Tuesday June 15, 2010 Robert Fisher

Theme: Hirsute Tuesday - The four targeted entries contain an item to tame this Tuesday puzzle. 50D is the unifier.

21A. *"The simplest solution is usually correct" principle: OCCAM'S RAZOR. Warning: spelling variation! Occam's razor or Ockham's razor is the principle attributed to 14th-century English logician, theologian and Franciscan friar William of Ockham (or Occam).

46A. *Speedy square-rigger: CLIPPER SHIP. Image in a bottle.

3D. *Bees' creation: HONEYCOMB. Here is an image of a honeycomb that isn't within a structure. It doesn't happen much in the northern climes.

32D. *Fast-spreading blaze, perhaps: BRUSH FIRE. Let us hope our Southwest friends are spared from any this year.

50D. Target for items found in the answers to starred clues: HAIR. Here's a HAIR clip.

Argyle here. Wow! I think I put on ten pounds reading yesterday's comments. I have to find me some Ro*Tel today.

The Across entries cut the hair and the Down entries do the grooming.

Mr. Fisher has given us two Monday puzzles before; now he has moved on to Tuesday. I'm looking forward to his Wednesday. Thirty-six four letter entries and 24 five letter entries. Are there cheater squares? You tell me.

Across:

1A. Soda since the 1920s: NEHI. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly's favorite, grape.

5A. "Get lost!": "SCRAM!".

10A. Hangs (around with): PALS.

14A. Sour milk tip-off: ODOR.

15A. Barter: TRADE.

16A. Elide: OMIT. Word Origin & History (Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper) Elide - 1590s, a legal term, "to annul, do away with," from M.Fr. elider, from L. elidere "strike out," from ex- "out" + -lidere, comb. form of laedere "to strike." Phonological sense is first recorded 1796.

17A. Tomato ripening spot: VINE. I thought of (window)sill first.

18A. Tiny bits: IOTAs.

19A. Bear with cold porridge: MAMA. Papa's was to hot but Baby Bear's was just right. From Goldilocks and the Three Bears fairy tale.

20A. Absorbed, as a loss: ATE.

23A. Tugs: YANKS. Not the NY kind this time JD.

25A. Where the Styx flows: HADES. In Greek mythology, Styx is the river that forms the boundary between Earth and the Underworld.

26A. Repeating series: CYCLE. First thought, baseball.

28A. Solid or liquid, e.g.: STATE.

30A. Nocturnal forest sounds: HOOTS.

31A. Turns on the waterworks, so to speak: BAWLS.

32A. Sports car protector: BRA. Image.

35A. Writer Bombeck: ERMA.

36A. Sentry's duty: VIGIL.

37A. It may be mopped or furrowed: BROW.

38A. Spider's "parlor": WEB.

39A. Jaunty cap: BERET.

40A. Something to fight for: CAUSE.

41A. Surfacing diver's concern, with "the": BENDS. Also called decompression sickness. The Wikipedia article was confusing, do we have a diver among us who can explain "the bends"?

42A. Ready to strike: POISED.

43A. Composer Edvard: GRIEG. Edvard Grieg (1843 – 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt (which includes Morning Mood and In the Hall of the Mountain King), and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.

45A. What some serum elicits?: TRUTH. Remember some of the old B-movies where the hero was threatened with truth serum. "We have ways of making you talk!"

49A. Govt. mtge. insurer: FHA. Federal Housing Administration

52A. Popular trend: RAGE.

53A. Lavish celebrations: FETES.

54A. Primitive timekeeper: DIAL. Sun DIAL reference, I assume.

55A. Bone-dry: ARID.

56A. Render harmless, as a gunman: UNARM.

57A. Spring bloomer: IRIS.

58A. River bottoms: BEDS.

59A. Cerebral segments: LOBES.

60A. Fiddling emperor: NERO.

Down:

1D. Bygone Chevy compact: NOVA.

2D. Make changes to: EDIT.

4D. Choler: IRE. Word Origin & History (Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper) Choler - late 14c., "bile," as one of the humors, supposed to cause irascibility or temper, from O.Fr. colre "bile, anger," from L.L. cholera "bile".

5D. Remote area, with "the": STICKS.

6D. Swamp swimmers: CROCS. Great alliteration.

7D. Pro __: RATA. In proportion; according to a certain rate.

8D. "The Wealth of Nations" author Smith: ADAM. Adam Smith (1723-1790) was a Scottish moral philosopher .

9D. Soldier's eatery: MESS HALL.

10D. 50-Down ointment: POMADE. Bonus theme related.

11D. Leave in shock: AMAZE.

12D. Upscale rides: LIMOs.

13D. Brigadier general's insignia: STAR.

21D. Binary system digits: ONES. The other binary system digits are zeros.

22D. "Phooey!": "RATS!".

24D. Calgary's prov.: ALTA.. Province of Alberta, Canada.

26D. Masticate: CHEW. Masticate - a word to make young boys snicker (because it sounds similar to masturbate.)

27D. Olden times: YORE.

28D. Swamis: SAGES. Some how the word, swami, developed a hokey feel even though swamis are religious teachers.

29D. Idiot, to a Brit: TWIT.

31D. Celtic great Larry: BIRD. He played basketball for the Boston Celtics through the 80's.

33D. Pink wine: ROSÉ.

34D. Impressed profoundly: AWED.

36D. Seeking payback: VENGEFUL.

37D. Worm on a line: BAIT. My favorite clue today.

39D. Electronic alert: BEEP.

40D. Cabal's plan: COUP. A cabal is a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority.

41D. Kangaroos and humans, e.g.: BI-PEDS. Come on, they use their tail as a third leg, should that make then tri-peds?

42D. Light benders: PRISMS.

43D. Harsh light: GLARE.

44D. Unbending: RIGID.

45D. When repeated, comforting words: THERE.

46D. "Hermit" crustacean: CRAB.

47D. Ashcroft's predecessor: RENO. John Ashcroft, 79th United States attorney general. Janet Reno, 78th Attorney General (and first woman in the position).

48D. Wild guess: STAB.

51D. Moreover: ALSO.

54D. Confused roar: DIN.

Answer grid.

JD's Crossword Story continues. Here is the updated version with letter E.

Argyle

Monday June 14, 2010 Bruce Venzke

Theme: Plunge into Monday - The last word of each two-word noun phrase means to go down (like BP stock) when taken as verbs. All four are nouns too, but with little connection.

17A. Cold sufferer's decongestant: NOSE DROPS

28A. 18-Down washing places: KITCHEN SINKS

47A. Honeymoon mecca: NIAGARA FALLS

64A. Creamy bowlfuls for chips: PARTY DIPS

Argyle here.

This is Monday; I checked. If you aren't versed in crosswordese, this could be tough. I constantly had to check the perps to see if I was on the right track. It is consistent with other offerings from Bruce Venzke.

Do you have a favorite recipe for party dip you would like to share? Me, I'm lazy and buy the pre-made stuff.

Across:

1A. Very attentive: RAPT.

5A. Kibbutz dance: HORA. Kibbutz is a Israel community settlement and hora is a traditional round dance.

9A. Throat ailment: STREP.

14A. Blond race in "The Time Machine": ELOI. The Eloi are one of the two post-human races in H. G. Wells' 1895 novel The Time Machine. They are the main source of food for the other race, the Morlocks.

15A. Hatchets: AXES.

16A. Under-the-bridge folklore villain: TROLL. From the story of the three Billy Goats Gruff..

19A. Reach a cost of: RUN TO.

20A. Prevail over, at an auction: OUTBID.

21A. Paddock pop: SIRE. Alliteration. Paddocks are associated with horses, mostly.

23A. Internet address punctuation: DOT.

24A. Gobi Desert locale: ASIA.

26A. Four __: luxury hotel: SEASONS. A Canadian-based international luxury hotel.

32A. Breakfast area: NOOK.

33A. Canonized woman of Fr.: STE..

34A. Early anesthetic: ETHER.

38A. FGs often end them: OTs. In football, a field goal ends a "sudden death" overtime, where the first team to score, wins. Change is in the works to allow the opposing team a chance to score. (modified sudden death)

39A. Stiffly formal: STILTED. Perhaps from the action of a man walking on stilts; he is unbending.

42A. __ League: IVY. The Ivy League consists of Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale. The "Ivy" part of Ivy League is a reference to the plants that climb all over many of the old campus buildings at each school.

43A. Dressing table vessel, perhaps: BASIN. More likely, it would be on a dry sink, with an ewer. Image, with chamber pot!

45A. It's "the word": MUM.

46A. Ballet bend: PLIÉ.

51A. Nightclub enforcer: BOUNCER.

54. Be in on: KNOW.

55A. Superlative ending: EST.

56A. Fast food tycoon Ray: KROC. Don't mention him around Jeannie. (He is Mickey D. and she works for the King, Burger that is.)

58A. Gemini rockets: AGENAs. The Agena not only served as a docking target for the Gemini spacecraft , but the rocket was also fired on several Gemini missions in order to boost the combination to a higher orbit, and to bring it back again. Agena is also the name of a star in the constellation Centaurus. Wikipedia.

62. "You can't get __ from here": THERE. Ayup, true enuff over in Vermont.

66A. Barbershop quartet voice: TENOR.

67A. New York canal: ERIE.

68A. Words after shake or break: A LEG.

69A. Bosox rivals: YANKS.

70A. Society newcomers: DEBS.

71A. Cell phone message: TEXT.

Down:

1D. Vegas alternative: RENO. Nevada cities.

2D. 1966 N.L. batting champ Matty: ALOU. (without his brothers today.)

3D. Newsgroup message: POST.

4D. Curtain restraint: TIEBACK.

5D. Most robust: HARDIEST.

6D. Losing tic-tac-toe row: OXO.

7D. Weight room count: REPS. Repetitions.

8D. St. Francis of __: ASSISI.

9D. Barely ran?: STREAKED. As in ran bare. The Streak by Ray Stevens.

10D. Show about Capote: "TRU". Truman Capote, American author.

11D. Sonata finale, often: RONDO. Sonata Rondo Form from Wikipedia.

12D. Pop singer John: ELTON. Sir Elton John.

13D. Garden layouts: PLOTS.

18D. Spoon companion of rhyme: DISH.
Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon

22D. Cartoon Chihuahua: REN. Ren is partnered with Stimpy, a cat.

25D. Against: ANTI.

27D. Old boom-creating speedster, briefly: SST. SuperSonic Transport, no longer in service.

28D. Gearshift topper: KNOB.

29D. Greek "i": IOTA.

30D. Mix, as a salad: TOSS.

31D. 1965 Freedom March city: SELMA. Alabama

35D. Country singer Faith: HILL.

36D. Pernicious: EVIL. Pernicious, to cause great harm.

37D. Whiskey choices: RYEs. Some would rather choose Scotch, ;-)

39D. Candy bar that makes you chuckle?: SNICKERS.

40D. Ankara native: TURK. Ankara is the capital of Turkey.

41D. Issues (from): EMANATES. The long version of EMITS.

44D. Country stopover: INN.

46D. Examined, cat-style: PAWED AT.

48D. __ Lingus: AER. Ireland's favourite airline.

49D. Felt one's way: GROPED.

50D. Stodgy old-timer: FOGY.

51D. Wilma's pal on "The Flintstones": BETTY. Wilma Flintsone and Betty Rubble, BFF.

52D. Milo of "The Verdict": O'SHEA. He had the part of Judge Hoyle in this 1982 film.

53D. Knoxville sch.: U TENN. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, founded in 1794.

57D. Part of TLC: CARE. Tender Loving CARE

59D. Christie's "Death on the __": NILE. Agatha Christie's murder mystery first published in 1937.

60D. Nadir's opposite: APEX. Nadir - lowest point; APEX - highest point.

61D. High-ranking NCO: SSGT. Staff sergeant, E-6.

63D. Seoul soldier: ROK. Korean.

65D. Poke fun at: RIB.

Well, that was the most work I've done on a Monday in a long time.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday June 13, 2010 John Lampkin

Theme: Final Advice - Familiar phrases are playfully clued as advice on how to ace a seemingly related course in finals.

23A. To ace Music Theory, don't wander off __: IN LA-LA LAND. Zoned out. La "a note to follow so". The sixth tone.

28A. To ace Oceanography, don't let the prof know you've __: GONE FISHING. Store sign. Taking a break.

40A. To ace Agricultural Science, avoid __ : GRASPING AT STRAWS. Being desperate.

69A. To ace Electrical Engineering, don't fall __: ASLEEP AT THE SWITCH. Not attending one's job.

95A. To ace Math, avoid being __: AT SIXES AND SEVENS. A state of confusion/disarray. Numbers & Math connection.

114A.To ace Cosmology, don't get __: LOST IN SPACE. The '60s sci-fi series.

120A.To ace Culinary Arts, avoid being __: OUT TO LUNCH. Not in touch with the real world. Crazy.

As the norm with John Lampkin (a musician) puzzles, there are music references:

116A.Clementi work: SONATINA. Clementi was an Italian composer best known for his piano sonatas and sonatinas, according to Wikipeida.

126A.Piano players?: HANDS. Wicked clue!

5D. Played crisply and detached, in mus.: STAC (Staccato)

36D. Slowing, in mus.: RIT (Ritardando)

115D.Schoenberg's "Moses und __": ARON. Three-act opera by Schoenberg, an Austrian/American composer. Maybe Elvis knew. I've got no clue.

Many probably would not notice that there's no cheater square in the whole grid (140-word, 4 less than our normal Sundays), which spoils the elegance of the puzzle in John's eyes. It takes some discipline and effort not to use the shortcut when you know it's there.

Again, a pangram, all 26 letters are used at least once. John said he always makes his Sunday a pangram to spice up the fill. And of course, his legendary cross-references & clue echos, which are highlighted in green colors in my write-up.

My favorite clues today are:

103./: SLASH

104., : COMMA

Very unexpected and fun. Great placement too. At first I thought those were printing errors.

Across:

1. 1996 Dream Team nickname: SHAQ (O'Neal). And LAY-UPS (24D. Dream Team shots).

5. Hit hard: SMASH

10. Bit of dough: CLAM. And LUCRE (22. "Filthy" dough)

14. Puritans: PRIGS. And MAYFLOWER (13D. Puritans' transport).

19. Machu Picchu's country: PERU. And INCAS (112D. Machu Picchu natives).

20. It goes from one joint to another: TIBIA. And KNEES (124. Creeping joints). Brilliant misdirections. Not the seedy bar joints I had in mind.

21. Role in the 1992 film "Chaplin": OONA. Easy guess.

25. Word with clerk or hall: CITY. City clerk. City hall.

26. "Save me __": A SEAT

27. Closet hangers: TIE RACKS

30. Piquant: ZESTY

31. Sycophant: YES-MAN

34. Rear-end: SLAM INTO. And DENT (127. Rear end blemish?).

35. Held by us: OUR. Our blog.

37. Done for: KAPUT. A seldom seen entry.

39. Arab League member: OMAN. IRAQ too, also 4 letters.

46. Clarified butter: GHEE. Indian cooking.

50. Clerical VIP: REV. And DIR (60. Film studio VIP).

51. Mink kin: STOAT

52. Certain about: SURE OF

54. Waterfront org.: ILA (International Longshoremen's Association)

55. Sudanese president __ al-Bashir: OMAR. Not familiar with this dude. Looks like a tyrant.

57. Vacuum, e.g.: CLEAN. Verb "vacuum".

61. Olympic racers: LUGES

63. Brobdingnagian: GOLIATH. Brobdingnagian is named after Brobdingnag, fictional land in Johnathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels", where everything was huge.

66. Shape using heat: FORGE. Verb "shape".

68. Beach protection: SUN HAT

73. Scrapped, as a car: JUNKED. And LEASE (75. Car dealer's deal). Consecutive "car" clues.

76. Poetic "soon": ERELONG

79. Ref. set: ENCYC (Encyclopedia)

80. Harmless cyst: WEN

81. Cheri of "SNL": OTERI. She has become a gimme.

84. Smack back?: EROO. Back of the word smackeroo.

85. Fed. medical org.: NIH (National Institutes of Health)

86. "We build, we fight" military member: SEABEE. From letters CB (Construction Battalion).

89. Tennessee father-son politicos: GORES. Nice change from gory horn related clue.

92. Turn on the waterworks, so to speak: SOB. True.

93. Jump for Sonja: AXEL. And HENIE (2. 1932 Lake Placid gold medalist Sonja) & SKATE (32D. Emulate 2-Down).

99. Uruguay's Punta del __: ESTE

101.Rationed (out): DOLED

102.Clavell's "__-Pan": TAI. Literally "big" in Cantonese. Pan = Boss. "Tai-Pan" = Big Boss.

103.Kids' transports: SCOOTERS

107.Removed soap from: RINSED

110.Holy quest object: GRAIL

118.Mideast capital once called Philadelphia: AMMAN. Jordan's capital. Was unaware of this trivia.

119.Mata __: HARI

122.With 64-Down, wiseguys: SMART. And ALECS (64D. See 122-Across).

123.Love god: EROS

125.French state: ETAT

128.Shabby: SEEDY

129. Sonoran assent: SI SI. Sonora is a state in Mexico.

Down:

1. Thick-furred dog: SPITZ. German for "pointed'. The dog has erect ears.

3. Inspiration for Van Gogh: ARLES. Look at my compact mirror. Van Gogh's "Bedroom in Arles".

4. Publishing formats for Shakespeare: QUARTOS. No idea. Four leaves (eight pages).

6. Like liquid in 10-Down: MILKY. And COCONUTS (10. Palm produce). Fresh coconut water is actually not milky.

7. Denigrate: ABASE

8. Sloth, for one: SIN

9. Possessed: HAD

11. Cut of meat: LOIN

12. Chips in a chip: ANTES. Good clue.

14. TV type: PLASMA

15. Super Bowl stat category: RUSHING

16. Trap up north, maybe: ICE IN

17. Research money: GRANT

18. Ready followers?: SET GO. "Ready, Set, Go!"

28. Voids: GAPS

29. Retort to a skeptic: I AM SO. And NOT SO (59. Skeptical retort). Not fond of the SO repetition.

33. Pin cushion?: MAT. Wrestling "pin" = "fall". Great clue.

38. Plod: TRUDGE

40. Blackbeard's quaff: GROG. Blackbeard the pirate.

41. San __: Riviera resort: REMO

42. Big snow fall?: AVALANCHE. Awesome answer/clue.

43. Night, in Nogales: NOCHE. Alliteration. I've never heard of Nogales, a city in Sonora, Mexico. Also a town in Arizona, bordering the Mexican Nogales.

44. Liq. measure: GAL

45. Taurus preceder: ARIES. First zodiac sign.

47. Haughty attitude: HIGH HORSE. Get off your high horse.

48. Zeno's town: ELEA: Zeno of Elea. Greek philosopher.

49. Right way to go?: EAST. Direction. Nice clue.

53. Toaster's glass: FLUTE

56. Dicey: RISKY

58. Mennen lotion: AFTA. After Shave.

62. Org. in a '60s spy series: U.N.C.L.E. Spy series "The Man from U. N. C. L. E."(United Network Command for Law and Enforcement). I forgot.

65. Knight on TV: TED

67. Part of the anc. art of discourse: RHET (Rhetoric). Anc is "ancient"?

68. Common honorific: SIR. And PLEBS (70. Common folk). Another consecutive echo.

71. Virgil epic: AENEID

72. More than strange: WEIRD

73. German university city: JENA. Have never heard of University of Jena.

74. Windows alternative: UNIX. Operating system.

77. Certain halfway point: NOON. D'oh!

78. Oodles: GOBS

80. Transition point: WATERSHED. Watershed moment.

82. "Tarnation!": EGADS. "Tarnation" is new expression to me.

83. '70s-'80s pitcher Guidry: RON. Gimme. Spent his whole career with the Yankees. I have quite a few of his baseball cards. Unfortunately they are not worth anything.

87. Corroded: EATEN

88. Dispossessor?: EXORCIST. No problem!

90. Part of ETA: Abbr. : EST

91. "Fire Down Below" star: SEAGAL (Steven)

94. It's named for a trapeze artist: LEOTARD. Can you picture Dennis in his infamous leotard? I just can't.

96. "Night" writer Wiesel: ELIE

97. H. Clinton, once: SEN

98. Good points: VIRTUES. Sweet clue.

100.Tours of duty: STINTS

105.Turkish empire founder: OSMAN. No idea. Ottoman Empire is named after him.

106.Doughnut for the road: SPARE. Why? The tires are doughnut shaped?

108. Big name in compacts: ESTEE. Oh, Cosmetics products.

109.Fussed over, with "on": DOTED

111."__ a stinker?": Bugs Bunny line: AIN'T I

113.Emmy winner Christine: LAHTI. Man, I can never remember her name.

117.Curious to a fault: NOSY

120.Green lights: OKS

121.A, in France: UNE

Answer grid.

JD's Crossword Story continues. Here is the updated version with letter D.

C.C.

Saturday June 12, 2010 Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Total words: 68

Total blocks: 25

Quite low black square count. Brad places four multi-word grid-spanners in his puzzle:

14A. Source of overcompensating bravado: NAPOLEON COMPLEX. Overcompensate for their short stature. Type of Inferiority Complex.

17A. Stay away: DISTANCE ONESELF. Nice one.

46A. 2009 addition to Wimbledon's Centre Court: RETRACTABLE ROOF. My favorite answer today, esp since I nailed it.

49A. Like a master criminal: SLIPPERY AS AN EEL. Lively entry.

I had a slightly easier time with this Brad offer. I normally struggle mightily with his puzzles. Probably because I nailed a few long ones. Or the ladders (those strings of black squares along the diagonal line) gridding made the puzzle more accessible, as many entries share the same starting letter.

Still had to cheat.

Across:

1. One in a coup group: USURPER. Assonance in the clue. Brad has six 7-letter & 8-letter entries today.

8A. Tenochtitlán founders: AZTECS. Tenochtitlán was the capital of Aztecs. Present day Mexico City. Unknown to me.

18. Old Greek theater: ODEON. My first toehold.

19. Carpenter with drums: KAREN. Boomer loves Karen Carpenter. He just bowled a 300 yesterday.

20. Van Halen's "Somebody Get __ Doctor": ME A. Not familiar with the song.

21. Start of an intermission?: ENTR. Start of Entr'acte (intermission). Got me.

22. Seedless greenhouse denizens: FERNS. Always associate "denizens" with animals, not plant.

23. Judicial seat: BANC

24. Flare, maybe: SOS. Got it via crosses.

25. Makes an example of: CITES

26. Declaration in a playground game: NOT IT. "Tag" declaration.

27. Vitamin K source: CHARD. So are most dark green veggies. Need fat to best utilize the Vitamin K. Or any vitamin, right, Al?

28. Over: FINITO

29. Yin and yang, e.g.: DUALITY. Yin & Yang is factored in my cooking.

32. One who doesn't do Windows?: MAC USER. Nailed it.

33. Native Alaskans: INUITS

34. Seemingly charmed entrepreneur: MIDAS. I don't get this clue. Why "charmed"?

35. Rival of Sparta: ARGOS. I can only think of PERSIANS.

36. Like unsorted mail: PILED

37. Beaut: GEM

40. Course objectives for many: PARS. Golf course. I'd be happy with a bogey on a par 5.

41. Black-tie events: BALLS

42. Florida's __ Chica Key: BOCA. Have never heard of this island. It's about 3 miles east of Key West. Wikipedia also says Boca Chica is literally "small mouth" in Spanish.

43. Ophelia's niece, in "Uncle Tom's Cabin": EVA

44. Actress Palmer: LILLI. Nope. Not in my radar. German actress.

45. Peer's realm, perhaps: DUCHY. Oh, Duke's realm.

50. Impertinent: SNIPPY. Much better than our normal edge word SASSY.

51. Loses all its water: RUNS DRY

Down:

1. Annuls: UNDOES

2. Declined: SAID NO

3. Sports page headline grabbers: UPSETS. Did not leap to me quickly.

4. Turning part: ROTOR. So simple in retrospect.

5. Design: PLAN

6. Morn's opposite: E'EN

7. Hobby involving launches: ROCKETRY. Sign up and ride along with all the punks.

8. Nuts in cupules: ACORNS. Cupule is a new word to me.

9. Tunes (out): ZONES

10. Bootleggers' nemeses: T-MEN

11. Mini-albums, for short: EPS

12. Showy arbor vine: CLEMATIS. The one with the red flowers.

13. Crystalline gypsum variety: SELENITE. Named after Greek moon goddess Selene. And then mineral suffix-ite. New word to me also.

15. Approached: NEARED

16. Unknown: X FACTOR. Noun "Unknown".

22. Edicts: FIATS

23. Employee of the Month incentive: BONUS

25. Markers: CHITS

26. Battery acronym : NICAD (Nickel-cadmium battery)

27. Madison Avenue honors: CLIOS. Advertising awards.

28. Diminishes: FADES

29. Nursery supply: DIAPERS. Was picturing plants/flowers.

30. Figures out: UNRAVELS

31. With a browned crust, as potatoes: AU GRATIN. I like oven fried potatoes. You?

32. Air pressure unit: MILLIBAR. Another new word. Milli = One Thousandth.

34. First woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: MILLAY. Edna St. Vincent Millay. Was unaware of this trivia.

36. Meager: PALTRY

37. Expand the admission pool, in a way: GO COED

38. Parrot: ECHOER

39. Bass prey: MAYFLY. Had no idea that bass eats mayflies.

41. Arm wrestler's pride, as it's commonly called: BICEP

42. Seethes: BURNS

44. Reindeer herder: LAPP. The northern Norwegian. Kept thinking of Santa and his reindeer, Argyle!

45. Academic list keeper: DEAN

47. Engineering sch. on the Hudson: RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). Learned from doing Xword.

48. Sch. with a yearbook called the Gumbo: LSU. Interesting trivia. Good to know.

Answer grid.

JD's Crossword Story continues. See her C installment.

C.C.

Friday June 11, 2010 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Say Cheese! - Cheese puns on familiar two-word phrases.

20A. Cheese records?: ROQUEFORT FILES. The base phrase is (The) Rockford Files. Roquefort cheese is made of sheep's milk. Named after the French town Roquefort.

28A. Cheese from the deep?: SEA MUENSTER. Sea Monster. Muenster is white, semis-soft & mild. Named after its French origin town also.

44A. Cheese no one is eating?: IDLE CHEDDAR. Idle Chatter. Cheddar Cheese is named after the British village where it's first made.

51A. Cheese and beef concoction for humorist Mort?: SAHL'S BRIE STEAK. Salisbury Steak. The only theme entry that puns on more than the cheese word. Brie is named after the French province where it originated.

ROQUEFORT FILES and its symmetrical partner 51A are punning on the first word of a common phrase. The middle two theme entries on second words.

What's your favorite cheese? Dairy is not part of my diet.

Very smooth 74-worder from Donna. Fun clues for theme answers. I also liked the two paralleled 10s and 9s in Down fill. Favorite answer today is BLUE STATES (11D. Left-leaning ones).

Across:

1. Two percent alternative: SKIM

5. Trans Am option: T- TOP. Trans Am is a racing car?

9. Chain with a cowboy hat logo: ARBY'S

14. Stale Italian bread?: LIRA. "Bread" always refer to "currency" on Fridays. Have seen this "stale" clue before. Still like it.

15. Stray: ROVE

16. Whoopi's role in "The Color Purple": CELIE. I've never seen the movie. I liked Whoopi's role Oda Mae Brown in "Ghost".

17. Red, in Mongolian: ULAN. Ulan Bator ("red hero"), capital of Mongolia. I mentioned this "Red" meaning on the blog a few times.

18. Headlight?: IDEA. Man, I did not see mine.

19. Hosiery shade: TAUPE. Brownish gray.

23. Bud: PAL

24. Oft-rescued comics heroine: LOIS. Lois Lane. "Superman". Maybe our Lois needs rescue too. Sounds like she has a horrible boss.

25. Three-in-one vaccine, familiarly: DPT

34. __-toity: HOITY

36. Tool or fool: DUPE. Was unaware of this slang meaning of "tool". Good rhyme.

37. Perfume by Dana: TABU

38. "The West Wing" actor: ALDA

39. Actress Beckinsale et al.: KATES. Kate Beckinsale has the best hairstyle.

40. Canoodling couple, maybe: ITEM. Sweet clue.

41. Octopus feature: BEAK. I wanted ARMS. I only associate beak with birds.

42. Sign: OMEN

43. Having a bite: ACERB. Not enough space for EATING.

47. RR depot: STA. Or STN.

48. Canaanite god: BAAL. The false god.

49. Social: TEA. Noun "social".

58. Pasta sauce herb: BASIL. Pesto.

59. "The Phantom Tollbooth" protagonist: MILO. No idea. Have never heard of the book.

60. How busy people often work: LATE. Great clue.

61. Much the same: ALIKE

62. Rights org. ACLU

63. Annoying spots: ACNE. Annoying indeed.

64. He voiced the curmudgeonly homeowner in "Up": ASNER. The answer emerged itself.

65. Joke around: JEST

66. Store: SHOP

Down:

1. Defame: SLUR

2. Narc's seizure: KILO

3. Where Al Sharqiya is broadcast: IRAQ. Wikipedia says Al Sharqiya ("The Eastern One") is Iraq's first privately owned satellite channel owned by a London-based Iraqi exile. Foreign to me.

4. Show some backbone, slangily: MAN UP. Fresh answer.

5. Toy (with): TRIFLE

6. List heading: TO-DO. To-do list. Tricky clue.

7. No longer hooked on: OVER. "Hooked on" what?

8. Garden supply: PEAT. Any good idea on how to get rid of the pesky gophers?

9. Bruce Willis genre: ACTION

10. True-to-life: REALISTIC

12. Golfer's nervousness during putting, with "the": YIPS. Gimme. I don't have yips.

13. Holy follower?: SEE. Did you want COW?

21. "Calm down!": EASY

25. Abu __: DHABI. Is is still the richest city in the world?

26. Moved, as a gondola: POLED

27. Potomac River feature: TIDAL BASIN. The latter BASIN leapt to me rather quickly.

29. "There Is Nothing Like __" : A DAME. From "South Pacific". The sailors are longing for skirts.

30. Toned down: MUTED

31. Invert: UPEND

32. "Your Movie Sucks" author: EBERT (Roger). Film critic.

33. Latin dance: RUMBA

35. "Get lost!" : TAKE A HIKE. Great answer. We also have FLEES (22. Skedaddles).

39. Department store chain that began in Wisconsin: KOHL'S. Named after Senator Kohl, right?

43. Mars counterpart: ARES. Greek god of war. Mars is the Roman counterpart.

45. Talk radio regular: CALLER

46. Dined at the bistro, say: ATE OUT

50. MapQuest predecessor?: ATLAS. The clue is fine without question mark.

51. "Do the Right Thing" pizzeria: SAL'S. Have never heard of the movie.

52. Key using all five black keys in its scale: Abbr.: B MAJ. Help, Jazzbumpa!

53. Jambalaya ingredient: RICE

54. Misfortunes: ILLS

55. Per: EACH

56. 1 for H, e.g.: AT NO (Atomic Number). H = Hydrogen.

57. Retain: KEEP

58. Sheep trill: BAA. Playing off of "Cheap thrill".

JD (left, with husband Bob) is writing a crossword story (in alphabetically order) with all the new words she's learned in the past two years from the blog. Here is her updated version.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday June 10, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: SILENCE IS GOLDEN (65A. Proverb for overwrought parents, and a hint to both ends of 17-, 23-, 47- and 56-Across) - Each answer begins with a N sound, preceded by a different silent consonant, and ends with a silent vowel (E).

17A. Rustic furniture material: KNOTTY PINE. Walls, too.

23A. Jogging technique? MNEMONIC DEVICE. A memory or learning aid to jog the memory. Example: The Great Lakes, from west to east: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior = HOMES.

47A. Pressure-sensitive control mechanism: PNEUMATIC VALVE. Pneumatics is the use of pressurized gas to affect mechanical motion. (I just learned that the iron lung is a pneumatic device.)

56A. "Totally tubular, man!": GNARLY, DUDE. Gnarly sunrise in the Grand Canyon.

Beautifully constructed with grid-spanning theme answer perfectly placed in the center. What an honor to blog another Dan Naddor construction. He did have a knack for designing subtly brilliant puzzles.

melissa bee here.

Across:

1. It may be scrutinized on a carousel: ID TAG. Luggage - clever.

6. Raison d'__: ETRE

10. Skeptic's grain? SALT. Take it with a grain of salt.

14. Old Indian leader: NEHRU

15. Picture of health? X-RAY. Great clue.

16. Simple rhyme scheme: A-B-A-B

19. Mother of Artemis: LETO. Also mother of Apollo, goddess of motherhood, and bride of Zeus.

20. Elton John, e.g.: SIR. Gay activist wedding singer performs at Rush Limbaugh's wedding to his fourth wife this past Wednesday for $1 million. Can't make this stuff up.

21. Mil. leader: GEN(eral)

22. Split apart: RIVEN. Past tense of rive. who knew?

28. Hardly Mr. Cool: NERD

29. Tried, with "at": HAD A GO

30. Lake Volta's country: GHANA. New to me, Volta is the largest reservoir by surface area in the world.

33. Coal holders: BINS

34. 'Umble place: 'OME. No extra charge for this bonus clue/answer. Cockney accent makes the H's silent, with silent E on the end. Genius. Famous lyrics by John Howard Payne: 'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.'

40. Braves' home: Abbr.: ATL(anta)

41. Little hopper: TOAD.

42. Closes in on: NEARS

43. Salad jellies: ASPICS

45. Already, in Arles: DEJA. French.

51. Fred's first partner: ADELE. Fred Astaire's sister.

52. Skater Babilonia: TAI. Engaged to comedian David Brenner.

53. Include: ADD

55. Hindu titles: SRIS

60. Sushi staple: TUNA

61. Accomplished: ABLE

62. Where to see Leonardo's "The Last Supper": MILAN

63. Caltech sr.'s goal, often: ENGR

64. Honduras native: MAYA

65. Fidgeting: ANTSY

Down:

1. Writing supplies: INKS

2. Casual fabric: DENIM

3. Sticker: THORN. I was picturing a bumper sticker.

4. Emerson's "jealous mistress": ART. Ralph Waldo Emerson quote: "Art is a jealous mistress, and, if a man have a genius for painting, poetry, music, architecture, or philosophy, he makes a bad husband, and an ill provider."

5. Instinctive, as a feeling: GUT

6. Shell out: EXPEND

7. Singer Lopez: TRINI

8. Campaigned: RAN. Timely entry.

9. Check out: EYE

10. Digestive aid: SALIVA

11. He played Fish on "Barney Miller": ABE VIGODA

12. Theater annoyance, perhaps: LATECOMER

13. Strip steak alternative: T-BONE. I prefer rib-eye.

18. Bela's "Son of Frankenstein" role: YGOR

22. 1985 Schwarzenegger film about a sword-and-sorcery heroine: RED SONJA

24. Feminine suffix: ENNE. As in comedienne.

25. Interim: MEANTIME

26. Phi followers: CHI'S

27. "Shoot!": DANG

30. Fed. property overseer: GSA. General Services Administration.

31. Baseball strategy: HIT AND RUN. Play designed to advance base runners and prevent the double play.

32. Like Big Brother in "1984": ALL SEEING

33. Auction action: BID

35. Canned twosome?: ENS. Two n's in canned.

37. Caesar's sidekick: COCA. Sid and Imogene. Before my time.

38. "It is the __, and Juliet is the sun": EAST

39. Sharon of "Boston Public": LEAL. Unknown to me.

44. Seiko brand: PULSAR

45. Silver Spring, Md., is part of it: DC AREA. Tricky answer.

46. Bad: EVIL

47. Cheap jewelry: PASTE

48. Birthplace of the Renaissance: ITALY

49. Event with a horse: VAULT

50. Icelandic sagas: EDDAS. From Wikipedia: "collection of Old Norse poems from the Icelandic medieval manuscript Codex Regius." Alrighty then.

54. Say it isn't so: DENY. Love this clue.

56. Looker's leg: GAM. Nice

57. Wizards' org.: NBA. Washington Wizards.

58. Peruvian singer Sumac: YMA: No idea.

59. Racket: DIN

Answer grid.

melissa

Wednesday June 9, 2010 Todd McClary

Theme: PEDALS (65A. Parts of 17-, 26-, 43- and 56-Across) - Pedals are used in each theme answers.

17A. Fitness center array: STATIONARY BIKES. Ours is collecting dust in the basement.

26A. Instruments that often have chord buttons: ELECTRIC ORGANS. Ditto above comment, only in the dining room.

43A. Seamstresses' aids: SEWING MACHINES. I like how it crosses THIMBLE (42D. Monopoly token). Sewing aid also.

56A. Birdlike crafts for lake rides: SWAN PADDLE BOATS. I've never taken one. Shaped like a swan.

All of the theme answers are in plural form. I liked the consistency. Liked the unifier entry too.

Also a bit of computer/internet thread:

32A. 30-day trial versions, e.g.: DEMOS

10D. E-tailer's creation: WEB PAGE

11D. Collaborative Internet project: WIKI. Hawaiian for "fast". Wikipedia is one of the Wikis.

29D. Software installation source, perhaps: CD-ROM

Most of the non-theme entries are rather short. Forty 4-letter answers in the grid. I am eager to see how Jerome & Jazzbumpa amuse us with their anagram and symmetry observations.

Across:

1. Entertainer in a kimono: GEISHA. "Memoirs of a Geisha" is a great read.

7. Chew like a chipmunk: GNAW

11. Triumphed: WON

14. Netanyahu's nation: ISRAEL. Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He graduated from MIT (40. Charles River sch.), whose clue stumped me.

15. Seat of Georgia's Floyd County: ROME. Wikipedia says the city was built on seven hills with a river running between them, same as Rome Italy then.

16. Words before testimony: I DO

20. Spray-on salon treatment: TAN

21. Fed. investigators: G-MEN. I tried FBIS first.

22. Speaker's asset: POISE

23. Former 3-Down leader: SHAH. And IRAN (3D. OPEC founding member).

24. Medieval invader's obstacle: MOAT

33. Mete (out): DOLE

34. Hankering: YEN

36. Admit openly: AVOW. Always hesitate between AVOW and AVER.

37. Smoothie fruit: BERRY

39. Muse of history: CLIO. We see her sister Erato more often.

41. ___ boots: '60s fashion: GO-GO

42. Head-turning swimwear: THONG. Not a swimwear, but head-turning nevertheless.
47. Numbers in photo album captions: AGES

48. Genesis forecast: RAIN. 40 days & 40 nights.

49. Hyundai sedan: AZERA. What does Azera mean?

52. Soccer star Mia: HAMM

53. "___ Misérables": LES. The MOREL guy's favorite musical.

60. According to: PER

61. Shorten, perhaps: EDIT

62. "Tracey Takes On..." comedian: ULLMAN (Tracey). Her name escaped me. We had this clue before.

63. Wrong: SIN

64. Anna of "Fringe": TORV. Nope. Not in my radar. An Aussi.

Down:

1. Basic idea: GIST

2. Esteban's "this": ESTA

4. Didn't play: SAT

5. Hilltop: HEIGHTS. The clue for MOOR (24D. "Wuthering Heights" setting) should be redone to avoid heights duplication.

6. Baseball family name: ALOMAR. Sandy/Roberto. Nice to see a change from ALOU.

7. __ Torino: 1970s Ford: GRAN. I had never seen any movie concerning the Hmong gang until "Gran Torino", Bill G.

8. "__ gloom of night ...": NOR. "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night ...". Postal Service creed.

9. "Rehab" singer Winehouse: AMY. Train wreck.

12. Sapphic verses: ODES. Sappho was a Greek poet, born in Lesbos, from which the word lesbian is derived. Sappho is a lesbian.

13. Clown costume piece: NOSE

18. Classic fruit soda: NEHI. The drink for Radar (M*A*S*H").

19. Tiny amount: IOTA

23. Garbage transport: SCOW. Boat.

25. Air France destination: ORLY. Air France's hub is Charles de Gaulle Airport. Orly is close by.

26. Red-coated wheel: EDAM. The Dutch cheese.

27. Jeans giant: LEVI'S

28. Push the envelope, theatrically: EMOTE

30. Tent material: NYLON

31. View from the Louvre: SEINE

35. Nutmeg-flavored drinks: NOGS. I always call it eggnog.

37. Dog biscuit shape: BONE

38. Caviar, basically: EGGS

39. It may be stroked in thought: CHIN. Why "in thought"?

41. Compu Kitty or Digital Doggie: GIGA PET. Not familiar with this virtual pet.

44. Shout "Fore!" to: WARN

45. Asian sea: ARAL. Shrinking.

46. Arose: CAME UP

49. Nile dangers: ASPS

50. German couple?: ZWEI. German for "two".

51. Collect from work: EARN

52. Home theater component, briefly: HDTV

53. Dalai __ : LAMA

54. Class action lawsuit abbr. : ET AL.

55. Work IDs: SSNS

57. Commotion: ADO

58. Dept. head: DIR (Director)

59. Told too often: OLD

Answer grid.

C.C.

Tuesday June 8, 2010 Barry Silk

Theme: Day Starter - The first word of the first three theme entries are synonyms of the first word of the fourth entry.

17A. Program that uses certain Sun Microsystems software: JAVA APPLICATION. Some of the on-line crossword programs use this app.

25A. Messy contest in a pit: MUD WRESTLING. Requires an image, fer sure.

42A. Al Gore's 2000 running mate: JOE LIEBERMAN.

56A. Living room reading that includes this puzzle's theme: COFFEE TABLE BOOK.

Argyle here.

A silky Tuesday (Q away from a pangram). Some obscure words but with doable perps. Today's theme song, Java Jive by The Ink Spots.

Across:

1A. Earth neighbor: MARS.

5A. One of the four chief angels: URIEL. One of four or one of seven or...Google for yourself. Gabriel and Michael are the main two, after that, I got confused.

10A. Crew hands: OARS. The Crew on a crew can be called OARS.

14A. Pulitzer-winning author James: AGEE. His autobiographical novel, A Death in the Family (1957), won him a posthumous Pulitzer Prize.

15A. Nabisco wafer named for its flavor: NILLA. Image.

16A. Super Bowl held in MCMLXXXVIII: XXII. Super Bowl Twenty-two was played on January 31, 1988.

20A. An off-ramp may lead to one: OVERPASS.

21A. Banquet entrées: ROASTS. Or chicken or fish.

22A. Buddhism, e.g.: Abbr.: REL.. Religion.

23A. __ Fáil: Irish coronation stone: LIA. Also known as the Stone of Destiny, it is a stone at the Inauguration Mound on the Hill of Tara in County Meath in Ireland, which served as the coronation stone for the High Kings of Ireland. More at Wikipedia.

24A. Actress Spelling: TORI.

30A. Privileged folks: HAVES. As opposed to the 'have nots'.

33A. Greek peak: OSSA.

34A. Washington Sq. campus: NYU. New York University and a part of Greenwich Village, Manhatten, New York City.

35A. Came to earth: ALIT.

36A. 1971 Sutherland title role: "KLUTE". A small-town detective(Donald Sutherland) searching for a missing man has only one lead: a connection with a New York prostitute(Jane Fonda).

38A. "__ 101": Former Nickelodeon sitcom: ZOEY.

39A. High-speed www hookup: DSL. Well, faster than dial-up.

40A. Letter-shaped fastener: T-NUT. Similar to a wing nut

41A. Dollar fractions: CENTS.

46A. Curved molding: OGEE. A crossword staple.

47A. Popular ISP: AOL. (Internet Service Provider, America On Line)

48A. Classic TV brand: RCA. (Radio Corporation of America)

51A. Soak up: ABSORB.

54A. Mainly: ABOVE ALL.

58A. Wine region near San Francisco: NAPA.

59A. Bucket wheel used for irrigation: NORIA. I'll look for a video later. I found a nice one the last time we had this entry. Update: Different than the last time but if someone(Lucina?) translates what he is saying, that would be nice. Clip. The main point is that it uses the flow of the water to lift up some of the water up to a higher height.

60A. Like one with a full schedule: BUSY.

61A. LAX postings: ETDs. (Los Angeles International Airport, Estimated Time of Departure)

62A. Third dimension: DEPTH. After length and width.

63A. Flexible Flyer, e.g.: SLED.

Down:

1D. Student's focus: MAJOR.

2D. Tequila plant: AGAVE.

3D. Celebrate boisterously: REVEL.

4D. Blacken: SEAR. I thought of char first.

5D. Like a procrastinator's bills: UNPAID.

6D. Carpentry tool that cuts with the grain: RIPSAW. Against the grain would be a crosscut saw.

7D. Maladies: ILLS.

8D. Inventor Whitney: ELI.

9D. Sport with sticks: LACROSSE. La Crosse is a city in Wisconsin.

10D. Beefy soup ingredient: OX TAIL.

11D. The Earth turns on it: AXIS.

12D. Real comedian: RIOT. Or they might be a gas.

13D. Transgresses: SINS.

18D. Top grade: A-PLUS.

19D. Vital body line: AORTA. Artery.

24D. Grade factor: TEST.

25D. Bumped into: MET.

26D. GPS suggestion: ROUTE.

27D. Involved with, as a plot: IN ON.

28D. Da's opposite: NYET. Russian.

29D. Fellows: GUYS.

30D. Muslim pilgrimage: HADJ.

31D. Too: ALSO.

32D. Repulsive: VILE.

36D. Exercise involving squatting: KNEE BEND. For some of us, they're vile.

37D. Garage job: LUBE.

38D. Satori-seeking sect: ZEN.

40D. Panthère relative: TIGRÉ. French

41D. Have a cow: CALVE. When a cow gives birth to a calf, she calves.

43D. Shower sponges: LOOFAS.

44D. White Carroll critter: RABBIT. Sneaky use of the first letter of the clue being capitalized.

45D. Dough: MOOLAH.

48D. Holocaust hero Wallenberg: RAOUL. But the exact circumstances of his death have long been in dispute.

49D. Shut: CLOSE.

50D. Adhesive resin: ALKYD.

51D. High school breakout?: ACNE.

52D. Something to miss or rock: BOAT. (to miss or to rock)

53D. Dirty Harry's org.: SFPD. "Go ahead. Make my day." (San Francisco Police Department)

54D. Lobbying group for seniors: AARP.

55D. Recedes: EBBS.

57D. Little piggy, so to speak: TOE.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday June 7, 2010 Gail Grabowski

Theme: No Free Rides - Three phrases that end with a method of access to public transportation.

20A. "Just what we need!": "THAT'S THE TICKET!".

38A. "Thanks, but none for me": "I'LL HAVE TO PASS".

57A. "Furthermore ...": "BY THE SAME TOKEN...".

Argyle here. Tough but fair Monday.

Across:

1A. Rarely read e-mail: SPAM.

5A. Edible pockets: PITAS.

10A. Bottled model: SHIP. A little naval sub-theme. 10A is stacked over 16A. Verne skipper: NEMO.(Jules Verne, Capt. Nemo, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea") Also, 4D. One of a yawl's pair: MAST. Image. Perhaps one of our sailors can tell us why it's called a yawl.

14A. Contemporary of Ella and Sarah: LENA. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Lena Horne, all great singers.

15A. Make up (for): ATONE.

17A. Hardwood trees: OAKS. Hand up for elms first.

18A. "Buzz off!": "SCRAM!".

19A. Extremely dry: ARID.

23A. "Love __ Madly": Doors hit: HER. Clip. From their final album, L.A. Woman.

24A. Caustic substance: LYE.

25A. Stately: REGAL.

27A. Chaotic situation: SNAFU. Acronym meaning Situation Normal: All F****d Up. Started in the military.

29A. Fraidy-cat: SISSY.

33A. Extra NHL periods: OTs. (National Hockey League, overtimes)

34A. Approximate fig.: EST.. (Estimate)

36A. "Uh-uh": "NAH".

37A. Follow the advice of: HEED.

42A. Irksome swarm member: GNAT.

43A. Place to apply gloss: LIP. And 44A. Elephant's floppy feature: EAR. More commonly referred to in the plural form.

45A. Mil. base enforcers: MPs.

46A. Shrubby landscape: HEATH. Ah, the setting for historical romance novels.

48A. Like Dylan Thomas, by birth: WELSH. Richard Burton was Welsh, also.

52A. Sweetie pie: CUTIE.

54A. NAFTA signatory: USA. North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. (1994)

56A. "Sands of __ Jima": 1949 film: IWO. Starred John Wayne.

62A. Stein fillers: ALES.

63A. Find the answer to, as an equation: SOLVE. Or as a crossword.

64A. High point: PEAK.

65A. "The King and I" setting: SIAM.

66A. Engaged in, as a trade: PLIED.

67A. Dog of old mysteries: ASTA.

68A. 220-by-198-foot plot, e.g.: ACRE.

69A. Classroom jottings: NOTES.

70A. In need of a map: LOST.

Down:

1D. Slow-moving leaf eaters: SLOTHS. Two or three toed.

2D. Pheasant female: PEAHEN.

3D. Turkish capital: ANKARA.

5D. Pale: PASTY.

6D. Rash reactions?: ITCHES.

7D. Verbally attacked, with "into": TORE.

8D. Medical school subj.: ANAT..

9D. Rig on the road: SEMI. Alliteration clue.

10D. Boa or cobra: SNAKE. Assonance clue.

11. Words before an attempt: "HERE GOES".

12D. Copies: IMITATES.

13D. Pea's place: POD. More alliteration, including the answer.

21D. Partly melted snow: SLUSH.

22D. Have a bawl: CRY. (Have a ball)

26D. Source of a hippie's high, perhaps: LSD.

28D. Sensed: FELT.

30D. All thumbs: INEPT.

31D. Took a load off: SAT.

32D. Pump or clog: SHOE.

35D. Tall story: TALE.

37D. Fabled runner-up: HARE.

38D. For all to see: IN PUBLIC.

39D. During 2009: LAST YEAR.

40D. Itinerary word: VIA.

41D. Play with, kitten-style: PAW AT.

42D. Yukon automaker: GMC. An SUV.

46D. Sly chuckle sound: HEH.

47D. Square-bodied military vehicle: HUMVEE. High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee)

49D. In this way: LIKE SO.

50D. Workout wear: SWEATS.

51D. Greet with a beep: HONK AT.

53D. "Who's there?" response: "IT'S ME".

55D. Watermelon discards: SEEDS.

58D. Channel for jocks: ESPN. (Entertainment Sports Programming Network)

59D. New pilot's milestone: SOLO.

60D. Touched down: ALIT. It's very important, after a pilot's first solo flight, that he alights safely. Failure to accomplish this would ruin the euphoria of soloing.

61D. Play-of-color gem: OPAL.

62D. Quick-wink link: AS A.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday June 6, 2010 Jim Page

Theme: Taketh Away - TH is dropped (taken away) from common phrases.

27A. Reason for a burglar to take aspirin?: (TH)ROBBING HEADACHE. Throbbing Headache. Fun clue/answer.

35A. Display a casual shirt?: SHOW ONE'S TEE (TH). Show One's Teeth.

53A. One who sings during meals?: MUSICAL (TH)EATER. Musical Theater. The answer feels a bit strained to me.

60A. Where to buy "Splitting Up For Dummies"?: (TH) RIFT STORE. Thrift Store.

74A. Reaction to a New Year's Day birth?: JANUARY (TH) AW. January Thaw.

85A. Salamander coverage?: (TH) EFT INSURANCE. Theft Insurance. Very unexpected TH drop. Loved the answer.

97A. Defy a parent?: CROSS ONE'S PA (TH). Cross One's Path. I don't know cross can mean "defy". Not fond of two ONE'S in the theme answers (see 35A).

109A. Corn that may or may not be eaten?: EAR (TH) IN THE BALANCE. Does the base phrase refer to Al Gore's "Earth in the Balance"?

Some TH are dropped from the beginning of the phrase, some from the end, some from the middle (though still the beginning/end of a word). Good variety. Nice puzzle title too.

Must be a bear to construct a Sunday puzzle. 144 words (362 letters) are a lot to grid. Our average weekday puzzles normally have no more than 78 words.

Favorite clue today is COAT (113D. You might wear it out). Brilliant. Did the puzzle wear you out?

Across:

1. GM line until 2004: OLDS

5. "You're making __ mistake!": A BIG. Several partials today.

9. Coming-out parties: DEBS

13. Value: ESTEEM. The answer is never REGARD, which has the same number of letters.

19. Mariner or Mountaineer, briefly: MERC. Mercury SUVs. Stumper.

20. Moon over Milano: LUNA. Italian for "moon". Luna = Roman moon goddess. Alliteration.

21. Jazz giant, familiarly: ELLA (Fitzgerald). Not Utah Jazz.

22. Annoyingly small: MEASLY

23. Lago filler: AGUA. Spanish for water.

24. Animated bug film: ANTZ. 1998 move. This has become a gimme to me.

25. Cyberseller's site: EBAY

26. Like some champagne glasses: FLUTED. Cheers!

31. Joe Louis, e.g.: ARENA. Home of the Detroit Red Wings (NHL). Unknown to me. I could only think of BOXER.

32. "Gigi" author: COLETTE. Dennis quoted her a few times.

33. Cassis cocktail: KIR. Named after the Canon Felix Kir, the guy who created the drink.

34. "Bummer": SO SAD

39. Checkup responses: AHS

41. What Forum addresses were in: LATIN. The ancient Forum in Rome.

42. Mr. __!: old detective game: REE. No idea. Some Ebay seller claims it's a board game that inspired Clue.

43. Log opening.: EPI. Epilog. The spelling checks wants epilogue.

46. Prepare pupils for an exam?: DILATE. Without the question mark, the clue works fine too.

51. Israeli arms: UZIS

52. Mama bear: Span.: OSA. Would prefer "Spanish". "Span." suggested an abbreviated answer.

56. "Me, __ & Irene": 2000 film: MYSELF

58. Noshed: SNACKED

59. "Take __ face value": IT AT

63. Legal precedent: TEST CASE. A joyful fill for Hahtool & Lemonade.

66. Texter's "Lordy!": OMG

69. Cagney's "Yankee Doodle Dandy" role: COHAN. The movie is about George M. Cohan.

70. '60s activist Bobby: SEALE. Black Panthers co-founder.

71. Hi-__ graphics: RES

72. Trip acquisition: SOUVENIR

78. "Assuming that ..." IF SO

79. Net income earner?: ETAILER. Internet. Nice clue.

81. With hands on hips: AKIMBO. Like her posture.

88. OED entries: WDS. Words.

90. Arrow groove: NOCK. No idea. It refers to the top notch at the end of the arrow.

91. Got a little hoarse at the race, maybe: ROOTED. True!

92. Seaside bird: ERN

93. Moo goo __ pan: GAI. Gai = Chicken in Chinese. Wild Gai is slang for prostitute.

94. Take place: OCCUR

95. Buckeyes' sch.: OSU. Hello Buckeye!

100.Seat belt, e.g. : STRAP

104.Shakespeare contemporary: KYD (Thomas). No idea. Maybe Clear Ayes knows this guy.

107.Funny DVD feature: OUTTAKE

108."Love Story" author Segal: ERICH. I did not know that Al Gore inspired "Love Story" until his recent break-up with his wife.

115.Sailor with "muskles": POPEYE. Yeah, why didn't he say "I sweet potato what I sweet potato"?

117.Jay's home: NEST. The real bird. Thought it might refer to Toronto Blue Jays.

118.__ to one's neck: IN UP

119.Textile machine: LOOM

120.Fends off: AVERTS

121.Disney lioness: NALA. In "The Lion King".

122."__ fan tutte": COSI. Mozart opera. Literally "Thus do all (women"). "Women are like that".

123.Coventry carriage: PRAM. British for baby stroller. Coventry is a city in England. Unknown to me.

124.Microscope parts: LENSES

125.Computer since 1998: IMAC

126.Some Fr. martyrs: STES. Saintes.

127.Like some feed: OATY. Not enough space for VIDEO/AUDIO.

Down:

1. Actor Epps: OMAR

2. Versatile block: LEGO

3. Clobber: DRUB

4. Healing sign: SCAB. No SCAB/SCAR hesitation today.

5. Family support group: AL-ANON. What does AL stand for?

6. They botch jobs: BUNGLERS. Ah, OK.

7. Where there are too many fish, as per a 1964 hit: IN THE SEA. "Too Many Fish in the Sea" by The Marvelettes. Not in my radar. Here is the clip.

8. Newspaper name: GAZETTE

9. One of The Ramones: DEE DEE. Nailed it.

10. Island off Tuscany: ELBA

11. __ belt: BLACK

12. Acknowledge a passerby: SAY HI

13. "Unbelievable" band: EMF. Indie band from the UK. Another stranger to me.

14. Ethiopian messiah: SELASSIE. Haile Selassie.

15. Bullish start?: TAURO. Prefix for "bull". Rooted in Taurus.

16. __ Park, Colorado: ESTES

17. "The Mask of Zorro" heroine: ELENA. Nope. Maybe Bill G knows. He loves Catherine Zeta-Jones.

18. 1962 Paul Petersen hit: MY DAD. Here is the song. I was clueless.

28. Screen picture: ICON

29. Scarfed down: ATE

30. Horse and buggy __ : ERA. Refers to the 19th and early 20th centuries. Before the advent of the automobile.

35. Run-down area: SLUM

36. Lacking clarity: HAZY

37. Bluesman Redding: OTIS. Hello Otis the Bear!

38. More erudite: WISER

40. "Good" cholesterol, briefly: HDL

43. Opal finish?: ESCE. Opalesce. Verb. I only know opalescent.

44. Water__: dental gadget: PIK. Not a familiar gadget to me.

45. Picnic pitcherful: ICE TEA. Alas, another D-less Iced Tea.

47. Nonclerical: LAIC

48. Floral perfume: ATTAR. Rose oil.

49. Pull one's leg: TEASE

50. Some Deco works: ERTES

52. Go __ a tangent: OFF ON

53. 6 on a handset: MNO

54. Former Mideast org.: UAR (United Arab Republic). Old Egypt-Syr. alliance (1958-1961).

55. "Be __ ...": A DEAR

57. Tiny parasites: LICE

58. D.C.'s Union, e.g.: STN

61. Exiled South Vietnamese president: THIEU (Tyoo). I can never remember his name.

62. ''Nausea'' novelist: SARTRE

64. __ a fox: SLY AS

65. Weather-resistant wood: TEAK

66. Basketmaking branch: OSIER. Here are some red osier.

67. Diva Anna: MOFFO. Nope. Have never heard of this lady. Strange name.

68. Keen enjoyment: GUSTO

70. California's Big __: SUR

73. Soccer ball brand: VOIT. No idea. Named after the founder William J Voit.

74. Islamic spirit: JINN. Quite a few variant spellings of this spirit.

75. Still product: Abbr. : ALC. Gee, alcohol.

76. Bridal page word: NEE

77. React to a shot, say: WINCE

80. Swiss river: AAR

82. Soft shoes: MOCS

83. Victoria's Secret spec: B-CUP. I am sure Dennis wants D-CUP. How about you, Argyle?

84. Cajun staple: OKRA

86. One starting out: NEOPHYTE. Awesome fill.

87. Radical campus gp.: SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)

88. Start of an adage about economy: WASTE NOT. Want not. I like the answer.

89. Rid, as of false ideas: DISABUSE

93. Some Hawthorne works: GOTHICS

94. Like the lama, but not the llama, in a Nash poem: ONE L

96. Lei wearer's strings: UKE. Not the string I have in mind

97. Cold relief caplet: CONTAC. Not enough space for DayQuil.

98. Bad place to be stuck: RUT

99. Giraffe cousins: OKAPIS. Barb B used to like this picture.

100.Usually green flower part: SEPAL

101.Treasure hoard: TROVE

102.Go from green to red, often: RIPEN. Lovely clue. Echo the "green" in 100D.

103.Their service is impeccable: ACERS. Tennis.

105.One-named Greek singer: YANNI

106.Hope: DREAM

110.Mallorca, for one: ISLA. Not familiar with Majorca (Mallorca in Spanish), the largest island of Spain.

111.Kal Kan rival: ALPO

112.Director Ephron: NORA. I liked her "Sleepless in Seattle".

114.Award for Tina Fey: EMMY

116.Basic center?: ESS. The center S in the word Basic.

Answer grid.

C.C.