: ENOS. Of 1961.

71D: Life rival, once: LOOK. I have this RFK issue. The tears.

72D: Norm of "This Old House": ABRAM. Immediately thought of our Al.

73D: Get on: TEASE

74D: Becomes: GROWS. Becomes/GROWS fond of.

75D: "Lady Jane Grey" playwright: ROWE. Can never remember the playwright's name.

77D: Adaptable subspecies: ECOTYPES. New word to me also.

81D: Atlantic catch: SHAD. Roe source.

82D: Diamond theft?: STEAL. Baseball diamond. Nailed it immediately.

85D: Police artist's work: SKETCH. Cool word, with only one vowel.

86D: Obsolescent data holder: FLOPPY

87D: Deem appropriate: SEE FIT

88D: One with a shell: TURTLE. Was picturing oyster.

89D: Like some delis: JEWISH. Wrote down KOSHER first.

90D: Ominous words: OR ELSE

91D: Mess (up): BOLLIX. Need to use this word often.

93D: Trace of the past: RELIC

96D: Chop down: HEW

98D: Put to sleep, so to speak: BORE

99D: Major -__: DOMO. New word to me. Chief steward/butler. DOMO/Dome, house.

100D: Sci-fi knight: JEDI. The "Star Wars" knight

101D: The whole shebang: ALL. Love the clue.

102D: Happy meal throw-in: TOY. Not any more, right? I used to collect those Madame Alexander McDonald's toys. Very cute.

104D: __ minérale: EAU. French for mineral water, like Évian.

105D: Self starter?: HER. Herself.

Answer grid.

C.C.