Tuesday May 18, 2010 Timothy L. Meaker

Theme: Trip - Counterculture phrase formed by the first two words of 20A, 37A, 53A, and coined by 66A in the 1960's.

20A. Provide some room illumination: TURN ON THE LIGHT

37A. TV promo exhortation: TUNE IN TONIGHT

53A. Disappear from the radar, so to speak: DROP OUT OF SIGHT

66A. Timothy who preached the message found in this puzzle's theme: LEARY. Notice the constructor's name Timothy also?

Argyle here.

Today's puzzle is like a mini-quote. Dr. LEARY recommended the use of LSD to achieve his message ("Turn on, tune in, drop out"), resulting in "trips". Unfortunately, some of these trips turned back. I hope no one here has a flashback from doing this puzzle.

Ah, yes, the puzzle. Easy theme (if you can remember the '60's) with decent fill. I'm blogging from my sister's laptop so I'm somewhat discombobulated.

Across:

1A. Resolute about: SET ON.

6A. Unwanted e-mail: SPAM.

10A. Church recess: APSE.

14A. Wind: Prefix: ANEMO. A typical wind anemometer.

15A. Doily material: LACE.

16A. Dom Perignon producer, familiarly: MOËT. Moët et Chandon champagne.

17A. Grammy winner Jones: NORAH. She is the daughter of Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar. (An echo of the '60's.)

18A. Gillette razor: ATRA.

19A. College in New Rochelle, N.Y.: IONA.

23A. In the past: AGO.

24A. Monogram of a '50s White House aspirant: AES. Adlai Ewing Stevenson.

25A. Speedy: RAPID.

27A. "Popcorn" shellfish: SHRIMP.

30A. Conditions: IFS.

32A. Anthem contraction: O'ER.

33A. On the fence: NOT SURE.

36A. Really long time: EONS.

40A. Decorative vases: URNS.

41A. Bright spot on a lunar halo: MOONDOG.

42A. Brit's rainwear: MAC (Mackintosh)

43A. Hymnals may be found in one: PEW.

44A. Marked down: ON SALE.

48A. Emergency tire: SPARE.

50A. Lab greeting: "ARF". Labrador Retriever.

52A. Teachers' org.: NEA. National Education Association

58A. Kennedy half, e.g.: COIN. The half dollar coin.

59A. Resting on: ATOP.

60A. Dote on: ADORE.

61A. Thoreau's Walden __: POND. Published in 1854, the title didn't mention the pond. "Walden; or, Life in the Woods"

62A. Jeweler Lalique: RENÉ. Renowned for his stunning creations of perfume bottles, vases, jewelery, chandeliers, clocks and in the latter part of his life, automobile hood ornaments. I did not know that.

63A. More under the weather: ILLER. The only real clunker in the bunch.

64A. Golden Fleece ship: ARGO.

65A. Went lickety-split: SPED.

Down:

1D. December temps: SANTAs. Can you believe it, this gave me trouble!

2D. "Stop!": "ENOUGH!".

3D. More than just fear: TERROR.

4D. Arabian Sea nation: OMAN.

5D. Manhattan area above Houston Street: NOHO. Stands for North of Houston Street . Soho is South of Houston.

6D. Pool table layer: SLATE.

7D. They may be beaten: PATHS.

8D. Farm unit: ACRE.

9D. Cafeteria offering: MEAL.

10D. Chihuahua gal pal: AMIGA. Spanish for "girlfriend". Chihuahua doesn't refer to the dog but the state in northern Mexico.

11D. Express disdain for: POOH-POOH.

12D. Conscious: SENTIENT.

13D. Greek vowel: ETA.

2D1. Quiet period at day care: NAP TIME.

22D. 1040-issuing org.: IRS.

26D. AMA members: DRs.

28D. Holiday buildings?: INNS. A reference to the movie, "Holiday Inn"?

29D. Bartender on "The Simpsons": MOE.

30D. Red meat nutrient: IRON.

31D. Keep away: FEND OFF.

34D. Winter blanket: SNOW.

35D. __-Aztecan languages: UTO. Got from the perps.

36D. Bacon go-with: EGGS.

37D. Hidden way out, maybe: TRAP DOOR.

38D. Hardly sympathetic: UNCARING.

39D. Electrical particle: ION.

40D. Speaker's hesitations: UMs.

43D. Get-up-and-go: PEP.

45D. Zambia neighbor: ANGOLA.

46D. "PBS NewsHour" anchor Jim: LEHRER.

47D. Hash house, e.g.: EATERY.

49D. Sonata movement: RONDO.

50D. Make things right: ATONE.

51D. Blocked (off), as a crime scene: ROPED.

54D. Dory propellers: OARS.

55D. Sun Bowl Stadium coll. team: UTEP. The University of Texas El Paso.

56D. Go to sea: SAIL.

57D. Goofing off: IDLE.

58D. 22-Down employee: CPA.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday May 17, 2010 Jack McInturff

Theme: A Man and his Horse - Celebrity cowboys and their horses.

17A. Cowboy who rode the end of 25-Across: ROY ROGERS. And 25A. Sensitive gun-firing mechanism: HAIR TRIGGER. Trigger was Roy's horse and his dog was Bullet.

31A. Cowboy who rode the end of 41-Across: LONE RANGER. And 41A. Anti-gold standard policy that climaxed in the Bryan-McKinley campaign: FREE SILVER. Some might say that the Lone Ranger wasn't strictly speaking, a cowboy and they'd be right. "FREE SILVER" policy can't be really explained in a few sentences. The gist of it was that it would promote inflation, which would make it easier for the little guy to repay loans and debts. The big financial institutions were against it.

46A. "Good Morning America" weatherman: SAM CHAMPION. And 58A. Cowboy who rode the end of 46-Across: GENE AUTRY. I'm partial to Gene because he sang "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer". I'm not familiar with this weatherman.

Argyle here.

Although I liked the theme (total 60 theme squares), I find many problems with the puzzle on the whole. The Lone Ranger not being a cowboy, I mentioned already. It would have been nice if Champion/Autry order could have matched the first two, the rider then his horse. But of course, the total number of letters of the pair dictates their order symmetrically.

There are obscure people, at least, obscure by Monday's standards. And then there is the glaring (because they are so close together) answer as part of a clue. 6D. Fragrant resin: ELEMI. /37D. Varnish ingredient: RESIN.

An ambitious effort with heavy blocks in two corners but I feel it falls short of a good Monday puzzle.

Across:

1A. Diagnostic procedure: SCAN.

5A. Potatoes' partner: MEAT. (meat and potatoes)

9A. Robert Burns and Sean Connery, e.g.: SCOTS.

14A. Inner Hebrides isle: IONA. Off the western shore of Scotland. Nice echo.

15A. Et __: and others: ALII. (masculine plural)

16A. Seer's card: TAROT. The whole deck is known as tarot, also

19A. Santa __ racetrack: ANITA. Horse racing, appropriately.

20A. Hustlers: CON MEN.

21A. Underage one: MINOR.

22A. Place to wipe your shoes: MAT.

27A. Three, in Tours: TROIS. French

29A. Enero begins it: AÑO. Enero / AÑO, today; año / ENERO, yesterday.

30A. Early bird's victim: WORM.

38A. Pat down, as dirt: TAMP.

39A. Came to: AWOKE.

40A. Flying shore scavenger: ERNE.

43A. Gen-__: post-baby boomers: X-ERs.

44A. One quarter of M: CCL. 1000÷4=250

45A. 10th-century emperor known as "the Great": OTTO I. 912-973 Considered by many historians to be the founder of the Holy Roman Empire.

53A. __ Arbor, Michigan: ANN.

54A. Golf tournament kickoff, often: PRO-AM.

55A. Basketball big man: CENTER. Big means tall; the player closest to the basket where his/her height helps in getting rebounds.

57A. Acrobat software creator: ADOBE. Founded in December 1982 by Charles Geschke and John Warnock, it was named after Adobe Creek which ran behind Warnock’s home in Los Altos, California

62A. Croatian-born physicist Nikola: TESLA. The only Nikola I know.

63A. Always: EVER.

64A. Olin of "Chocolat": LENA. I've never seen this movie. Is it any good?

65A. Legree-like look: SNEER. Another Simon. Simon Legree was a slave owner in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin.

66A. Designer Saarinen: EERO. Son of Eliel, also a Finnish architect and furniture designer.

67A. Test: EXAM.

Down

1D. Knight's title: SIR.

2D. Whisper sweet nothings: COO.

3D. "__ questions?": ANY.

4D. Drug cop: NARC.

5D. __ Carta: MAGNA. Briefly, the first document forced upon an English King to limit his powers by law and protect individual privileges.

7D. Broadcaster: AIRER.

8D. Old-fashioned denial: 'TISN'T.

9D. Endurance: STAMINA.

10D. "My turn?": "CAN I GO NEXT?".

11D. Round sealing gasket: O-RING.

12D. From head __: TO TOE.

13D. Ringo of the Beatles: STARR.

18D. Fireworks cries: OOHs.

22D. Workweek sequence: Abbr.: M T W T F. Tricky.

23D. Like a cheering crowd: AROAR.

24D. Velvet-voiced Mel: TORMÉ.

26D. Harder to find: RARER.

28D. Flawless: IMPECCABLE.

31D. Boxer Ali: LAILA. Muhammad Ali's daughter.

32D. "Wise" bird: OWL.

33D. Turkey mo.: NOV..

34D. __ out a living: EKE.

35D. Reclusive actress Garbo: GRETA.

36D. Bankrupt energy giant: ENRON. ENRON's leaders are reclusive now.

42D. Lay on thick, as cream cheese on a bagel: SCHMEAR. Most reference this as a small amount.

45D. Fit to serve: ONE-A.

46D. Tiffs: SPATS.

47D. Shakespearean forest: ARDEN. The setting for Shakespeare's play "As You Like It".

48D. Maine's state animal: MOOSE.

49D. Fibber or Molly of old radio: McGEE.

50D. "Pet" irritation: PEEVE.

51D. Kind of tube or ear: INNER.

52D. Alamogordo is its county seat: OTERO. In New Mexico. (Map) I think we've had it before but I don't know why!

56D. Occupy the throne: RULE.

59D. Stereotypical cowboy nickname: TEX. A slight echo.

60D. Genetic transmitter: Abbr.: RNA.

61D. Candied veggie: YAM.

Answer grid.

LA Times website does not work. You can download the puzzle here.

Argyle