Thursday January 14, 2010 Ed Sessa

Theme: SHEEP (65A. Animal family hidden in 17-, 35- and 57-Across)

17A. Hackneyed line: HAVE WE MET BEFORE. After "You look familiar". EWE is embedded.

35A. Chowder base: CLAM BROTH. LAMB is hidden. What is the difference between broth and stock?

57A. Summertime cosmetic mishap: MASCARA MELTDOWN. Sweat. RAM is enclosed.

What an coincidence! Windhover just mentioned last night that kidding and lambing season is about to start.

All of the above hidden animal names are spread between two words. Nice consistency. Simple theme & light theme entries, which allow for plenty of long letter non-theme entries. I counted total 18 seven-letter entries, 12 of them are stacked in in each quadrant. Very Dan Naddor-like.

I was also delighted by the sparkling clues for short answers:

21A. Heros: SUBS. Hero Sandwich.

22A. Male delivery: SON. Playing on "mail delivery".

29A. Killed, in a way: VETOED. Killed "bill".

32A. MA and PA: STS (States). Pun on "Ma and Pa".

53A. Rear admiral's rear: AFT. Oh, the rear of his ship.

30D. Move in high circles?: ORBIT. For the planets.

39D. Talking a blue streak?: PROFANE. "Blue" here means "risqué".

55D. Brest friend: AMIE. Playing on "Best friend". Brest is a seaport in western France.

Easier than our average Thursday, wasn't it? Maybe I just mind melded with the constructor (Thanks, Argyle).

Across:

1. Italian port on the Adriatic: BARI. In southeast Italy. And AMORE (20A. Love, in 1-Across)

5. Los Alamos project, briefly: A-BOMB. Thought of A-TEST first.

10. Newspaper family name: OCHS. Of the New York Times.

14. Yemen's main port: ADEN

15. Roofed patio: LANAI. Literally "roofed patio" in Hawaiian.

23. Frothy fountain drinks: MALTEDS. Partially alliterative clue.

26. Green soldier: RECRUIT. "Green" = inexperienced. Tyro.

31. River in NW France: ORNE. See this map. If flows to the English Channel.

33. Bakery worker with a gun: ICER

34. Spirited equine: STEED

38. "__ moi, le déluge": Louis XV: APRES. Literally "after". Après moi, le déluge = After me, the flood. Just means that nothing matters after he's dead.

41. New Rochelle, NY, college: IONA

42. "Pygmalion" monogram: GBS (George Bernard Shaw)

45. 1975 A.L. MVP and Rookie of the Year __ Lynn: FRED. When he was with the Red Sox. His baseball cards are not worth much. Ichiro is another player who won both MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same year (2001).

46. "The evil that men do lives after them" speaker: ANTONY. From "Julius Caesar". Not a familiar line to me.

48. Brutally harsh: RAW. As weather.

49. __ stone: ROSETTA. Shouldn't "stone" be capitalized?

51. How architects draw: TO SCALE

54. Crimson Tide, briefly: 'BAMA. They just won the BCS Championship.

56. "Flip This House" network: A AND E. I've learned to parse AANDE.

61. Hall of Famer Slaughter: ENOS

62. Book from which the film "What's Love Got to Do With It" was adapted: I, TINA. I know it's Tina Turner's autobiography. Have never heard of the film though.

63. Netman Nastase: ILIE. Alliteration in the clue.

66. Buffoonish: ZANY

Down:

1. Commonwealth off Florida: BAHAMAS

2. Uncompromising: ADAMANT. I am, sometimes.

3. Rises up: REVOLTS

4. At a standstill: INERT. The grammar confuses me. "At a standstill" is an adjective, Kazie?

6. Kapow cousin: BAM. I want Kapow to be in quotation. "Kapow".

8. Come of age: MATURE

9. Like many lobster eaters: BIBBED

10. Galoot: OAF

11. Sense of completeness: CLOSURE

12. Sandra Bullock role, e.g.: HEROINE. Sandra Bullock is always so goofy.

13. Like some candles: SCENTED

18. Agricultural pests: WEEVILS. Here is one. Report please!

19. Corner PC key: ESC. Upper-left corner.

24. Numerical prefix: DECA. Prefix for "ten". As in decathlon.

25. Pipe part: STEM

27. Portnoy creator Philip: ROTH (Philip). Has anyone actually read "Portnoy's Complaint"?

34. Patronizes, as an inn: STAYS AT

35. Hand over: CEDE

36. Canine anchor: ROOT. Canine tooth. Not dog.

38. Popular ski country homes: A-FRAMES. Drew a blank. Easy for snow to slide off the roof I presume.

40. Sits atop: RESTS ON

42. Hiker's snack: GRANOLA. I am so in love with my raw cashew & Medjool dates bar lately.

43. Longtime Steinway rival: BALDWIN. Piano maker. I've only heard of Steinway.

44. Todd of Broadway: SWEENEY. Sweeney Todd.

46. Classic video games: ATARIS

47. "Broadway Joe": NAMATH. Quarterback Joe Namath is nicknamed "Broadway Joe".

52. City near Gibraltar: CADIZ. Here is the map. Quite far from Gibraltar, isn't it?

58. Western KY clock setting: CST. Had no idea that KY has 2 different time zones.

59. Santa Barbara-to-Vegas dir.: ENE. Direction is often my weakness.

60. Slurp (up): LAP

Answer grid.

C.C.

Wednesday January 13, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: DEFENSE (36D. Stadium chant, and word that can follow the ends of the answers to starred clues)

16A. *Dictated reminder: NOTE TO SELF. Self-Defense.

19A. *"We must be nuts!": THIS IS INSANITY. Insanity Defense. Pleading "Not guilty by reasons of insanity".

32A. *Restricted airspace: NO FLY ZONE. Zone Defense. Basketball/football.

50. *"We answer to a higher authority" brand: HEBREW NATIONAL. National Defense. I've never heard of the kosher hot dog/sausage brand Hebrew National, made by ConAgra.

55. *Marquee name: MOVIE TITLE. Title Defense.

A healthy 63 theme squares. Heavy themage. The first two and the last two theme answers are overlapped. A feature of many of Dan's puzzles.

Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 24. Very high. Nice stacks of 7-letter Down entries in each quadrant.

My favorite clue is WMDS (51D. Scary arms, briefly). Nailed it immediately. Did fall into trap of calculating the clue for EFFS (9D. 40% of fifty). Not enough blanks for TWENTY or SCORE. Then I realized the letter play trick. There are two letter Fs in the word "fifty", hence spelled-out EFFS.

Across:

1. Dadaism co-founder: ARP (Jean)

4A. "I'm serious!": NO JOKE. Three Js in this grid.

10. Egyptian viper: ASP. The kind that killed Cleopatra.

13. Chase, in a way: WOO. Wanted RUN.

14. Supposing: EVEN IF

15. Zig or zag: VEER

18. Wrath, in a hymn title: IRAE. "Dies Irae".

21. Word with car or bumper: POOL. Have never heard of the billiards game bumper pool, which only has 2 pockets.

22. Dover's st.: DEL. Where Biden is from.

23. Skedaddles: SCATS. And SPLITS (61A. Skedaddles).

24. Derby drinks: JULEPS. Have you been to Kentucky Derby? I bet Windhover has.

26. Moor on stage: OTHELLO. The only Moor I know.

28. Beef source: STEER. Oh, real beef, not complaint.

29. Flowery welcome: ALOHA

35. First name in tyranny: IDI. Uganda's Idi Amin.

38. Donnybrook: MELEE

39. __ talk: TRASH

43. Classic TV family: NELSONS. From "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet". Stumped me.

45. Filmdom: CINEMA

46. Second of three black keys: A FLAT. No idea. I've never touched a piano.

49. Sea depleted by irrigation projects: ARAL. The Shrinking Sea.

57. Italian vineyard region: ASTI. In northwest Italy.

58. "It __ matter": DOESN'T

59. Years and years: EON

60. The Carolinas' __ Dee River: PEE. Named after the Pee Dee Tribe.

62. CD players: DJS

Down:

1. Barley bristle: AWN. Like this. Last time it's clued as "Grass appendage".

2. Destroy completely: ROOT OUT

3. Asphalt fault: POTHOLE. Nice rhyming sound.

4. Clears: NETS

5. Eggs, e.g.: OVOIDS. Always thought of "ovoid" as adjective.

6. Longtime North Carolina senator Helms: JESSE. Not fond of the clue because SEN is the answer for 31A. VIP on the Hill.

7. NBC newsman Roger: O'NEIL. Total stranger to me. Can't even find a picture of him.

8. Potter's need: KILN. Was worried that it might be Harry Potter related.

10. Shots from above: AERIALS. Was picturing snipers.

11. "Grey's Anatomy" setting: SEATTLE. The answer emerged itself.

12. Victimizes: PREYS ON

15. Country singer Gill: VINCE. What's his most famous song?

17. Actress Brennan: EILEEN. Oh, she's the terrible officer in "Private Benjamin".

20. People or region of Ghana: ASHANTI. New word to me. Only know the singer Ashanti.

21. Dr. Dentons, e.g.: PJS. Not familiar with Dr. Dentons at all. Don't wear PJS.

25. Hype: PROMOTE

26. Slip through the cracks?: OOZE. Why question mark?

33. Squishy lowland: FEN. Marshy swamp.

34. Verdi title bandit: ERNANI. The opera was based on Hugo's play "Hernani". I was clueless.

35. Piled any which way: IN A HEAP. Parallel with another 3-word entry I'LL BITE (37D. "It's a trick, but tell me"). Terrific entries.

40. Effervescent, perhaps: AERATED.

41. IHOP order: SMALL OJ

42. Dave's "2001" nemesis: HAL. The "2001" computer.

44. New York restaurateur: SARDI (Vincent). The owner of Sardi's Restaurant in Broadway.

45. Customer: CLIENT

47. Subject of contemplation?: NAVEL. Contemplate one's navel.

48. Formal "Who's there?" response: IT IS I

52. Don Knotts denial: NOOP! Easy guess.

53. Baseball's Mel and Ed: OTTS. Only knew Mel Ott.

56. Dash widths: ENS. Or EMS.

I'd like to share with you a very touching story Rich Norris (LA Times crossword editor) told me about Dan Naddor's memorial service:

"There were more than 100 chairs set up in the room. I paid little attention to the decor until the first speaker pointed out that it was not an accident that some chairs had white covers and others had black covers. When viewed from above, the black-covered chairs were in the same pattern as the black squares in Dan's last puzzle (Deliver-ANCE) published before he passed away! I thought it was a brilliant touch. "

LA Times also made available Dan's "Star Search" mentioned as one of Rich's favorites in Dan's obit.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday January 12, 2010 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: Quite the Ts - Theme answers all end with homophonic Ts.

17A: Burlesque act: STRIP TEASE.

35A: University governing body: BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

59A: Baseball's Big Papi: DAVID ORTIZ.

24D: Summer coolers: ICE TEAS. (crosses 35A in the center)

Argyle here again. While the theme is mundane, it is suited to a Tuesday, unlike the somewhat esoteric Monday theme. The fit is rather scrabbly, as typical of Parrish's puzzle, only one letter Q away from a pangram.

Today's has some undertones and twists that make it fun. Besides Big Papi, there is 6D: Top pitchers: ACES., 8D: Pitcher's pinpoint control, say: ASSET., 56D: Washington team, familiarly: NATS., and 60D: Sportscaster Scully: VIN., for a taste of baseball. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report in a month.

Low block count resulting in a very open grid today; ergo, long fills.

Across:

1A: Rating for many HBO shows: TV-MA. (MA: mature)

5A: Capital of Morocco: RABAT. Just up the coast from Casablanca.

10A: Vise parts: JAWS.

14A: Twice the radius: Abbr.: DIAM.. Diameter, a straight line passing through the center of a circle.

15A: Funds for online buys: E-CASH.

16A: Make spelling corrections to, e.g.: EDIT.

19A: Camper driver, for short: RVer. Ever hear the story about an RVer who set his motor home on cruise control then went in the back to get a cup of coffee?

20A: Baghdad's river: TIGRIS.

21A: "Tobacco Road" novelist __ Caldwell: ERSKINE. He looks like he should be a statesman.

23A: Pioneer in pistol-grip hair dryers: CONAIR.

24A: Lang. of Lombardy: ITAL.. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy, at the top of the boot.

26A: "... boy __ girl?": OR A.

27A: Anti-discrimination agcy.: EEOC. (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)

29A: Forensic evidence threads: FIBERS.

31A: Surrealist Joan: MIRO. No Comment.

33A: Allegiance: FEALTY. Akin to fidelity; Synonyms: loyalty, devotion.

41A: Tummy-tightening garment: CORSET.

42A: Sailor's patron saint: ELMO.

43A: Pour into a carafe: DECANT.

46A: __ prof.: ASST.. Don't call them TAs; they get very mad.

49A: Newbie reporter: CUB.

50A: Rose of Guns N' Roses: AXL.

51A: Resistance units: OHMS.

53A: Bathroom hangers: TOWELS. Cute clue.

55A: "You cannot be serious!" tennis great: McENROE. Clip

57A: Dolts: MORONS. And JERK (10D: Dolt).

58A: Pre-migraine headache phenomenon: AURA. Have any of us experienced this?

62A: Certain NCO: SSGT.

63A: Hoop-shaped gasket: O-RING.

64A: Picard's counselor: TROI. I saw this and said, "Oh, boy! I get to link a picture of my favorite Betazoid." Counselor Deanna Troi

65A: South Florida vacation destination: KEYS. I s'pose they didn't get that last blast of cold.

66A: Simultaneous equation variables: X AND Y.

67A: __ Kong: HONG.

Down:

1D: 100-plus-yd. kickoff returns, e.g.: TDs. (unless there is a flag on the play.)

2D: Director De Sica: VITTORIO. A leading figure in the neorealist movement.(means nothing to me) He won many awards.

3D: Tomato-based sauce: MARINARA.

4D: Pedro's girlfriend: AMIGA. Then he would be her AMIGO?

5D: Call it a night: RETIRE.

9D: Cold relief brand: THERAFLU.

11D: Recommend: ADVISE.

12D: Hot dog: WIENER.

13D: Spreads, as seed: STREWS.

18D: __-dieu: kneeler: PRIE. So you don't have to kneel on the floor to pray. A very plain one

22D: Narrow apertures: SLITS.

23D: Search high and low: COMB.

28D: Slays, mob-style: OFFS

30D: Computer memory unit: BYTE. Followed by 32D: Marine predator: ORCA., whose bite you wouldn't want.

34D: Martial __: ARTS.

36D: Blood drive participant: DONOR.

37D: Greek __ Church: ORTHODOX.

38D: City east of San Diego: EL CENTRO. Naval Air Facility El Centro historically kicks off the Blue Angels' season with their first air show, traditionally held in March. It is on the Mexican border.

39D: Liquid-in-liquid suspension: EMULSION.

43D: Table linen material: DAMASK. 'Damaske' "cloth from Damascus," the Syrian city, famous in medieval times for steel and silk.

44D: Forgive: EXCUSE. And 45D: Pastors and priests: CLERGY. (another neat pairing)

47D: Unduly formal: STODGY.

48D: Corrida competitor: TORO. Can't have a bull fight without a bull.

52D: Stiller's partner: MEARA. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara's son is Ben Stiller.

57D: It can be changed or made up: MIND.

61D: Turn sharply: ZIG. Like a politician's mind, than zag again.

Answer grid.

A warm welcome to all newcomers!

Argyle

Monday January 11, 2010 John Lampkin

Theme: Preponderance of P's - Two-word (both with two syllables) Phrases with P alliteration. The second word follows a P & vowel & P(P)ER pattern. (Thanks, PGB!)

20A: Piece of Peter Piper's peck: PICKLED PEPPER.

37A: School project medium in large rolls: POSTER PAPER.

44A: Killjoy: PARTY POOPER.

59A: Cinema counter fixture: POPCORN POPPER.

Penny Pincher too. Can you think of any other 2-word phrase with similar P alliteration pattern? We had two-word assonant alliteration phrases on 12-15-09.

Argyle here. Fifteen P's in the theme plus another three more scattered around the grid. The record for P's in a puzzle is 20.

Very straightforward Monday clues. RYE (24A: Whiskey grain) is a good example. Last time John Lampkin clued it as "Droll-sounding grain?". Playing on "wry". Waiting for John to give us another Great Pumpkin this year.

Across:

1A: Feds concerned with bogus bills: T-MEN.

5A: Drug bust finds: KILOS.

10A: Highest point: ACME.

15A: Sky color: AZURE. and 16A: Wheat, corn or rice cereal: CHEX. gives this a scrabbley feel.

17A: Several: A FEW.

18A: __ plume: pen name: NOM DE.

19A: Whacks with an ax: HEWS. Nice RHYME (32A: What sips and nips do). Great clue.

23A: Backyard hangout: PATIO. Not this time of year, for most of us.

25A: Fled the scene: RAN.

28A: Andrea __: ill-fated ship: DORIA. On 25 July 1956, off the coast of Massachusetts, the Andrea Doria collided with the eastward-bound MS Stockholm and sank. 1660 passengers and crew were rescued and survived, while 46 people died as a consequence of the collision.

34A: +, on a batt.: POS.. (Positive)

40A: Italian wine city: ASTI.

42A: Minister's residence: MANSE.

43A: Heed: MIND.

47A: Dreyer's partner in ice cream: EDY.

48A: Colorful quartz: AGATE. Some random slices.

49A: Comedian Wanda: SYKES. She has the latest weekly late-night talk show.

55A: Basil-and-pine-nuts sauce: PESTO. No garlic?

64A: __ job: trickery: SNOW.

66A: Transfusion fluid: BLOOD.

67A: The sound of music: TONE. Did you get the tie-in with 1D: "The Sound of Music" family name: TRAPP. ? John Lampkin is fond of clue tie-ins & cross-references.

68A: Handbasket rider's destination?: HELL. 'Going to hell in a handbasket' is to be on a course for disaster. The exact source for this alliterative phrase is unknown but there is a good write-up here.

69A: Brainy group: MENSA.

70A: This, in Tijuana: ESTO.

72A: Collar stiffeners: STAYS. They use to be replaceable but nowadays are built in.

73A: Dick Tracy's love: TESS. The loving couple. (They got married but had a rough spell according to the site I lifted the picture from.)

Down

2D: Sicilian secret society: MAFIA. Their code of silence is called Omertà.

3D: Standing tall: ERECT.

4D: Recent block arrival: NEW KID. I liked this one.

5D: "Citizen __": KANE. The story behind the movie and how it came to be made is fascinating. And Rosebud is....

6D: Former reptilian logo brand: IZOD.

7D: Sugar cube: LUMP. It's what you feed your IZOD.

8D: "__ in the court!": ORDER. I'll have ham on rye (not the 24A kind though). Add a little 33D: Cheese go-with: HAM And some 11D: Fruity dessert: CHERRY PIE.

9D: Oozy: SEEPY.

12D: Bit of cat chitchat: MEW.

13D: George Strait's "All My __ Live in Texas": EXS.

21D: Feature of a tied shoelace: LOOP.

22D: Cop's collar: PERP. (perpetrator)

26D: Change, as a law: AMEND.

27D: Totally unhip: NERDY.

29D: Frolic: ROMP.

30D: World Golf Hall of Famer Aoki: ISAO. Both given name and surname has AO combination.

31D: Periodic table figs.: AT. NO.S. (atomic number)

35D: Missouri River tributary: OSAGE.

36D: Informal opinion sampling: STRAW POLL.

38D: Lay eyes on: ESPY.

41D: Addams family cousin: ITT.

45D: Canine cry: YELP.

46D: Result of an auto loan default, briefly: REPO. (repossession)

50D: Trio plus four: SEPTET. Group of seven.

53D: Missiles in silos, for short: ICBMS. (intercontinental ballistic missile)

54D: "Vacancy": "TO LET". More common in my area is "FOR RENT".

56D: Reckon, in the boonies: S'POSE.

57D: Revival structures: TENTS.

60D: Avian symbols of wisdom: OWLS.

61D: Author Jaffe: RONA. She died in 2005 in London from cancer, aged 74.

62D: Overly inquisitive: NOSY.

63D: Palmtop computers: Abbr.: PDAS. (Personal Digital Assistant.)

64D: "Steady as __ goes": SHE.

65D: Born, in marriage announcements: NÉE.

Answer grid.

Happy belated Birthday to our fellow solver Frenchie!

Argyle

Sunday January 10, 2010 Nora Pearlstone

Theme: Just Do It - "Do" is inserted to familiar phrases.

23A. Unlikely bar snack?: BEER (DO)NUTS. Beer Nuts. Peanuts/oil/salt. Go well with beer.

25A. Hair stylist's blunder?: GOOFED UP(DO). Goofed Up.

48A. Place marker in "The Compleat Angler"?: FISHING (DO)G-EAR. Fishing Gear.

95A. Paid athletes with upscale apartments?: PROS AND CON(DO)S. Pros and Cons. The clue does not correspond well with the answer, does it?

120A. Tennis great's swimwear?: GRAF SPEE(DO). Graf Spee, the German warship. Steffi Graf is Agassi's wife.

124A. Typical dog's motto?: SEMPER FI(DO). Semper Fi, Marines' motto. "Always faithful".

36D. "What a jerk!": HE'S ONE (DO)OFUS. He's One of Us. Funny entry.

41D. Bringin' up a crime boss portrayer?: RAISIN' BRAN(DO). Raisin Bran. The omission of g in the clue hints an omission of g in the answer. Marlon Brando played the mafia boss Don Corleone in "The Godfather".

And NIKE (117D. Apt company for this puzzle?). How convenient that Tiger is nowhere to be found in the grid! Nike Golf would never have taken off without Tiger and his "Just do it" attitude. Whatever Tiger then did!

We tend to praise constructors for certain awe-inspiring clever clues. Sometimes those clues are from the quiet editor Rich Norris himself. Today's puzzle gives us a good opportunity to see Rich's mind at work, unfiltered. Nora Pearlstone is one of Rich's alias names. Anagram of "Not a Real Person".

And it's a good puzzle. A full range of DO insertion positions: In the beginning, in the middle and in the end of a word respectively. As the norm with Sunday puzzles, quite a few tricky & entertaining clues. My favorite is BURP (39D. Newborn's achievement?). The clue for ACT (31A. Don't just sit there) fits today's theme pretty well.

Across:

1. Apply crudely: DAUB. And SPLAT (56A. Paint spill sound).

5. Practice exercise: DRILL

10. Man __: 1920 Horse of the Year: O'WAR. The greatest racing horse ever, right?

14. Interface developed for the Intel x86 family of microprocessors: MS-DOS. Windows forerunner,

19. Juanita's "this": ESTA. The masculine "this" is ESTO.

20. Arabian peninsula capital: SANA'A. And ADEN (118D. Port of Yemen). We also have SHEBA (108D. Biblical queendom), the present day Yemen.

21. Part: ROLE. And OSCAR (71D. Actor's dream).

22. Southern New Mexico county: OTERO. Unknown to me. Literally "isolated hill" in Spanish.

27. Try: TASTE. Oh, try the food.

28. South side?: GRITS. Side dish.

30. Quarrel: DUST-UP

35. Hilo exchanges: ALOHAS. Greeting exchanges.

39. Santa __: BARBARA. Named after Saint Barbara.

43. A single bounce, in baseball: ONE- HOP. Another baseball reference is ALOU (12D. Baseball's Matty). Brother of Felipe.

46. Glacial ridge: ARETE (uh-REYT). Often just clued as "Mountain ridge".

47. Sch. founded by Jefferson: UVA. In 1819.

52. Beaver, to Ward: SON

53. Churn: ROIL

57. Soprano Lily: PONS. Vaguely remember that Buckeye likes her.

58. Ligurian Sea city: PISA. On the Arno River.

59. Kitchen tools: DICERS

62. Class: ELEGANCE. Grace Kelly had aplenty.

64. Beatles girl with a "little white book": RITA. The Beatles’ “Lovely Rita". The meter MAID (74A. Household servant).

66. Snack brand sold in twists and puffs: CHEETOS

69. Pan-fried: SAUTEED. Forgot the difference between saute and stir-fry.

70. Singer with The Velvet Underground in the '60s: NICO. Not a familiar name to me. She has an otherworldly look.

72. Nice piece of change: TIDY SUM. Was worried that "Nice" here might be the French city.

75. Talky get-together: GABFEST

78. Like eagles: TALONED

80. 82-Across cry: MEOW. And STRAY CAT (82A. Alley wanderer).

84. Equiangular geometric figure: ISOGON. Iso is a prefix for "equal".

86. Lower Manhattan neighborhood: NOHO. Stands for North of Houston Street. Soho is South of Houston.

88. Jazz home: UTAH. Utah Jazz.

89. Legend creator: ACURA. Honda's luxury car division.

92. Sugar source: CANE

93. Maker of nonstick cookware: T-FAL

94. British golfer Poulter: IAN. Gimme. Met him in person. Look at the pants he wore. Very colorful character.

99. Kin of -kin: ULE. I did not know -kin is a diminutive suffix too. Dictionary gives lambkin as an example.

100. Like some waves: TIDAL

102. Eye shadow?: SHINER. Did not know "shiner" is slang for "black eye".

103. Cuts into: INCISES. Root word for incisive.

105. Kept a partner up, maybe: SNORED. Oh, bedding partner.

107. Rather modern: NEWISH

110. Scale's fifth: SOL. Musical scale.

111. Primarily: MAINLY

114. Jewish community orgs.: YMHAS. YMHA = Young Men's Hebrew Association.

116. Arm bones: ULNAS. Or ulnae.

126. Vaudeville show: REVUE

127. Race: TEAR. Why?

128. They're usually made of African Blackwood: OBOES. New trivia to me.

130. Explorer Amundsen: ROALD. No idea. Norwegian explorer. The first person to reach both the North and South Pole. Roald is just like English Ronald, isn't it?

131. Vodka in a blue bottle: SKYY. Very blue.

132. '30s veep John __ Garner: NANCE. Roosevelt’s first veep. I forgot. We had this clue before.

133. Mothers' groups?: DENS. Den mother is a woman who supervises a den of Cub Scouts. New to me also.

Down:

1. Charging result: DEBT

2. On the Aegean: ASEA

3. Old Navajo enemies: UTES. The answer emerged itself.

4. It may be picked up at a pub: BAR TAB

5. British mil. award: DSO (Distinguished Service Order)

6. Made a jingle: RANG

7. Accustom: INURE

8. "Aeneid" language: LATIN. "Aeneid" is a Latin epic poem by Virgil, recounting the adventures of Aeneas after the fall of Troy.

9. Puzo novel, with "The": LAST DON. Pretty good.

10. Dot follower, perhaps: ORG. Internet address "dot".

11. Vocational course: WOOD SHOP. Again, got the answer from crosses.

13. Calls the game: REFS

14. Sectional home: MODULAR. Sectional sofa.

15. Daze of wine and rosés?: STUPOR. I like the clue, playing on "Days of Wine and Roses".

16. Security pmt.: DEP (Deposit). Placed side by side with another abbreviated answer ORD (17D: Diner req.). I had a mess in this corner.

18. Great Lakes' __ Canals: SOO

24. Java choice: DECAF

26. LAX info: ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival)

29. Album track: SONG

32. Three-tone chord: TRIAD

37. Medical stat?: AT ONCE. "Stat" is ASAP for doctors. Not the sports stats.

38. Detected: SENSED

40. To have, to Henri: AVOIR

42. Gelatin garnish: ASPIC. Delicious!

44. Eye blatantly: OGLE

45. Bell sounds: PEALS

49. Horizontal bar dismount: HECHT (Hekt). Did not know this horizontal bar has a special name. Sounds German, isn't it, Kazie/Spitzboov?

50. Op art viewer's cry, maybe: I SEE IT

51. Elite unit: A-TEAM

54. Queen with a Grammy: LATIFAH. Queen Lafifah.

57. Like a good waiter: PATIENT

60. Prynne's stigma: RED A. From "The Scarlet Letter".

61. Pens and needles: STYLI. Playing on "pins and needles".

63. Micronesia's largest island: GUAM. "Where America's Day Begins".

65. __-deucy: ACEY

67. Baja bears: OSOS. Spanish for "bears". Alliteration.

68. Shell alternative: SUNOCO. And TACOS (77D. Food in shells). Different Shell/shell.

73. Mullally of "Will & Grace": MEGAN. Is this actress very famous?

75. Astronauts' wear: G-SUITS

76. Accomplish: ATTAIN

79. Orphan boy of old comics: DONDI. His name appeared several times in our old puzzles.

81. Jonah's problem: WHALE. He was swallowed by a whale. Bible story.

83. Keister: TUSH

85. Bright signs: NEONS. Bright indeed.

87. Pamplona chorus: OLES

90. Future time of need, metaphorically: RAINY DAY. Nice clue.

91. Writer Tyler: ANNE. Recognized her face when I googled.

95. Smiling, probably: PLEASED

96. Damp at daybreak: DEWY. Hmmm, dewy!

97. Ivy League color: CRIMSON. Harvard color.

98. Search all over: SCOUR

101. As much as you can carry: ARMFUL. The grammar of the clue confused me.

104. Undernourished: ILL-FED. Like some of those models.

106. Onion __: DIP. With a bit of chives.

109. Rye lead-in: HAM ON. Ham on rye sandwich.

112. Bottom lines: NETS

113. Vichyssoise veggie: LEEK. Potato too. Vichyssoise is a thick soup of potatoes and leeks.

115. Design detail, briefly: SPEC

119. Lays down the lawn: SODS. Punning on "Lays down the law".

120. Boxer's warning: GRR. Or ARF.

121. Classic wheels: REO

123. Transit end?: ORY. The end of the word "transitory".

125. L.A.-to-Tucson dir.: ESE

Answer grid.

See you next Wednesday!

C.C.

Saturday January 9, 2010 Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Total blocks: 29

Total words: 70

Our average black square count on Saturday seems to be 31.

Hard puzzle for me. I just froze at seeing Brad Wilber's name. He's well-known for his tough themeless. Now looking at the finished grid, I wonder why I struggled since there were only a few unknowns. Tricky clues and wicked wordplay! For example:

1A. One making a brief contribution?: PARALEGAL. Legal "brief". Noun.

28A. One who refuses to take an oath?: CENSOR. "Curse" oath.

30A. Sub builder?: DELI. Sub sandwich. I nailed this one though.

62A. Where you might see a cop aim a gun: SPEED TRAP. Radar gun.

14D. Something a Parisian might get stuck on?: IDEE FIXE. Nailed this one also.

31D. Big-headed?: SUDSY. "Head" here refers to the foam at the top of beer. Put a head on the beer.

Quite a few lively multi-word entries. My favorite is GO ROGUE (21D. Deviate from team strategy). Can never understand Sarah Palin's appeal.

Across:

10. Missile Command game company: ATARI. The answer for "game" company is always Atari.

15. Writer painted by Manet: EMILE ZOLA. OK. Here is the painting. I was thinking of Gertrude Stein. But she's painted by Picasso.

16. Went wild: RAVED

17. Family racing enthusiast: NASCAR DAD. Would be nice to pair it up with Soccer Mom.

18. Island where Icarus was imprisoned: CRETE. He did escape from Crete, but his wings melted when he flew too close to the sun.

19. The Jonas Brothers, e.g.: TRIO. Nice contemporary reference.

20. Panini cheese: ASIAGO. Named after the Italian town.

22. Northwest Passage explorer: RAE (John)

23. Actress Paquin et al.: ANNAS

25. Prefix with skeleton: ENDO. Meaning "within". Have yet to see its opposite ECTO.

26. "You wish!": AS IF

27. Nobelist Hammarskjöld: DAG. The second UN Secretary General. U Thant is the third.

31. Examine closely: SIFT. Sift through data/evidence.

32. Parka material: GORE-TEX

34. Place to pick up a cat: SCRUFF. Oh, I had the wrong understanding of "pick up".

37. Aplenty: GALORE

38. Fawners: TOADIES

40. Madrigalist's accompaniment: LUTE. Did not know the meaning of madrigalist, singer of madrigal, which is defined as "A song for two or three unaccompanied voices, developed in Italy in the late 13th and early 14th centuries".

41. Items in a modern bibliog.: URLS

42. Charmers: CUTIES

44. Clock-setting std.: GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

47. Tim of "Private Practice": DALY. No idea. He's the younger brother of Tyne Daly.

48. Steady: TRUE

49. West Indian sorcery: OBEAH. Surprised to see it can also be spelled as Obi.

51. It may be at the end of the line: FLY. Fishing line end.

52. Vivacious wit: ESPRIT (e-SPREE). I love Esprit clothing brand. It's huge in Asia.

54. Erato's instrument, in some depictions: LYRE

55. "My Fair Lady" race site: ASCOT. The British racetrack.

57. Cádiz's region: ANDALUSIA. A region of southern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea. New name to me.

59. Put on again: RE-AIR. Very few RE, or ING, NESS affixes in this grid.

60. Smooth, lustrous quality: SILKINESS. Gimme for any Barry Silk fan.

61. Bowling pin wood: MAPLE. Yep!

Down:

1. Group of five: PENTAD

2. Historic Nile excavation site: AMARNA. Should I know this? I've only heard of Luxor.

3. Heading up: RISING

4. Metal industry acronym: ALCOA (ALuminum Company Of America)

5. Grazing ground: LEA

6. Book after II Chronicles: EZRA. Drew a blank.

7. Miraculous: GODSENT. Wow, I had no idea that "godsend" has an adjective form.

8. Delon and Resnais of French film: ALAINS. Only familiar with Alain Delon.

9. Classic man's-best-friend novel: LAD: A DOG. Man, I've never heard of the novel.

10. Chevron competitor: ARCO

11. Seaman: TAR. Slang for sailor.

12. Against: AVERSE TO

13. Mall tenant: RETAILER

24. Netflix genre: SCI-FI. Not my type.

26. Jane Eyre's charge __ Varens: ADELE. Got the answer from crosses.

29. Personal or special things: EFFECTS. Nice clue.

33. Joe Buck's friend: RATSO. From "Midnight Cowboy". I was picturing the sportscaster Joe Buck. Adore his voice.

34. Breeding center: STUD FARM

35. The Great Barrier Reef borders it: CORAL SEA. Adjacent to Kazie's Australia.

36. It's usually a regular one worn backwards: RALLY CAP. Silly.

39. Outdo: SURPASS

40. Get no use: LIE IDLE

43. Root crop high in vitamin C: TURNIP. Gimme for Frank/DCannon, I hope.

44. Yellowstone attraction: GEYSER

45. Actress Tomei: MARISA

46. Daddy Warbucks's hired muscle: THE ASP. The henchman in the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie". Got me, Argyle!

50. Not pulling any punches: BLUNT

52. Infinitive with a circumflex: ÊTRE. Circumflex above E. Somehow I am not fond of the clue.

53. Receipts: TAKE. Wanted a word ending in S.

56. Drum filler: OIL. Drum can mean "barrel"?

58. Soup-to-go need: LID. I wanted CUP.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday January 8, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: Sweet P - The second letter M in MM containing familiar phrases is changed into P (MP).

18A. Cool body shop specialist?: BUMPER DUDE. Bummer, Dude!

23A. Apple shipping vehicles?: COMPUTER TRAINS. Commuter Trains. Apple computer.

36A. Like overcrowded medical clinics?: CRAMPED FOR EXAMS. Crammed for Exams. The only theme entry with an extra M.

47A. Short, fat pen filler?: DUMPY CARTRIDGE. Dummy Cartridge. Firearm term? I have never heard of it. Also did not know that "dumpy" can mean "short & fat".

54A. Laundry security device?: HAMPER LOCK. Hammerlock. A wrestling hold in which the opponent's arm is pulled behind the back and twisted upward. Not a familiar term to me.

In memory of Dan Naddor, I am going to call the total number indicator of non-theme entries with 6 or more letters as "Dan Naddor Index" from now on. Today's number is 14. Lower than our recent Dan grids.

So sweet for me to see the clues for DOB (1D. Baseball card stat) and IMMIGRATE (34D. Come to a new land). Felt like they were targeted at me, given my immigrant status and love for baseball cards.

Tough slog though. Lots of tricky clues and I simply could not mind meld with Dan. We definitely spoke different languages today.

Across:

1. Mil. awards: DSCS. Sometimes it's DSMS. Medal instead of Cross. And TFR (31D. Mil. request). Transfer I presume.

5. Pro's employee: AGENT. Pro athlete. The answer could be CADDIE (for golf pros).

10. Keyboardist Hess: MYRA. The British pianist. Her name escaped me.

14. Colorful deepwater fish: OPAH. Also called moonfish.

15. Sylvester's "Rocky" co-star: TALIA (Shire). She also played the annoying Connie in the "Godfather" series.

16. Like The Citadel, today: CO-ED. It was all-male until August 1996. Unknown fact to me.

17. High-tech unit: BYTE

20. Destructive spree: RAMPAGE

22. Perrier rival: EVIAN. Have yet to see PERRIER appears as an answer.

26. Ottoman officer: AGA. Sometimes the answer is BEY/PASHA.

27. E-mail endings, at times: PSS

28. Staff: ROD. Was picturing music staff.

29. Inexperienced one: TYRO. I was once a crossword tyro.

31. Coffee-flavored liqueur: TIA MARIA. Does it taste very differently from Kahlúa, Argyle?

40. Toot consequence: HANGOVER. "Toot" here refers to "drinking spree". I was thinking of the horn sound.

41. Car with a bar: LIMO. Rhyming clue.

42. __-80: old RadioShack computer: TRS. No idea. Does TRS stand for Tandy's Radio Shack?

43. Lee side: Abbr.: CSA. Oh, R. E Lee.

46. Palindromic diarist: NIN (Anaïs)

52. Important peninsula in the Six-Day War, 1967: SINAI

53. Pursue: GO AFTER

57. Much more than tickle: SLAY

59. "The __ lama, he's a priest ...": Nash: ONE - L. Lovely new clue.

60. Arigato : Japan :: __ : Germany: DANKE. Both "Arigato" and "Danke" means "Thanks". Chinese equivalent is "Xie Xie".

61. Pal: MATE

62. Evening spread?: PATE. Oh, evening meal.

63. Hardly a miniature gulf: ABYSS. The clue is playing on "Hardly a miniature golf".

64. Regards: EYES.

Down:

2. Pop-jazz band named for an algae genus: SPYRO GYRA. An American jazz fusion band. A misspelling of the green algae spirogyra. Both meant nothing to me.

3. Twin-hulled boat: CATAMARAN. Tamil for "tied wood". New word to me also.

4. Curly's predecessor and successor: SHEMP (Howard). From "The Three Stooges".

5. Turns to swing: AT-BATS. Baseball. "Turns" here is a misleading noun.

6. Measuring instruments: GAUGES

7. Cartoon hunter: ELMER (Fudd). He hunts Bugs Bunny.

8. Snort: NIP. Did not know "snort" can mean "a quick drink of liquor".

10. Early 15th century year: MCDVI. 1406. Roman numeral, I fear not!

11. Dealer's query: YOU IN?

13. City SSE of Sana'a: ADEN. Sana'a is the capital of Yemen. Aden is the only other Yemen seaport/city that I know of.

19. Text file with program instructions: READ ME. Did not come to me readily.

21. __ tent: PUP. Military term, Dennis?

23. Call during a toss: CATCH. You'd think it's HEADS/TAILS.

24. The Supremes, e.g.: TRIO

25. Engine sound: ROAR. Purr too.

30. Texter's "Yikes!": OMG

32. Rose of rock: AXL. Of Guns N' Roses.

33. Result of an ump's decision, maybe: RAIN DELAY. OK, maybe.

35. Together: AS ONE

37. Crusty entrée: POT PIE. Crusty indeed.

38. "Climb __ Mountain": "The Sound of Music" song: EV'RY

39. Invoice column hdg.: DESC. What the heck is this? Description?

43. Stew holders: CROCKS

44. They may be raised during a game: STAKES. Got the answer with Across help.

45. Pound sound: ARF. Nice rhyme.

47. Grammy winner Krall: DIANA

48. Not yet fulfilled: UNMET. Like what? Desire?

49. Sugar source: MAPLE

50. Torment: AGONY. Noun "torment".

51. Bell ringer's reply: IT'S ME

52. Artisan's work area: SHOP. And LAB (56. Chemist's work area). I am very into clue echos.

55. Food no. usually shown in milligrams: RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance)

A very special "Thank you" to our Santa Argyle for helping me through the blogging every day when my computer was sick. Also to Al who always provides me with prompt tech advices. And to Jazzbumpa and Melissa for their entertaining write-ups and awesome links. And to all of you, thank you so much for the understanding, support & comments every day. You guys make this blogging a very rewarding experience to me.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday January 7, 2010 Robert W. Harris

Theme: Imaginary Places - Familiar two-word phrases ending with "locations" are punnily reinterpreted in correspondence to their clues.

18A. Where yearbooks are made?: ANNUAL PLANT. Annual plant grows and dies in a season.

26A. Where Hershey's makes new discoveries?: CHOCOLATE LAB. Chocolate Lab has chocolate-colored coat.

47A. Where astronauts worship?: SPACE MISSION. SPACE STATION anyone?

60A. Where littlenecks try their luck?: CLAMS CASINO. Littlenecks are soft clams, aren't they?

Robert W. Harris's LAT "Giant Leap for Mankind" puzzle was published on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moonwalk. He seems fond of science.

Melissa Bee blogging.

Across:

1. Cool one: CAT. Two for the price of one.

4. Overused: STALE

9. Drink with a "generation": PEPSI. Barry Manilow wrote the jingle (at 4:00).

14. Kitchen catchphrase: A LA. In the manner or style of. Chicken A La King.

15. Implied: TACIT. A tacit agreement.

16. Betting everything, in poker: ALL IN

17. Food made from 35-Down: POI. And TARO (35D. Source of 17-Across).

20. Uncaptured: AT LARGE

22. Spring celebration: EASTER

23. Surrender: CEDE

24. Beam: RAY

25. That, in Monterrey: ESO. Spanish. Monterrey, Nuevo León, México, is the third largest city in Mexico. The "City of the Mountains."

31. Long, on Lanai: LOA. The Hawaiian name "Mauna Loa" means "Long Mountain." Largest volcano on the planet.

32. Broods: MOPES

33. What some tickets are for: SEATS

37. Russian-born Deco designer: ERTE. C.C. has drilled this one into my head.

39. Anger: IRE

40. Bare-bones subj? ANAT. Anatomy. Great clue.

41. Some religious observances: FASTS. Like Ramadan, or Lent.

43. Rub out: ERASE

46. College sr.'s test: GRE. Graduate Record Examinations.

50. Prof's helpers: TAS. Teaching Assistants.

53. Bullring cry: OLE

54. It will come back to you: ECHO

55. Esoteric: ARCANE

57. Maddened: ENRAGED

63. Living cell constituent: Abbr.: RNA

64. Prefix with tropic: HELIO. Prefix for "sun".

65. Unwise homebuilder's material, so the story goes: STRAW

66. Put together: ADD

67. Lip-curling look: SNEER

68. Early five-and-dime entrepreneur: KRESS (S. H.)

69. Howard of the Three Stooges: MOE

Down:

1. Bit of bullring gear: CAPA. Dictionary.com says cape originates from 16th century Sp. capa. Never understood this "sport".

2. Loads: A LOT

3. Men's formalwear: TAILCOATS

4. Made-it-big status: STARDOM. On the heels of Jazzbumpa's question yesterday, "you know you've made it big when ____."

5. Hybrid fruit: TANGELO. Tangerine and grapefruit or pomelo. UGLI appears more often in our puzzles.

6. Teen's concern: ACNE

7. Actress Lucy: LIU. One of "Charlie's Angels".

8. Two after epsilon: ETA. Greek alphabet. Nice change from the standard airport abbreviation clue.

9. Melonlike fruits: PAPAYAS. Papaya enzyme is a useful ingredient to treat ACNE.

10. Wings with blueprints: ELLS. Building additions.

11. Likely spot for dinner? PLATE. Cute.

12. Trig functions: SINES

13. Words about a speaker, briefly: INTRO

19. Sharon of "Boston Public": LEAL. Had no idea.

21. Post-WWII nuclear org.: AEC. Atomic Energy Commission. According to wikipedia, it was established in 1947 to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. Abolished in 1974 when it's functions were reassigned to other agencies.

24. Stitch over: RESEAM

26. Staff symbol: CLEF

27. Romanian dance: HORA. The circle dance often seen in traditional weddings and other celebrations.

28. Individually: APIECE

29. Lafayette's land: TERRE. French for "land". General Lafayette of American Revolutionary War.

30. Arthur who played Maude: BEA.

34. Cardiologist's request: ANGIOGRAM. X-ray that shows blood flow through an artery or vein.

36. Early submachine gun: STEN. Never heard of it.

38. "The War of the Worlds" invaders, e.g.: ETS. Extra Terrestrials.

42. One buying time, perhaps: SPONSOR. Advertising time.

44. Raw or burnt pigments: SIENNAS. WM, can you elaborate?

45. Typical home-loan contract obligations: ESCROWS

48. Actor Baldwin: ALEC

49. ___ Na Na: SHA. Musical group from the sixties.

50. Dash instruments: TACHS. Tachometer of a car measures engine RPMs.

51. Senator Specter: ARLEN. Democrat, PA.

52. Model Proportion: SCALE. I only know model train scales, smallest to largest: Z, N, HO (Half O), S, O, and G. Dennis, do other models have similar scales?

56. Friend, in France: AMIE. Female AMI.

57. Pierce Brosnan's homeland: EIRE. Irish name for Ireland.

58. Prefix meaning "within": ENDO. As in Endoscope. ECTO is the prefix meaning "outer".

59. Miami-____ County: DADE

62. Narrow channel: Abbr.: STR. Strait. Strait of Gibraltar.

A celebration of Dan Naddor's life will be held at 1 p.m. today. Here is a great writeup of Dan's crossword career & philosophy in LA Times. Rich Norris mentioned that there are more than twenty Dan puzzles in LA Times pipeline and they will be published throughout the year.

Answer grid.

Melissa