Thursday February 25, 2010 Gary Steinmehl

Theme: HEAD (65A. Word that can precede each word in 17-, 38- and 61-Across) - All three component words in each theme entry can follow HEAD.

17A. Detectives assigned to unsolved mysteries?: COLD CASE HUNTERS. Head Cold. Headcase (a mentally unstable person). Headhunters (professional recruiters).

38A. Intermission queues?: RESTROOM LINES. Headrest. Headroom (Nautical term for "the clear space between two decks", new word to me). Headlines.

61A. Shower gifts for brie lovers?: CHEESEBOARD SETS. Headcheese is defined as "A jellied loaf or sausage made from chopped and boiled parts of the feet, head, and sometimes the tongue and heart of an animal, usually a hog". Yuck! I am glad I've never had (or heard) of it. Headboard (of bed). Headsets.

I've never seen a theme with a defining word that can precede three different words in each theme entry. Very ambitious, isn't it? Reminds me of this constructor's last "LINCOLN CENTER" puzzle. Just ingenious! Gary Steinmehl not only placed LINCOLN CENTER in the very heart of the grid, he also embedded ABE in each of the four theme answers.

Although I am not familiar with every "head" word, the resulting theme phrases all sound natural and fun to me. I also love the twisty clues for the below small words:

27A. Stable diet?: HAY. Nice play on "Staple diet".

29D. House call?: YEA. The congressional vote.

36D. Like a whip?: SMART. Idiom: smart as a whip. I was thinking of the lashing whip.

64D. Fled or bled: RAN. Good rhyme.

Across:

1. Quick kiss: PECK. I like how it crosses PACK UP (1D. Get ready to go).

5. Bond player, seven times: MOORE (Roger)

10. Confiscated auto: REPO

14. End of a fronton game?: ALAI. Literally the end of the term Jai Alai. Fronton is the Jai Alai arena. Stumped many of us last time.

15. Back list: INDEX

16. Court cry: OYEZ. And NINE (19. High Court count). The High Court (Supreme Court) has NINE justices.

21. Calls, in a way: RADIOS

22. Waste not: USE. Just could not think of a three-letter word synonym for SAVE.

23. Navig. guide: GPS

26. Quarterback Roethlisberger: BEN. With the Pittsburgh Steelers. A pretty good golfer.

30. Soak through: PERMEATE. Nice word.

33. Siesta shawl: SERAPE. It's a wrap!

35. Local groups: UNIONS

37. Start of a theory: IDEA. Ah, no wordplay on "start".

42. Hawaii's "Valley Isle": MAUI

43. Midwestern landscape: PLAINS

44. Ring setting: CIRCUS. Was thinking of the wedding ring.

47. Carrying capacities: ARMLOADS. Came to me slowly.

51. Pavement warning: SLO. Wrote down WET first.

52. Word processor setting: TAB

54. Mad Hatter's drink: TEA. "Alice in Wonderland".

55. Fjord relative: RIA. Narrow inlet. Fjord is the Norwegian long & narrow inlet.

56. Like some bio majors: PRE-MED

59. Daphne eloped with him on "Frasier": NILES (Crane). I've never seen "Frasier".

66. Crucial artery: AORTA

67. Regarding, to counsel: IN RE

69. Watch secretly: SPY ON

70. "Just a coupla __": SECS

Down:

2. Kay Thompson's impish six-year-old: ELOISE. The girl who lives at the Plaza Hotel.

3. Mobile maker: CALDER (Alexander). The sculptor who invented the mobile art.

4. William the pirate: KIDD. William the Kidd. He was hanged for piracy in 1701. New to me. Interesting crossing with KIDDO (20A. Buddy boy).

5. Hamm of soccer: MIA. Wife of Nomar Garciaparra (ex-Red Sox).

6. Switch positions: ONS. Or OFFS.

7. River forming part of Germany's eastern border: ODER. Kazie just mentioned yesterday that it flows north to the Baltic.

8. Betty Ford Center program: REHAB

9. Oozes out: EXUDES

10. Prefix with tiller: ROTO. Rototiller.

11. Sleeping aid: EYESHADE. Got a lovely pillow-like lavender-scented eyeshade for Christmas.

12. A pop: PER

13. Jigger's 1¹/₂: Abbr.: OZS. Dictionary defines jigger as "a small whiskey glass holding 1¹/₂ ounce".

18. Clear and convincing: COGENT

24. Poker holding: PAIR

25. Condescend: STOOP. Penned in DEIGN.

31. Partner of words: MUSIC. Shouldn't it be "Partner of lyrics"?

32. Gay leader?: ENOLA. Enola Gay, the WWII bomber. Got me.

34. Unilever laundry soap brand: RINSO. I've never heard of this brand.

38. Train guide: RAIL

39. Continental: EUROPEAN

41. Away from the coast: INLAND

42. Roast hosts, for short: MCS

45. Sport __: family vehicles: UTES. We had plenty of discussions (and whining) about this fill before.

46. Equal to, with "the": SAME AS

48. Actress Dahl: ARLENE

49. No-calorie cola: DIET RC. Have never tried RC Cola.

50. Gets fresh with: SASSES. Classic right or bottom edge word. Four Ss.

53. Dizzy's jazz: BEBOP

57. Wine list heading: REDS

58. Fishing craft: DORY

60. Cow-horned goddess: ISIS. Maybe JD can tell us more about this Egyptian goddess of fertility.

61. Comic Margaret: CHO. Of Korean descent. Her stuff is often too racy for my taste. Cho is Cao in Chinese.

62. Cut off: HEW

Answer grid.

C.C.

Interview with Scott Atkinson

Scott Atkinson made his crossword debut in July 2008. Since then, he has had six more puzzles published by the LA Times.

Mr. Atkinson also had two puzzles published by the NY Times, including the very creative "Time after Time". This work preceded Pancho Harrison's "Time after Time", which many of us enjoyed. His puzzles also appeared in the much revered NY Sun.

What is the inspiration for this puzzle?

For me, theme inspiration is often provided by a phrase that sounds snappy to me. In this case, NAILBITER just seemed like a fun and descriptive term. So then you see what about that phrase might help you build a theme. In this case the double meaning for "nail" provides the opportunity for a wordplay theme. What are other pointy metal fasteners that can be used as the first part of phrases that have nothing to do with their meanings as fasteners? The other theme answers fit the bill.

And what are the challenges in putting this grid together?

There has to be lively fill, since the theme answers are not that long and the theme is not very complicated. I hope the fill here meets that challenge.

What is your background and how did you get into crossword constructing?

I have enjoyed crosswords for 30 years. When I learned that some editors, like Rich Norris. will accept submissions from newbies, I decided to give it a whirl. I have some friends who test-solved for a while until I learned what worked. Mentor extraordinaire Nancy Salomon really taught me how to develop a good wordplay theme and co-wrote my first one to help me get my foot in the door.

What is a great puzzle to you? And what kind of theme/fill wow you?

I love the low word count puzzles with wide open white spaces. A puzzle like that is fun to solve, whether it has a theme or not. And you know that the constructor put a lot of effort into it. But I love them all, really. Basically any puzzle without Roman numeral arithmetic problems makes me happy.

I noticed you were first published by LAT only in July 2008. Have you experienced Writer's Block in terms of theme ideas? If so, how do you deal with this spell of lack of inspiration?

When I first started making puzzles, theme ideas just came pouring out on a daily basis. Now I have to wait for random inspiration. This comes less frequently, but since it's not my day job I don't worry much in a dry spell. To deal with it, I'll mess around making some themeless puzzles.

How does being a constructor affect the way you solve and enjoy a puzzle now?

It definitely gives you appreciation for how hard it is to make a great puzzle, and how rare and wonderful it is to have one of your works accepted by one of the high-quality editors in the biz.

What kind of puzzles do you tackle every day and who are your favorite constructors?

I always do the LA Times, of course. It's the one carried in my local paper. New York Times as well. My favorite constructors are Patrick Berry, Nancy Salomon, Liz Gorski, Paula Gamache, Rich Norris (of course), Mike Shenk, Bob Klahn, and Kevin Der, whose themeless grids are just amazing.

Besides crosswords, what else do you do for fun?

I am an enthusiastic family guy and love to hang out with my wife, kids, and dogs. Also, endurance sports are fun for me. My biggest achievement (prior to having a puzzle accepted by Rich Norris, that is) was tackling and finishing the Hawaii Ironman triathlon in 2005. And I'm looking forward to finally getting certified in scuba next month.

Wednesday February 24, 2010 Scott Atkinson

Theme: FASTEN (60A. Attach, perhaps with hardware that begins the answers to starred clues) - The starting words of the four theme answers are all fasteners.

17A. *Stable storage enclosure: TACK ROOM

61A. *Benjamin Button portrayer: BRAD PITT. What's your favorite Brad Pitt movie? I liked "Troy".

10D. *Wacko: SCREWBALL

34D. *Game that goes down to the wire: NAIL-BITER.

And one more fastener U-BOLT (29A. Letter-shaped hardware).

Simple theme, just as Scott Arkinson mentioned in his interview. The defining FASTEN, without which the theme would still be apparent, further clears up & unifies the four theme entries. Plenty of long & lively fill, esp the Down entries.

Quite a few names in this puzzle. But most of them are easily recognizable. I noticed that on Wednesdays, besides providing the film name hint, Rich Norris tends to give either the surname or the given name of the movie stars to further ease up the clues. EMMA (37A. Mrs. Peel of "The Avengers") is a good example.

Across:

1. Mesmerized: RAPT

5. Medicinal amt.: TSP. 14 Ts in this puzzle.

8. Fenway Park city: BOSTON. Home to the Red Sox.

16. Concert bonus: ENCORE

19. They save the day: HEROES. Nice clue.

20. Affliction: DISEASE

21. Be scared to: DARE NOT. Not Dennis. He dares everything.

22. Bank acct. entry: INT (Interest). And T-NOTE (32D. Conservative IRA asset). Matures in 2-10 years. T-Bill matures in one year or less.

23. Symbol on several keys: ARROW. Computer keys.

24. No __: menu notice: MSG. Chinese dumpling tastes so much better with MSG.

27. Company featuring cavemen in its ads: GEICO. So easy even a caveman can fill the blanks.

33. Chinese currency: YUAN. Chinese dollar. We call US dollar as Mei Yuan. Mei = American. Another currency is DINAR (50D. Iraqi money).

35. Play thing: PROP. Stage play.

36. It's a wrap: SARAN. Have seen this clue a few times. Still love it.

38. Arias, e.g.: SOLOS

40. Plastic surgeon's offering, for short: LIPO (Liposuction). Lipo is just prefix for "fat".

41. "Ghostbusters" co-writer Harold: RAMIS. Wikipedia says he also co-wrote "Caddyshack".

43. Laugh from a Stooge: NYUK. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, Curly's laugh. Unknown to me.

44. In unfamiliar territory, maybe: LOST

45. Dandruff site: SCALP

46. Commonly cluttered room: ATTIC. Any old baseball cards there?

48. Maiden name lead-in: NEE

49. Reward for merit: BADGE

51. Egg carton no.: DOZ. I wonder who first thought of putting a dozen instead of ten eggs in a carton.

53. Great Plains terrain: PRAIRIE

56. Mötley Crüe's two: UMLAUTS. The diacritic marks above the vowels in Mötley & Crüe.

62. Fellini's realm: CINEMA

63. Site of the smallest bone in the body: EAR. Good to know.

64. Lowly worker: PEON

65. Sleep apnea sufferer, often: SNORER

66. The Hartford logo: ELK. No idea. See this sign. Why are so many insurance companies based in Hartford?

67. Egyptian snakes: ASPS

Down:

1. Former gen.'s status: RETD (Retired)

3. Cam's output: PICS

4. Sulu portrayer on "Star Trek": TAKEI (George). Surname in the clue, surname in the answer.

5. Lively "Texas" dances: TWO- STEPS. Texas Two-Step. I obtained the answer from crosses.

6. Cobbler's concern: SHOE

7. Spitz-type dog, for short: POM (Pomeranian)

8. Joy of "The View": BEHAR. She's quite bubbly.

9. Burdensome: ONEROUS

11. Ren or Stimpy, e.g.: TOON

12. Its creme may be eaten first: OREO. I don't like the creme at all. Also dislike icing on the cake.

13. Hornet's home: NEST. Was worried that Hornets might refer to a sport team.

18. Tolled: RANG

21. Fail to finish school: DROP OUT

23. Altar boy: ACOLYTE. Seldom see this word in a crossword.

24. Clinton press secretary Dee Dee: MYERS. She sure knows how to spin.

25. "Poison" shrub: SUMAC

26. Beta follower: GAMMA

28. Early metalworking period: IRON AGE. When people started to use coins.

30. Belted constellation: ORION. Why is it "Belted"?

31. Forgetful moment: LAPSE

39. Sudden-braking result: SKID MARK. Two Ks.

42. "I don't want to hear the rest": SPARE ME

52. Rock artist Frank: ZAPPA. Father of Moon Unit.

53. Cpls.' underlings: PFCS. PFC = Private First Class.

54. Picnic spoiler: RAIN. For once it's not ANT.

55. "It will come __ surprise": AS NO

56. River through southern Russia: URAL

57. One-eighties: U-IES

58. Corvette roof option: T-TOP. Three Ts in this corner.

59. Train sched. list: STNS

61. Blossom visitor: BEE. Hey, Melissa!

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 Joy C. Frank

Theme: Zany Zealots - Two-word common phrases ending with a synonym of "enthusiast" are humorously reinterpreted and clued as "Devotee of ...".

17A: Devotee of a Sistine Chapel feature?: CEILING FAN

24A: Devotee of green ice cream?: PISTACHIO NUT

44A: Devotee of thunderstorms?: LIGHTNING BUG

54A: Devotee of a classical language?: LATIN LOVER

This puzzle is very similar in concept to Robert Harris' "Imaginary Places", in which familiar phrases ending with "locations" are reinterpreted in correspondence with the "Where ..." clues.

Argyle here.

What is there to say? I've never seen a puzzle less in need of explanations. Take 42A: Capital where "Aida" premiered: CAIRO., for example. Even if you didn't know the story behind the opera "Aida" and why it premiered in Cairo, when the perps revealed the answer, it was like, "OK", not "D'oh". (If you want the story, you can go to Wikipedia.)

I post all the answers and C.C. edits out the ones she feels are unnecessary; I hope there are some left. LOL

Across:

1A: Have status: RATE.

5A: Less adorned, as walls: BARER.

10A: Wordless singing style: SCAT. 50A: In the style of: A LA. Ella Fitzgerald.

14A: Land parcel unit: ACRE.

15A: Big gig venue: ARENA.

16A: Heading for a chore list: TO DO.

19A: Charles Lamb's nom de plume: ELIA.

20A: Sixth sense, briefly: ESP.

21A: Carnival city: RIO. (Rio de Janeiro ("River of January"))

22A: Portage vessels: CANOES. Portage - The carrying of boats and supplies overland between two waterways or around an obstacle to navigation.

27A: Final furniture coat: FINISH.

30A: Round at the tavern: BEERS.

31A: Pennsylvania Dutch group: AMISH.

32A: Buddy of Tom and Dick?: HARRY. The phrase "Tom, Dick and Harry" is used to indicate everyone.

36A: Pop choice: COLA.

37A: Numbers after the decimal point: CENTS.

38A: Top of the glass: BRIM.

39A: __ out: barely make: EKE.

40A: Tadpoles' milieus: PONDS.

41A: Like fresh celery: CRISP.

43A: Trained animal's repertoire: TRICKS.

48A: Idolizes: ADORES.

53A: Hand, in Juárez: MANO.

58A: "Beg pardon": "AHEM".

59A: Express a view: OPINE.

60A: Uncooperative contraction: WON'T.

61A: Annoyed: SORE.

63A: Stopping points: ENDS.

Down:

1D: Meet event: RACE.

2D: Suit toppers: ACES.

3D: Vacation option: TRIP.

4D: Sushi choice: EEL.

5D: Send into exile: BANISH.

6D: Special lingo: ARGOT.

7D: Arbiter with a whistle: REF.

8D: "Bambi" doe: ENA.

9D: Oater landowners: RANCHERS. Oater - Western movie

10D: Workers with pads: STENOS.

11D: Punctuation in play dialogue: COLON.

12D: French farewell: ADIEU.

13D: Best man's offer: TOAST.

18D: Joyce's countrymen: IRISH. James Joyce.

23D: Like a screened porch: AIRY.

24D: Tower city: PISA.

25D: Leave high and dry: ABANDON.

26D: "Two mints in one" sloganeer: CERTS. "A candy mint AND a breath mint."

27D: Confront: FACE.

28D: "No harm done": "I'M OK".

29D: River where baby Moses was found: NILE.

32D: Artist Matisse: HENRI.

35D: Metal band's equipment: AMPS.

37D: Vending machine feature: COIN SLOT.

38D: Place to hold mutineers: BRIG. (On ship)

40D: Cracker spread: PATE.

41D: Inhumane: CRUEL.

42D: Auto trim: CHROME.

43D: Rare orders, perhaps: T-BONES.

44D: Eastern priests: LAMAS.

45D: Potato source: IDAHO.

46D: Casualty: GONER.

47D: Nine-to-five routine, to many: GRIND.

50D: Ringer of many bells: AVON. Ringer of doorbells. Probably the cleverest clue.

52D: Creative fields: ARTS.

55D: Class clown, often: APE. Harsh!

56D: Anchovy holder: TIN.

57D: Be in the hole for: OWE.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, February 22, 2010 Jennifer Nutt

Theme: How's that fit? As we grow older (not me) we like to wear pants that are more comfortable (ok, me). The first word in the theme entries combined with "fit" is a euphemistic term for bigger pants. (Update from C.C.: The first word of each two-word familiar phrase is a synonym of "leisurely"/"laid-back".)

21A: Dangerously uncontrollable type: LOOSE CANNON.

27A: Weekly dress-down times: CASUAL FRIDAYS.

48A: Music genre heard in elevators: EASY LISTENING.

55A: Chemically treated tresses: RELAXED HAIR. Go to 5D: Salon dos: STYLES. and have your curly hair straightened or your straight hair curled. Either way, money in the bank for the salon.

Older but no wiser Argyle here. I think this is our first look at a Jennifer Nutt puzzle. Her themes can be ...elusive. Good fill but some cluing could use some work.

Across

1A: Surgery marks: SCARS.

6A: "Hawaii Five-O" setting: OAHU. TV series from 1968 to 1980. Hawaii Five-O centers on a fictional state police force (named in honor of Hawaii's status as the 50th State). The term "Five-O" was adopted by American youth culture as a street slang term for the police.

10A: Heist target: BANK. What Five-O might investigate.

14A: Sully: TAINT.

15A: Whirled, as a top: SPUN.

16A: Opposite of windward: ALEE.

17A: Impressive display: ARRAY.

18A: Kids' plastic brick maker: LEGO.

19A: "What's in a __?": Juliet: NAME. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

20A: Sales agent, briefly: REP.

24A: Taken by a shoplifter: STOLEN.

26A: Pub order: ALE.

34A: Requests: ASKS.

36A: More than requests: PLEADS.

37A: Detroit-based labor gp.: UAW. (United Auto Workers)

38A: Supportive sound from the crowd: CHEER.

40A: Sidekick: PAL.

41A: Best-seller list datum: TITLE.

43A: Sch. near Harvard: MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.

44A: Ukrainian seaport: ODESSA.

47A: Dover flatfish: SOLE. Other flatfish may share the name but Dover remains the true king of sole. Dover sole is what soles caught in the Atlantic, off the coasts of France and England, usually are called. The city of Dover in England figures in by virtue of having been a main fishing port for the London market.

51A: Slithery swimmer: EEL.

52A: Letter-shaped shoe fastener: T-STRAP. On a high heel.

61A: Gallery display: ART.

62A: All done: OVER.

63A: Honey spirits: MEAD. Fermented honey and water.

64A: Still-life fruit: APPLE.

66A: Whimper: MEWL.

67A: Puzzle with only one way out: MAZE.

68A: Old anesthetic: ETHER.

69A: Artist Warhol: ANDY.

70A: Greek god of war: ARES.

71A: Cowboy's rope: LASSO.

Down

1D: Clear-night twinklers: STARS. Starry Night Over the Rhone. And 53D: Setting for van Gogh's "The Night Cafe": ARLES.

2D: Insertion symbol: CARET.

3D: Causes of in-flight "bumps": AIR POCKETS.

4D: Protein synthesis molecule, for short: RNA.

6D: Norway's capital: OSLO.

7D: Gibbons, e.g.: APES.

9D: It may direct you to skip, draw two, or reverse: UNO CARD. Fun for all ages.

10D: Forbidden: BANNED.

11D: Astronaut Shepard: ALAN.

12D: Nautilus captain: NEMO.

13D: "Peachy-__!": KEEN.

22D: "Movin' __": "The Jeffersons" theme: ON UP. TV sitcom 1975 to 1985, a spin-off of "All in the Family".

23D: Elite invitee roster: A-LIST.

25D: Cut with a surgical beam: LASE.

28D: European peaks, to Pierre: ALPES.

29D: "It's the __ I can do": LEAST.

30D: Spurious: FALSE.

31D: Celebrity signatures: AUTOGRAPHS.

32D: Southern pronoun: Y'ALL.

33D: Popeye's __' Pea: SWEE. In the comics, Swee'Pea is a baby found on Popeye's doorstep (actually delivered to him in a box), in a 1933 strip. Popeye adopts and raises him as his son, or, as he puts it "boy-kid".

34D: Very top: ACME.

35D: Denomination of Islam: SHIA. Shia Islam (sometimes spelled Shi'a), is the second largest denomination of Islam, after Sunni Islam. The followers of Shia Islam are called Shi'as but are also known as Shiites or Shi'ites.

39D: Wimbledon's official timekeeper: ROLEX.

42D: Stevie Wonder's "__ She Lovely": ISN'T.

45D: Perplexing problem: DILEMMA.

46D: Against: ANTI.

49D: Annual: YEARLY.

50D: Six-Day War country: ISRAEL.

54D: Wing: Prefix: PTERO. As in PTEROdactyl.

55D: Fontana di Trevi city: ROMA.

56D: Tied, as a game: EVEN.

57D: Lascivious: LEWD.

58D: Darling: DEAR

59D: Mist: HAZE.

60D: Fruity summer drinks: ADES.

65D: Educ. support group: PTA.

I'm making no comment on 57D and 58D.

Congratulations to Dan Feyer for winning the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament!

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday February 21, 2010 Mike Peluso

Theme: White House Insiders - The initials of eight presidents, their number of the presidency indicated in the brackets, are embedded inside each familiar phrase.

23A. *Obligation payable within a year (37): SHORT-TERM NOTE. Richard Milhous Nixon.

38A. *Ceremonial, as Anglican ritual (31): HIGH CHURCH. Herbert Clark Hoover.

54A. *Line dancer? (18): CHORUS GIRL. Ulysses S. Grant. His real first name is Hiram, which appears in crossword occasionally.

75A. *Double martini, e.g. (32): STIFF DRINK. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

92A. *AOL service (44): WEB HOSTING. Barack Hussein Obama.

110A. *Arizona attraction (34): PAINTED DESERT. Dwight David Eisenhower. Ike.

16D. *Hurting for money (33): CASH STRAPPED. Harry S. Truman.

60D. *Aviation pioneer (40): WILBUR WRIGHT. Ronald Wilson Reagan.

84D. Clothing embroidery, maybe, and a hint to finding the "insiders" in the answers to starred clues: MONOGRAM

All of the initials span two words. I don't think it's possible to find phrases containing JFK & LBJ due to their consonant combination.

After seeing the puzzle title and the bracketed numbers in the starred theme clues, I grokked the theme immediately. Unfortunately it did not help my solve much, as I only know the presidency numbers of Obama and Reagan. And I only know the middle initials of FDR, DDE & HST.

A few thorny spots here and there. Overall a very pleasant solve. Great to see Mike Peluso's byline. It's been a long time. The Valentine's Day last Sunday might have bumped Mike's President's Day puzzle to today.

Across:

1. Chatterbox: MAGPIE. Noisy.

7. Seven Sisters school: VASSAR. Jackie Kennedy attended Vassar.

13. PSAT takers: JRS

19. Some L-shaped wrenches: ALLENS. The hexagonal wrenches.

20. Substandard: CRUMMY

21. Moray, say: EEL

22. Palindromic Altar: ARA. Latin for "altar".

25. Visits: STOPS BY

27. PC key: TAB. Would prefer just "Computer key". PC suggests abbreviation. TAB is not.

28. Dutchman who painted "Gypsy Girl": HALS (Frans). Here is the "Gypsy Girl".

29. Blonde bombshell Diana: DORS. Very Marilyn-like.

30. Beauty, to Keats: TRUTH. "Beauty is truth, truth beauty".

31. Illness: MALADY

33. "__ match?": GOT A

34. Two-time U.S. Open champ: AGASSI (Andre). He has such a soft voice.

37. Can, after "is": ABLE TO

42. Turkey, maybe: TOM. Mr. Turkey.

43. Web addresses, briefly: URLS

44. In a few minutes: SOON. So is ANON.

46. Californie, e.g.: ETAT. State. Californie is French for California. We also have Spanish for states ESTADOS (6D. Tejas y Nuevo México, por ejemplo).

47. Span. title: SRTA (Señorita). And MADAME (120A. Frau, in France). Frau is German for Madam.

48. Authority to decide: SAY-SO

50. Kiss, to Luis: BESO. As in Paul Anka's song "Eso Beso" (That Kiss).

53. Tic or twinge: SPASM

57. Use FedEx: SHIP. Thought of MAIL first.

58. Audi rival: BMW

63. Filled French fare: CREPES. Nice alliteration.

66. Eave droppers: ICICLES. Great clue.

68. Mountain man, maybe: LONER. "Deliverance" is a scary movie.

69. Santiago native: CHILEAN. Santiago is the capital of Chile.

70. Synagogue text: TALMUD (TAHL-mood). Literally "instruction" in Hebrew.

71. Leisurely stroll: PASEO. New word to me.

72. Mob enforcer: GOON

74. Auction activities: BIDS

77. When repeated, 1963 hit with alleged obscene lyrics determined by the FBI to be "unintelligible at any speed": LOUIE. Faintly remember someone mentioned "Louie Louie" on the blog before. Sex & drug lyrics, I presume.

80. Come up short: FAIL

81. Self-reproach: SHAME

86. He orbited Earth 314 days before John: YURI (Gagarin)

87. Agreement: PACT

88. Polite rural reply: YES'M

90. Hymn starter: O GOD

91. State so. of Queensland: NSW (New South Wales)

96. Nearby: AROUND

98. Ancient invader of Greece: XERXES. The Persian king. Quite creepy in the movie "300".

100. Remedy: CURE

101. Punic Wars general: SCIPIO (SIP-ee-oh). The Roman general who defeated Hannibal. Stymied me.

102. "Able was __ ...": I ERE I. The famous palindrome "Able was I ere I saw Elba".

104. Woody's son: ARLO (Guthrie)

105. Theodore, to Wally: BEAV. "Leave it to Beaver".

106. L on a tag: Abbr.: LGE (Large). Not fond the clue. Letter repetition.

108. RSVP option: REGRETS

113. Ultimate degree: NTH

114. Old "King" Cole: NAT. Why "Old"?

115. Way of the Romans?: APPIAN. The Appian Way. Ancient Roman road.

116. Genesis peak: ARARAT. Where Noah's Ark landed.

117. Relaxed, in a way: SAT

118. Chicken general?: TSO. General Tso's Chicken.

119. Save: RESCUE

Down:

1. Caravel feature: MAST

2. Granada palace: ALHAMBRA (al-HAM-bruh). Literally "the red one" in Arabic. Dictionary says The Alhambra is the finest example of Moorish architecture in Spain. Unknown to me.

3. How multi-nationals trade: GLOBALLY

5. Because: IN THAT

7. TV add-ons: VCRS

8. A slot machine has one: ARM

9. Partial rainbow: SUNDOG. Also new to me. Why "dog"?

10. Glib: SMOOTH

11. Amphibious vehicle: AMTRAC. No idea. It stands for Am(phibious) + Trac(tor), carrying troops from sea to shore.

12. Bar array: RYES. Was picturing drinks.

13. Fun: JEST

14. Take back: RETRACT

15. Shed, with "off": SLOUGH. Clear Ayes/Kazie/Lemonade just mentioned the different pronunciations of this word when it denotes different meaning.

17. Wall St. hedger: ARB (Arbitrager)

18. St. Pete athlete: RAY. Tampa Bay Rays.

24. Nevada Northern Railway Museum city: ELY. I glanced at the cheat sheet.

26. School gp.: PTA

32. Not as much: LESS

33. Knife hyped on TV: GINSU. But "WAIT, there's more (52A).

35. DTs sufferers: SOTS. DT = Delirium Tremens.

36. Islamic leader: IMAM

37. Country N. of Slovenia: AUS (Austria)

38. Makers of beds?: HOERS. Flower beds. Tricky clue.

39. Judge, e.g.: HEARER. Oh well, you can just about ER-ize any verb.

40. Water and elec.: UTILS

41. Snitch: RAT

45. Sarrusophone cousins: OBOES

47. Pitch: SPIEL. Sales pitch.

49. Form a certain front, in meteorology: OCCLUDE (uh-KLOOD). First encounter with this word.

51. Bone formation: OSTOSIS

52. Remove, as a silly grin: WIPE OFF

53. Reduces: SHRINKS

55. Listens to: HEEDS

56. Thief, in slang: GANEF. Hebrew for "thief". Stumper for me.

57. "Danke __": SCHON. "Thank you very much" in German.

58. Drill insert: BIT

59. 1988 Motown acquirer: MCA

64. __-de-vie: brandy: EAU

67. Early 10th century year: CMIII. 903.

68. Not prompt for: LATE TO

69. Stored ropes, e.g.: COILS

71. Intimidate mentally, with "out": PSYCH

72. "Peer Gynt Suite" composer: GRIEG (Edvard). Nope. Don't know this Norwegian composer.

76. Pop singer Taylor __: DAYNE. I wanted SWIFT.

77. Wildcat with tufted ears: LYNX. Also the name of our Minnesota WNBA team.

78. River of Yorkshire: OUSE (ooz).

82. Lobe dangler: HOOP. Earrings.

83. 2000 Best New Artist Grammy winner: AGUILERA (Christina). Beautiful voice.

87. Euro preceders: PESETAS (puh-SEY-tuh). The Spanish money.

89. Paving material: MACADAM. Named after the Scottish engineer who invented this material.

92. Failed to be: WEREN'T

93. Abrasion: SCRAPE

94. Blooms from bulbs: TULIPS

95. Having a twist: IRONIC. Had to bend my brain into a pretzel to think of the answer.

97. Yankee who is the A.L. career leader in saves: RIVERA (Mariano). From Panama. I like players who spend their entire career with one team.

99. Signer, at times: XER

101. But, to Cassius: SED. Like in "Non vi sed virtue" (not by force but by virtue). Yet one more new word to me.

103. What a colon means, in analogies: IS TO

104. On __ with: A PAR

105. Nota __: BENE. Literally "note well" in Latin.

107. Kitchen trailer?: ETTE. Kitchenette.

108. Some OR personnel: RNS

109. SFO info: ETA. ETA seems to appear more than ETD.

111. Cross shape: TAU

112. Down: SAD. "Where do you go when you're blue?...". Beautiful song. I love The Corrs.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday February 20, 2010 Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

Total blocks: 37

Total words: 70

Six great grid-spanning 15-letter multi-word entries in Across:

14A. Dating option: DINNER AND A MOVIE. Dinner before or after a movie? I like latter.

17A. Thank-you trinket, e.g.: INEXPENSIVE GIFT

24A. "My mind isn't made up yet": I CAN'T SAY FOR SURE. Nice clue/answer.

44A. "You've got a lot of nerve!": WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?. New idiom to me.

57A. Retaliatory steps: COUNTERMEASURES

61A. Ups and downs of one's youth?: TEETER-TOTTERING. In playground.

Another humbling slog. So many unknowns & unaccustomed references. But I was so pleased to see HAN (6D. River to the Yangtze) in the grid. It's the longest branch of the Yangtze River (longest river in China/Asia). Han River rises from my hometown Shaanxi Province (Xi'An is its capital). There are 56 ethnic groups in China, about 92% are Han, which is named after the river. I am a Han.

Factual error with ACTA (48D. Washington Nationals manager Manny). Manny Acta is now with the Cleveland Indians.

Across:

1. Spoiled sci-fi race: ELOI. The "spoiled race" in "The Time Machine". Got me.

5. Engage in a high-tech scam: PHISH

10. High-tech mogul Michael: DELL. Founder of Dell Computer. I liked the "high-tech" sequence.

18. Arachnid's hatching pouch: EGG SAC. Here is a black widow spider and her egg sac.

19. Hole in your shoe?: EYELET. D'oh! Shoelace hole.

20. Lemon-colored quartz: CITRINE. New definition to me. Thought citrine is just an adjective for citrus.

32. Ill-advised move: NO-NO

33. German-born surrealist: ERNST (Max)

34. Oka River city: OREL (aw-REL). South of Moscow. New to me. Both the city and the damned river.

35. Stretched out: LAIN. Past particle of "lie". Dictionary gives an example: "The broad plain that lies before us". I filled in EKED.

36. Hindu fire god: AGNI (UHG-nee). Utter unknown unknown.

37. Peak: ACME

38. Perfect Sleeper maker: SERTA

43. French cathedral city: METZ. Metz Cathedral (Gothic) is nicknamed "God's Lantern". Stumper.

47. Extra: TO SPARE

48. Like chinchillas: ANDEAN

52. It may accompany a new experience: DEJA VU. Clever in retrospect.

62. What's more: ALSO

64. Capital on Upolu Island: APIA. Capital of Samoa.

Down:

1. Jack Kerouac's first wife: EDIE. Man, too obscure a clue for me.

3. Universal donor's type, briefly: O NEG. Keep reading the answer as ONE G.

4. Michael Hutchence's band: INXS. Pronounced like "in excess".

5. Exact: PRECISE

7. Former green card agcy.: INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service). Now the green card is handled by USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). I still call it INS.

8. Reagan mil. program: SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative). Known as the Star Wars, informally.

9. One living in poverty: HAVE-NOT

10. Old Venetian magistrate: DOGE. Italian for "duke"?

11. Dark: EVIL

12. It's "too short for chess": Henry J. Byron: LIFE. Have never heard of the quote.

13. Neighbor of an Estonian: LETT. The Latvian.

15. Solar year/lunar year differential: EPACT (EE-pakt). Was surprised that I did not know this word, considering that I often measure my day/year with Chinese lunar calendar.

16. "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" director Nicholas: MEYER. Should I know him?

21. Sea dog: TAR. Both slang for "sailor".

22. Rembrandt van __: RYN. Ryn & Rijn & Rhine are the same, right, Kazie?

23. They may happen: IFS. Nice clue.

24. Oft-maligned kin: IN-LAW. True with my Mom's family.

25. Signaler in a box: COACH. Baseball.

26. Jung's inner self: ANIMA. Contrasted with "persona", the "public self".

27. The Muses. e.g.: NONET. There are nine Muses.

28. "Likewise": SO AM I

29. Pressed: URGED

30. Income, in Cannes.: RENTE. I used to think rente is French for "rent". It's actually "loyer".

31. The "her" in Broadway's "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face": ELIZA. From "My Fair Lady" . I peeked at the answer sheet.

38. Rock-throwing protesters: STONERS

39. Words of doubt: EHS

40. Good name: REP (Reputation). No hint for abbr.?

41. Abbr. for an unknown 42-Down: TBA. And AIR DATE (42d. When something is on). Wanted AIR TIME.

45. Express: STATE

46. Honkers: GEESE

50. Member's payment: DUES

51. Prefix with -zoic.: ENTO. Prefix for "within". Entozoic is (of a parasitic animal) living within the body of its host.

53. __ Mountains, which separate the Rhine and the Rhone: JURA. Located in the north of the Alps. Jura is literally "forest". Alien to me.

54. "what __!": "I've been had!": A RIP

55. Caesarean opening: VENI. The opening of Caesar's boast "Veni, vidi, vici". I was picturing childbirth.

56. Links-governing org.: USGA (United States Golf Association). Links = Golf.

59. Calendar col.: MON

60d/ X-files subjects, for short: ETS. Three consecutive Down abbreviations in this section.

Answer grid.

Happy LXV-th Birthday, Argyle!

C.C. the HAN

Friday February 19, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: AGELESS (39D. Eternal, and a hint to this puzzle's phonetic theme) - The AGE sound is dropped from each familiar phrase.

17A. Newly certified coroner's assignment?: FIRST MORGUE. First Mortgage.

24A. Lord's ointment?: NOBLE SALVE. Noble Savage.

34A. Mutt with a conscience?: MORAL CUR. Moral Courage.

38A. Sitting Bull telling raunchy jokes?: RAW SIOUX. Raw Sewage. On my breakfast table?

50A. Taxi with no empty seats?: STUFFED CAB. Stuffed Cabbage.

58A. Topping for schnitzel?: VIENNA SAUCE. Vienna Sausage.

(Today's puzzle analysis is provided by John Lampkin, who gave us the wonderful "Waiting for the Great Pumpkin" puzzle last year.)

Thanks, C.C., for inviting me to share my thoughts as a fellow constructor of LAT puzzles.

Those who know Dan's catalogue will recognize his work immediately - seven clever and amusing theme entries, stacks of white on the sides, and mostly sparkling fill with witty clues. How did he do it?

This is a "drop-a-letter-string" idea, and one game that's fun for solvers to play is "How many more can we think of that Dan didn't use?" Typing in *AGE at morewords.com kicks out 411 words that end in AGE. Among them is BANDAGE. Dropping the AGE gives us BAND which seems that it would work with ACE BAND or some such. But wait! That won't work because Dan took one more step. His new phrase involves a homophone. The SAV in SAVAGE became SALVE, the COUR in COURAGE became CUR, and so on. It is this twist that makes this a Friday and not a Wednesday puzzle.

Continuing our search, we see MARRIAGE. That will work! We can get (the elusive but possible) HAPPY MARRIAGE which will become HAPPY MARE: Kentucky Derby winner, perhaps? Readers, how many more can you find?

A good crossword succeeds on several levels. It's lively and fun, educational, clever, and visually pleasing. My own taste is to avoid "cheater squares" whenever possible. Imagine how much more elegant the grid would look without those single side blocks and the blocks at the end of 30A and its mate! Dan probably tried, but wound up with cruddy fill. There is usually a tradeoff, and clean lively fill trumps all. Perfection in art is elusive, yes?

There is another element that can elevate a good puzzle to a higher stature - emotional engagement. Most of you know that Dan recently succumbed to illness and passed away and that this is another opus posthumous. Art gives us a glimpse into the life of its creator. His first theme entry is FIRST MORGUE, which he surely knew was an ironic and poignant foreshadowing. Sigh.

Bottom line: Once again I am impressed by Dan's craftsmanship and deeply moved by his humanity.

Across:

1. Unceremoniously breaks up with: DUMPS. And ENDS IT (26D. Breaks up). How sad!

6. 1996 film that won Best Original Screenplay: FARGO. Made by the Coen brothers, the pride of Minnesota.

11. Pro bono TV ad: PSA (Public Service Announcement)

14. As a friend, to François: EN AMI. En = As.

15. Greg Evans comic strip: LUANN. I've never heard of this comic strip.

16. Pumpjack output: OIL

19. Wash. Nats' division: NLE (National League East)

20. Daffy duo?: EFS. The letter F (spelled as "EF") appears twice in Daffy.

21. Generation: ERA

22. In pursuit of: AFTER

29. Isn't wrong?: AIN'T. Grammatically wrong.

30. Flood deterrents: DRAINS

31. Words spoken with a yawn, perhaps: IT'S LATE

33. TV palomino: MR ED. The talking horse: "A horse is a horse, of course, of course ..."

35. Annoying negotiator: STALLER. Oh, like those congress filibusterers.

42. Cops may keep them on suspects: TABS. Idiom: Keep tabs on = keep track of.

46. Rabbitlike rodents: AGOUTIS. I can never remember this word. Dictionary says they are destructive to sugar canes. Here is a photo John Lampkin snapped in Trinidad a few years ago. He loves nature photography.

47. Gulf War reporter Peter: ARNETT. When he was with CNN. I've heard several in-depth interviews with him.

49. Peddle: VEND

53. Disappointed postgame comment: I LOST

55. Back muscle, for short: LAT. Short for latissimus dorsi.

56. Nest builder: ANT. Thought ants build hills rather than nests.

57. Seventh-largest st.: NEV. Don't know this trivia.

63. Legal ending: ESE. Ending of the word legalese.

64. Bugs once sought by cops: MORAN. A Chicago Prohibiton-era gangser. Nicknamed Bugs. Gang slang for "completely crazy". Stumped me.

65. Havens: OASES

66. Old map inits.: SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic)

67. Steamed: ANGRY

68. Take forcibly: WREST

Down:

1. Stand up for: DEFEND. "Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights..." Love Bob Marley.

2. Combat outfit: UNIFORM

3. Candy "whose success is out of this world": MARS BAR. Now called Snickers Almond in the U.S.

4. Downing St. bigwigs: PMS (Prime Ministers)

6. Botanist's study: FLORA

7. Hearing-related: AURAL. Sometimes the answer is OTIC.

8. Wiper: RAG. The cleaning cloth.

9. Migratory African critter: GNU. Curvedly horny.

10. Fit to serve: ONE A

11. Firebird maker: PONTIAC. I like C/K ending words.

12. Guest letter?: SILENT U. The U is silent in the word Guest.

13. Siren, for one: ALERTER. And earlier STALLER. One ER suffix enough in the grid.

18. Predicament: MESS

23. Pride follower, so they say: FALL. "Pride comes before fall".

25. It's not true: LIE. So, "True Lies" is an oxymoron.

27. Baroque stringed instrument: VIOL. In the 16th and 17th centuries.

28. Raison d'__: ETRE. Satori is the raison d'être of Zen.

32. "No Exit" dramatist: SARTRE. Womanizer! My brother loves his "Being and Nothingness".

34. Half of MMCXX: MLX. Don't like the MX repetition, and crossing STALLER, a word no one ever says, in the center it's even worse.

36. "What I look forward __ continued immaturity followed by death": Dave Barry: TO IS. Dennis might have quoted this line in his Words of Wisdom once. He loves Dave Barry.

37. Hung. neighbor: AUST. Austria. I blanked, but then enjoyed the vague naughtiness.

38. Coulees: RAVINES. Coulee is a new word to me. Same pronunciation as coolies.

40. Convinced: WON OVER

41. Brewski: SUDS

44. Unsatisfying response to "Why?": BECAUSE. Nice clue.

45. Positions: STANCES

47. Aqua Velva competitor: AFTA. Punning on "after". The after shave lotion.

48. Exam given intradermally, for short: TB TEST. Tuberculosis Test. Obtained the answer from crosses.

51. Like the nerve near an arm bone: ULNAR

52. Rear: FANNY

54. "South Park" rating: TV MA. Mature Audiences. Got me again.

59. H+, for one: ION. Charged atom.

60. Work unit: ERG. From Greek Ergon, literally "work".

62. Rhine feeder: AAR. Sometimes it's AARE. Rising in the Bernese Alps and flowing to the Rhine.

Answer grid.

John & C.C.

PS: Please click here for John's "Waiting for the Great Pumpkin" puzzle. Here is the answer.