Sunday December 27, 2009 Barry Silk & Doug Peterson

Theme: And Another Thing ... - "And Another Thing" is inserted into two-word common phrases, creating theme answers which start with a " __ and __" familiar phrase.

23A. Result of a battle of bighorns?: BLACK AND BLUE SHEEP. "And Blue" is inserted into Black Sheep. Black and Blue. Bighorns are wild sheep. The clue is playing on "Battle of the Little Bighorns".

38A. Fire alarm during kindergarten?: SHOW AND TELL STOPPER. "And Tell" is squeezed into Show Stopper. Show and Tell.

56A. Attracting outdoorsy readers, say?: FIELD AND STREAM GOAL. "And Stream" is popped into Field Goal. "Field and Stream" is an outdoor magazine. Unknown to me.

77A. Crustacean with an electric guitar?: ROCK AND ROLL LOBSTER. "And Roll" is injected into Rock Lobster. Rock and Roll.

94A. Web site security expert?: POINT AND CLICK GUARD. "And Click" is embedded into Point Guard. Point and Click.

115A. Kids' puppet show script?: PUNCH AND JUDY LINES. "And Judy" is set into Punch Lines. I've never heard of the puppet show "Punch and Judy".

Barry (Phillies fan) and Doug (Yankees fan), also sprinkled a few baseball references in the grid:

26A. One of Rose's 4,256: HIT. Pete Rose. A record 4,256 hits.

63A. "Baseball is 90% mental; the other half is physical" speaker: BERRA (Yogi). Yankees' #8. Mantle wore #7.

40D. D.C. ball team: NATS. Washington Nationals. NL East.

66D. Minute Maid Park team: ASTROS. Houston Astros. NL Central.

Lots of proper names in this grid, no? Fortunately most of them have become gimmes to me. But I definitely needed the cheat cheat for a few hard crossings.

Fun puzzle. I was amused by the theme answers and slapped my head hard several times after grokking the tricky clues. Precious "D'oh" moments!

Across:

1. Escher Museum site, with "The": HAGUE. Escher is a Dutch painter.

6. Rolls: WADS. Money rolls.

10. Like Mr. Magoo: MYOPIC

16. Capital of Slovakia?: ESS. The capitalized letter of Slovakia.

19. When many return from lunch: AT ONE. Wanted ONE PM.

20. Vision: IDEA

21. Symphony originally dedicated to Napoleon: EROICA. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3.

22. Ball support: TEE. Golf ball.

27. Province in northern Finland: LAPLAND. No idea. See this map. It's also a regions stretching across N Norway & N Sweden.

28. It's pitched: TENT. Would be a nice clue for IDEA too.

29. Holds on to: RETAINS

31. Fishing, maybe: ASEA.

34. Apple's G4, e.g.: IMAC

37. "See ya!": I'M OFF

44. Search uncertainly: GROPE. Bet it's a gimme for President Clinton. He's a pretty good crossword solver.

47. Cross shapes: TAUS

48. Talked nonstop: RAN ON

49. Martinique, e.g.: ILE

50. Lever with a blade: OAR. Did not come to me readily.

51. Selling points: ASSETS

54. Madagascar tree climber: LEMUR. Madagascar & LEMUR. Crossword pair.

55. Commanded: BADE

60. Elided greeting: 'ELLO. In Cockney. Letter H is omitted.

61. Car wash option: WAX

67. Hoarse: RASPING. RASPY is a much better answer.

69. Ballroom that made the Lindy Hop famous: SAVOY. Stumper. Sounds quite storied.

71. Brimless caps: BEANIES

73. "The Avengers" guy: STEED (John). Emma Peel is the only character I know of "The Avengers".

75. Many a joke involves one: PUN. Many times I simply don't get others' joke.

83. Budget rival: AVIS. Car rental.

87. Colorado county or its seat: PUEBLO. The answer emerged itself.

88. Psyche component: EGO

89. Top: LID

91. Proceed: WEND. Do you actually use this word in your daily conversation?

92. Surveyor's units: ACRES. Wanted PLOTS.

99. Alleged Soviet spy Hiss: ALGER. Alleged? I thought he's a real spy.

101. Alien's course: Abbr.: ESL (English as a Second Language). I always connect aliens with illegal immigrants though.

102. Lackluster: DRAB

106. Unfinished framework: CARCASS. Not a familiar defintion to me.

112. "The Disrobing of Christ" painter: EL GRECO. Spanish painter. "The Disrobing of Christ" is one of his best known works.

114. Follower's suffix: ITE. Penned in IST.

119. Rejections: NOS

120. Gerald Ford, by birth: OMAHAN. Thought he was born somewhere in Michigan.

121. Players: CAST. Theatrical players.

122. Racing paths: OVALS

123. Places for organ repairs, briefly: ORS (Operation Rooms)

124. Apartment restriction: NO PETS. Allergy is such a big problem for many.

126. Secure, as a nautical rope: BELAY. Can never remember this word.

Down:

1. "Aquí se ____ español": HABLA. "Speak" in Spainish.

2. Travel guide: ATLAS

3. Have a cow, so to speak: GO APE

4. Open, as a large envelope: UNCLASP

5. Reggae star __-Mouse: EEK-A. Named after the race horse he always bet on, according to Wikipedia. It appeared in our puzzle before.

6. Teller's spot: WINDOW

7. Say "Furthermore ...," say: ADD

8. Collector's item?: DEBT. The question mark did not preclude me from thinking of (baseball) card.

9. Discount event: SALE

10. Tryster's request: MEET ME

12. "I'm impressed!": OOH. I always say "Wow!"

14. Slush Puppie maker: ICEE

15. Something that may help you get the picture?: CAPTION. Excellent clue. I bet camera crossed everyone's mind.

16. Kenya neighbor: ETHIOPIA

17. Its 5/14/1998 final episode was seen by 76 million viewers: SEINFELD. "The Soup Nazi" is my favorite episode.

18. Liberates: SETS FREE

24. Monument word: ANNO. Would be ESTD if there were an abbr. hint.

25. Army divisions: UNITS

30. Band piece: AMP. Music band. And HEAD (39D. Spot for a band). Headband.

33. For adults only: RATED X

35. "So soon?": ALREADY

36. Cold and moist: CLAMMY

41. Bookshelf buildup: DUST. Just had MOTE ("Dust unit") yesterday.

43. Company that acquired Lawn-Boy in 1989: TORO. Easy guess.

44. Errand runners: GOFERS

45. Bawl out: RAIL AT

46. Implicit warning: OR ELSE. It's a rather explicit warning to me.

52. Cut: SAWN. Past participle "cut".

53. Glitch: SNAG

54. "Leading With My Chin" author: LENO (Jay).

57. Horses running leisurely: LOPERS

58. Actress Kim of "24": RAVER. Total stranger to me.

59. Org. concerned with suits: ABA. Lawsuits.

65. Weasel out: RENEGE

68. Part of a mating ritual: I DO. And PLEDGE (75D. 68-Down, for one). "Mating ritual" sounds very DF.

69. Basking locale: SUN DECK

70. "What Women Want" actor: ALDA (Alan). Red roses, and the man I love.

71. Cluster of cloves: BULB

72. Organic compound: ENOL

74. Got by: MADE DO

78. Pet with green fur?: CHIA

79. "Ol' Man River" composer: KERN. Hi, Jerome!

80. Gp. that includes Iran and Ecuador: OPEC

81. Muttonhead: LUNK. Not lunkhead?

82. Tusked animal: BOAR

83. "Ocean's Thirteen" actor: AL PACINO. I love "Ocean's Eleven" the most.

84. Lawbreaker, e.g.: VIOLATOR

85. Acknowledgement of a deviation, usually after "but": I DIGRESS. Great fill.

90. Attach, in a way: STRAP ON

93. PC component: CD DRIVE

95. Tokyo-based computer giant: NEC. Three letter Japanese company name, what else could it be?

96. 24 Hours of __: annual auto race: LE MANS. Same as Grand Prix, isn't it?

97. Comfortable with: USED TO

98. Confederate: ALLY

103. Of the kidneys: RENAL

104. Northeast express train: ACELA. Wikipedia says the name "Acela" is meant to be evocative of acceleration and excellence.

105. Everycow: BOSSY. Nickname for a cow. Is "Everycow" a real word?

107. Sport for big grapplers: SUMO

108. Piece of cake: SNAP

110. L x XXXIV: MDCC. 50 x 34 = 1700

111. City near Santa Barbara: OJAI (OH-high). Native Indian for "Valley of the Moon." I peeked at the cheat sheet.

113. Squishy lump: GLOB

116. Argentinian Marxist: CHE. Thought he was Cuban.

117. It may be passed or tipped: HAT. Nice clue.

118. TNT alternative: USA

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday December 26, 2009 Michael Wiesenberg

Theme: None

Total blocks: 31

Total words: 72

This grid is framed by a pair of triple stacked 15-letter two-word answers at the top and bottom:

1A. Medieval castle feature: SPIRAL STAIRCASE. Nice entry. Good visual imagery.

16A. Harding's Laddie Boy, for one: AIREDALE TERRIER. Originated in Airedale, England. Laddie Boy was President Harding's dog. Stumped me.

17A. Health club option: PERSONAL TRAINER

59A. With "The," 1958 Hudson/Stack movie about a former WWI ace: TARNISHED ANGELS. See this poster. I've never heard of the movie.

63A. Longtime pal: OLD ACQUAINTANCE. My favorite fill today.

64A. Christianity dominates it: WESTERN RELIGION. Buddhism dominates Eastern religion. Hinduism too, I suppose, considering the number of followers in India.

Hard workout for me. Only penned in a few short entries on my first try. Then I gnawed and gnawed. Was amazed by how much I actually filled in before peeking at the cheat sheet.

Across:

19. Indicates: SAYS. Wanted CUES.

20. Asian holidays: TETS. Only in Vietnam.

21. Univ. awards: DEGS (Degrees)

23. Risked: STAKED

26. Actor Harris et al.: EDS. I liked him in "Stepmom".

29. Three-time A.L. MVP: A-ROD. Finally got his World Series ring.

30. Help a checker: BAG. Checker here refers to cashier, right?

33. Gamblers' mecca: MONTE CARLO. Las Vegas too.

37. Composer Bartók: BELA. Hungarian.

38. Barhopping: ON A TOOT. New phrase to me.

39. Some specials: ENTREES. Excellent clue.

41. Uproar: TO-DO. Nice crossing with SET-TO (22D. Tiff). We also have ADOS (5D. Fusses).

42. Gadget largely pooh-poohed by men until the 20th century: WRISTWATCH. Was unaware of this fact. How silly.

44. Dubbed period: ERA. I rather like this new clue.

45. Russian pancake: BLIN. Only know the plural blini.

46. Oldest child in the comic strip "Baby Blues": ZOE. Tough crossing with KOONTZ (25D. Dean of horror). I knew neither of them.

47. Under-the-sink item: SOS PAD. Yeah, I store mine under the sink.

53. Open end?: TOED. Open-toed (shoes).

55. "Do or do not. There is no try" speaker: YODA. From "Star Wars".

58. Miss out?: DEB (Debutante). "Miss" here is a noun. I was not fooled.

Down:

1. Tasty: SAPID. This word sure doesn't sound tasty. Maybe I am influenced by tepid.

2. See 40-Down: PIECE. And TWO (40D. With 2-Down, like a bikini).

3. Not std.: IRREG. IRR appears in grids more often.

4. They precede mis: RES. Scale notes. Do, Re, Mi ...

6. Turner, for one: LANA. Lana Turner.

7. Really cracks up: SLAYS

8. Launch of 1962: TELSTAR. Just learned that NASA was only established in 1958.

9. 1-800-CALL-__: rival of 1-800-COLLECT: AT & T

10. Cash add-on: IER. Cashier.

11. Violent, probably: R-RATED

13. Frowned-upon contraction: AIN'T. Widely used though.

14. Views: SEES

24. City that inspired van Gogh: ARLES. Absolutely love his "Bedroom in Arles".

27. __ gratias: DEO. Latin for "thanks to God".

28. Glares: SCOWLS

30. Sugar source: BEET. Pickled beet is very tasty, so is pickled herring.

31. Pollster Gallup: ALEC. Did not know Gallup's given name. So now we've had Elmo Roper and John Zogby, all pollsters.

32. Razor cut, maybe: GASH. Did not come to me readily.

33. Dust unit: MOTE

34. Words before before: ON OR. Was this a gimme to you?

35. Zilch: NADA

36. Anchor position: ATRIP. Just clear off the bottom. Learned from doing Xword.

37. Highland hillsides: BRAES

43. Next Christmas: IN A YEAR. Not really fond of this clue, despite its Christmas connection.

45. Dirndl part: BODICE

47. Gérard Larcher is its current president: SENAT. French Senate. Don't think Gérard Larcher is well known outside France.

48. Stevens who sang "Pink Shoe Laces" (1959): DODIE. No idea. Here is the clip. Wikipedia says she's only 13 when she recorded the song.

50. Certain Arabian Peninsula native: ADENI. Oh, the native of Aden is Adeni.

51. Car battery pioneer: DELCO. Unknown to me also. It stands for Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co.

52. "Barnaby Jones" star: EBSEN (Buddy). Recognized his face only when I googled him.

53. Account: TALE

54. Traffic regs., e.g.: ORDS (Ordinances)

56. Twain's jumping frog: DAN'L (Webster). Completely foreign to me. Why Dan'l instead of Daniel?

57. Like contrarians: ANTI

59. Auto club service: TOW

60. Plaza abbr.: SQR. Square?

61. Vandal: HUN. Like Attila.

62. Choke or joke: GAG. Superb clue. Nice rhyme.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday December 25, 2009 Dan Naddor

Theme: Deliver-ANCE - ANCE is attached to the second word of a common phrase.

16A. Communist revenue management?: RED FINANCE. Redfin. The freshwater minnow with red fins. Communist = Red.

21A. Atonement from a soda jerk?: FOUNTAIN PENANCE. Fountain pen. Soda fountain. Atonement = Penance.

32A. Love that blossomed in a music store?: CD ROMANCE. CD-Rom. Love = Romance.

48A. Voice of choice? FAVORITE SONANCE. Favorite Son. Voice = Sonance.

55A. Square up with actor Jack?: PAY PALANCE. PayPal. My first encounter with actor Jack Palance. Wikipedia says he won an Oscar for "City Slickers".

Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 24. Very high. Great columns of triple 7's in each corner. The total word count is a themeless-like 70.

While solving this puzzle, I thought of Dennis' s trivia on the only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous and hazardous.

Tough slogging for me. Lots of tricky clues. My favorite is NARC (24D. Buster?). I still don't get POS (55. Bldgs. with boxes). PO Box, yes. Why buildings?

Across:

1. Hoodwink: CON

4. Exhausted, with "out": WIPED. Crossing DIE (8D. Go kaput).

9. Exaggerated fanfare: HYPE

13. Mayo is in it: ANO. Spanish for "year". Mayo here refers to the month "may". I was thinking of the sandwich spread mayo.

14. Italian deli offering: PANINI. With a bit of grilled eggplant. Yummy!

15. Skyrocket: SOAR

18. Toro, in sushi bars: TUNA. Toro is the fatty belly portion of the tuna. Very tasty.

19. Become: AMOUNT TO

20. Small batteries: AAS

26. Tarzan creator's monogram: ERB (Edgar Rice Burroughs). Stumped me.

28. Mike famously bit him in a 1997 fight: EVANDER (Holyfield). Tyson bit Holyfield's ear.

29. __ date: SET A. Wrote down UP TO first.

31. Torpors: INERTIAS

36. Faultfinding: CAPTIOUS. New word to me.

39. Old Dodge: DART. And PINTO (14D. Old Ford). Car makers and models are definitely my blind spots.

43. Prayers: ORISONS. Same root with oration. Learned from doing Xword.

44. Edible ginseng plant: UDO. Both the leaves and stems are edible. Japanese veggie.

47. Comic strip cry: WAH. Baby cry?

51. Waitress at Mel's: FLO

52. More isolated: LONELIER

53. Town-line sign abbr.: ESTD (Established)

57. Bum: REAR. I am surprised by the cluing.

58. Starts: ONSETS. Noun "starts".

59. __ station: GAS

60. Dash for a recipe, maybe: SALT

61. Restaurant row?: SCENE. The brawl "row", not those lines of seats.

62. Mexican Mrs.: SRA

Down:

1. Some wine containers: CARAFES. The left one?

2. Another: ONE MORE

3. Surely: NO DOUBT. Of course!

4. Classified: WANT AD

5. Rare way for football games to end: IN A TIE. And EVEN (23D. Neck and neck).

6. Attribute to, as blame: PIN ON

7. Ref. work: ENC (Encyclopedia). Or OED.

10. 1982 Eddie Rabbitt/Crystal Gale duet: YOU AND I. No idea. The tune sounds familiar though.

11. Elixir: PANACEA

12. They can fix slips: ERASERS. What slips were you thinking? Lingerie?

17. Frolic: FUN

22. Clinton cabinet member Federico: PENA. Alas, his name escaped me again. Tony Peña next time, please!


25. Fed the kitty: ANTED. Pot kitty. Nice clue too.

30. "Don't __ innocent": ACT SO

31. AOL exchanges: IMS

33. New Look designer: DIOR (Christian)

34. Food-box word with a cable car in its "o": RONI. Rice-A-Roni, the San Fransisco Treat.

35. Depose: OUST

36. Strongboxes: COFFERS

37. Asian border lake: ARAL SEA. The shrinking sea. Good to have its complete name for a change.

38. Like a deciding moment: PIVOTAL. Pivotal moment.

40. Shade providers: AWNINGS

41. Wheels on a track: RACE CAR. Race track

42. Russell of "Black Widow": THERESA. Nope. I like how she looks.

44. Ben Hogan won it four times: US OPEN. Gimme. Ben Hogan had the most effective swing.

45. Contribute: DONATE

46. First-year law students: ONE LS. First year law students.

49. "Family Ties" mom: ELYSE. Simply forgot.

50. King preceder: A LA. Shouldn't it be "King preceders" (plural)?

54. 2000 Gere title role: DR T. "Dr. T and the Women". So star-studded. But I've never heard of the movie.

56. Mandela's org.: ANC (African National Congress)

Answer grid.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!

C.C.

Thursday December 24, 2009 Elizabeth A. Long

Theme: A Prolonged Effort - The vowel in the second word of a common phrase is drawn out, as indicated by the first word.

20A. Too long a ride?: STRETCH LI(I)MO. Stretch Limo. The word limo is literally stretched.

37A. Too many relatives?: EXTENDED FA(A)MILY. Extended Family. Family is extended.

54A. Too much information?: SPREADSHEE(E)T. Spreadsheet. Sheet is spread.

Quite an original and innovative theme. Excellent theme clues. Bravo Zulu, Ms. Long!

The number of theme entries is rather sparse. Maybe the constructor could not find workable phrases with possible elongated OO or UU manipulation.

I fared much better than I did yesterday. Favorite entry is EL PASO, TX (38. City SSE of Las Cruces, NM). Very cool (though frustrating) fill.

Across:

1. Spare underwear: THONG. What I am wearing.

6. Thermometer part: BULB

10. Farm female: MARE. Ewe too.

14. Joyous shout: WAHOO. And WHEE (34A. Swinger's cry) & HALLO (36A. Fox hunt call). I did not know "Hallo" is a shout used in fox hunting.

15. Most of Ohio's northern boundary: ERIE

16. Cameo gemstone: ONYX. Three X's in this grid.

17. Mideast language: IRANI. Thought their language is called Persian/Farsi.

18. A 66-Across lacks one: TAIL. And MANX (66. Critter with no 18-Across). Love cross-references.

19. Nureyev's negative: NYET. Russian for "no". Alliteration with foreign words again.

23. Sway: TEETER

24. Presidential pollster John: ZOGBY. Nope. Not familiar with this name.

27. Sellout signs: SROS

29. Orders: DECREES. Oh, noun "orders".

31. Matter in court: RES. Latin for "thing".

41. Inscribed monument: STELA. Or STELE.

42. Piano piece with "primo" and "secondo" parts, e.g.: DUET

43. Plural feature, usually: ESS. And DEES (57D. Substandard marks). One spelled-out letter entry in a grid is enough.

44. Sends a check with the order: PREPAYS. PayPal handles everything now.

46. Columnist Barrett: RONA. The gossip columnist.

49. Chop-chop: APACE

50. Calendar divisions: MONTHS

58. Weaponless self-defense: JUDO. "Gentle way" in Japanese. Their DO = Chinese TAO (way).

61. Good way for dreams to come: TRUE. Good clue.

62. Board for nails: EMERY

63. "__ happens ...": AS IT. "As It Happens" is also a CBC radio program. I find the host Barbara Budd's voice very soothing.

64. Diet label word: LITE

65. Some closet contents: LINEN. Made of flax fiber.

67. Son of Seth: ENOS

68. So yesterday: PASSE

Down:

1. Peel in a drink: TWIST

2. Roaring Camp chronicler: HARTE (Bret). Know the name, not the story.

3. Hub near the Loop: O'HARE. The Loop in Chicago.

4. Large chamber groups: NONETS. Composition for nine.

5. Thyroid problem: GOITER. Caused by iodine deficiency.

6. Aleph follower: BETH. The second letter in Hebrew alphabet.

7. River through Kazakhstan: URAL

8. DXXX ÷ X: LIII. 530 ÷10= 53

9. Mexico neighbor: BELIZE. I have a very confused Central America map in my brain.

10. LBJ or JFK: MONOGRAM. Thought of DEMOCRAT immediately.

12. Ham site: RYE. Rye bread.

13. Request to an oper.: EXT (Extension)

21. Stand very close to: CROWD. Nice clue.

22. Chocolate-flavored coffee: MOCHA

25. Misrepresent: BELIE

26. Sounds angry: YELLS

28. Lets the fur fly?: SHEDS. Nailed it.

29. Postpone: DEFER

30. Brown sauces: SOYS. Was picturing the brown roux sauce rather than soy sauce.

31. Breathing: Abbr.: RESP. Respiring? Not familiar with the abbr. at all.

32. More than usual: EXTRA. Somehow the grammar of the clue confounded me.

33. Prohibitive, perhaps: STEEP. As prices.

39. Civil rights org.: NAACP

40. Matter components: ATOMS

45. Seuss turtle: YERTLE. Yertle the Turtle.

47. Useless: NO HELP

48. Lack of vitality: ANEMIA

52. Word spoken with a raised glass: HERE'S. "Here's to ...".

53. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" composer: STYNE (Jule). Wikipedia says he composed "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow". Too bad. I've never heard of him.

55. Joyce's motherland: ERIN. Sometimes it's Eire. James Joyce.

56. Focus opening: AUTO. Autofocus.

58. Dilemma: JAM. In a jam.

59. "Royal Pains" network: USA. Was ignorant of the TV series "Royal Pains".

60. Loud noise: DIN

Answer grid.

C.C.

Interview with Brendan Emmett Quigley

Those who solve NYT & the Onion puzzles regularly are probably very familiar with Brendan Emmett Quigley and his cool contemporary puzzle style.

Since August 1996, Brendan has had 124 puzzles published by NY Times alone. His works have also appeared in LA Times, NY Sun, Newsday, The Chronicle of Higher Education, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, etc. He also authored over thirty different books. In his website, Brendan offers very topical and off-beat puzzles every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

In my previous interviews, Dan Feyer, Rex Parker and Merl Reagle all mentioned Brendan as one of their favorite constructors. Hope you enjoy these few glimpses into the mind of a very talented and successful crossword constructor.

To many LAT-only solvers, this is our first encounter with you since the TMS switch last March. What is your background and how did you get into crossword construction?

Back when I was in college, I had a really shitty summer job: I photocopied cases for a law firm. In the summer leading up to my senior year, there was a new policy implemented that forbade us from listening to the radio while we did this shitty job. Since I needed something to distract myself somehow, I turned to the New York Times crossword. I'd never solved one before, but in those three months of dutifully doing them every day, I got hooked. When I went back to school (UNH), I decided to try my hand at making them. Through dumb luck, the first one I made, I sold to the New York Times. And I've been selling them to, well, just about everybody in those 13 years since.

As a professional puzzle constructor, what is a typical day like for you? And what are common misconceptions people have about you?

After I kiss my wife Liz goodbye (she's a psychologist), I make the back-breaking eight step commute to my office in our condo. After doing all the daily puzzles and reading all the crossword blogs, (as well as some news sites, sports sites, music sites, etc.), I'll tackle whatever puzzle needs to be done that day, whether it's one for my blog, a one-off for a client, or for the regular syndicates I sell to. Of course, the muse hardly ever speaks to me at in morning. So it's usually more web-surfing. Researching ideas. IM-ing. etc. I almost always get my groove going only well into the afternoon, and it is without fail that I'm really firing on all cylinders when Liz comes home from work.

As for common misconceptions, I'm taller than people imagined.

What is the highlight of your construction career and what is the best puzzle you've made? Why?

There's been a bunch of highlights, I think. It's kind of tough to pick just one. Well, if we limit it to just this year: My blog took off, I was honored to have a puzzle in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament; I think my book of diagramless crosswords came out fantastic; plus I made puzzles that were referenced on episodes of "Jeopardy!," and "Sunday Night Football" (two different puzzles).

We seem to get a lot of "Word that preceeds/follows ... " style puzzle theme in LA Times. What's your view on this trend and what kind of theme really appeals to you as a solver?

I wrote a controversial post for my blog, "Ten Bullshit Themes." I had that "word that precedes/follows" gimmick at #5. It's not bad in and of itself, it just seems a little half-baked.

What themes work? Stuff we haven't seen before. Innovation. Up to the minute references. Humor.

As a constructor, what makes an non-theme entry spark? The freshness? Scrabbliness? Boldness? I'd like to know your definition and standard of an excellent fill.

Fill should be never before seen stuff. Since a lot of puzzles nowadays are computer assisted, a lot of us puzzlemakers have the same databases. So a lot of the so-called "fresh stuff" (the scrabliness, the up-to-date-stuff) that are in the database tend to keep coming up again and again. Seems like constructors nowadays aren't really that interested in being the first to use certain entries. Well, I don't want to make a blanket statement and say everybody doesn't like to go fresh, but we know who they are.

What's your view on grids with low word/block count or those who really stretch the rules of construction?

Cluing a puzzle is a necessary evil, so if I can get a lower word count I'd much rather go that route. Besides, if you have a more open grid, there's a better chance that you can get those new fresh entries in there.

You are a very creative and prolific constructor, where do you get your inspirations? What kind of books/magazines/websites do you read?

Thanks.

My Inspirations? All the usual places. Day to day life, things I might read, things Liz might say, etc.

I just started Thomas Pynchon's "Inherent Vice." The only magazine I read is "Wired." Websites? ESPN, SI, Pitchfork, Drudge, PopDose, the Gawker media pages, Rex Parker, Crossword Fiend, etc.

What kind of puzzle do you solve every day? And who are your favorite constructors?

Well, I solve the New York and LA Times puzzles every day. I'm also a massive sudoku nut. Lately, I've been turned onto Thomas Snyder's beautiful handmade (!) sudoku puzzles.

As for favorite constructors? The list is enormous. But let me share this. I was chatting with Francis Heaney, who is a top-flight editor as well as puzzlemaker, about Patrick Berry's latest tour-de-force. Except I was being a doofus, and I didn't refer to Patrick by name. Instead I called him "The Crossword Jesus." Francis interpreted that sobriquet as belonging to Frank Longo, who, let's face it is another god among men. So I could easily have been referring to Frank. Then I was thinking about it later, Mike Shenk could stake a claim as "The Crossword Jesus" as well. Maybe we could get some panel discussion sometime of those three guys: "The Three Crossword Jesuses," I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but those guys are all awesome.

What are your planning for 2010 construction-wise? Any special books?

I'm just planning on expanding the blog's empire.

Wednesday December 23, 2009 Brendan Emmett Quigley

Theme: G-CLEF (69A. Staff figure, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 23-, 37-, 53- and 59-Across) - The first words of the theme answers - Every Good Boy Does Fine - yield the mnemonic for EGBDF, the notes on the lines of the treble clef.

17A. 1989 Bobby Brown hit: EVERY LITTLE STEP. Have never heard of the song. Bobby Brown is the ex-husband of Whitney Houston.

23A. "Well played!": GOOD GAME

37A. Culture Club lead singer: BOY GEORGE. He seems to be in legal trouble all the time.

53A. Serves a sentence: DOES TIME

59A. Metaphorical search tool: FINE-TOOTHED COMB

Very nice successive order!

Today's constructor Brendan Emmett Quigley is also a musician. He plays for the band Boston Typewriter Orchestra in his spare time. And he tends to sprinkle various music/musician/band references in his puzzles. So, besides the music theme and the two music related theme clues, we also have:

58A. "Watermark" musician: ENYA. I liked her "May It Be".

4D. Singer Grant: AMY

25D. "__ in a Manger": AWAY. Lovely (Celtic Woman).

26D. "Watermelon Man" musician Santamaría: MONGO. Total stranger to me. Wikipedia describes him as an Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist.

35. __ voce: softly: SOTTO. Literally "under" in Italian.

57D. Rapper Snoop __: DOGG

60D. "Discreet Music" composer Brian: ENO

How was your solving experience today? The new words/names, the trickiness of the clues and the D'oh moments all felt like a Friday puzzle to me. Maybe I was just not in the constructor's wavelength.

Across:

1. Civil War org.: CSA (Confederate States of America)

4. Multilevel marketing giant: AMWAY. Huge presence in China. AVON too.

9. Political pamphlet: TRACT

14. Witch: HAG

15. Thanksgiving decoration: MAIZE. Indian corn.

16. "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speaker: HENRY (Patrick). I confused him with Ethan Allen.

20. Cunning trick: WILE. Wrote down RUSE first.

22. Suffix with cyan-: IDE. Cyanide. Blue color I presume.

28. Dinar spenders: IRAQIS. IRANIS too. This puzzle is only one letter J away from a pangram.

30. Caterer's container: URN. For Coffee.

32. Military action?: SALUTE. Oh, the greeting. I was picturing the real military action.

33. Stir-fry additive: MSG. Not in my stir-fry.

36. Licensing prerequisite, often: TEST

40. This, to Ricardo: ESTO. Also ESTA.

43. "What the Butler Saw" playwright: ORTON (Joe). No idea. I've never heard of the playwright or the play.

44. Did nothing: SAT

47. Page size with four leaves: QUARTO. New word to me. Makes sense, since quart- is Latin prefix for "four".

50. Words to a backstabber: ET TU. "Et tu, Brute?", Caesar's rebuke to Brutus.

51. Brit. monarch's title: HRH

52. Disentangle: UNKNOT

55. Soreness?: IRE. Without the question mark, the clue will be valid too.

56. Certain candidate's goal, briefly: PHD. Got me.

65. Unanimously: AS ONE

66. Icy look, maybe: GLARE. Tiger Wood's cold glare can be very intimidating.

68. Gas used in arc lamps: XENON. Noble gas. Rooted in "xeno", prefix for "alien"/"foreign".

Down:

1. Some baseballers do it all game long: CHEW GUM. Yes indeed.

2. Redeemers: SAVIORS

3. Lasting quite a while: AGELONG

5. Adjusted opening?: MAL. Maladjusted. Nailed it.

6. Game system played with gestures: WII. Nintendo.

7. AIDS-fighting drug: AZT. The name escaped me again.

8. Bigfoot cousin: YETI. The Abominable Snowman.

9. Second Amendment-supporting gp.: THE NRA. And THE ABCS (46. What preschoolers learn). I think one THE is enough for a grid.

10. __ judicata: decided case: RES. Latin for "thing". Res judicata = a thing adjudicated, a decided case.

11. Many an auction piece: ANTIQUE

12. Movie trailer?: CREDITS. The film enders. Very clever clue.

13. Prepare for printing: TYPESET

19. "Family Guy" mom: LOIS. Stumper. I wonder if our Lois knows.

24. Helicopter's predecessor, briefly: GIRO. Or Gyro, right?

29. Der __: Adenauer epithet: ALTE. Konrad Adenauer's nickname. Der Alte is German for "the old man".

37. Delivered: BORN

39. Migratory antelopes: GNUS. Had no idea that they migrate.

40. Big name in credit reports: EQUIFAX. Wikipedia says it's considered one of the three largest American credit agencies along with Experian and TransUnion. Not a familiar name to me at all. Credit/CREDITS duplication, though of different meanings.

41. Dawn follower: SUNRISE. Wanted MORNING.

42. Hired: TAKEN ON. Did the answer come to you immediately?

44. Classic shoe polish brand: SHINOLA. Nope. Have never heard of the brand.

45. Stereotypical toy soldier: ARMY MAN. Not enough blanks for my GI JOE.

48. Hit list: TOP TEN

49. Roman emperor in 69 A.D.: OTHO. The emperor with a short three-month reign. Tripped me again.

54. Private eye, briefly: TEC (Detective)

61. Dr. Mom's forte: TLC

62. "2001" computer: HAL

63. Before, in verse: ERE. Simple palindrome.

64. OED offering: DEF (Definition). I am using Webster's New World College Dictionary. How about you?

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 Merle Baker

Theme: "Calls of the Toady" - Things that a 'Yes-Man' might say to keep from being axed, canned, booted or fired.

17A: "Affirmative!": "POSITIVELY!".

27A: "Affirmative!": "OF COURSE!".

46A: "Affirmative!": "YES SIREE!".

59A: "Affirmative!": "BY ALL MEANS!".

11D: "Affirmative!": "OKEY-DOKEY!".

34D: "Affirmative!": "SURE THING!".

Argyle here, you betcha'! Six entries on a Tuesday! Absolutely a great idea, Mr. Norris. Excellent job, Mr. Baker.

Rather easy but a lot of fun in there. My favorite was the cross of 37A: Hair style for Marie Antoinette: POUF and 25D: Salon do: COIF but her last hair-cut was a 'bob'. And 9D: Salon worker: STYLIST used the latest thing in hair trimming, a guillotine.

Across:

1A: Coffee, slangily: JAVA.

5A: Exchanges: SWAPS.

10A: Tapestry machine: LOOM.

14A: Actor Arkin: ADAM. He is the son of actor Alan Arkin and appeared in TV's Northern Exposure and Chicago Hope.

15A: Explorer Sebastian: CABOT. An Italian explorer who led an English expedition in search of the Northwest Passage (1509) and a Spanish expedition to South America (1525-1528).

21A: Pay careful attention to: HEED.

22A: Vocal cords locale: LARYNX.

24A: Mountain climber's return: DESCENT.

32A: Like an inspection: ON SITE. Construction site, e.g..

35A: Poses: SITS.

36A: Singer __ Rock: KID. Kid Rock is known for music that fuses rap with heavy metal, blues rock, southern rock, funk and country music. Feel free to link your fave song; I don't have any.

38A: USA neighbor: MEX..

39A: "Didn't you get the __?": MEMO.

41A: "Good buddy": "CBER".

43A: Nightly ritual for many: PRAYER.

45A: "__ Loves You": Beatles hit: SHE. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

50A: Place for an Eggo: TOASTER.

54A: '60s United Nations secretary general: U THANT. He chaired the UN in a troubled time.

56A: Scold, with "out": BAWL.

57A: Big Band __: ERA.

58A: Switchblade: SHIV.

63A: Like a Stephen King novel: EERIE.

65A: Exit indicator: SIGN.

66A: Tire pattern: TREAD.

67A: Easter egg decorators: DYES.

Down:

1D: Made fun of: JAPED.

4D: "__ dreaming?": AM I.

5D: Physics, for one: SCIENCE.

6D: Greet from across the street: WAVE TO.

7D: Not up: ABED.

8D: D.C. go-getter: POL.

10D: Peter who played Mr. Moto: LORRE.

12D: Algerian seaport: ORAN.

13D: Comedy's __ Brothers: MARX.

18D: An alarm may deter it: THEFT.

26D: Cereal with a spokesrabbit: TRIX. "Silly Rabbit, TRIX are for kids."

28D: Computer operators: USERS.

30D: Frosty coating: RIME. Like the East coast?

33D: Biblical boat builder: NOAH.

38D: Stocking material: MESH.

39D: Actresses Clarke and West: MAES.

41D: Greenish-blue hue: CYAN. I got this one because that is what they call my blue ink cartridge in my printer.

42D: Wisest choice: BEST BET.

43D: Searched for prey, lion-style: PROWLED and 44D: King's domain: REALM. The lion is the King of the Jungle(even though lions are on the plains.)

47D: Appennini locale: ITALIA. Mountain range

49D: Poe's one-word bird: RAVEN.

51D: Not dry-eyed: TEARY.

52D: Singer Tennessee __ Ford: ERNIE. The Old Pea-Picker hisself. You gotta hear this one.

53D: Coarse files: RASPS.

54D: Daily delivery org.: USPS.

55D: Asian cuisine: THAI.

60D: "__ out!": ump's call: YER.

61D: LAX datum: ETD. Estimated Time of Departure from Los Angeles International Airport.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, December 21, 2009 Holly Barnes

Theme: Your Services Are No Longer Required - Synonyms of "fire" are hidden in the beginning of the first word of each theme answer.

17A: War on terror foe: AXIS OF EVIL. That is what President Bush named Iran, Iraq and North Korea.

26A: Elton John tribute rededicated to Princess Diana: CANDLE IN THE WIND. Originally dedicated to Marilyn Monroe

46A: "Alice Adams" novelist: BOOTH TARKINGTON. His "Alice Adams" won a Pulitzer Prize. Full Name: Newton Booth Tarkington (died 1946).

60A: Donald Trump catchphrase, and hint to the first two, three and four letters, respectively, of 17-, 26- and 46-Across: YOU'RE FIRED.

Quite a tight theme. AX, CAN, BOOT are all independent verbs embedded in the start of the first noun of the theme phrase. Four X'es and one J also add a bit of scrabbliness to the grid.

Argyle here. If this isn't a theme you can relate to, congratulations. Two fifteen letter fills on a Monday must be unusual. And it seems to be a puzzle that being a little older is a good thing.

Across:

1A: Urge forward: IMPEL.

6A: Rock genre involving flamboyant garb: GLAM. Mere words won't do! We Want More - Brisbane's (OZ) Glam rock band.

10A: Hasn't yet paid: OWES.

14A: __ Gras: MARDI.

15A: Insolvent banking giant, familiarly: WAMU. Washington Mutual, Inc.

16A: Green Hornet's sidekick: KATO. Keye Luke (a frequent visitor to crosswords) took the role in the movie serials, and in the television series he was portrayed by Bruce Lee.

20A: Cake-making aid: MIX.

21A: 1492 ship: NINA. And 22A: Crow's-nest cry: "LAND HO!".

24A: Tex-__ cuisine: MEX.

25A: Litigator's org.: ABA. American Bar Association. And 38A: Litigator's field: LAW.

35A: Util. product: ELEC.. Electric utility.

39A: "__ Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts": old song: I'VE. Singing Roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch

40A: Hens do it: LAY.

43A: Three-time Masters champ Sam: SNEAD.

49A: Pickle holder: JAR.

50A: Ballot marks: XES.

51A: Canal country: PANAMA.

54A: Bar in a grill: SPIT. Outdoor grill with a rotisserie.

56A: Tarzan raiser: APE.

59A: Economist Smith: ADAM. Followed by 65A: Exorbitant interest: USURY.

66A: Change of a five: ONES.

67A: Johnny of "Public Enemies": DEPP.

68A: Sugar bowl cubes: LUMPS.

Down:

1D: Mosque official: IMAM. And 9D: Islamic clerics: MULLAHS. Not the same?

2D: Leg-covering skirt: MAXI. You only get a pic if it's a mini.

3D: Grand __: auto race: PRIX.

4D: Publishing VIPs: EDS.

6D: Rock star Stefani or actress Verdon: GWEN.

10D: 1945 Pacific battle site: OKINAWA.

11D: Magician's rod: WAND.

12D: Engrave, in a way: ETCH.

13D: Manhattan district: SOHO. The NYC Manhattan today.

18D: Repairs: FIXES.

24D: XL squared: MDC. 40x40=1600

28D: Not familiar with: NEW TO.

29D: Turner autobiography: I, TINA. Cover.

30D: "No chance!": "NEVER!".

31D: Fine-tune: TWEAK.

32D: Archipelago part: ISLET.

33D: "Groovy!": "NEATO!". Time to retire "NEATO" and bring back "RAD".

34D: Israeli war hero Moshe: DAYAN.

42D: Orange Place on a Monopoly board: ST. JAMES.

43D: Got off course: STRAYED.

44D: The South: DIXIE.

45D: NFL three-pointers: FGS. Field goal- Kicking the football through the goal posts.

47D: Meat with eggs: HAM.

48D: Trawler's haul: NETFUL.

51D: Half a Samoan city: PAGO.

52D: Tennis score: AD IN. The server only needs one more point to win.

53D: Main church section: NAVE.

54D: __ pump: waste disposal device: SUMP.

55D: Yorick's skull, e.g.: PROP. "Alas, poor Yorick! A fellow of infinite jest, reduced to a mere PROP."

56D: Calla lily family: ARUM. Have we learned this yet?

57D: Cop's quarry: PERP. And our savior.

58D: "Grand" ice cream brand: EDY'S.

62D: Terre Haute sch.: I.S.U.. Indiana State University. Indiana State was originally founded as Indiana State Normal School in 1865. The University changed its name three times and finally agreed upon today’s name in 1965.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday December 20, 2009 Alan Arbesfeld

Theme: Loose Lady. Or rather RUN AROUND SUE (120A. 1961 #1 hit for Dion, and a literal hint to this puzzle's hidden theme) - Letters SUE are running loose, bookending each theme entry.

23A. Seafood restaurant starter: SHRIMP BISQUE. Yummy creamy!

38A. Heirloom quality: SENTIMENTAL VALUE. What's the most treasured heirloom in your family?

54A. Acid rain component: SULFUR DIOXIDE

84A. Literally, "with highest praise": SUMMA CUM LAUDE

101A. The world's longest crosses Japan's Akashi Strait: SUSPENSION BRIDGE. The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge. Unknown to me.

16D. Nickname heard in Manhattan: SUNFLOWER STATE. I was in NY direction. Did not know there's a city named Manhattan in Kansas.

50D. June observance: SUMMER SOLSTICE

I have never heard of the song "Runaround Sue". The lyrics says "She took my love then ran around with every single guy in town...". Hence "Loose Lady" theme title I suppose.

Most of the theme clues for our Sunday puzzles seem to have question marks and involve some sort of wordplay or out-of-the-box thinking. Today's theme clues are honest and straightforward. Nice to have a change.

How's your solving experience today? I felt quite challenged by the geography trivia. Had to peek at the cheat sheet a few times.

Across:

1. Have the final turn: GO LAST. Very seldom did 1-Across come to me immediately. Today was not exception.

7. Kin of ibid.: OP. CIT. Both footnote abbrs.

12. Plenty: A LOT

16. Alastair of "A Christmas Carol": SIM. He played the Scrooge. His name was not stored in my brain shelf.

19. Since way back when: IN AGES

20. Moonshine: HOOCH. Illicit liquor.

21. Convertible, maybe: SOFA. "Maybe" did not prevent me from thinking of car.

22. Game whose name must be spoken during play: UNO

25. Toned down: SOFTENED

27. Drops by Niagara Falls?: MIST. I fell into "drops by" verb trap.

28. Sweep's target, perhaps: SOOT

29. Hard worker's output: SWEAT

31. Actress Woodard: ALFRE. She campaigned hard for Obama, and of course she scored a precious seat at the last state dinner.

32. Mountain nymph: OREAD (AW-ree-ad)

34. Follow: TAIL

36. Will Smith title role: ALI. Someday he's going to play Obama in a biopic.

37. Swabs: SALTS. Both slang for "sailors".

43. "Nothing __!" TO IT

44. Unsavory pair of options: EVILS. The lesser of two evils.

46. Entrance: GATEWAY

48. "The Big Chill" director: KASDAN (Lawrence). Unknown to me. Wikipedia says he wrote "The Bodyguard".

51. Heavy weight: TON. I like the clue.

52. Ill-gotten gains: LUCRE. Filthy lucre.

53. Tulsa sch. named for an evangelist: ORU (Oral Roberts University)

60. Monopoly buys: Abbr.: RRS

63. Gives pieces to: ARMS. "Pieces" here refer to guns.

66. Old knowledge: LORE. I associate LORE with tales rather than knowledge.

67. Palace abroad: ELYSEE. The Élysée Palace. The French "White House".

69. Prom night rentals: LIMOS

71. Indic language: URDU

73. Smooth in the shop: SAND

75. Shining: LIT UP

76. Portrait photographer Richard: AVEDON. Oh, so he shot this famous snake picture.

78. Major in astronomy?: URSA. Ursa Major.

80. Old Italian bread: LIRA. "Bread" here refers to money.

82. History: PAST

83. Sun. discourse: SER. And SEM (5D. Theological inst.)

88. Driving aid: TEE. Golf drive.

89. Hot day refuge: SHADE

91. "The Partridge Family" actress: DEY (Susan)

92. Disquiet: UNREST. Always thought "disquiet" is a verb.

94. Expand: BROADEN

96. City ESE of Mocha: ADEN. In Yemen. Tricky new clue.

98. French noble: COMTE. French for "count". "Comte de Monte-Cristo" (The Count of Monte Cristo) is a fantastic read.

107. Party leaders: HOSTS. Was thinking of the political leaders.

109. Milk units: Abbr.: QTS

110. Queens stadium: ASHE. And LENDL (40D. Frequent McEnroe opponent). Ivan Lendl.

111. Vast, in verse: ENORM

112. When a teen's curfew may be: AT TEN

113. Did some after-dinner work, maybe?: BUSED. Excellent clue.

115. Extended: LONG. Adjective "extended".

117. Fair-hiring org.: EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)

118. Gist: MAIN IDEA

123. Duke's gp.: ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference)

124. Character __: FLAW

125. Tarnish: TAINT

126. Songlike: ARIOSE. Same root with Aria?

127. Jeanne d'Arc, e.g.: Abbr.: STE (Sainte).

128. Squealer: FINK. Rat.

129. They may follow dogs: SLEDS. Nailed it.

130. Seeded: RANKED

Down:

1. Doodads: GISMOS. GIZMOS is more commonly used.

2. Available for work: ON HIRE

3. Only World Series perfect game pitcher: LARSEN (Don). Gimme. Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

4. Worked up: AGITATED

6. Cup's 48: Abbr.: TSPS. One cup has 48 teaspoons. I was thinking of bra.

7. Natives of Lima or Toledo: OHIOANS. Gimme for the Pollo-ed out Jazzbumpa, I am sure. But I did not know there's a Lima in Ohio.

8. Popular yellow office product: POST-IT. From 3M.

9. __ au vin: COQ. Cock in French. Needs MOREL mushroom for extra flavor.

10. Hosp. areas: ICUS

11. It's caused by standing fans: THE WAVE. Lovely clue/answer.

12. Tear into: ASSAIL

13. Plunder: LOOT. Verb or noun.

14. Vacationing: OFF

15. Breezy farewells: TATAS

17. Couch potato quality: INERTIA

18. "The only sure bait when you angle for praise": Lord Chesterfield: MODESTY. Not familiar with this quote. Modesty is very valued in Asia.

24. Waterside inn: BOTEL. Bo(at) + (ho)tel. New to me.

26. One who gets you up: ELATER. Not excited about any ER suffix word.

33. Celebrated singers: DIVAS

35. Workers: LABOR. This S-less style entry often stumps me.

39. Less: MINUS. Verb.

41. Wrinkly fruit: UGLI. It's quite sweet.

42. __ Cologne: EAU DE. What are you using? I love my husband's Polo Sports.

47. Immune system lymphocyte: T-CELL

48. Eucalyptus eaters: KOALAS

49. Show up: ARRIVE

51. Arctic plain: TUNDRA. Minnesota is sure a tundra at this time of the year.

55. Bud's bud: LOU (Costello). Bud Abbott. "Who's on First?" fame.

56. Discussion site: FORUM

57. Aegean island: IOS. Island where Homer is supposed to be buried.

58. How much medication is taken: ORALLY. I am sure Dennis has other clue on mind.

59. City near Dayton: XENIA. No idea. Another city in Ohio. Wikipedia says Xenia means "hospitality" in Greek.

62. Deadly sins, e.g.: SEPTET

64. Earth: SOD

68. Kennel sound: YIP. More commonly seen in crossword than YELP.

70. "What a pity": SO SAD

72. Sch. with a record 33 Rose Bowl appearances: USC (University of Southern California)

74. Joanne of film: DRU

77. Ones who can barely be seen?. NUDES. Nudes are bare. My favorite clue today.

79. "The Age of Anxiety" Pulitzer winner: AUDEN. Poet W.H. Auden.

81. "What __ idea!": "How stupid!": A DUMB

85. Course list: MENU. Meal course.

86. Smart set: MENSA. "Stupid" in Spanish.

87. __ nous: ENTRE. Literally "between" in French.

90. Pick up the pace: HASTEN

93. Kept under control: REINED IN

94. Atlantic commonwealth: BAHAMAS. Have you been there?

95. Reading in a disorderly class?: RIOT ACT. Got the answer with the Across help.

96. 2-BR listings, perhaps: APTS

97. Strands: DESERTS. Can you come up with 2 sentences in which the two words are exchangeable grammatically?

98. Pals: COHORTS

99. Bridge bid, for short: ONE NO. No problem this time.

102. Bellyache: SQUAWK. And GROUSE (105D. Bellyache).

103. Large-kitchen feature: ISLAND. Our kitchen is rather small.

104. Manages: DOES OK. Alas, my multi-word woe.

106. Ran the show: EMCEED

108. Get a whiff of: SNIFF

113. Noodle: BEAN. Both slang for "head".

116. __ gum: thickening agent: GUAR. Have never used it.

119. Mid sixth-century date: DLI. Roman numeral 551.

121. Never, in Nuremberg: NIE. "No, in Nuremberg" is NEIN.

122. Strong D.C. lobby: NRA

Answer grid.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Audrey and all the LAT Sunday solvers!

C.C.

Saturday December 19, 2009 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Total blocks: 28

Total words: 72

Barry weaved a mini-theme in this grid, with four non-symmetrically placed entries. (Corrections: This is not a mini-theme. From the editor Rich Norris: Cross-referencing alone doesn't qualify. The main mini-theme answers should be either symmetrically placed or crisscrossed in the middle.)

50A. Singer with four recent best-selling albums of pop standards: ROD STEWART. What's your favorite Rod Stewart song? I like his "Have I Told You Lately".

1D. Soul immortal: JAMES BROWN. "The Godfather of Soul".

43A. 1-Down or 50-Across, e.g.: MALE

54A. Where 1-Down or 50-Across may be heard: ON THE RADIO

There are also six very noticeable "it" clues in the puzzle:

34A. It's sometimes deep-fried in the South: OKRA. I've never deep-fried mine.

44A. It heats up your food immediately: TABASCO. Superb clue. Hot!

2D. It may be twisted apart: OREO COOKIE. Sweeter than OREO alone.

7D. Think of it: IDEA. Somehow the grammar of this particular "it" clue bothers me. You?

38D. Washington is on it: QUARTER

52D. Chattering tongues do it: WAG. Just lovely.

Lots of V-8 moments for me during the solving. Tricky clues aplenty. And I was so pleased to see the new clue for TORII (44D. Angels outfielder Hunter who has won nine straight Gold Gloves). Just mentioned a few days ago about Torii Hunter and his Gold Gloves when TORII was clued as "Shinto temple gateway". Eat worm if you missed it. I met Torii a few times at various Twins events. He's super friendly.

Across:

1. Prominent bloodhound feature: JOWL. Scrabbly start.

5. Southwestern site of gypsum dunes: WHITE SANDS. In New Mexico. Unknown to me.

15. Burnoose wearer: ARAB. Dictionary defines burnoose (also spelled as burnous) as "a hooded mantle or cloak, as that worn by Arabs".

16. Accountant's concern: AUDIT TRAIL. Have only heard of money trail.

17. Citi Field team: METS. Started this year. Citi Field is named after the Citigroup. Another baseball reference is ERA (51D. Hurler's stat). Barry is a Phillies fan.

18. Polite invite: PLEASE STAY. Triple-stacks of 10-letter answers in each corner makes this puzzle look very open.

19. Want ad abbr.: EOE (Equal-Opportunity Employer)

20. "Diana" singer: ANKA (Paul)

21. Places for dips: POOLS

22. Fights: SCRAPES. Misread the clue as "Flights".

24. Benefit: BOON

26. One unhappy about a split: BOWLER. D'oh, bowling split.

27. "Coppélia" costume: TUTU

28. Trapper's ware: FUR. Was picturing pottery ware rather than the merchandise.

31. 1976 best-seller that spanned three centuries: ROOTS. By Alex Haley. I watched a few episodes in Chinese.

32. Frightening ordeal: NIGHTMARE. Frightening indeed.

35. Chihuahua chicken: POLLO. Spanish for "chicken" I presume.

36. Hamburg's river: ELBE. It flows to the North Sea.

37. User-edited online compendium of notable snippets: WIKIQUOTE. Refreshing answer.

39. Like ens: NASAL

40. Nintendo's Super __: NES

41. Coffee houses?: URNS. Nice clue.

42. Pop, e.g.: PARENT. Was thinking of the music genre "Pop".

45. Can't stand: ABHOR

48. Pixels: DOTS

49. Work on the road: TAR. And PAVE (53A. Work on the road). I absolutely dig this kind of clue connection.

55. Independent: FREE

56. Swearing-off words: NEVER AGAIN. Nailed it.

57. Key in a corner: CTRL. Lower left corner of your keyboard.

Down:

3. Source of tears, slangily: WATERWORKS

4. Dumbbell abbr.: LBS

5. Original "People's Court" judge: WAPNER (Joseph). Nope. Total stranger to me.

6. Clumsy vessels: HULKS. Rich Norris once clued "ARKS" as "Clumsy vessels".

8. Familia member: TIA. TIO too. Spanish aunt/uncle.

9. Some say they live among us, briefly: ETS. Oh, I've never heard anyone says so.

10. Leave temporarily: STEP OUT

11. Hot pursuit?: ARSON. Awesome clue. I was still in awe of Barry's "Illegal firing?" for ARSON last time.

12. Brussels-based intl. alliance: NATO

13. Watch part: DIAL

14. Stone and Stallone: SLYS

20. Galoots: APES

23. __ Mountains: Central Asian range: ALTAI. Al is Turkic for "gold", Tai is "mount".

24. Army brass?: BUGLE. Another great clue.

25. Emperor Galba's successor: OTHO. The Roman emperor who reigned for a short three-month (January to April 69). His name simply escaped me.

27. Arcade violations: TILTS

28. Race infraction: FALSE START

29. Unauthorized explorer of city tunnels and sewers: URBAN CAVER. Not in my vocabulary.

30. Cassette alternative: REEL TO REEL. Did not come to me readily.

32. "__ Knows": 1958 hit: NO ONE. Here is the clip. By Dion and The Belmonts. I was stymied.

33. "Awakenings" actress: MEARA (Anne). Got me. Have never seen "Awakening".

35. Knitting loop: PURL

39. Busts: NABS. Again, I was in the sculpture bust direction.

42. Battle of the Bulge commander: PATTON. Did you like the movie "Patton"?

43. Arens of Israel: MOSHE. Nope, not in my radar. Somehow Ariel Sharon popped into to my mind.

45. Cal's brother in "East of Eden": ARON. Gimme. I liked the movie.

46. Something to pick?: BONE. Nailed it.

47. Cutting-edge set, briefly: HD TV

48. Arp works: DADA. ARP is often clued as "Dada pioneer". Nice to have a clue/answer swap.

53. Rank below cpl.: PFC (Private First Class)

Answer grid.

C.C.