Friday December 18, 2009 Dan Naddor

Theme: Give It a (T)RY - RY is added to the T-ending first word of a common phrase.

17A. Battlefield success strategy?: INFANT(RY) FORMULA. Infant Formula.

21A. Church pool table features?: VEST(RY) POCKETS. Vest Pockets.

35A. Downside of grits and chicken-fried steak?: COUNT(RY) CALORIES. Count Calories.

43A. Armed guard?: SENT(RY) PACKING. Sent Packing. I don't quite get this one. What's the connection between "guard" and PACKING?

50A. Customs of dessert chefs?: PAST(RY) PRACTICES. Past Practices. Not a familiar legal term to me.

Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 18. Quite high. Nice pairs of 7-letter Across entries in each corner. Heavy 71 theme squares.

Wish EAT ON (22D. Use, as china) were clued as stationery brand EATON to avoid the duplication with EAT IT (26A. Absorb a loss, slangily).

I am used to seeing Dan's question-marked theme clues. His hallmark. Just like the vibrant yellow & blue colors in van Gogh's paintings. Last week's PHENOMENAL simply felt bland.

Across:

1. News: TIDINGS. Had the urge to fill in UPDATES.

8. Lumberyard tools: RIPSAWS

15. From 1988 to 1999, a record 856 consecutive games were played in Dodger Stadium without one: RAINOUT. Not aware of this Major League record.

16. Slightly: A WEE BIT

19. Big name in calculators: CASIO. "Big name in watch" too.

20. In an apt way: FITLY

27. Time co-founder: LUCE (Henry)

28. Minute Maid Park baseballer, locally: STRO. Houston Astros.

29. "What a looong day!": I'M BEAT

32. Store proprietor on "The Simpsons": APU

38. Mich. neighbor: ONT (Ontario)

40. Cross inscription: INRI. Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews).

41. Its county seat is Grand Junction, Colorado: MESA. Where the Grand Mesa is located I presume.

42. Composer Bruckner: ANTON. An Austrian.

56. At risk of being lost in a hard drive failure: UNSAVED

57. Yes-men: TOADIES

58. Medical probes: STYLETS. What's the difference between a lancet and a stylet?

59. That much or more: AT LEAST

Down:

1. Numerical prefix: TRI. Prefix for "three".

2. "At Seventeen" singer Janis: IAN. See this clip. I've heard of the song, not the singer.

3. "What's the __?": DIF

4. Dormancy: INACTION. This one intersects three theme answers.

5. Dada, to many of its critics: NON-ART. Did you want NOT ART?

6. Brave: GUTSY

7. Steakhouse order: STRIP. Oh, bacon.

8. Battle of Britain gp.: RAF (Royal Air Force)

9. Target of WWII's Operation Detachment, familiarly: IWO. Was ignorant of the fact that Battle of Iwo Jima is also called Operation Detachment.

10. Tapered cigar: PERFECTO. No idea. Looks rather thick. What's their length?

11. Arab, e.g.: SEMITE. "Israeli, e.g." too.

12. Borders: ABUTS

13. Source of heir cuts?: WILL. Nice play on "hair cuts".

14. Canine command: STAY

18. "__-hoo!": YOO

21. 1970s fugitive financier Robert: VESCO. Nope. Not in memory bank. This guy was involved in the Watergate scandal.

23. Swaggering gait: STRUT

24. Like a smooth getaway: CLEAN. Fleeing getaway.

25. __ Lumpur, Malaysia: KUALA. A big part of "Entrapment" happened in Kuala Lumpur.

29. "__ my case": I REST

30. Polyester film trademark: MYLAR. What's the name origin of this brand? I can never remember it.

31. Pre-A.D.: BCE (Before the Common Era)

32. "__ a stinker?": Bugs Bunny line: AIN'T I

33. "Evita" subject: PERON (Eva)

36. "How dare they!": THE NERVE

37. Like premium hockey seats: RINK SIDE. Easy guess. Have never attended a hockey game.

39. State capital near the Big Belt Mountains: HELENA. And PLATA (45D. Oro y __: Montana's motto).

41. Like unwritten notes: MENTAL. Mental notes. Great clue.

42. Alcohol-based compound used in cosmetics: ACETAL. Al is a suffix for "alcohol".

43. Coward: SISSY

44. Suffix with law: YER. Lawyer. Sawyer too. Here is a great suffix list Clear Ayes found for us. YER = IER, meaning "one who".

46. Fancy scarf: ASCOT

47. Catalogued work: OPUS

48. Sound after a sprint: PANT. By the way, what does your "Runner's High" feel like? And how long does it normally last?

52. Law and order gps.: PDS (Police Departments). Silly, but it stumped me.

53. Covert fed. group: CIA

54. Some Caltech grads: EES (Electrical Engineers)

55. Old Atl. crosser: SST. Crossword constructors just can not live without SST.

Thanks for the awesome airport code information yesterday, everyone.

Answer grid.

C.C.

PS: Here is Orange's write-up on the warm story behind Merl Reagle's musical notes puzzle last Wednesday.

Thursday December 17, 2009 Samuel A. Donaldson

Theme: SECRETARIES (54A. Heads of the tails of 18-, 23-, 36- and 48-Across) - The tail word of each theme entry is a US department headed by a secretary.

18A. Court strategy: ZONE DEFENSE. Secretary of Defense. Basketball court.

23A. Some contractions: FALSE LABOR. Secretary of Labor.

36A. Mid-Atlantic nickname, with "The": QUAKER STATE. Secretary of State. Pennsylvania.

48A. Like hikers' snack food: HIGH ENERGY. Secretary of Energy. The dates & cashew Larabars are my favorite snacks.

Great clue for the unifying theme entry SECRETARIES.

Samuel A. Donaldson mentioned in his interview that he's fond of non-theme multiple-word entries. I counted 10 in today's grid.

I also liked the three weaving "court" clues:

18A. Court strategy: ZONE DEFENSE.

13D: Take to court: SUE.

56D. 1973 court name: ROE. Roe v. Wade.

Lovely echo. Small details delighted me.

Across:

1. Retired flier, briefly: SST. And SKY (28D. Pilot's beat).

4. Angry trick-or-treater, perhaps: EGGER. Is this a common word? I've never used it.

14. Last half of a drink?: TAI. Last half of Mai Tai. Stumped me.

15. 22-Across lullaby syllables: LOO RA. And IRISH (22A. Lucky ones?). The luck of the Irish. Was unaware of the Irish lullaby "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral"

16. Part of a Valentine's text message: I LUV U

17. First name in objectivism: AYN (Rand). The only objectivism name I know.

20. Escaped convict's need: FAKE ID. Nice answer.

26. 35-member treaty gp.: OAS (Organization of American States)

29. Apt name for a herding dog: SHEP. And PEKE (52D. Short dog, for short). Pekingese. We just call it lion dog in China.

30. U.K. awards: OBES (Orders of the British Empire)

31. Moved furtively: SNUCK

33. Alley Oop's girlfriend: OOOLA. Finally I remembered her name.

35. Like mud puddles: SLOSHY

38. Contests on horseback: JOUSTS. Wrote down RODEOS first.

40. "__ Nothing": 1993 Whitney Houston hit: I HAVE. Loved "The Bodyguard". Did not remember this song though.

42. Cause of a run: SNAG. Oh, pantyhose run.

43. __ dire: jury interview: VOIR. Voire dire (vwahr deer) is new to me. I do know the individual French words: voir "to see" & dire "to say". Makes sense.

47. Old CIA foe: KGB. And JFK (38D. Queens airport, familiarly ) & ORG (39D. Nonprofit's URL). Three abbreviations are crowded in this section.

50. Political exile, for short: EXPAT. Well, I am a just Chinese expat living in the US, not an exile.

53. __ it over: ruled: LORDED

58. Hot season for a Parisian: ETE. Yawner.

59. Word after control or neat: FREAK

60. Pocahontas's spouse: ROLFE (John). His name escaped me.

62. Where ham is often found: ON RYE. Not a fan of rye bread.

63. Sellout lack: SEATS. Was thinking of the traitor "sellout".

64. Sgt.'s superiors: LTS ( Lieutenants)

Down:

2. Checkup request: SAY AAH

3. Wind chime sound: TINKLE

4. "Popeye" creator Segar: ELZIE. Only knew him as E. C. Segar.

5. They usually aren't enough, so it's said: GOOD LOOKS. Oh well, even with good brains, still not enough for some men. Look at Elin Nordegren.

6. Poly- ending: GON. Polygon.

7. "... __ he drove out of sight": ERE. "But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight..."

8. Boom boxes: RADIOS

9. Hi-tech airport connection: WI-FI

10. Pints' contents: ALES

11. Midway attraction: FUN HOUSE. Have never been to one.

12. Sports bar array: TVS

21. Advocate, as a cause: ESPOUSE. Nailed it.

25. Demeanor: BEARING

27. Düsseldorf "D'oh!": ACH. Alliteration again.

31. Croat or Serb: SLAV

32. At no time: NOT EVER

34. Wild things to sow?: OATS. Sow wild oats.

35. One way for an actor to exit: STAGE LEFT. Had trouble obtaining this answer.

36. Many a Canadian francophone: QUEBECER. Oh, did not know a person from Quebec is called a Quebecer.

37. Old Iranian VIP: SHAH

42. Indian instruments: SITARS. Indian lute.

44. It's no picnic: ORDEAL

45. "Yeah, yeah, very funny": I GET IT. Lovely clue/answer.

46. Comics cowboy Red and others: RYDERS. Not familiar with this comic or the cowboy at all.

48. Magician's prop: HAT

49. Rhinoplasty targets: NOSES. Rhino is a prefix for "nose".

51. Picture of bones, often: X-RAYS

54. Northern Cal. hub: SFO. San Francisco International Airport. What does O stand for? (Added later: See this great link from Warren.)

55. Coastal bird: ERN

57. Pier gp.: ILA (International Longshoremen's Association)

Answer grid.

See you tomorrow!

C.C.

Wednesday December 16, 2009 Merl Reagle

Theme: Note-orious - Three consecutive musical notes are embedded in each theme entry.

16A. Comfort: CONSOLATION. So La Ti. Thought it's Sol.

61A. Sister Sledge hit: WE ARE FAMILY. Re Fa Mi.

39. Queen whose name contains three apt words in a row, as does each of this puzzle's four longest answers: LATIFAH. La Ti Fa. I like Queen Latifah in "Chicago". Then we had A ROW (5D. In __: lined up). Undesirable duplication.

10D. Outnumber all others: PREDOMINATE. Re Do Mi.

24D. Pooped: ALL TIRED OUT. Ti Re Do.

And two more musical instrument references from Merl Reagle, who plays keyboards:

52D. Instruments with pedals: HARPS. I don't associate harps with pedals.

64D. Concert finale?: INA. Concertina. Stumped me.

Unusual numbers of tricky and fresh clues for a Wednesday, no? Despite the heavy proper names, the puzzle itself is not hard. Fair crossings.

Across:

1. First name in nursing: CLARA (Barton). Founder of American Red Cross.

6. Bridges of Los Angeles County: JEFF. He's "The Dude" in "The Big Lebowski", directed the Coen brothers. Hollywood/LA is in LA County. The clue reminds me of "The Bridges of Madison County". Very romantic!

14. Shooting Starr: BELLE. Have never heard of Belle Starr. Wikipedia says she's a notorious American outlaw. I could only recall Ken Starr.

15. Cry that's a laugh backward: RAH. Nice new clue.

18. Eddie's "Green Acres" co-star: EVA (Gabor)

19. Contraction that's an "i" dropper: 'TWERE. Contraction of "it were". Got me. I liked the "eye"/"i" dropper pun.

22. Rhyme scheme used in a villanelle: ABAA. Maybe Clear Ayes can find us a villanelle today.

25. Follow: ENSUE

28. The __ Parade: ROSE

29. Co-creator of "The View": WALTERS (Barbara)

31. It gets let off: STEAM. Let off steam.

33. Specter on the Hill: ARLEN. Capitol Hill. Senator from PA.

34. Actor Dillon: MATT. He's awesome in "Crash".

35. Alcatraz, e.g.: Abbr.: ISL (Island). "The Rock" is a great movie.

38. Nap or nip preceder: CAT

42. PBS funder: NEA (National Endowment for the Arts)

43. Go down a slippery slope: SKI. Vivid clue.

44. Work without __: A NET

45. Mil. schools: ACADS (Academies)

47. Play delayers: RAINS. Twins new stadium has no roof.

49. Beethoven specialties: SONATAS. Beautiful "Moonlight Sonata".

51. "Mermaids" actress: CHER. Was ignorant of the film.

53. Online business: E-TAIL

55. __ Sweeney, Ethel Merman's "Anything Goes" role: RENO. The answer emerges itself.

56. "You __ be there": HAD TO

58. "The Crucible," e.g.: DRAMA. Arthur Miller play.

60. Guillermo's gold: ORO. Guillermo is the Spanish form of the name "William".

67. PC core: CPU

68. Thinks the world of: LOVES. "Ai" in Chinese. "Wo Ai Ni" = "I love you". Chinese does not have singular/plural forms for verbs.

69. Oscar de la __: RENTA. Laura Bush's favorite designer.

70. Sunrise direction, in Stuttgart: OST. German for "east". New to me, so is the German city Stuttgart.

71. Flip out: SNAP

72. Lewis or Lois colleague: CLARK. Lewis & Clark Expedition. Lois & Clark, Superman.

Down:

1. L x VI: CCC. 50 x 6 = 300

2. Oft-visited pub room: LOO. Nailed it.

4. Say another way: RESTATE

6. Ballet leaps: JETES (/ʒəˈteɪ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation zhuh-TEY). I forgot. Here is a clip. PLIES is the "Ballet bends".

7. Passing Manning: ELI. Quarterback for the NY Giants. Nice rhyme.

8. __-Jo: Olympic sprinter's nickname: FLO. Lovely nickname.

9. Sedge-filled wetlands: FENS

11. #1 picks: FAVES

12. Phillies all-star slugger Utley: CHASE. Second baseman for the Phillies. I bet Dennis was excited to see Merl's byline today. He's been solving Merl's Sunday for years.

14. Tractor shelters: BARN. I like the double-syllable sounds of the clue.

17. Look like a wolf: LEER. Was picturing a real wolf.

21. Tax-deferring option, briefly: IRA

22. Spy plane acronym: AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control System). Completely unknown to me.

23. Netanyahu's successor: BARAK (Ehud). Same pronunciation as Barack?

26. Gp. with F-16s: USAF

27. Henri's conclusion?: ETTA. No idea. I suppose it refers to Henrietta the town in NY.

30. Zhou __: EN-LAI. Mandarin Chinese. Cantonese is Chow En-Lai.

32. A Coen brother: ETHAN. Pride of Minnesota.

34. Where Ben Bernanke got his Ph.D.: MIT. Somehow I thought it's Yale. Bernanke was just named as Time Person of the Year 2009. Netanyahu graduated from MIT too.

36. Ford Taurus, e.g.: SEDAN

37. Calf catcher: LASSO

40. Actress Hathaway: ANNE. She's in "The Devil Wears Prada".

46. Apple topping: CARAMEL. Sweet!

48. Word before or after thou: ART. New spin on a common crossword fill.

49. Foal fathers: SIRES

50. Norse saint: OLAF. No Olaf/Olav wobbling today.

51. Intro to -holic: CHOCO. Chocoholic.

54. TV spot pro: AD REP. Fell into the ADMAN trap.

57. Temple's team: OWLS. Wikipedia says Temple was the first school in the United States to adopt the owl as its symbol.

59. Painter Chagall: MARC

62. Awfully long time: EON

Answer grid.

Ming tian jian!

C.C.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 Joel Fagliano

Theme: Aye Aye, Sir - Eight-letter, Two-word Assonant Phrases (Long "I" vowel rhyme).

20A: Like Tater Tots: BITE-SIZE.

24A: Metaphorical site of some presidential chats: FIRESIDE.

48A: Lengthy guarantee period: LIFETIME.

53A: "Ditto": LIKEWISE.

4D: Delicate path to walk: FINE LINE.

40D: Energetic type: LIVE WIRE.

Argyle here. I don't know what to say. It's a pangram puzzle, but it has the feel of a puzzle put together by a computer program. Just not much life to it.

Would be cool if long "I" sounds were completely eliminated from non-theme fill.

Across:

1A: Valley girl's "Pshaw!": AS IF.

5A: Ere: AFORE.

10A: Facial bones: JAWS.

15A: City attacked by Godzilla: TOKYO. Movie monster

18A: Bee parts that are really cool?: KNEES. Coined in 1920s as part of the flapper language, 'the bee's knees' meant excellent, as did 'the cat's pyjamas'.

19A: Online prefix with -pedia: WIKI. I would be lost without it(but I don't always trust it.)

22A: Jeered: GIBED.

23A: Novelist Deighton: LEN.

27A: "Haste makes waste" and others: MAXIMS.

30A: Sassy: FRESH.

31A: Tree of life site: EDEN.

32A: Baked __: BEANS.

33A: Automne preceder: ETE. French. Summer (ete) precedes autumn (automne).

36A: Place for a Pinot: WINE BAR.

39A: Handyman's carryall: TOOL BOX.

41A: __-Caps: candy: SNO. Usual found in movie theaters. Sno-Caps

44A: "Dies __": hymn: IRAE.

45A: Bravery: VALOR.

46A: Chunks of fairway: DIVOTS. Something I'm familiar with. "Please replace your divots."

51A: Many a Roddick serve: ACE.

58A: Turin-based automaker: FIAT. One-time largest auto maker in the world.

59A: Dispatch boat: AVISO. Finally has become a gimme for me.

63A: Ceiling: LIMIT.

64A: Pro __: RATA.

65A: River of Hades: STYX.

67A: Prefix with distant: EQUI.

Down:

1D: Graceful horse: ARAB.

2D: "The Open Window" storywriter: SAKI. I loved that story.

3D: Part of LBJ, e.g.: Abbr.: INIT.. Initial.

5D: "Diet Revolution" doctor: ATKINS.

6D: "Aaay!" sayer of '70s-'80s TV: FONZ.

7D: Painter Georgia: O'KEEFFE.

8D: Deli request: RYE.

9D: Dawn deity: EOS. Aurora for the Romans.

10D: Like the calendar established by Hillel II: JEWISH. The Jewish calendar is lunisolar. That is, its months are synchronized with the phases of the moon, but its average year length approximates the mean length of a solar year.

11D: Cover story?: ALIBI.

12D: Roused: WAKED.

13D: Said with a sneer: SNIDE.

21D: Future father's sch.?: SEM..

22D: Plaster painting surface: GESSO.

25D: Teed off: IRATE.

26D: Attorney general under Clinton: RENO. Janet Reno.

27D: Kittens' cries: MEWS.

28D: Server's edge, in tennis: AD IN.

29D: Alien: Pref.: XENO.

32D: Dustpan's partner: BROOM.

33D: Spanish river: EBRO. Northern Spain. Map

34D: Perfectly: TO A T.

35D: It can be awkward when they run into each other: EXES.

37D: Rhythms: BEATS.

38D: "__ want for Christmas ...": ALL I.

43D: Fights before the main event, for short: PRELIMS.

45D: Highest point: VERTEX.

46D: Actress Fanning: DAKOTA. She was seven when she won a role in the movie Tomcats(2001).

47D: Rocks at the bar: ICE.

48D: Hay storage areas: LOFTS.

49D: Chucklehead: IDIOT.

50D: Like freshly poured beer: FOAMY.

54D: "__ just me, or ...": IS IT.

55D: Baghdad's land: IRAQ.

56D: In __: as found: SITU.

57D: Morales of "La Bamba": ESAI.

59D: Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP.

60D: Through: VIA.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, December 14, 2009 Samantha Wine

Theme: Keep It Under You Hat - Three items that you can cover with a lid. (Both cover and lid are slang for hat.)

17A: Comical character in "Star Wars" films: JAR JAR BINKS.

33A: Novel by a hack: POTBOILER.

41A: Ticket-selling place: BOX OFFICE.

59A: "Stop complaining!" (and what you might do to the start of 17-, 33- or 41-Across): "PUT A LID ON IT!".

Argyle here. Tough for a Monday. Things like 35D: Fitzgerald of scat: ELLA. are ok but 6D: Elephant boy portrayer of film: SABU. seem like they are later in the week entries. I'll admit 39D bolloxed me up but good!

Today's constructor Samantha Wine is Rich Norris himself. Anagram of "What's in a name".

Nice looking lay-out. Scrabbly too. Three J, two Q's, 1 X and five K's.

Across:

1A: Trumpet mufflers: MUTES. Trombones, too.

6A: Like pretzels: SALTY. Like Popeye, too,

11A: CD-__: ROM.

14A: Observe Yom Kippur: ATONE.

16A: Latin lover's verb: AMO.

19A: __ Bartlet, "The West Wing" president: JED. President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet (Martin Sheen)

20A: O.K. Corral event: SHOOT-OUT.

21A: Old enough: OF AGE.

23A: French designer's monogram: YSL. Yves Saint Laurent

24A: Father of Isaac: ABRAHAM.

26A: Takers of pics: CAMS. As a mechanic, I don't think of pics when I hear CAMS.

29A: Be superior to, as in the military: OUTRANK.

32A: Japanese sash: OBI.

37A: Hit on the noggin: BONK.

39A: Davis of "Dr. Dolittle": OSSIE. He portrayed Dr. Dolittle's father, Archer Dolittle, in the 1998 Eddie Murphy film.

40A: "Golden" principle: RULE.

43A: P. Hearst's kidnappers: S.L.A.. Symbionese Liberation Army. She was kidnapped in February of 1974.

44A: "Is the gamble worth it?": "DO I DARE?".

46A: London guy: CHAP.

47A: "Fencers, prepare to duel!": "EN GARDE!".

50A: Sine __ non: essential: QUA.

52A: Seismic event: QUAKE.

53A: "Could be": "I SUPPOSE".

58A: Suffix with sub: URB.

62A: Lead-in for metric: ISO.

63A: Whisky __: Hollywood disco: A GO-GO. Note the spelling of "Whisky".

64A: Dad's brother, in Bordeaux: ONCLE.

66A: Excited cry: WHOOP.

Down:

1D: They're above capts.: MAJS..

2D: Great Salt Lake state: UTAH.

4D: Gets a kick out of: ENJOYS.

7D: Not very much: A BIT.

8D: Data-sharing syst.: LAN.. A local area network (LAN) is a computer network covering a small physical area, like a home, office, or small group of buildings, such as a school, etc..

9D: Displeased cluck: TSK!.

10D: "Make up your mind!": "YES OR NO!".

11D: Indian bigwig: RAJAH.

12D: Last Greek letter: OMEGA.

13D: Digital data transmitter: MODEM.

18D: Hershey's caramel-and-chocolate brand: ROLO.

22D: Hindu wonder-worker: FAKIR. Alt. sp., fakeer, faqir, faquir.

24D: More hoity-toity, in a cultural sense: ARTIER.

25D: Ruth of the Yankees: BABE. "The Sultan of Swat"

26D: Actor Lee J. __: COBB. He had a long and illustrious career in film and on Broadway. He died in 1976.

28D: Hussy: MINX.

30D: Rising trend in the market: UPSIDE.

31D: Puccini title heroine: TOSCA. She is Floria Tosca, a celebrated singer in Rome about June 1800.

38D: Instamatic maker: KODAK.

39D: "The Wizard __": OF ID. Oh, yeah, I had OZ. Messed me up for quite awhile. The Wizard of Id is a daily newspaper comic strip created by American cartoonists Brant Parker and Johnny Hart. The Wizard.

42D: Cat's front foot: FOREPAW.

45D: Same: Pref.: EQUI.

47D: Furnish with gear: EQUIP.

48D: Emergency room VIP: NURSE.

49D: Eva or Zsa Zsa: GABOR.

51D: High hair styles: UPDOS.

53D: Othello's betrayer: IAGO.

54D: Sty food: SLOP.

55D: In days gone by: ONCE. In days gone by, my boyhood job was to slop the hogs.

56D: Fancy hat fabric: SILK.

57D: Sorbonne summers: ETES.

60D: "That's icky!": UGH.

Answer grid.

Here are a few wonderful pictures J.D. took during her recent trip to Las Vegas. Click on each one for clearer photo. J.D. has been busy babysitting and helping her daughter moving out.

Argyle

Sunday December 13, 2009 Joon Pahk

Theme: Teeing Off - FORE is inserted in common phrases. Immediately upon teeing off, golfers might yell "Fore!" if they fear that their wild shots could endanger the spectators/players ahead.

23A. Sharp rock used by early hominids?: BLADE (FORE)RUNNER. Does the base phrase Blade Runner refers to the Harrison Ford movie?

33A. Choose Mounds over Almond Joy?: (FORE)GO NUTS. Go Nuts. Reminded me of Dan Naddor's "Gone nuts, horsewise" suggestion for Jerome's GELDING.

53A. Like the elbow of Rodin's "The Thinker"?: (FORE)VER BENDING. Plays on Verb Ending. Hard base phrase to parse.

70A. Anti-park service career advice?: DON'T BE A (FORE)ST RANGER. Don't Be a Stranger.

87A. According to predictions in the show "Medium"?: AS (FORE)SEEN ON TV. As Seen on TV.

103A. What Ali did often at the Rumble in the Jungle?: HIT (FORE)MAN. Hit Man. Foreman here refers to George Foreman, who lost to Ali in the historic bout in Rumble of the Jungle.

119A. "Clear skies tonight," to an astronomer?: ALL STAR (FORE)CAST. All-Star Cast.

And PAR (81D. 72, often). What's your best round? I've only had a couple under 90.

Also a bit of car/traffic undercurrent:

19A. Mercury or Saturn: AUTO. Not planet.

22A. Last Olds model: ALERO

93A. Went two ways: FORKED. I tried PARTED first.

118A. Family auto: SEDAN. Don't like the auto/AUTO duplication.

94D. Like a road section with a flagger, maybe: ONE-LANE

Nice pangram. One more W, we would have had a double pangram, i.e., all the 26 letters would have been used at least twice.

I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle. It held my attention throughout. Worked from bottom up and realized the FORE gimmick immediately, then filled in all the possible FORE's. When I first read the theme title, I thought letter T might be cut off from common phrases, but then the title would be "Tee Off" rather than "Teeing Off".

As usual with the Sunday puzzle. I double bogeyed my round. Had to peek at the cheat sheet a few times. Sunday puzzle is just too formidable to me. Always a few new names to learn and a few traps to fall into.

Across:

1. Archie Bunker oath: JEEZ. Shock and Awe scrabbly start.

5. Spice (up): JAZZ. Four Z's, two J's, two X'es, and Two Q's in this grid.

9. Refracting device: PRISM

14. Fashions: MAKES. Verb.

20. __ fixe: IDEE. French for "idea".

21. Soprano Mitchell: LEONA. Have never heard of this name before.

26. One paid to make hoops, briefly: NBAER. And CLE (35A. Cavs, on scoreboards) & SHAQ (107A. Teammate of LeBron). LeBron James and Shaq O'Neal are both with Cleverland Cavaliers now.

27. Get rolling: BEGIN

28. __ paradoxes: ZENO'S. Zeno of Elea. Don't confuse him with Zeno of Citium (the stoic Zeno).

29. Refinement: ELEGANCE

32. It might be given orally: EXAM

37. Former Giants manager: ALOU (Felipe, 2003-2006)

39. Prone to prying: NOSY

40. Rained out, e.g.: Abbr.: PPD. Postponed. Not a familiar abbr. to me.

43. Not gun-shy?: ARMED. Great clue.

47. Scary movie reaction: SCREAM

56. "The Kitchen God's Wife" novelist: AMY TAN. I love her "The Joy Luck Club". The stories echo with me.

58. Box: CRATE

60. Singer Vannelli: GINO. His name escaped me again. Gino is Italian for Gene.

62. Reproductive cells: OVA

63. Vino __: dry wine: SECO. Spanish for "dry". SEC is French.

64. Capital of Pakistan's Punjab province: LAHORE. Pakistan's second-largest city, after Karachi.

68. Earth tones: SIENNAS. Isn't this earth tone beautiful?

75. Monarch's spouse: CONSORT

76. 1980s timekeeping fad: SWATCH. Still a fad in China.

77. Omnia vincit __: AMOR. "Love conquers all" in Latin.

79. Prefix with fauna: AVI. Prefix for birds.

82. Briny greeting: AHOY

84. Ocho minus uno: SIETE. Spanish for seven. Eight minus one.

85. Wet floor?: SEABED. Ocean floor. Nice clue too.

92. Bald eagle relative: ERNE

95. Lasso: REATA. Or RIATA.

96. "That's right," quaintly: 'TIS

97. MBA subject: ECON

99. Language that gave us "khaki": URDU. Would not have got it without the crossing USNA (100D. Sen. McCain's alma mater).

101. "M*A*S*H" NCO: CPL (Corporal). And PFCS (40D. 101-Across's subordinates). PFC = Private First Class.

111. Ageless pitcher Satchel: PAIGE. Love the "Ageless" clue. He pitched until he's 60 years old. He said his aging secret is fried food and hot shower.

115. "Spamalot" co-creator: ERIC IDLE. Unknown to me. Always good to see a full name.

116. Major muddle: SNAFU

117. Turkish coins: LIRAS. I thought the plural form is LIRE as well.

123. Wind, as a river: SNAKE

124. When la luna rises, usually: NOCHE. Spanish for "night" I suppose.

125. Falafel holder: PITA. Have never tried falafel, not fond of chickpeas or any bean.

126. Blue-green hue: AQUA

127. Fished using pots, perhaps: EELED. True.

128. Turn out: END UP

129. Farm team: OXEN. Real farm team. Not the minor league affiliates.

130. Reading material for some?: LIPS

Down:

1. "Star Wars" gangster: JABBA. No idea. Have never seen "Star Wars". Jabba the Hutt.

2. Swiss mathematician: EULER. Same pronunciation as Oiler. Stumped me again.

3. Floor, in France: ETAGE

4. 12-part belt: ZODIAC. D'oh.

5. Skippy competitor: JIF. Chunky chunky!

6. Napping: ADOZE. Man, it's a real word.

7. Antifreeze brand: ZEREX. Keep learning and unlearning this damned brand. What's the name origin of Zerex?

8. Ethan Frome's sickly wife: ZEENA. Nope. Only know the basic plot line.

9. And: PLUS

10. "You eediot!" speaker of cartoons: REN. Stumped by the new clue. From "The Ren and Stimpy Show".

13. 4 Seasons hit of 1963: MARLENA. Waiting for Argyle for the correct link. I've never heard of the song.

14. Tropical fruits: MANGOS. Sweet!

15. Capital west of Boston, MA: ALBANY, NY. Abbreviation of the state in the clue, abbrevivation of the state in the answer.

16. Reeves of "Speed": KEANU. What's your favorite Keanu Reeves movie?

17. Upright: ERECT

24. Shackle: ENSLAVE

25. It's up the coast from Napoli: ROMA. Easy guess.

30. Bloated condition?: EGOMANIA. Bloated head. Awesome clue.

33. Convergence points: FOCI. Plural for focus.

34. Boondocks possessive: OURN. Ours?

36. Afore: ERE

38. Source of some '60s trips: LSD

41. Studied in detail: PORED OVER

42. Extremely unforgiving: DRACONIAN. Derived from the Greek harsh lawgiver Draco.

44. Richie's dad, to the Fonz: MR. C

45. African virus: EBOLA. Named after the Ebola River in Congo.

46. Joltless joes?: DECAFS. Another good clue. Thought of Shoeless Joe immediately.

48. Silly Putty holder: EGG

50. Amends: ATONEMENT

51. Vocalist who gave his farewell performance at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin: PAVAROTTI. Did not know this trivia.

54. Jackets facetiously called bum-freezers: ETONS. Was ignorant of this trivia also.

55. Not at all: NO HOW

57. Big name in showerheads: MOEN

61. Leb. neighbor: ISR. The answer always seems to be Israel.

65. __ pro nobis: ORA. Latin for "pray for us".

66. Pave over: RETAR

67. Artist who explored infinity in his work: ESCHER (M. C.). Did not know the "infinity" connection. Here is his famous "Drawing Hands".

69. Marsh of whodunits: NGAIO. Always have trouble remembering her name. Maori origin. Some kind of tree.

71. Rent: TORE. Rent here is the past tense of rend. Tricky clue.

72. Primary author of the Mayflower Compact: BRADFORD (William). Total stranger to me. Wikipedia says he is credited as the first to proclaim what popular American culture now views as the first Thanksgiving.

73. UFO pilots, ostensibly: ETS

74. More than that: THOSE. And "these" in Spanish ESTAS (114D. Spanish pronoun). Could also be ESTOS.

75. Docket item: CASE

78. Guns: REVS

84. Drink with a Real Fact on each bottle cap: SNAPPLE. Easy guess.

86. Some women's mag photos: BEEFCAKE. Ryan Reynolds, husband of Scarlett Johansson.

88. Arctic seabird: SKUA

89. Common office plant: FERN

90. Uneven?: ODD. As in number.

98. Neologized: COINED

102. Not of the clergy: LAICAL. LAIC is more often seen in the puzzle.

103. Frankfurt's state: HESSE

104. 1935 Nobelist Joliot-Curie: IRENE. Only know her mother Marie.

105. Word with basin or flat: TIDAL

106. Dieter's breakfast: MELON. I've got to eat real food for breakfast, or lunch/dinner.

108. Curly-haired pantomimist: HARPO. Harpo Marx.

109. Paste on: AFFIX

110. Dealer's offering: QUOTE

112. Kirkuk native: IRAQI. Lots of oil in Kirkuk.

113. Refuel: GAS UP

120. Calculator display, briefly: LCD

121. Moo __ pork: SHU. Cantonese again. Mu Xu Pork in Mandarin Chinese.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday December 12, 2009 Doug Peterson

Theme: None

Total blocks: 30

Total words: 72

A smooth pangram. All 26 letters are used at least once.

The puzzle is anchored by two 15-letter entries intersecting each other right in the middle of the grid:

36A. Gets off suddenly: QUITS COLD TURKEY. Sparkling answer.

8D. "A Fish Called Wanda," e.g.: SCREWBALL COMEDY. I was not clear about the exact definition of the genre. Wikipedia cited that film critic Andrew Sarris defined the screwball comedy as "a sex comedy without the sex". No wonder screwball.

Quite a few great multiple-word entries. Total 11 if I counted correctly. My favorite is DIRTY JOKES (12D. Bar exchanges, perhaps).

Across:

1. It provides more details: ZOOM LENS. Was picturing the Secret Service details. Not camera. Scrabbly start.

9. Raid target: FRIDGE. Again, the bug killer Raid popped into my mind.

15. Where many scenes occur: IN PUBLIC. Wanted ON STAGE.

16. Rich: MONIED

17. Rebounds from: GETS OVER. Sad to hear that Tiger wants to take "an indefinite break" from golf. Hope he rebounds as quickly as Kobe Bryant did.

18. Gaped: STARED

19. Uniform band: SASH

20. Nails down, as a victory: ICES. Wanted ACES.

22. Nervous: ANTSY

23. '90s-'00s sitcom star: DREW CAREY. The sitcom here refers to "The Drew Carey Show" I presume.

25. Pulpy fruit: PAPAYA. Delicious. I love tropical fruits.

29. Handle with care: BABY

30. Rattle: JAR

33. "As if __!": I CARE. And I DUNNO (55A. Words spoken with a shrug).

34. Blush opposite: PALE

35. Botanical trunk: BOLE. Oh, did not know tree trunk has a special name.

39. Largish pottery pieces: URNS. Here is the Greek urn at Louvre. I seem to remember it depicts Dionysus drinking.

40. "__ Well ...": ALL'S. Shakespeare's "All's Well That Ends Well".

41. Name on a combine: DEERE. Just had TORO the other day. Fair & Balanced coverage.

43. Govt. money insurer: FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)

44. Salutes with words: TOASTS

45. Pop or blow: BURST OPEN. Awesome entry.

48. Friend of Spanky: DARLA. No idea. She's from "Our Gang".

50. Qatari big shot: EMIR

51. Ore carrier: TRAM. Mining accidents occur too often in China.

57. It can involve dumbbells and jerks: EXERCISE. Weight-lifting.

59. "High Fidelity" star John: CUSACK. I love his "Say Anything..." (with Ione Skye). "Eight Men Out" is great too, one of my favorite baseball movies.

60. Sabotages: DISABLES. Kazie linked a sabot song some time ago. Sabotage is rooted in the French peasant shoe sabot.

61. Giggled: TE-HEED

62. "I'll bet!": YEAH, YEAH. I like the answer.

Down:

1. Turns on a jagged course: ZIGS

2. Fit to serve: ONE-A

3. Withdraws, with "out": OPTS. Oh...

4. Cornmeal concoction: MUSH. Mine was PONE.

5. Wall St. deal: LBO (Leveraged buyout)

6. "__ Madigan": 1967 Swedish film: ELVIRA. No idea. Sounds sad.

7. Antigone, to Creon: NIECE. Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and his mother. Creon is her uncle. Got me.

9. Radio settings: FMS

10D. __ Club: ROTARY. And EDDY (14D. 10-Down current). I was confused for a while because I was trying to connect EDDY with ROTARY Club rather than ROTARY current.

11. Without substance: INANE. To me, inane means "without sense".

13. Heist units: GEES. Slang for "thousands". And ABET (24D. Be partly responsible for a holdup).

21. Really burns: SCALDS

23. Adjusts shades, in a way: DYES

25. Excite: PIQUE. Did not come to me readily.

26. Honda high-end brand: ACURA. Like Toyota's Lexus.

27. Roller alternative: PAINT BRUSH. What's the color of your bedroom wall?

28. Liberal group?: ARTS. D'oh! Liberal Arts.

32. Alfonso XII and XIII: REYES. Spanish for "kings". Singular is REY.

34. Not at all boorish: POLITE. Thought of GENTLE first.

35. City north of Anaheim: BREA. Was used to the "La Brea Tar Pits" clue. Did not know its exact location.

37. Bounders: CADS. Bounder is a new word to me.

38. Thick Japanese soup noodle: UDON. My favorite is Seafood Udon.

43. Seven Years' War participant: FRANCE. No idea. Have never heard of Seven Years' War. It happened in 18th century. I was not there.

44. "The Pride of the Yankees" costar Wright: TERESA. Lou Gehrig's wife in the movie. I could only remember Gary Cooper. Did you cry watching the movie? I did. Doug Peterson is a Yankees fan.

46. They parallel radii: ULNAE. I like the radii & ulnae consistency. The plurals could also be radiuses and ulnas.

47. Folklore trickster: PIXIE. The Norse trickster god is LOKI.

48. Vol. on a stand, maybe: DICT (Dictionary)

49. Together, on a score: A DUE

51. Beriyo Smoothie server: TCBY. Have never had Beriyo Smoothie. What does Beriyo mean?

52. Get to in a bad way: RILE

53. Between ports: ASEA. AT SEA too.

56. Didn't deny: OK'D.

58. Backing cry: RAH. In the stadium. Excellent clue.

Answer grid.

Zai jian!

C.C.

Friday December 11, 2009 Mark Feldman

Theme: DOUBLE PLAY (37A. Baseball coups, and a hint to the homophonic relationship in the sequence of first words in 18-, 24-, 54- and 61-Across).

18A. Barely came out on top: WON BY A NOSE. Won = One.

24A. Overly taxing: TOO MUCH TO HANDLE. Too = Two.

54A. Temporarily: FOR THE TIME BEING. For = Four

61A. Really enjoyed something: ATE IT UP. Ate = Eight.

Great puzzle, isn't it? Such a innovative theme. Lively, natural theme phrases. And nicely "doubled up" sequential order.

All the theme clues are quite straightforward. And I grokked the theme early on. So, a rare smooth Friday for me.

Favorite clues today:

29A. Group with a lot of hits?: MOB

53A. Caligula's card count?: LII. 52 cards in a deck. LII is Roman numeral 52.

44D. They can be offensive: LINEMEN

Across:

1. Young ones: LADS. Are you bothered by "ones" in the clue?

5. Court smash: SPIKE. Volleyball.

14. Attending to the assignment: ON IT

15. "Alas": SO SAD. Now I won't be able to eat my Larabars without thinking of "hair of the dog". Awful Dennis/Buckeye!

16. Biblical twin: ESAU. Jacob's twin.

17. Check out: CASE. Before the heist.

20. How some bonds are bought: AT PAR

22. John abroad: LOO. In Britain. Toilet "john".

23. Irked: RILED

27. Some dashes: EMS. Or ENS.

28. Farm cry: BAA. MAA too.

30. Series opener?: ESS. The opening letter of Series is letter S.

33. "Kidnapped" author's monogram: RLS (Robert Louis Stevenson)

35. Big cheese: VIP. Normally there's no abbr. hint for VIP.

43. You might make one with a Hamilton Beach DrinkMaster: MALT. Had trouble obtaining the answer. Thought Hamilton Beach DrinkMaster is like my Jack Lalanne veggie/fruit juicer.

46. Classical dance gp.: ABT (American Ballet Theatre). Simply forgot.

58. Achille __: hijacked ship: LAURO. Was unaware of this hijacked event in 1985.

59. Ivy League nickname: ELI. Yale.

60. No spendthrift: SAVER. The clue seems to be asking for an adjective, doesn't it? "Not a spendthrift" would be a noun.

64. Lansbury Broadway role: MAME. Auntie Mame.

65. Dole: METE

66. Soft fleece: LLAMA. And SUEDES (13D. Soft leathers). I kept reading "Soft fleece" as "Soft cheese".

67. Hot times in Paris: ETES. French for "summer".

68. Winged god: EROS. Cupid.

69. Another name for hopscotch: POTSY. New to me.

70. Kerry and Kirk of Mass., e.g.: SENS (Senators). Paul Kirk is taking the seat of Ted Kennedy.

Down:

2. Gray topic: ANATOMY. The TV series "Grey's Anatomy" is derived from "Gray's Anatomy". And DYED (31A. No longer gray, say). Nice "gray" echo in the crossing.

3. Inclined (to): DISPOSED. Just had INDISPOSED yesterday.

4. Iron horse power: STEAM

5. Vienna-to-Rome dir.: SSW

7. Playground comeback: IS NOT

8. Comics explosion: KABOOM

9. Joseph of ice cream fame: EDY. Easy guess.

10. Russian revolutionary: LENIN. Big hero when I grew up.

11. She had a tryst with Tristan: ISOLDE. Love the alliterativeness of "tryst" and "Tristan".

19. Mecca's peninsula: ARABIA. This one connects three theme entries. So does its symmetrical partner UPSHOT (38. Result).

21. Obstacle: RUB. "Ay, there's the rub", Melissa!

25. Semiautomatic rifle: CARBINE (KAHR-been). Not in my vocabulary. He looks like a good sniper.

26. It's reserved for ones in a pool: HOV LANE. Carpool. HOV = High-Occupancy Vehicle. Not fond of duplication of the clue "pool" and answer POOL HALL (6D. Place to find cues).

34. Match unit: SET. Tennis match.

36. British novelist Barbara __: PYM. Nope. Total stranger to me.

39. Coverage charges: PREMIUMS

40. Show great anticipation, informally: SALIVATE. Great fill.

45. Jungle female: TIGRESS

46. Burning: AFLAME. Did anyone try ON FIRE first?

47. Traditional barbershop quartet hat: BOATER. Mine was BOWLER.

48. Honest with: TRUE TO

50. Opera with the aria "Qui trarrò Cassio": OTELLO. Verdi's opera based on Shakespeare's "Othello". Stumper for me.

52. Baby docs: OBS (Obstetricians)

56. __ ease: ILL AT

57. Chair designer Charles: EAMES (Eemz). I can never remember this guy's name.

62. Matterhorn, e.g.: ALP. Had no idea that Matterhorn is a mountain on the border of Switzerland and Italy.

Answer grid.

Ming tian jian!

C.C.

Thursday December 10, 2009 Dan Naddor

Theme: PHENOMENAL (57A. Clue for 17-, 22-, 36- and 44-Across)

17A. See 57-Across: OVER THE TOP

22A. See 57-Across: BEYOND BELIEF

36A. See 57-Across: TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

44A. See 57-Across: OFF THE CHARTS

Incredible! I wish "Incredible" were the real clue for PHENOMENAL rather than "Clue for ...". Not fond of this kind of self-referential, circling cluing style. It frustrated me.

I do like cross-references in the grid. I like the extra effort the constructors spend in connecting certain entries. But cross-references offer you a defining clue for guidance. Take the PRIM & PROPER clues on Tuesday for example. 10D Down PROPER is clued as "See 10-Across", then 10-Across is "With 10-Down and "and", rigidly formal". At least, you have "rigidly formal" as a definitive clue, which gives you a basic idea of what the cross-reference is about.

Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 8. And among them, FALSE ALARM (14A. Wolf cry, often?) and its symmetrical partner INDISPOSED (60A Not feeling well) have the same amount of letters as two of the theme entries and stacked direct ly with them. I don't mind this kind of distraction at all, since the unifying 57A clearly points out which ones belong to the theme answers. And those two are just awesome fill.

Neat to have MOUSSE (40A. Salon preparation) intersect MOOSE (29D. Caribou relative).

Across:

1. "Food, Body and Mind" diet maven: CRAIG (Jenny). The other diet maven is ATKINS. maven

6. Pierce portrayer: ALDA (Alan). In M*A*S*H.

10. Lummoxes: OAFS. Add letter F to lummox, we've got the confusing "flummox".

16. River past Thebes: NILE. Thebes was an ancient city on the NILE. Somehow I thought of STYX, the River of the damned Hades.

18. "Fall back" interval: HOUR. Spring Ahead, Fall Back. China has no Daylight Saving Time, despite its vastness.

19. What F or M may indicate: SEX

20. Shinto temple gateway: TORII. Dennis just linked this TORRI picture when we had TORI (clued as "Doughnut shape" last time). Plural of Torus. I am still waiting for someone to give Torii Hunter some crossword recognition that he richly deserves. Nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards, what more credentials do you want?

21. Longtime Chicago Symphony maestro: SOLTI (Georg). 31 Grammys. A record.

24. Steppes native: TATAR

27. Purge: RID

29. Like many rebates: MAIL-IN

41. Tiger Woods's dad: EARL. Sweet picture. I liked his book "Playing Through". Lots of gems inside.

42. Airline with a hub in Copenhagen: SAS. The "Airline with a hub in Amsterdam" is KLM.

43. Uptight: ANTSY. Oh, I always associate "uptight" with "stiff" rather than ANTSY.

51. Iraqi port: BASRA. Was listening to a Terry Gross "A Messenger for the Marines" interview last night. Just could not control my tears.

52. Cliff dwelling: AERIE

53. "__ to Extremes": Billy Joel hit: I GO. Was unaware of this song title.

56. Gunny fiber: JUTE. A good Scrabble word. I did not know the gunny & burlap connection.

59. Slaughter who famously scored the winning run in the 1946 World Series: ENOS. Nice trivia to a tired name.

61. Reveille counterpart: TAPS

62. Latin 101 verb: ESSE. "To be" in Latin.

63. Frère de la mère: ONCLE. French for "uncle". Frère = Brother. Mère = Mother.

Down:

1. Some are CPAs: CFOS

2. All-night party: RAVE. Ignorant of this RAVE meaning.

3. Infield mate of Derek: ALEX. Instinctively wanted A-Rod.

4. Haifa's country: Abbr.: ISR. HAIFA is often clued as " Israeli seaport". Good to have a change.

5. Go-__: GETTER. Ha ha, I wanted Go-go girl.

6. Olds compact: ALERO. Learned from doing Xword. The model only existed for for six years.

7. Romance languages ancestor: LATIN

8. R2-D2 or C-3PO: DROID

9. Rock blaster?: AMP. Fell into the TNT trap.

10. Waiting to talk: ON HOLD

11. Garlicky mayo: AIOLI. Ai = garlic. Oli = oil.

12. Rampal's instrument: FLUTE

13. Calligrapher's embellishment: SERIF. I find it very soothing to practise Chinese calligraphy.

15. Call to a mate: AHOY

21. It flows along La Rive Gauche: SEINE. La Rive Gauche = The Left Bank in French.

22. Good thing to go out with: BANG. Go out with a bang. Good clue.

23. Grease, so to speak: BRIBE

24. Cairn terrier of film: TOTO. Oh, I did not know that Toto is a Cairn terrier.

25. Out of control: AMOK

26. Art community near Santa Fe: TAOS

30. Soccer star Freddie: ADU. Too much hype on him earlier on.

31. "__ only money": IT'S. What's this? Movie title? Song title?

32. Rock's __ Lobos: LOS. Literally "The Wolves".

33. Greek house?: FRAT. Frat house. Nailed it.

34. "__ not to reason why": Tennyson: OURS. I forgot. Rich Norris used this clue before.

37. Home of the College World Series: OMAHA. Good to know.

38. They're often next to fives: TENS. Cash box compartment.

42. Chill pill target: STRESS. Not familiar with "chill pill" at all.

43. At the original speed, in music: A TEMPO. New musical term to me.

44. __ d'art: OBJET. Literally "thing" in French.

45. Regional wildlife: FAUNA

46. Setting that affects depth of field: F-STOP. Camera setting.

47. Songwriter Sammy et al.: CAHNS. Just learned that he wrote the lyrics for "High Hope".

48. Pays attention to: HEEDS

49. Immortal PGA nickname: ARNIE (Palmer). Penned in ERNIE first and was ready to complain that Ernie Els has yet to achieve the immortal status.

50. Roberto's rivers: RIOS. Spanish rivers.

53. Dedicated by the auth.: INSC. Inscription I suppose. Not a familiar abbr. to me.

54. Highlander: GAEL. Scottish Highlander.

55. Quaint word in some tavern names: OLDE

57. Dessert choice: PIE. Do any of you love Larabar also?

Answer grid.

C.C.