Wednesday June 16, 2010 Pancho Harrison

Theme: MUSIC, MAN! - Three long theme answers, two of them grid-spanning, employ homophone puns to transform mundane phrases into humorous musical references.

17 A. Songs by German wolves? LIEDER OF THE PACK. Play on "leader of the pack. LIED (pl LIEDER) is the German word for song. So - songs of the pack. This got a chuckle and a groan.

36 A. Obvious melody?: AIR APPARENT. Play on "heir apparent," the most likely successor. An AIR is a melody, obviously.

58 A. Intonations from the monastery locker room?: CHANTS OF SHOWERS. Oh my. "Chance of showers," meaning it's probably going to rain. Or, here, some very clean Gregorian chant.

Each play is on the first word in the phrase, substituting a homophone or near-homophone. Nice and tight. YMMV on puns and their quality. I thought these were rather long stretches; but that doesn't make me like them any less. And I do like them, quite a lot.

Plus, these musical encores:

57 A. Haggard of country music: MERLE

39 D. Roxy Music alum Brian: ENO

53 D. Jerry or Jerry Lee: LEWIS

Not being a country music maven (I'm more of a city boy) I'll leave it someone in the know to find the best links for Merle and Jerry Lee. And, yes, comedian Jerry Lewis did also sing, occasionally. I actually know nothing about Brian ENO, except he's in puzzles a lot.

Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa, your humble resident trombonist and music appreciator. I was pretty much in tune with this one, and able to wood-shed it in 15:27. Pancho Harrison has composed a verbal symphony for us today with only a few sour notes. Let's get inside the score.

Across:

1 A. Glass in a frame: PANE. Why is a piece of glass called a pane? I worked in the industry for 17 long, miserable years, and never gave it a thought. We called a piece of glass a "light" which is even ODDER.

5 A. Motivation target, often: SELF. In my 20+ years as a supervisor, I learned that if you won't motivate yourself, nobody can.

9 A. Hold forth: OPINE. I do this rather a lot. Opinions are cheep, or even free.

14 A. Site of a Biblical plot: EDEN. Nice double meaning: plot of land, and site of the Eve-Serpent cabal.

15 A. Flash in the brainpan: IDEA. Another clever clue, playing on "flash in the pan." I first heard this in the context of baseball, meaning a promising rookie who turns out to be a bust. The phrase comes from panning for gold, where sometimes things that glitter are worthless.

16 A. Like some ancient characters: RUNIC. Another great clue. "Characters" here mean letters or other types of symbols. RUNES were characters used in Old Norse. They are composed of straight lines so they can be easily sliced into wood or scratched onto stone.

20 A. Farther out?: ODDER. Farther out, man.

21 A. Like some highways: TWO LANE. Though not necessarily.

22 A. Huaraches, e.g.: SANDALS. Hecho en Mexico. Es verdad!

25 A. Stubborn one: ASS. Yup!

26 A. Blunderer's cry: DOH!

28 A. Final conclusion?: IST. Referring to a finalIST, one of the last standing in a contest. I offer this to the Navajo gods.

29 A. Rational: SANE. Good thinking!

31 A. Motion support: SECOND. From Robert's rules of order. May I have a motion? Second? All in favor, say "DOH!"

33 A. Overhaul: REVAMP. Is something ever VAMPED? If not, how can it be REVAMPED? English is ODDER, sometimes.

35 A. "The Clan of the Cave Bear" author: Jean AUEL.

39 A. Exile isle: ELBA. Napoleon was exiled here, and given the job of cleaning the place. It took a lot of ELBA GREECE. That's when he said, "I may not be Abel, but I do the best I Cain," which is no kind of palindrome.

41 A. Accent: STRESS.

42 A. Loch legend nickname: NESSIE. The Loch Ness Monster, not to be confused with her brother Elliot Ness.

45 A. Reb's opponent: YANK. Short for Yankee. Not necessarily from New York, but we can't rule it out.

46 A. Hoo-ha: ADO. Possibly a reference to Willie Shiverjavelin's play, "Much Hoo-ha About Nothing." What else could it mean?

49 A. Feedbag morsel: OAT. We do eat a lot of these in puzzle land.

50 A. O'Neill's "The Hairy __": APE. The Hairy Ape, a play by Eugene O'Neill, has a character in it called "Yank."

52 A. Wooden in manner: STILTED.

54 A. Tread roughly: TRAMPLE. Don't trample on me!

61 A. Right-hand page: RECTO. What is the left hand page called?

62 A. "An Essay on Man" poet Alexander: POPE. He also translated The Odyssey.

63 A. Horned goddess: ISIS. From ancient Egypt, horns and all.

64 A. Big name in lawn care: ORTHO. They make Scott's Miracle-Gro.

65 A. Notable periods: ERAS.

66 A. Plato's promenade: STOA. In ancient Greece, a public covered walkway or portico. Where you been, Plato? I had to go to the STOA.

Down:

1 D. First female Speaker of the House: PELOSI. Nancy from CA.

2 D. Reebok rival: ADIDAS. We run into these a lot, too.

3 D. "You __ bother": NEEDN'T. I needn't, but I can't resist this link.

4 D. Ran out: ENDED. BP's time ran out, but the oil flow didn't. Also: 7 D. Ran out: LEFT. This is the "I've had enough" kind of ran out, as in exit, stage LEFT.

5 D. Anthony Hopkins, for one: SIR. Aha - Anthony is a knight. My oldest grandson made up this joke: Why could they fight after dark in the middle ages? They had knight lights!

6 D. Tokyo, before 1868: EDO

8 D. Islamic decree: FATWA

9 D. Threat words: OR ELSE

10 D. Insect stage after larva: PUPA. It's when insect pups go through PUPATY .

11 D. Hard to reach at the office, say: IN AND OUT. I used to be in the office every day. Now I'm always out.

12 D. "Good shot!": NICE ONE. A complement on the golf course.

13 D. Luther opponent Johann __: ECK. He defended Catholicism. Turns out, his real name was Maier. What the ECK is that all about?

18 D. Corrective tool: ERASER. Well, nobody's perfect.

19 D. Ben Cartwright's middle son: HOSS. Plus Little Joe and . . . Luke?

23 D. Soap brand with pumice: LAVA. I didn't know this was still around. Lava los manos!

24 D. Goes nuts: SNAPS. Loses it. Goes around the bend. Flips one's lid.

27 D. "Good" cholesterol, for short: HDL. You want your High Density Lipids to be High, and your Low density lipids to be low. Easy mnemonic.

30 D. Totally drained: EMPTY. They way you felt after you RAN OUT.

33 D. Narrow inlets: RIAS. Are they the same as estuaries? I learned the word here at the Corner.

34 D. Legal aides: PARAS. Evidently referring to PARAlegals. Ugly partial. Meh.

36 D. Like a Jackson Pollock painting: ABSTRACT. Could be. I thought this was a wiring diagram.

37 D. Temporary use fee: RENT. I'll do the cookin' honey, I'll pay the rent, if I can use you temporarily.

38 D. Inuit, once: ESKIMO. Not necessarily. Could also be a Yupic or an Aleut.

40 D. Elbow patch material: LEATHER. Especially on tweed jackets.

43 D. Words of agreement: I AM TOO. Are you tired?

44 D. Omar of "House": EPPS. Never watched it.

46 D. Not in motion: AT REST. I had STATIC, which made my hair stand on end.

47 D. Texas border city: DEL RIO.

48 D. Texas oil city: ODESSA. Evidently having been moved there from the Ukraine.

51 D. Run off to join a union?: ELOPE. Very clever.

55 D. Lit. compilation: ANTH. Short for anthology. Abrev. in cl. & ans.

56 D. __ effort: E FOR. I always got an A for effort. Well, not really, but it IS in the language . . .

58 D. Vel attachment?: CRO. Velcro. I'm torn over this one. There's my aversion to affixes, or - as in this case - psuedo-affixes, which are even worse. But, OTOH, VelCRO is an attachment. I'll give in to the cleverness here, and let it go, but not without reservation.

59 D. Relaxing retreat: SPA. Or the kind of whirlpool tub found in my bathroom, and lots of puzzles.

60 D. Dudes: HES. He and he are HES - he he! The musician's first rule is to always end on a good note. Didn't happen here, alas, as this puzzle runs out with a big, flat blat at the end. Wie Shade.

Other than that, though, a fine, harmonious composition, and a fun romp. Hope y'all enjoyed it.

Answer grid.

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

Cheers!

JzB

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.