Friday June 4, 2010 Kelsey Blakley

Theme: Magic I - Letter I is attached to the end of a common phrase.

17A. College administrator's cocktail?: DEAN MARTINI. Dean Martin. The only theme entry where the added I changed a two-syllable sound into three-syllable one.

30A. Still in love with a legendary giant?: NOT OVER YETI. Not Over Yet. Yeti the Abominable Snowman. One syllable to two.

47A. Vehicle delivering the weekly checks?: PAYROLL TAXI. Payroll Tax. One syllable to two also.

63A. Equine teacher of Japan?: HORSE SENSEI. Horse Sense. Sensei is Japanese for "teacher". Literally "one who was born first". Sen = First. Sei = Birth. Same as Chinese. One syllable to two syllable as well. And the only I that's attached to the end of a vowel rather than a consonant.

All of the four theme answers have 11 letters. Quite scrabbly. I spotted 4 Z's.

Several of the Down clues delighted me today:

32D. Surfer's read: EZINE. E Magazine. Computer "surfer".

33D. Sentence lengths: TERMS. Prison sentence.

54D. Small fry: TYKE. Not fish.

55D. Debugging agent?: RAID. The bug killer Raid.

Several other clues have a fresh feel too.

Across:

1. Voting group: BOARD. OK, Board of Directors.

6. Big splash maker of the '60s: SHAMU. Was unaware of this original Shamu story.

11. Bit of a tryst exchange: COO. Ha ha, I know Rich would not clue SEX this way.

14. Invest, as with a quality: ENDUE. Put in ENDOW.

15. Navigational aid: LORAN. Long Range Radio Aid to Navigation. Always wanted RADAR.

16. Wood-shaping tool: ADZ

19. Product name derived from the German word for peppermint: PEZ. From German "Pfefferminz". New to me.

20. Requiring less effort: EASIER

21. Inspection requiring scales: AUTOPSY

23. Henpeck: NAG AT

26. Encouraging sound: RAH

27. Former Secret Service weapon: UZI. No longer in use, Argyle?

35. Old Chevy: NOVA. No va is "no go" in Spanish, correct?

37. Romance novelist Roberts: NORA

38. Bagel order, maybe: DOZEN. I've never ordered that many bagels.

39. Blusters: CROWS. I associate crow with brag rather than bluster.

41. Phone bk. listings: NOS

42. Christmas tree adornment: SKIRT. Is yours red also?

43. White House middle name: ABRAM. James Garfield's middle name.

44. Addie's husband in "As I Lay Dying" : ANSE. No idea. So close to the "Latin handle" ANSA.

46. Generous offer: ON ME

50. Alien's subj.: ESL (English as a Second Language). We have a few ESL teachers on the blog: Lucina, Dot, who else?

51. Joey's mom: DOE. Was unaware that a female kangaroo is called a doe. A baby kangaroo is Joey.

52. Eastwood's 1978 "co-star" Clyde, e.g.: ORANG. In "Every Which Way But Loose". I drew a blank.

54. "I wouldn't lie!": TRUST ME

58. E. Sicilian peak: MT ETNA. We often see ETNA alone.

62. Verb for Popeye: YAM. "I yam what I yam".

66. Sleep, in Sussex: KIP. Verb. It can also be noun meaning "bed". New word to me.

67. Firth: INLET

68. Without face value, as stock: NO PAR

69. Mag wheels?: EDS (Editors). Magazine big wheels.

70. "We don't see __ ..." : EYE TO. Did you get it immediately?

71. Not bland: TASTY. And HOT (7D. Like sauce with a kick).

Down:

1. Eliot's "Adam __": BEDE. Learned from doing Xword.

2. Most fit for drafting: ONE A

3. Entry-level legal jobs: Abbr. : ADAS. OK, Assistant District Attorneys.

4. Clash: RUN IN

5. Put down: DEMEAN

6. 35mm camera choice: SLR (Single-Lens Reflex)

8. Rossini specialty: ARIA

9. Soil enricher: MANURE

10. Cirque du Soleil costumes: UNITARDS. Uni + (leo)tard. With full lengh stockings. Maybe Dennis knows. I don't.

11. Sadie Hawkins Day creator: CAPP (Al)

12. "__ of Solomon": religious works: ODES. Guessed.

13. Osbourne of Black Sabbath: OZZY. Such a DF family.

18. About 1% of the Earth's atmosphere: ARGON. Inert gas. Literally "idle".

22. 1971 John Lennon song: OH YOKO. Here is the song. Blind spot for me.

24. Unkeyed: ATONAL

25. Leafs' home: TORONTO. Toronto Maple Leafs. NHL team.

27. Open, as a brew: UNCAP

28. Anthony Quinn title role: ZORBA. ''Zorba the Greek''. 1964 movie.

29. Old billiard ball material: IVORY

31. Poughkeepsie college: VASSAR. Jackie Kennedy attended Vassar.

34. Chip maker: INTEL. Computer chips.

36. Arbitration decisions: AWARDS

40. Blended fruit drink: SMOOTHIE

45. They may be physical: EXAMS. Nice clue too.

48. Like some meringue: LEMONY. Have never had lemon meringue.

49. Rapt: INTENT

53. Columbus's birthplace: GENOA

56. Tag determiners: UMPS. Baseball "tag".

57. Della's creator: ERLE. Erle Stanley Gardner. Della Street is Perry Mason's secretary.

59. Dosage abbr. : TSPS

60. Bang-up: NEAT

61. Like breezeways: AIRY

64. Headstrong: SET

65. DDE's arena: ETO (European Theater of Operations)

Thank you for the sweet comments/emails yesterday, everyone. They meant a lot to me. I was eligible for citizenship six years ago, but had never seriously considered becoming an American until I started this blog and got to know all of you on a daily basis. You have made a huge difference in my life. Thank you.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday June 3, 2010 Mark Bickham

Theme: Yakety-Yak - Common phrases ending in verbal expressions are humorously interpreted and clued as if they were of a certain occupation.

18A. Musician's parlance?: KEY WORDS. Musical key. C Minor/Major, etc.

24A. Billiards player's parlance?: ENGLISH LANGUAGE. English is a "spinning motion imparted to a ball, esp. in billiards". Maybe Lois can educate us more about this term.

38A Mechanic's parlance? IDLE CHATTER. With engines running. I noticed the dreaded Utah shape, Jerome!

55A. Remodeler's parlance?: PANEL DISCUSSION. Two grid-spanning theme entries.

61A. Chiropractor's parlance? BACK TALK. I bet Jazzbumpa & Mainiac love this answer.

This puzzle scheme reminds me of Robert W Harris' "Imaginary Places" Melissa Bee blogged last January. Familiar two-word phrases ending in "locations" are punnily reinterpreted in correspondence to their clues. For example: ANNUAL PLANT is clued as "Where yearbooks are made?"

Interesting triple stacks of 6's in top left and bottom right corners. Across & Down. Should delight Dennis.

Across:

1. Cook, as Swiss steak: BRAISE. Brown & simmer.

7. "There never was a good" one, according to Franklin: WAR. So true.

10. Like many a head-turner: SEXY. Like Jessica Hart.

14. Imposed, as a tax: LEVIED

15. Fertility clinic cells: OVA

16. Colored: HUED

17. Getting on: AGEING. Oh, I simply use AGING. I also use "cluing", but I noticed Spitzboov uses "clueing".

20. Buddhist discipline: ZEN

21. 1773 jetsam: TEA. "Jetsam" in Boston Harbor.

23. Wall alternative, perhaps: MOAT. In Medieval time then.

30. Draft holder: STEIN

31. Make known: AIR

32. Spread out: SPLAY. New word to me. Related to "display". "Spread out" sounds very DF.

33. For time eterne: E'ER. We also have ERE (45. Bard's "before").

35. Mole user: Abbr. CIA. Spy mole.

37. Sailor's "Agreed": AYE

42. Fella: MAC

44. West of Hollywood: MAE. Mae West.

46. Hello or goodbye: ALOHA

49. Crime lab subject: DNA

51. Beginning: ALPHA. Oh, I did not know this extended meaning of alpha.

58. Heating device: COIL. Didn't come to me readily.

59. Sudan neighbor: Abbr.: ETH. Ethiopia. This abbr. answer stumps me all the time.

60. Dust remover: RAG

65. Arctic exploration tool: ICE AXE. Here is an image. Oh, Argyle, there is that ADZE!

67. Long-running reality show, familiarly: IDOL. "American Idol".

68. __-tzu: LAO. Literally "old master". Father of Taoism. Lao = Old in Chinese.

69. Syndicate: CARTEL

70. Court defense?: ZONE. Tennis or Basket court?

71. Bot. or chem.: SCI

72. Ticks off: ANGERS

Down:

1. Conflagrations: BLAZES

2. Temporary ruler: REGENT

3. Right, in a way: AVENGE. Right the wrong.

4. Junior's junior: III

5. Orlando newspaper: SENTINEL. Does it carry LAT puzzle?

6. Barely beats: EDGES. Alliteration.

7. Moo goo gai pan pan: WOK. The pan in "moo goo gai pan" means "slice".

8. Rosary recital: AVE MARIA. "Hail Mary". Catholic prayer.

9. Lustrous fabric: RAYON. Synthetic silk. Thought of SATIN first. We also have YDS (13. Fabric meas.). Fabric echo.

10. Fired wildly into, as an oater town: SHOT UP. Needed crossing help.

11. Where It.'s at: EUR. It. = Italy.

12. Marked with two lines: X'ED. Crossed out.

19. Some friendly greetings: WAGS. Dog.

22. "Bingo!" : AHA

25. Covered for a crony, perhaps: LIED. Alliteration. Could not fit in ABETTED.

26. Fungus-alga unions: LICHENS (LAHY-kuh n). The brownish mossy stuff? Have never heard of the word.

27. Onetime apple spray: ALAR

28. In high spirits: GAY

29. Inspect: EYE

34. Dream state acronym: REM. Rapid Eye Movement. A bit of eye duplication. Would've preferred the musical band clue here.

36. Absorbed, as a cost: ATE. Eat the cost.

38. Desktop image: ICON

39. Detroit's founder: CADILLAC. No idea. I just learned that the car Cadillac is named after this guy.

40. Garbage site: TRASH CAN. Awesome fill.

41. Congers, e.g. : EELS

42. Google Earth image: MAP

43. According to: A LA

47. Badger at the park: HECKLE. D'oh, ballpark. Tricky!

48. "Thanks __!" : A LOT

50. Adept type: ACE

52. Hook, for one: PIRATE. Captain Hook.

53. One who pulls a scam: HOAXER

54. Pinhead dancers?: ANGELS. Why? I don't get the clue.

56. Antique phone features: DIALS

57. City near Syracuse: UTICA. Spitzboov's hometown.

61. Profession, casually: BIZ

62. Flap: ADO. Noun.

63. Voting "nay": CON. Pro & Con.

64. Ornamental carp: KOI

66. Centimeter-gram-second unit: ERG. Only know it as "unit of work".

Answer grid.

On a personal note, I am excited to tell you that I became an American citizen yesterday afternoon after a very emotional swearing-in ceremony. When "Proud to be an American" was played right after the "Congratulations, new citizens" message from President Obama, my eyes welled up, tear fell.

It's been a long way. I enjoyed studying American Civics (history and government) and had a perfect score in my final test. I am proud to say that I now know who wrote the Federalist Papers. Do you?

C.C.