Friday October 9, 2009 Dan Naddor

Theme: Go Back - Go is attached to the end of a familiar two-word phrase/name.

16A. Tropical fruit that grows underground?: CAVE MAN(GO). Caveman. Mango is tropical fruit. Funny entry. Reminds me of two GEICO cavemen in a restaurant commercial. One told the waiter, "I'll have the roast duck and the MANGO salsa". The other caveman said, "I don't have much of an appetite, thank you."

21A. Church game played with cans and bottles?: RECYCLE BIN(GO). Recycle bin. Do dump out the extra liquid in your cans/bottles before you put them in the recycle/recycling bin.

37. Italian cheese from the Florida Keys?: SOUTHEAST ASIA(GO). Southeast Asia. Florida Keys are a chain of small islands off the coast of southeast US. Asiago cheese is named after the Italian town Asiago where it originated.

44A. Fled what was once Zaire?: ESCAPED CON(GO). Escaped con. Congo was called Zaire between 1971 to 1997.

57A. Jargon of ancient Yucatán?: MAYA LIN(GO). Maya Lin. Best known for designing the Vietnam Memorial. I suspect this is the seed entry. Or perhaps CAVE MANGO.

Today's Dan Naddor Index (total non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 15, higher than the previous weeks'. Plus the 5 theme answers, a total of 20 entries with 6 or more letters, Dan's own standard.

Very clever theme. Again, I worked the puzzle from bottom up. Got MAYA LINGO immediately, then ESCAPED CONGO, then I filled in all GO's at the end of each theme entry.

Had to look at the cheat sheet for the middle-right edge of the grid. Huge trouble with RIG, BAAL & T. S. GARP.

Across:

5. Run in a traffic jam?: IDLE. Nice clue.

9. "__ fan tutte": Mozart opera: COSI. Literally "so"/"thus" in Italian. fan = do, tutte = feminine form for "all". Cosi fan tutte = "Thus do all (women)". I just forgot. It appeared in Jerome's puzzle last time.

14. Aquarium clapper: SEAL

15. Be silent, in music: TACET (TAH-ket). No idea. Same root as tacit.

18. Autobahn autos: OPELS. It does not belong to GM any more, does it?

19. Exceeded, as a budget: OVERRAN

20. Ankle-swelling cause: SPRAIN. I am prone to ankle sprain, esp after some drinks.

24. Workout unit: REP (Repetition)

28. Not away: IN TOWN

32. Michigan college town: ANN ARBOR. The University of Michigan.

39. Snobs: ELITISTS

40. Fictional author of "The World According to Bensenhaver": T. S. GARP. The character in John Irving's "The World According to Garp". T. S. stands Technical Sergeant. Stumped me.

41. Spot to get off: STAIN. Get the STAIN off. Had problem understanding the clue properly.

43. Grant opponent: LEE (R.E.)

51. Body shop offering: LOANER

52. SWAT team supply: TEAR GAS. Pittsburgh police just used TEAR GAS during the G20 Summit. Surreal.

56. Jet trail: VAPOR

59. Nanos and minis: IPODS. Both Nano and Mini are iPod models. Mine is Classic, so is Melissa Bee's.

60. Drive the getaway car for, say: ABET

61. Prefix with dollar: EURO. Eurodollar is U.S. dollar deposited in a European bank.

62. Last word sung with champagne in hand: SYNE. "Auld Lang SYNE", sung on New Year's Eve.

63. Presidential power: VETO. Governor has the VETO power too.

64. Future J.D.'s hurdle: LSAT (Law School Admission Test). Should be a gimme for our J.D. now.

Down:

2. Patron saint of Norway: OLAV. Always have to wobble between OLAF and OLAV.

3. Like glowing coals: LIVE. I kind of like fake fireplace. Clean.

4. Hall of Fame second baseman Bobby: DOERR. Got his name from Across fill. Wikipedia says he played his entire season with the Red Sox.

5. Stern with a bow: ISAAC

6. Chain that serves the Grand Slam breakfast: DENNY'S

8. "Strange Magic" band: ELO. What other 3-letter band can you think of?

9. Bay of Naples isle: CAPRI. Capri pants got its name from this isle.

10. Continental divide?: OCEAN. Another great clue.

11. Baseball commissioner since the '90s: SELIG (Bud). He'll stay as commissioner until at least 2012. Boo! Hate him. He used to own the Milwaukee Brewers.

12. "__ big deal": ITS NO

15. Military higher-ups: TOP BRASS

17. G.I. ration: MRE (Meal Ready to Eat)

20. Witnessed visiting: SEEN AT. He was witnessed visiting his ex-girlfriend. He was SEEN AT
his ex-girlfriend' house? I don't know. Can't equate the two grammatically. Maybe you can give me a better example.

22. Enduring opus: CLASSIC

23. Navel buildup: LINT

24. Bailiff's request: RISE. OYEZ is "Bailiff's request" too, correct?

25. Compound containing a hydroxl group: ENOL

26. Spitting sound: PTUI. Man, he's back again.

29. Giant great who wore #4: OTT (Mel). Ah, the #4 giant of the moment belongs to Brett Favre. It's his 40th birthday tomorrow.

30. Library volumes?: WHISPERS. Clever clue.

31. Avian homemaker: NESTER

33. Hook (up): RIG. Why? I wanted TIE.

34. False god: BAAL. The Semitic "False god". Mine was IDOL.

35. Brute: OGRE

36. Weapon in Clue: ROPE. Have yet to play this game.

38. Hardly at all: A TAD

42. "When I'm ready": NOT YET. I've developed a fondness for multiple words now. Like them better than long single words. Clear Ayes used to prefer the latter, maybe she still does.

44. The King: ELVIS. Saw several lovely ELVIS candy tins at the flea market this summer.

46. Food fowl: CAPON. Maybe Jeannie can give us another recipe. I'll try her marinated salmon on Saturday. Have never used orange juice in cooking before.

47. Battery terminal: ANODE

48. "Peachy keen!": NEATO

49. "For Me and My __": GAL. Judy Garland/Gene Kelly musical.

50. Bay window: ORIEL (AWR-ee-uhl). Like this window, jutting out from the wall.

53. Wildebeests: GNUS

54. Indian mausoleum city: AGRA. Taj Mahal.

55. Flue coat: SOOT

57. Dallas cager, briefly: MAV (Mavericks). And with a maverick owner Mark Cuban, who was all gaga over Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead".

58. He's next to Teddy on Mount Rushmore: ABE

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a recent photo of our fellow solver PJB-Chicago at work. Looks like it's taken from a cell phone. This one is the pregnant picture he mentioned on the blog the other day. It's taken 7 years ago at his admin's baby shower. He said both men and women were invited and the invitation said "Dress pregnant" so "I stuffed a couch pillow under my shirt. The lady to my left was another admin, a fireball & a whipsmart bundle of energy. She didn't "dress pregnant" so I'm the chunky one here. Now, my hair is thinner and grayer, & the face more lined. My eyeglasses are not as loud."

C.C.

Thursday October 8, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: COVERT OPS (59A. Hush-hush activities, briefly, and a hint to the hidden theme in 18-, 23-, 38- and 49-Across) - OPS are embedded in all the theme answers.

18A. Jam on the brakes: STOP SHORT. Remember this Seinfeld episode? "You stop short with me? We don't do that in Korea".

23A. Soft court stroke: DROP SHOT. Who has the best drop shot in tennis?

38A. Small family businesses: MOM AND POP STORES. Hard for them to survive in this Wal-Mart world.

49A. Stir-fried dish: CHOP SUEY. Suey is literally "small pieces". American Chinese food: meat & bean sprout & mushroom & onion or other veggies, served over rice or chow mein.

Very clever tie-in answer, COVERT OPS. Did you also consider COVERT/SECRET AGENT, Donna?

All of the hidden OPS span two words, very consistent. Silly, but I interpreted COVERTOPS as COVER TOPS initially.

Covert Ops is short for Covert Operations. According to Wikipedia, they maybe include sabotage, assassination, support for coups d’état & subversion, all those clandestine stuff. Any of them is better than war, isn't it? Had we allowed CIA to assassinate Saddam, so much lives would have been saved.

Very smooth puzzle. All of the multiple words are common phrases and easily obtainable.

Across:

1. Athenian with harsh laws: DRACO (DREY-koh). That's how we get draconian (drey-KOH-nee-uhn), meaning "very severe/harsh". Draconian measure, Draconian budget cut, etc.

6. "Star Wars" princess: LEIA. Played by Carrie Fisher. And UHURA (51D. "Star Trek" communications officer). Played by Nichelle Nichols. The latter always give me trouble. All I know about "Star Trek" is Spock and Sulu.

10. Hip-hop mogul who married Beyoncé: JAY-Z. Powerful couple. Jay-Z is unbelievably astute in his investment. Part owner of New Jersey Nets.

14. Grapevine traveler: RUMOR

16. "Dies __": hymn: IRAE. Literally "wrath".

17. Get hitched quick: ELOPE

20. Stick-on design: DECAL. Tough to find a 1950's/60's bobblehead with the original decal on.

21. Go astray: SIN

22. Press conf. format: Q AND A. Man, I never learn. Had trouble parsing the answer again.

25. Wallowing place: MUD. Was picturing a sty.

26. Pasture: LEA

27. Colorfully patterned fabric: PAISLEY. Name after the Scottish city famous for such fabric.

31. Songstress Adams: EDIE. What's her most famous song?

34. RCA Victor pooch: NIPPER. The dog in "His Master's Voice".

41. Driver's lic. et al.: IDS

42. Lend a hand: ASSIST

43. Fast time: LENT. For Christians. Muslims have their Ramadan.

44. Gander: LOOK-SEE

46. Embarrassed: RED

48. World Series mo.: OCT. Topical clue/fill. Damned Yankees. Nothing went right for the Twins yesterday.

54. Legend automaker: ACURA. Honda luxury brand.

57. Cross shape: TAU. The Greek T. Cross-shaped.

58. Yellowish earth tone: OCHRE. Or ocher.

61. Magician Henning et al.: DOUGS. Easy guess. Not familiar with Doug Henning.

63. Shoshoneans: UTES

64. __ the side of caution: ERR ON

66. Like slasher movies: GORY. A slasher is a horror film featuring gory special effects.

67. 1954-1977 defense gp.: SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization). Formed in Manila.

Down:

1. "Judge __": Stallone film: DREDD. Obtained the film title from crossings.

2. School tool: RULER

3. Big name in gas: AMOCO. Merged with BP in 1998.

4. Admit one's guilt to serve less time: COP A PLEA

5. Threat-ending words: OR ELSE

6. Rodeo rope: LASSO

7. Weird Al Yankovic parody of a Michael Jackson hit: EAT IT. Here is the clip. Unknown to me.

8. It's pumped in gyms: IRON. Jazzbumpa's "I, RON".

9. PC program: APP (Application). Applet is a small application. App(lication) + let.

10. Holy wars: JIHADS. The Koran says those who die in Jihad will go to heaven immediately.

13. Epsilon follower: ZETA. This is Dennis's favorite "Epsilon follower".

19. Water gun stream: SQUIRT

24. Desk phone unit: HANDSET. Wrote down HEADSET first.

25. Orchestra leader: MAESTRO. Italian for "master".

27. Third afterthought, in a ltr.: PPPS. The most I've used is PPS.

28. Old Italian money: LIRE. Plural of Lira.

30. Eddie of the '40s-'50s Senators: YOST. Washington Senators (now Twins). I drew a blank. Only knew the former Brewers' manager Ned YOST. Might have this card in my collection though. Wikipedia says he's nicknamed the "Walking Man" and he's still alive.

31. German artist Nolde: EMIL. I guessed. EMIL sounds German.

32. Dimwit: DODO. The extinct bird too.

33. "__ Excited": Pointer Sisters hit: I'M SO. Here is the clip.

35. __ dixit: assertion without proof: IPSE. Literally "he himself". IPSO is "itself", as in "ipso facto" (by the fact itself). Don't confuse it with Lhasa Apso the dog.

36. Luau fare: POI

39. Sprint Cup org.: NASCAR

40. It may take years to settle one: OLD SCORE. I like this fill a lot.

45. Seoul man: KOREAN. Seoul food is very hot. Koreans use lots of hot red pepper.

47. Lyric poems: EPODES. New word to me. Dictionary defines it as "a kind of lyric poem, invented by Archilochus, in which a long verse is followed by a short one".

49. Playful prank: CAPER

50. Brazen minx: HUSSY. Just learned this word a few months ago. Bad form of "housewife".

52. Grain disease: ERGOT. Wait for our in-house farmer/philosopher Windhover for expert explanation.

53. Like some simple questions: YES-NO

54. West Point, e.g.: Abbr.: ACAD (Academy)

56. Eye part containing the iris: UVEA. Latin for "grape".

57. He bit Miss Gulch in a 1939 film: TOTO. From "The Wizard of Oz". I bet this is Donna's original clue, given her fondness for the movie.

60. Pull hard: TUG. Tried LUG first.

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a beautiful photo of our fellow solver Carol2 (in black) and her daughter-in-law, who is from Romania. They were in a local restaurant celebrating the 90th birthday of Carol's mother.

C.C.

Wednesday October 7, 2009 Lee Glickstein

Theme title: A-FRAMES (39A. Houses with sharply angled roofs, and what this puzzle's four longest answers literally have in common) - Letter A bookends/frames each theme answer. (Update: Martin noticed all the theme answers end in place names.)

17A. 49th state's largest city: ANCHORAGE, ALASKA. The Iditarod starts at ANCHORAGE and ends in Nome.

27A. E.M. Forster classic set in fictional Chandrapore: A PASSAGE TO INDIA. Have heard of the book/movie. Not the author. Chandrapore is a fictional Indian city.

47A. Classic Italian "farewell" song: ARRIVEDERCI ROMA. Ah, I've linked this song or some other version a few times when ROMA appeared as a fill. Arrivederci (ahr-ree-ve-DER-chee) = Au revoir.

63A. Two-part drama that won two Best Play Tonys and a Best Miniseries Emmy: ANGELS IN AMERICA. Was unaware of the specific awards it garnered.

A-FRAME is a house shaped like letter A, or inverted V. I learned this term last time when Argyle linked an A-FRAME coop picture. He said it helps protect those chickens in the nighttime. Very clever unifying answer.

Smooth sailing. Was familiar with all the four 15-letter theme answers. Rare for me.

Across:

8. Check signers: PAYERS. You don't find a checkbook in a common Chinese household. We jumped from cash transactions directly to debit/credit card.

14. 1950 Edmond O'Brien suspense classic: DOA. Got the answer from crossings. Looks scary.

15. Sliding __: DOOR. Kind of related to the A-FRAME theme.

16. Hide out: LIE LOW. That's exactly what Kanye West has been doing, lying low, after the Taylor Swift incident.

21. Sly: FOXY

25. "Was __ hard on him?"I TOO

36. Washroom, briefly: LAV (Lavatory). WC in China.

42. Point to pick: NIT. Wait for Jazzbumpa to comment.

43. Sam of "The Piano": NEILL. Wanted O'NEIL. Sam NEILL is a Kiwi.

45. Dapper guy?: DAN. John Gotti's nickname is "The Dapper Don".

46. __ about: approximately: ON OR

53. Loud crowd noise: ROAR. Did you hear the roar at the Metrodom? What an unbelievable game! Twins seem to suffer an Inferiority Complex when facing the Yankees though. In Lemonade's words, they are "choke artists destined to fade away into Yankee oblivion".

56. Community service org.: YMCA. Founded in 1844.

59. Popeye's creator: SEGAR (E. C.). No idea. Obtained his name from crosses again. Had S?GAR, then I thought of SUGAR first.

66. Freezing period: ICE AGE

68. Acne spot: ZIT

69. Clinton press secretary Myers: DEE DEE. The first woman to serve as White House Press Secretary.

Down:

3. Diplomat's forte: TACT. Well, obviously John Bolton does not have this attribute.

4. Has a crush on: ADORES

5. NYC's Bronx, e.g.: BOR (Borough)

7. Thus, to a logician: ERGO. Latin for "therefore", as in "Cogito, ERGO sum" (I think, therefore I am).

8. __ win: go all out: PLAY TO

9. Afflict: AIL. What had been ailing the Tigers? Unprecedented collapse! My husband really likes Miguel Cabrera.

10. Beginning of time, figuratively: YEAR ONE. "Figuratively" confused me a bit.

11. Film lioness: ELSA. From"Born Free".

12. Korean soldiers: ROKS. The soldiers in the ROK (Republic of Korea/South Korea)

13. Trade: SWAP. And PLIER (28D. One with a trade). Nice "trade" clue echo.

18. "Steppenwolf" writer Hermann: HESSE. Nobel Literature winner (1946).

19. Way off the turnpike: EXIT

27. Health Net rival: AETNA. Not familiar with Health Net. We have UnitedHealthcare here.

29. Moving about: ASTIR

30. Needle-toothed fish: GAR

31. Give the slip: EVADE. Just learned the idiom "Give the slip" a few months ago.

32. "Hawaii Five-O" nickname: DANNO. "Book 'em, DANNO!"

33. Figure of speech: IDIOM. They are not interchangeable to me. TROPE, yes.

34. Stars, in Latin: ASTRA. Have not seen the French star étoile for a while.

39. Thomas __ Edison: ALVA. An A-FRAME word too.

40. Scuff or scratch: MAR. Alliteration.

44. Interpret via mouth movements: LIPREAD. "Read my lip: no new taxes", coined by Peggy Noonan.

46. Neatness: ORDER

48. Paris palace: ELYSEE. ELYSEE Palace is the French "White House".

50. Maps within maps: INSETS

53. Vice squad action: RAID

55. "The African Queen" co-screenwriter: AGEE (James). Co-written with John Houston.

57. "The Suze Orman Show" channel: CNBC. Suze Orman looks very intimidating.

58. 50-and-over org.: AARP

60. City near the Sphinx: GIZA. Near the Great Pyramids too. On the Nile.

61. Word before rain or rock: ACID

65. Goat's cry: MAA. Ah, missed an opportunity to weave with CALF (24D: Young cow). CALF maa too.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday October 6, 2009 Mike Peluso

Theme: LATIN Trio (31A: Classic language, and with 61-Across, hint to the puzzle theme found at the starts of 20-, 37- and 57-Across) - theme answers start with the first conjugation of Latin verb LOVE (61A: Cherish), in orderly fashion.

20A. 2005 Margaret Peterson Haddix children's thriller: AMONG THE ENEMY. Amo, I love. The book is about a time in which drastic measures have been taken to quell overpopulation.

37A. Accumulate wealth: AMASS A FORTUNE. Amas, You love.

57A. Non-remunerative athletics: AMATEUR SPORTS. Amat, He loves.

Plus,

Amamus: We love.

Amatis: You (plural) love.

Amant: They love.

This is Al, guest-blogging today.

For a TUE (64D: Election Day: Abbr.), this was a pretty good puzzle. It didn't give me a lot of GRIEF (9D: Reaction to personal loss).

I think I may have overdone it with the links.

Across:

1. Washing machine sequence: CYCLE. Here is a laundry CYCLE.

6. Pirate's booty: SWAG. Slang for loot. A treasure chest.

10. Twilight time: DUSK

14. Start of an old Army slogan: BE ALL. Be All You Can Be.

15. Rock group's trip: TOUR. Here is a magical tour.

16. In the past: ONCE. Anyone put ERST here first?

17. Jack of rhyme: SPRAT. He could eat no fat. Lolcat.

19. Persia, now: IRAN. We just had FARSI yesterday.

23. 1958 #1 hit sung in Italian: VOLARE. Italian for "to fly". Also called "Nel blu dipinto di blu" ("In the Blue Painted Blue"). This is the song I remember.

25. In error: OFF. The clue was kind of close to the answer ERRATA (50D: List of mistakes).

27A: Lyricist Gershwin: IRA. Also a Roth account.

33. Property measure: ACRE. One furlong (660 feet) by one chain (66 feet), 43,560 square feet, possibly the approximate amount of land one ox could plow in one day.

35. Moray, e.g.: EEL. To fit in with today's theme, that's amore.

44: Schoolbook: TEXT. Another theme video.

46. "Beak" for "nose," e.g.: SLANG

49. 100 bucks: C-NOTE. C for century. If I had 50 female pigs and 50 male deer, would I have a hundred sows and bucks?

51. "__ the ramparts"...": O'ER. The melody of our National Anthem was "borrowed from an old English drink song..."

52: Trip segment: LEG. I would definitely be tripped by these. Actually that photo is of a group called Bond, a quartet of classically trained musicians. Nice "trip" clue echo with TOUR earlier.

53. Thurman of "Kill Bill": UMA. Played Beatrix opposite David Carradine.

62. Aussie greeting: G'DAY. G'Day mate.

66. Till bills: ONES. A "Michigan bankroll".

67. Fish organ: GILL. Singer Vince too. Baseball great Hodges is GIL.

68. Prepare to advance after a fly ball: TAG UP.

69. Computer adventure game: MYST. Released in 1993.

Down:

2. Slangy assent: YEP. Yup, too.

3. Parking lot siren: CAR ALARM. Quite annoying...

4: Andean beast: LLAMA. The one-l lama, He's a priest. /The two-l llama, He's a beast. /And I will bet A silk pajama /There isn't any Three-l lllama.- Ogden Nash.

5. Matador's foe: EL TORO. "The bull" in Spanish.

6. Men-only party: STAG

7. Refuses to: WON'T

8: Write: AUTHOR. LEMONY (47D: Tart, as a citrus drink) Snicket, author of "A Series of Unfortunate Events".

10. "__ What Comes Natur'lly": DOIN'. Can they actually print this clue in a family publication?

11. Pre-riot state: UNREST. It's people like you what cause unrest.

12. Garlicky shrimp dish: SCAMPI

13. Nairobi native: KENYAN. So many marathon winners.

22. Key above D: E-FLAT. D-Sharp as well, but that won't fit.

24. SeaWorld attraction: ORCA. The sign said Free Willy, but it still cost $7 to get in...

29. Teachers' org.: NEA. National Education Association.

30. Fairylike: ELFIN. ELFIN.

32. Lie alongside: ABUT

36. Capri's Blue __: GROTTO. Rooted in Italian word grotta. Too many to pick from.

38. Transition to the next subject: SEGUE

39. Ear: Prefix: OTO. Could have been worse, they might have wanted us to spell otolaryngology. AURI is "Ear: Prefix" too.

40. Las Vegas Strip feature: NEON SIGN

41. Marked, as a ballot: EXED. Or XED.

46. Sinuous ski race: SLALOM. Rooted in Norwegian slalåm. slad, sloping + låm, path.

48. Mescal sources: AGAVES

49. Aerobic exercise, in gym-speak: CARDIO. Cardiovascular.

54. Seriously humid: MUGGY

56. Old lab burners: ETNAS. Named for the volcano ETNA, Greek for "I burn".

58. Final grade factor: TEST

59. Polio vaccine developer: SALK. Also Sabin, who developed the oral vaccine. People vaccinated with injected Salk vaccine could still pass on the disease.

60. War journalist Ernie: PYLE. Pulitzer winner (1944). Killed in the war in 1945. He was awarded a Purple Heart. Very few civilians got Purple Heart.

65. Mo for fools: APR. Also National Humor Month.

Answer grid.

Al

Monday, October 5, 2009 Billie Truitt

Theme: S and S

19A: What little girls are made of, so it's said: SUGAR AND SPICE

33A: Out of harm's way: SAFE AND SOUND

40A: Light lunch: SOUP AND SALAD

55A: Pleasantly concise: SHORT AND SWEET

Argyle blogging.

This is one of the easiest ones yet. If you would like to add your own S and S, remember it should be 12 or 13 letters to fit the puzzle, e.g., Slip and Slide, but not Stop and Shop.

Across:

9A: Roe source: SHAD. Any of several unrelated fishes.

13A: Most eligible for the draft: ONE A

14A: Like a snowy landscape: WHITE.

15A: "Royal" nuisance: PAIN. I've heard this mostly as a qualifier: not just a pain in the a**, but a "Royal" pain in the a**.

16A: Put in pigeonholes: SORT.

17A: Duncan __: cake mix brand: HINES.

18A: Reformer for whom a Bible book is named: EZRA. Do you all know this fact?

22A: "That makes sense": I GET IT.

23A: The Blue Jays, on scoreboards: TOR. (Toronto). AL League, East Division. They've won 2 World Series, the same as the Twins.

24A: Place for a napkin: LAP.

27A: Prof's degree: PHD.

28A: Spat: TIFF.

31A: C.S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of __": NARNIA. .

38A: Prior to, poetically: ERE. Root word for ERST (67A: Previously, old-style)

39A: Courtroom figs.: ATTS. (Attorneys)

45A: "Queen of Soul" Franklin: ARETHA. Ah, the famous inauguration hat!

46A: Supermarket checkout unit: ITEM.

50A: Hesitant sounds: UMS. The "Mantra sounds" is OMS.

51A: Mexican Mrs.: SRA. (Señora)

53A: "Beats me": NO IDEA.

59A: Fuzzy fruit: KIWI. Full of vitamin C.

61A: "Shucks!": AW GEE.

62A: Castaway's spot: ISLE.

64A: Spud: TATER. (Potato)

65A: Use a swizzle stick: STIR.

66A: Modernists: NEOS. NEO is usually found in combination with other words, not standing alone as a noun.

Down:

1D: Grapevine news: GOSSIP.

2D: Sufficient: ENOUGH.

3D: Combined two companies into one: MERGED.

4D: Occupied, as a desk: SAT AT.

5D: Goatee's location: CHIN.

6D: __ legs: rear extremities: HIND.

7D: '50s nuclear experiment: A-TEST. (Atomic Bomb)

8D: Answer: RESPOND. Verb.

9D: Designer's detail, briefly: SPEC. SPEC could be shortened speculative or speculation but in this case, SPEC is the shortened form for specification.

10D: Coffee flavoring: HAZELNUT. Do you have a favorite coffee flavoring?

14D: "Just suppose ...": WHAT IF.

20D: Beatles meter maid: RITA.

25D: "__ That a Shame": Domino hit: AIN'T.

29D: Supply meals for: FEED.

30D: Iran's official language: FARSI. Now how did this slip into an easy-peasy Monday?

33D: Labor Day mo.: SEPT.

35D: Jacob's twin: ESAU.

36D: College housing: DORM. (dormitory)

37D: Phone caller's "Bet you don't recognize my voice!": GUESS WHO.

41D: Facetious "Of course": AH SO. Charlie Chan.

42D: Tell a story: NARRATE.

43D: Mortgage bank, e.g.: LENDER.

44D: Andy's old radio partner: AMOS.

47D: "__ Fideles": Christmas carol: ADESTE. "O Come All Ye Faithful".

52D: Engaged in battle: AT WAR.

54D: Start of a request to a genie: I WISH.

56D: Goes in haste: HIES.

57D: FBI employees: AGTS. (Agents)

58D: Depilatory product: NEET. Brand name. Nicely positioned under NEAT (34D: Tidy).

59D: Wichita's state: Abbr.: KAN. (Kansas or KS)

Answer grid.

Picture of the Day: Here is a great picture of what Clear Ayes dubbed as "California Coven + One" (Carol is from Oregon). They gathered at Milpitas, CA yesterday. Left to right: Chickie, Carol, Moon, JD, with Wolfmom (WM) and Clear Ayes seated.

Argyle

Sunday October 4, 2009 Robert H Wolfe

Theme: Surprise Endings - The ending of each made-up film is an anagram of the last word of a well-known movie.

24A. Film about a soft-hearted creature?: TENDER IS THE THING. Thing/Night anagram. "Tender is the Night" is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

32A. Film about a computer supervisor?: LORD OF THE FILES. Files/Flies anagram. I've never heard of the novel "Lord of the Flies". It's written by British novelist William Golding, Nobel Literature winner 1983.

51A. Film about Los Angeles losing its NFL team?: A FAREWELL TO RAMS. Rams/Arms anagram. "A Farewell to Arms" is a novel by Hemingway. The Rams moved from LA to St. Louis in 1995. I faintly remember this trivia.

69A. Film about Broadway beginners?: WEST SIDE TYROS. Tyros/Story anagram. The musical "West Side Story". Tyro means "beginner".

87A. Film about Santa enjoying his holiday cigar?: A CHRISTMAS CLARO. Claro/Carol anagram. "A Christmas Carol" is a novel by Dickens. Claro is a mild cigar.

105. Film about a home run derby?: DAY OF THE CLOUTS. Clouts/Locust anagram. "The Day of the Locust" is a novel by Nathanael West. Another unknown to me. Shouldn't there be a "The" in the theme answer then? Clout is a powerful hit/home run in baseball.

116. Film about gardening options?: PLACES IN THE EARTH. Earth/Heart anagram. Not familiar the movie "Places in the Heart" either. Looks like a strong cast.

Very "Surprising Endings" indeed.

Did you grok the theme immediately? I did not until I got A CHRISTMAS CLAROL. Bollixed quite a few fill, but was able to solve the puzzle with mild cheating.

Always a great feeling to finish a Robert H. Wolfe puzzle. I tend to have difficulty getting into his wavelength.

Across:

1. Make __: match the scorecard, in golf: A PAR. And TEE (9D. Elevator on the links?). Links = golf course.

5. Little hooters: OWLETS

11. Two pages: LEAF. Oh my, I thought LEAF is only one page.

15. Second Greek letter: BETA. Alpha, beta and gamma.

19. Dieter's word: LITE. And CALORIE (43A. Heat measure). I connect CALORIE with food consumption rather than the heat it food produces.

21. Being, in old Rome: ESSE

22. Indiana senator Bayh: EVAN. Gimme. Senator Bayh (pronounced like by) is a Democrat.

23. Gangsters' guns: GATS. Or RODS. "Gangsters' girls" is MOLLS.

27. Studio sign: ON AIR

29. Chem., for one: SCI. Hated chemistry while in school. Had a very menacing teacher.

30. Chicago-to-Louisville dir.: SSE

31. Name on an armored truck: BRINKS. Wow, I've never paid attention to the name on those armoured truck.

36. Small surgical knife: LANCET. New to me. Rooted in Lance. SCALPEL is "Small surgical knife" too.

37. Landlocked Afr. land: ETH (Ethiopia). Two other African landlocked countries are Lesotho and Swaziland.

49. Certain Prot.: EPIS (Episcopal). Saw this abbreviation somewhere before.

58. Continue after a setback, as one's life: GET ON WITH

61. Jack-in-the-pulpit family: ARUM. Nailed it today.

62. Clean a spill: MOP UP

63. Poker action: RAISE

64. Scary film staple: MONSTER

67. Flat-topped rise: MESA. Also a city in Arizona.

68. Picture-taking word ending: CAM. As in webcam/skycam.

74. Some NFL linemen: RTS (Right Tackles)

75. Publisher Chandler: OTIS. No idea. Wikipedia says this guy was the publisher of LA Times between 1960 and 1980.

77. Chews out: BERATES

78. __ Major: Great Dog constellation: CANIS. Latin for "dog".

80. 1/60 of a dram: MINIM. New word to me. Related to minimum I suppose.

82. Kennel home: CAGE

83. Pretended to have written earlier, as a letter: BACKDATES

91. Fishing spot: PIER

92. Glaswegian gal: LASS. Alliteration.

93. Drip from a bad pipe: LEAK OUT. Verb phrase.

96. Tallahassee sch.: FSU (Florida State University). The Seminoles.

97. Listless: MOPEY

100. Salt Lake City Olympics year: MMII (2002)

102. Command to Spot: SIT. Could be SIC.

104. Artist friend of Max Ernst: MAN RAY. Not a familiar name to me. He was a surrealist photographer. Full name in clue = Full name in answer.

112. Maintain: ALLEGE

113. Hairy Addams cousin: ITT

114. Harry Potter's pal: RON. Easy guess. Have never read any Harry Potter series. You've probably guessed from Jazzbumpa's IRON/I RON wordplay that his real name is Ron.

115. Wreck completely: TOTAL

121. Harley or Honda: BIKE

122. Filmmaker Riefenstahl: LENI. Most famous for her "Triumph of the Will" for Hitler. I remember her name by associating her with Lenin.

123. Forest feature: TREE

125. Away from the wind: ALEE

126. LAX listings: ETDS. ETD = Estimated Time of Departure.

127. Things in locks: OARS. Wanted KEYS. Good clue.

128. Ad with a credit card bill, e.g.: INSERT

129. Ding, but not dong: DENT. Good clue too.

Down:

1. Star in Perseus: ALGOL (AL-gol). Unknown to me. Also called the Demon Star. Al is Arabic for "the". Gol is from Ghoul, evil demon. Related to Gorgon Medusa, who was killed by Perseus (PUR-see-uhs).

2. Grand, perhaps: PIANO. Ah, we just had "Upright, for one" the other day.

3. Rose oil: ATTAR

6. Take away forcibly: WREST

7. Something to do with a business associate?: LUNCH. Oh, I misinterpreted the clue, thinking of something "of a business associate".

8. Comic Izzard: EDDIE. No idea. He is a British comic, born in ADEN (38A: Port in Yemen).

10. Pol. letters until 1991: SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic)

11. Abate: LESSEN

12. Politico Kefauver: ESTES. Adlai Stevenson's 1956 running mate.

13. Light gray: ASH

14. Most frail: FEEBLEST

15. Losing: BEHIND. Ha ha, Tigers lost again! And Twins won. Poor Jazzbumpa.

16. Demonstrate: EVINCE. Know this word. Have never used it though.

17. Failed suddenly, in slang: TANKED

18. Emotional strife: ANGST. Too much ANGST in rap.

26. Window over a door: TRANSOM. Just learned the phrase "over the transom" the other day.

28. Campus recruiters, briefly: ROTC

33. Govt. loan insurer: FHA (Federal Housing Administration). I drew a blank.

34. Pleasant forecast: FAIR

35. Nice notion?: IDEE. Nice is the city in SE France.

41. Like music composed for a libretto: OPERATIC

42. Another name for biotin: VITAMIN H. Big stumper. Did not know the meaning of biotin. Have never heard of Vitamin H either. It's a water-soluble B-complex vitamin.

44. Chou En-__: LAI. China's first premier. LAI is literally "come" in Chinese.

45. Frequently, in verse: OFT

46. Cheering cry: RAH. Not OLE.

47. High-pitched: FLUTY. I checked, it's a real word.

48. Dramatist Rice: ELMER. No idea. Wikipedia says he received Pulitzer for Drama for his 1929 play "Street Scene".

50. "__ lied": SO I. Wrote down YOU, influenced by Congressman Joe Wilson.

52. Diminishes: WANES. Mine was FADES.

53. Formerly, formerly: ERST.

55. Pre-meal drink: APERITIF. Not for me.

56. Attractions not to be missed: MUST-SEES

57. Baden-Baden et al.: SPAS. Baden-Baden is a German spa town. Baden is German for "bathe". Totally unknown to me. Was it a gimme for you, Kazie?

59. Sydney's state: Abbr.: NSW (New South Wales). Definitely a gimme for Kazie.

60. Hall of Fame NFL coach Ewbank: WEEB. Nope. Strange name.

64. Tiny parasites: MITES. GNATS have 5 letters too.

66. Music with many subgenres: ROCK. Emo is a kind of ROCK.

68. Long time out: COMA. And NAP (79D. Short time out). Nice echo.

70. Religious factions: SECTS. Like Shia, Sunni.

71. Ore cars: TRAMS

72. Long tale: SAGA. Epic too.

73. Low: SAD

76. Round Table title: SIR. Don't let it be forgot/That once there was a spot/For one brief shining moment that was known/As Camelot.

81. Used-car datum: MILEAGE

83. Call to Bo-Peep: BAA. Nursery rhyme. "Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep..."

84. First rescue boat: ARK. Noah's ARK is the first ever rescue boat.

86. Actress Joanne: DRU. She's in "All the King's Men".

88. Accept, as a marriage proposal: SAY YES TO

89. Ad writer's award: CLIO. Muse of history.

90. Explorer Ericson: LEIF. The first European to land in North America. Same pronunciation as LIEF (willingly).

94. Trojans' sch.: USC (University of Southern California)

95. Incline: TILT

97. Croquet striker: MALLET. Mostly wooden-headed.

98. Off the boat: ON LAND

99. Summary: PRECIS (prey-SEE). Rooted in precise. APERCU is "Summary" too.

100. Dull finishes: MATTES

101. Tale involving Greek gods, e.g.: MYTH

103. "That's a shame": TOO BAD

105. Eatery traditionally modeled after a rail car: DINER

109. Of service: UTILE

110. Like a movie seat with a coat on it: TAKEN

111. Winter fall: SLEET

117. S&L offering: IRA (Individual Retirement Account)

119. Suffix with Caesar: EAN. Caesarean. C-Section.

120. He followed FDR: HST. "The buck stops here".

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday October 3, 2009 Bruce Venzke and Stella Daily

Theme: None

Total blocks: 32

Total words: 68

I am so curious about the original clues for this puzzle. They can't be so straightforward that even I could finish without much trouble.

There are seven grid-spanning fill in the Across. The stacking did not intimidate me at all. Several just popped up to me immediately with only a few letters penned in:

14A. "This can't be true!": YOU'RE NOT SERIOUS

17A. 25-Across's WWII command: EUROPEAN THEATER. And DDE (5A. WWII general who became pres.). We often see the abbreviated ETO clued as "DDE/IKE arena", nice to see its full name

31A. Scorned notion: HARE-BRAINED IDEA. Like the Cash-for-Clunkers, no?

37A. Oil and vinegar concoction: ITALIAN DRESSING. My first thought is vinaigrette.

38A. "Back off!": DON'T GET TOO CLOSE

55A. Title guy asked to "play a song for me," in a Byrds hit: MR. TAMBOURINE MAN. I only know Bob Dylan's version.

57. Cause of many traveling delays: AIR PORT SECURITY. And VAN (46A. Terminal-to-hotel transport).

Across:

5. __ Rouge: KHMER (kuh-MAIR). The Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, just like the Han people in China (We have 56 ethnic groups in China). I am a Han. Rouge (red) is due to its communist party status.

10. Sch. support groups: PTAS (Parent Teacher Associations). No such support groups in our school.

18. Algae on the beach: SEAWEED. Nori (sushi wrapper) and kelp (dashi soup base) are probably the most popular edible seaweeds.

19. Semaphore user's output: SIGNALS. Sema is Greek for "sign". Phore is a suffix for "bearer/carrier". New word to me.

20. "__ Blu Dipinto Di Blu": 1958 hit: NEL. Italian for "in". The song title is literally "In the Blue Painted Blue" or "Volare", Italian for "To Fly". I can never remember it.

22. Nursery bed: CRIB. And COTS (50D. No-frills beds).

28. Devilish tot: IMP

39. SASE, e.g.: ENC. SASE = Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope. You've got to attach a SASE if you want an autographed card from those baseball players.

41. Not much: A TAD

48. Kind of fingerprint or code: GENETIC. Genetic fingerprint = DNA testing.

51. "Is it worth the risk?": DO I DARE. Nope, I don't dare, to eat a peach.

59. Davis of "Do the Right Thing": OSSIE. Always want GEENA.

60. Words before ghost or doctor: SEE A

Down:

1. Tars' affirmatives: AYES. Tar/salt/gob, all slang for sailor.

2. Licentious sort: ROUE. Roué is pronounced as roo-EY. Did you guys want RAKE again?

3. Certain something: AURA. I like the clue.

4. High martial arts rank: BROWN BELT. Only know black belt.

5. Get ready to pray: KNEEL

6. 1950s tennis great Lew: HOAD. Nailed him this time. He's a two-time Wimbledon champion (1956-57).

7. Part of a range: Abbr: MTN

8. Inexact nos.: ESTS (Estimates)

10. Beethoven's instrument: PIANO. See, you don't see Rich Norris repeats any clue. It's "Upright, for one" yesterday.

11. Nincompoop: TOTAL IDIOT

12. "The Mammoth Hunters" author: AUEL (Jean). Also the author of "The Clan of the Cave Bear".

13. Lith. et al., once: SSRS (Soviet Socialist Republics)

15. French for "sword": EPEE. Oh, good to know.

16. __ Park: Queens area near Forest Hills: REGO. No idea. What's the name origin of this park?

22. Scold: CHIDE

23. Boca __: RATON. A city in Palm Beach, Florida.

24. Ollie North's '80s "affair": IRAN-CONTRA. Is Ollie a nickname for Oliver?

25. "Divine Comedy" writer: DANTE. A Hell of a writer.

26. Inflicted upon: DID TO

27. Collapsed company chronicled in the 2005 documentary subtitled "The Smartest Guys in the Room": ENRON. Watched it immediately after its release. Not impressed.

29. Club for smart guys and girls: MENSA. Spanish for "stupid"(feminine adjective).

30. Alerted, as a doctor: PAGED

32. Important: BIG. As in big potato, slang for an important person.

34. Want-ad abbr.: EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity). EOE = Equal-Opportunity Employer.

35. U.S. Army medal: DSC (Distinguished Service Cross). Can't be DSM (Distinguished Service Medal) because medal is in the clue.

36. Martha's Vineyard natives, e.g.: ISLANDERS. Did not come to me readily.

43. Gets as a return: REAPS. You reap what you sow.

44. Prefix with sphere: ATMO. Atmosphere.

45. Book, to Bolívar: LIBRO. Spanish for "book". New to me. Bolívar is chosen for alliterative purpose.

46. Express, as an opinion: VOICE. Can't be OPINE because of "opinion".

47. Japanese aborigine: AINU (AHY-noo). The native language for "person".

48. Exam for a Wharton Sch. hopeful: GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test). A test for MBA hopefuls. I think GRE can be a substitute.

49. Port on its own lake: ERIE

51. Eins plus zwei: DREI. 1+2=3, in German.

52. Gallic girlfriend: AMIE. Cher ami (male), Chère amie (female).

53. Interest percentage: RATE

54. Pop musician from County Donegal: ENYA. Well, who else could it be, with the "County" tip off? One name singer can only be SEAL, SADE and CHER. Did I miss anyone?

56. __ Constitution: USS. The oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat in the world.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday October 2, 2009 Jack McInturff

Theme: Let Me C - Letter C is inserted in front of a R-starting 4-letter word of a familiar phrase/word.

20A. Grouch in the army?: MILITARY (C)RANK. Military Rank. A grouchy person is a crank.

27A. Small-time hood's pottery?: PUNK (C)ROCK. Punk Rock. Punk=hood. Ruffian.

36A. Accident in a qualifying race?: HEAT (C)RASH. Heat Rash. Heat = preliminary or qualifying race.

47A. Family insignia for designer Edith?: HEAD (C)REST. Headrest. Edith Head was a costume designer with 8 Oscar awards. Did anyone put PIAF first?

54A. Jalopy used as a trade-in?: EXCHANGE (C)RATE. Exchange Rate. Both jalopy and crate refer to beat-up cars. New to me.

Too bad the base word headrest is single word. All the other theme answers have two-word base phrases.

Simple yet clever theme. Neat to have CYCLE (30D. Repeating series) connecting three of the theme answers. Neater to have a letter C placed in the very middle of the grid.

Quite a few unfamiliar names, but mostly obtainable from crosses.

Across:

1. List of options: MENU. Easy start.

14. Informed about: UP ON. Sometimes the answer is IN ON.

15. Rod Stewart's ex: ALANA. Also George Hamilton's ex.

16. Parade honoree: HERO

17. Sugar and spice product?: GIRL. Nursery rhyme: "... What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and all things nice". Boys from "snakes and snails and puppy dog tails."

18. Turbine part: ROTOR

19. __-Z: classic Camaro: IROC. I just remember it as I ROCK.

23. Upright, for one: PIANO. Or "Grand, for one". I like how it intersects PPP (23D. Very quietly). PPP stands for pianississimo. Piano can mean soft too, abbreviated as P.

26. Tell stories: LIE. Nice clue.

31. Hardwood tree: ALDER. Rot/water resistant. Birch family.

33. Downing St. VIPs: PMS (Prime Ministers). The "British legislators" are MPS (Members of Parliament).

34. Small island: CAY. Same as key.

39. Ford failures: EDSELS

42. "Bad" cholesterol, briefly: LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein). The "good" cholesterol is HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein). And OAT (29D. Cholesterol-reducing grain).

43. "The Gold Bug" author: POE. Easy guess. I was not aware of this short story.

46. Hedren of "The Birds": TIPPI. Melanie Griffith's mother.

51. '70s-'80s Pakistani leader: ZIA. Learned his name from doing Xword. Khan and ZIA.

53. Analyze grammatically: PARSE

64. River near Kassel, Germany: EDER. The red line? I only saw ELBE.

65. Like Chicago, so they say: WINDY. Chicago is nicknamed the "Windy City".

66. Where the Jazz play: UTAH. Utah Jazz.

67. Belgrade native: SERB

68. Pair in the middle of dressing?: ESSES. There are a pair of letter S in the very middle of the word "dressing".

Down:

3. Old Viking descendants of northern France: NORMANS. Derived from Norsemen.

4. Separate, as chain parts: UNLINK

5. Indian cover-up: SARI. I liked the clue. "Malaysian cover-up" is SARONG.

6. Congeal, as blood: CLOT

7. Pro __: RATA. In proportion.

8. Arctic jacket: ANORAK (AN-uh-rak). The Eskimo parka. The boy in the middle has a boy Dennis look.

9. Martin and Magdalene: MARYS. Don't know Mary Martin.

11. Harbingers: HERALDS

12. Many O. Henry endings: IRONIES. I like how it's placed side by side with MOCKERY (13D. Farce).

21. Express's opp.: LOC. Local?

24. Periodic table suffix: IUM. Elemental ending, as in titanium.

28. Old ColorTrak TVs: RCAS

35. Like worn tires: BALD. No tread.

36. With it: HEP

37. "My Fair Lady" flower seller: ELIZA. Eliza Doolittle.

38. Old vitamin bottle abbr.: RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance). What's the abbreviation on the "New vitamin bottle" then?

39. Refinery gases: ETHENES. Thought it's spelled ETHANES.

40. Carbon __: DIOXIDE. The greenhouse gas.

41. Phantom: SPECTER

43. Italian jewelry designer Elsa: PERETTI. No idea. Got her name from Across fill.

44. CIA predecessor: OSS (Office of Strategic Services)

45. When the French fry?: ETE. Ha ha, identical clue in Jack McInturff's March 25 puzzle.

47. Traditional Scottish dish: HAGGIES. Ewwww.

48. Yr.-end auditor: CPA. Kind of tired to see CPA every day. Probably not for KQ.

49. Inform on, slangily: RAT OUT

52. Really impressed: IN AWE

55. Chef's secret ingredient, perhaps: HERB. I only like chives.

56. Fish-eating birds: ERNS. OK, here is the correct ERN (Thanks again, Roger). Looks ferocious, doesn't it? TERN, on the other hand, looks rather dumb.

58. Actor Fernando et al.: REYS. Obtained his name from crossings. Spanish actor.

63. Short at the poker table: SHY

Answer grid.

Dot/Frank, read this interesting article on daily crossword & long marriage connections. 70 years, amazing!

C.C.