Wednesday July 7, 2010 Gareth Bain

Theme: Never Give Up - Six symmetrically placed theme entries all begin with synonyms for the key word, TRY

17A. *Prepare to drink, as a can of beer : CRACK OPEN. Have a CRACK at it.

21A. *Say goodbye, quaintly : BID ADIEU. Place one's BID, I suppose. Or issue a command or invitation. Doesn't seem as tight a fit as the others. Am I missing something?

26A. *Betrayal : STAB IN THE BACK. Take a STAB at it.

49A. *Nixed : SHOT DOWN. Have a SHOT at it.

44A. *Do what others prefer : GO WITH THE FLOW. Have a GO at it.

59A. *It involves a lot of writing : ESSAY TEST. ESSAY the possibilities of it. And

61A. Synonym for the starts of the answers to starred clues : TRY. If at first you don't succeed, have a beer and call it a night. TRY, TRY again.

With six theme answers and a key word entry, this is a very thematically rich and persistently active puzzle.

Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa, your humble trombonist. I BID us to have a STAB at CRACKING this puzzle.

Across:

1. Perching on : ATOP

5. Coated with a precious metal : GILT. From 14th Century Middle English, for the color of gold.

9. Hekzebiah Hawkins's daughter : SADIE. From Al Kapp's Li'l Abner comic. Lovely girl.

14. Cotton field sight : BALE. Bales of cotton. My baleful look is because I wanted BOLL.

15. Melville novel : OMOO. Well known to crossword solvers. Has anyone ever read it?

16. Phillips et al.: Abbr. : ACADS. Phillips Academy, a secondary school in Andover, Mass.

19. Revolutionary Pancho : VILLA. Jose Doroteo Arango Arambula, a real person and Mexican folk hero. Like Robin Hood, he stole from the rich and gave to the poor. (See 12D.)

20. Moppets : TYKES. Sometimes they're cute.

23. Affirmative answer : YES. I agree

25. Priest in I Samuel : ELI. Much later, the lesser of two famous siblings.

33. They lack Y chromosomes : WOMEN. But men are willing to share, up to 50 times a day.

34. Agitated speeches : RANTS. Or blog posts. I have a few.

35. GP's soc. : AMA. American Medical Association.

38. Like "Beowulf," e.g.: Abbr. : ANON. Shouldn't this be, like the AUTHOR of Beowulf?

39. Shire horses' burdens : CARTS. I wanted Hobbits.

40. Israeli statesman Abba : EBAN. South African born Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban spent three decades in the Israeli Knesset.

41. When doubled, a number puzzle : KEN. KEN KEN puzzles are almost as much fun as crosswords.

42. "__ Swear": 1959 Skyliners hit : THIS I. THIS I swear. I swear, I could listen to this 50 time as day,

43. Lucky shot : FLUKE. I once sank a long, downhill, curving putt. (For a triple bogey, alas.) That must have been some sort of FLUKE.

47. Recycle receptacle : BIN. We bin recyclin' fer years.

48. "__-haw!" : YEE. Cry of excitement from down on the farm. Perhaps Windhover can elaborate.

54. Caught a few z's : SLEPT. I did that this afternoon. It was good.

58. Itinerant : NOMAD. People who are on the move, rather than settled in one spot. There are estimated to be 30 to 40 million in the world, of three types: hunter gatherers, pastoral nomads, and paripatetic nomads.

62. Be of use : AVAIL

63. Moore of "G.I. Jane" : DEMI. Not a favorite of mine

64. Intro for John? : DEAR. DEAR John letters - long distance breakup notices. Now, just text: "U R DUN!"

65. Ziti cousin : PENNE. Two kinds of pasta pipes.

66. Scoot along, as clouds : SCUD. A SCUD cloud looks dangerous.

67. Showing no sign of slowing down : SPRY. I'm not very SPRY this week. It's the heat. Yeah - that's the ticket.

Down:

1. Start of a learning song : ABC. Should need no explanation.

2. Sharp-tasting : TART. Sharp tasting from natural acidity, like baking apples. And 10. Like orange juice : ACIDIC.

3. Skin care brand : OLAY. Oil of OLAY. No bull.

4. Eat like a bird : PECK.

5. Two-time U.S. Open winner Retief : GOOSEN. I have no idea.

6. Little devil : IMP. Typical grandson. and 40. Little trickster : ELF. I thought they made cookies!

7. 1924 co-defendant : LOEB. Very strange case. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks, in an attempt to commit the perfect crime.

8. Singer Braxton : TONI. Seriously beautiful, Multiple award winner, not to be confused with Anthony Braxton.

9. Telly on the telly : SAVALAS. Nice echo clue for Kojak, the lollipop kid. Who loves ya, baby?

11. Spanish surrealist : DALI. Salvador. We see him often.

12. Just hanging, so to speak : IDLE. So if we have the IDLE rich . . . never mind.

13. Birthright-for-pottage trader : ESAU. From Genesis. Esau was hungry. Jacob drove a hard bargain. I think it was a bad deal.

18. Enter, as data : KEY IN.

22. Obligations : DEBTS. Pay up! (See 30 D.)

24. The Dardanelles, e.g. : STRAIT. A narrow channel joining two larger bodies of water.

26. Billet-doux letters : SWAK. Sealed With A Kiss. A "billet" is a short note. "Doux" is "sweet." Short, sweet, sealed with a kiss. The very antithesis of a Dear John letter.

27. Work on, as abs : TONE. You might have a GO at it.

28. In the thick of : AMONG. I think AMIDST fits the clue better.

29. 1972 Michael Jackson hit : BEN. I have no recollection of this song, but recognize the melody.

30. Draconian : HARSH. Draco was the first legislator of ancient Greece, who had the laws written on wooden tablets so they could be openly displayed. Any debtor with lower status than his creditor became a slave. Draconian law included the death penalty for even minor offenses.

31. Thing : ENTITY.

32. Capital WNW of Islamabad : KABUL. The capital and largest city in Afghanistan.

36. Powerful shark : MAKO. I guess.

37. Freshly : ANEW

39. Twilled pants material : CHINO

42. Move about absently, as one's thumbs : TWIDDLE

43. Touchy-__ : FEELY. Based on emotion and sentiment, to the detriment of rational analysis.

45. Get hold of : OBTAIN

46. One half of a tiff : HE SAID. From HE SAID, she said - who can figure it out? Draco, I suppose.

49. Clicking fastener : SNAP. I'm sure it's here somewhere.

50. __ to: halted, nautically : HOVE. Past tense of "heave" to. The sailors here can explain how heaving slows a boat.

51. Asian sultanate : OMAN

52. Gets hitched : WEDS

53. Infinitesimal time period: Abbr. : NSEC. Nanosecond. One billionth of a second. Probably the time frame for something done 50 times per day.

55. Data on airport skeds : ETDS. Estimated Times of Departure.

56. Bo follower? : PEEP. She lost her sheep. Windhover - help!

57. Ivan IV, for one : TSAR. The former royal rulers of pre-soviet Russia, Spelt CZAR everywhere but in puzzles.

60. Dallas sch. : SMU. Southern Methodist University.

Answer grid.

There you have it folks, a fine, dross-free Wednesday offering from Gareth, with a nice mix of the familiar with the not-so-common. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Picture of the Day: Here is a sweet picture of JD's three grandsons. The smiling boy is 3-year-old Truman. In his arms is 2-week-old Cameron. 11-month-old Grady seems to have something else in his mind.

Cheers!

JzB

Tuesday July 6, 2010 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Magazines - Five magazine titles - four at the start of the entries plus one at the end.

20A. Five-time "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit cover girl : ELLE MACPHERSON. "ELLE is a worldwide magazine that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Sports Illustrated cover.

33A. 1982 song title items that "live together in perfect harmony" : EBONY AND IVORY. EBONY is one of the most well known Black American magazines in the United States. It provides business, health, fashion, sports, entertainment and general life style information. The song.

40A. Key opening? : O, SAY CAN YOU SEE. "O, The Oprah Magazine", sometimes simply abbreviated to O, is a monthly magazine founded by Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Corporation offering Oprah's views on everything from health, careers and relationships to fashion, books, and food. "O, say can you see...", the start of our national anthem was written by Francis Scott Key.

53A. Great experience : TIME OF ONES LIFE. TIME is a weekly news magazine and LIFE was a larger, more photojournalistic weekly that now is on the web. LIFE.com

58A. Newsstand buy, for short—one begins each of the four longest puzzle answers (and also ends the last one) : MAG.

Argyle here. Funny thing. I decided to start the puzzle in SW corner and got the unifier the first thing. How 'bout that.

Across:

1. Spider creations : WEBS.

5. Porkpie feature : BRIM. The hat from "The French Connection".

9. Fern-to-be : SPORE.

14. Cousin of a toe loop : AXEL. Figure skating jumps.

15. Levitated : ROSE.

16. Wears : HAS ON.

17. Stitch's adopter, in a Disney film : LILO. These guys.

18. Burden : ONUS.

19. Sky holder of myth : ATLAS. Much discussion last month, June 27.

23. Tennis match part : SET. Game, Set, and Match.

24. Wedding promise : "I DO".

25. Nathan Hale, e.g. : SPY. Revolutionary.

26. Stick (to) : ADHERE.

28. Tiny arachnid : MITE.

30. Mad scientist's milieu : LAB.

36. Type size : PICA. 1/6th of an inch.

38. Bill, once passed : ACT.

39. Lake on four states and a province : ERIE.

45. A-Team muscleman : MR. T.

46. Benevolent order : ELKS.

47. Port in SW Italy : NAPLES.

50. Heidi's high hill : ALP. Triple alliteration.

51. Jawbone source for Samson's weapon : ASS. Biblical.

52. SASE, e.g. : ENC.. Self-addressed stamped envelope, Enclosure.

58. City bonds, for short : MUNIs. Municipal bonds.

59. Latvian capital : RIGA.

60. Actor Rickman : ALAN. Here is his picture from the movie, "Sweeney Todd".

61. Tense feeling : ANGST.

62. Settled on a branch, say : ALIT.

63. Departed : WENT.

64. Silly ones : GEESE.

65. Applications : USES.

66. Butterfly catchers : NETS.

Down:

1. Polish Solidarity hero Lech : WALESA.

2. Like the storied man without a country : EXILED.

3. Accomplish a daring feat : BELL THE CAT. Æsop fable

4. __ gin fizz : SLOE.

5. Make wider : BROADEN.

6. Veg-O-Matic maker : RONCO.

7. "The jig __!" : IS UP.

8. Interlock, as gears : MESH.

9. Wrinkly dog : SHAR PEI. And 36. Fluffy toy dog, familiarly : POM. Shar Pei, Pomeranian. Also 42. Dog food choice : ALPO.

10. Dupe : PATSY.

11. Northern European capital : OSLO.

12. Reddish horse : ROAN.

13. USN rank : ENS.. Ensign.

21. Joan of art : MIRÓ. He was a Spanish surrealist painter and sculptor, 1893-1983. Nice play on "Joan of Arc".

22. Cornerstone abbr. : ESTD..

27. Auction venue with a four-color logo : EBAY.

28. Kris Kringle's employer of film : MACY'S. The film, "Miracle on 34th Street"

29. Enjoying a lot : INTO.

30. Marilyn Monroe's "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" role : LORELEI LEE. Marilyn Monroe as Ms. Lorelei.

31. He put the "O" in Jackie O : ARI. When Jackie Kennedy married Ari Onassis.

32. Tournament edge : BYE. Not so much an edge but one less game a entrant must play.

34. Union soldier : YANK.

35. Prez's backup : VEEP.

37. Syr. neighbor : ISR.. Syria and Israel

41. Woman's name meaning "heavenly" : CELESTE.

43. Beats, as an incumbent : UNSEATS.

44. Cheek : SASS.

48. "Terrible" child, in Toulouse : ENFANT. Toulouse is a city in southwest France. "Enfant terrible" literally means "terrible child" but is used to describe one whose unorthodox or shocking speech or manners embarrass his associates like a naughty child embarrasses his elders.

49. Olfactory stimuli : SCENTS.

50. Slightly off : AMISS.

51. 1973 Rolling Stones chart-topper : "ANGIE".

53. Adjust for pitch : TUNE.

54. "Picnic" playwright : INGE. William INGE, "Picnic", earned him a Pulitzer Prize.

55. Munich missus : FRAU. Alliteration, German

56. Quiets, as a squeak : OILS.

57. Croquet venue : LAWN. You don't see people playing croquet much anymore. Or badminton.

Answer grid.

Argyle

PS: Blogger is having glitch at the Comments section. Not all the comments (including the late ones from last night) can be seen. Just post as your normally do. Hopefully they'll show up later.

PPS: All comments so far have arrived in C.C.'s mailbox safely.

Monday July 5, 2010 Allan E. Parrish

Theme: Dairy Aisle - The second half of the theme entries are items found at the back of the store.

17. Meat jelly with a dairy-sounding name : HEAD CHEESE.

29. Jelly companion : PEANUT BUTTER. (Sure hope it's not that meat jelly.)

47. It's usually not needed with an electric razor : SHAVING CREAM.

62. San Francisco gay rights martyr played by Sean Penn in a 2008 film : HARVEY MILK. Assassinated on November 27, 1978, along with Mayor George Moscone, by Dan White.

Argyle here. The cheese and butter are made from the milk and cream. What the head cheese is made from...you don't want to know.

A few bumps on the road to Monday but, if you stayed up for the fireworks, there may have been some flash-bangs.

Across:

1. Have a meeting of the minds : AGREE.

6. Broadway attraction : SHOW. "The Phantom of the Opera" is now the longest-running show in Broadway history.

10. Matrix : GRID.

14. Yankee Stadium's borough : BRONX. Hence, the Bronx Bombers.

15. Came to : WOKE.

16. Top-ranked : A-ONE.

19. Old-fashioned pleated neckwear : RUFF. Image.

20. NFL tiebreakers : OTs. Football. OverTime

21. 1963 Paul Newman title role : "HUD". For Lois, Image.

22. What pests do : ANNOY.

23. Charlie Brown cry : "RATS!". What a blockhead. "Rats!"

25. Read the riot act to : LECTURED.

33. Hospital supply : BLOOD.

36. "The Man Who Fell to Earth" director Nicolas : ROEG. Also directed, "Walkabout", a 1971 British film set in Australia.

37. Outback bounder, briefly : ROO. An intended echo?

38. Dizzy feeling : VERTIGO.

41. Sensible, à la George Bush Sr. : PRUDENT. Brings back memories of SNL skits.

43. Ex-veep Quayle : DAN. There's that echo again.

44. 1040 or 1040EZ : FORM.

46. Wind-carried soil : LOESS.

51. TV hero who was really good with a Swiss army knife : MACGYVER. If you've never watched the show, MacGyver could always come up with fantastic devices from common items he might find.

52. Hops-drying oven : OAST.

56. Public embarrassment : SCENE.

58. Partner of vigor : VIM.

60. Tic-tac-toe loser : XOO.

61. Short skirt : MINI.

66. Feedbag stuff : OATS. And in cereal boxes, too. Get the MILK.

67. Top : ACME.

68. Treasure cache : TROVE.

69. "Gee" : "GOSH".

70. Patch up : MEND.

71. Biceps-flexing guys : HE-MEN. Flexing their biceps because they are feeling their OATS.

Down:

1. Really hate : ABHOR.

2. Legendary Garbo : GRETA. A classic look of this Swedish actress who successfully made the transition from silent films to the "talkies".

3. Family dinner entrée : ROAST.

4. Wrap up : END.

5. Part of NYSE: Abbr. : EXCH. New York Stock Exchange

6. Nobel's birthplace : SWEDEN. Stockholm, same as Garbo.

7. Gardener's tool : HOE.

8. Acceptances : OKs.

9. Tiny : WEE.

10. January birthstone : GARNET.

11. "Shaft" star Richard : ROUNDTREE. "But I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft".

12. Facts, briefly : INFO.

13. Resist openly : DEFY.

18. Hawaiian dance : HULA.

22. Salad bar greens : ARUGULA. Mediterranean plant, of the mustard family, having pungent leaves.

24. Blemish to remove : SPOT.

26. Junkyard dog : CUR.

27. Sporty car roof : T-TOP.

28. "Deutschland __ Alles" : ÜBER. "Germany Over All" Classical German anthem.

30. Big building : EDIFICE.

31. Many millennia : EONS.

32. Decays : ROTS.

33. Some briefs : BVDs. BVD stands for Bradley, Voorhees & Day, a New York City firm that initially manufactured bustles for women but became famous for their men's union suits.

34. Sister of Rachel : LEAH. Yeah, from one the Bible soap operas.

35. Yule danglers : ORNAMENTS.

39. Loud bell : GONG.

40. Out-of-control indulgence : ORGY.

42. Major-__: steward : DOMO.

45. Roman 1,105 : MCV.

48. Disappear : VANISH.

49. Gunned, as an engine : REVVED.

50. Cleveland's lake : ERIE.

53. Geometry postulate : AXIOM.

54. Finish, as a crossword : SOLVE.

55. Arcade coin : TOKEN.

56. City skyline blurrer : SMOG.

57. Italian's "So long" : CIAO.

59. Greek god story, e.g. : MYTH.

62. Breakfast meat : HAM.

63. Golfer's dream : ACE. A hole-in-one.

64. Pres. who resigned in '74 : RMN. Richard Milhous Nixon.

65. G.I. field ration : MRE. Meal, Ready-to-Eat.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Congratulations to Argyle for his 100th write-up for our blog. Thank you for the time and dedication, Santa. No one compares to you!

Sunday July 4, 2010 John Lampkin

Theme: The First Thirteen - The circled pairs in each American Revolutionary War related theme answers are the abbreviations of the first 13 states that signed The Declaration of Independence. All 13 pairs are arranged in the roughly north-to-south order in which their representatives (except for John Hancock of MA ) signed the document.

25A. *"I only regret that I have but one life ..." speaker : NATHAN HALE. America's first spy. Hidden inside is NH.

28A. *Patriot Navy vessel : FRIGATE. I know it's a Navy warship. Don't know the "Patriot" connection. Embedded is RI.

38A. *1765 tax law : THE STAMP ACT. This is not listed in our citizenship exam preparation questions. Enclosed is CT.

71A. *Treaty of __: 1783 war ender : PARIS. Concealed is PA.

82A. *1780 battle site : CAMDEN. The Battle of Camden 1780. Definitely out of my knowledge zone. MD is cloaked in.

101A. *1777-'78 military camp site : VALLEY FORGE. This I know. VA is buried in the phrase.

112A. *"Shot heard 'round the world" site : CONCORD. First clash of American Revolutionary War. NC is disguised. Of course I thought of baseball. Bobby Thomson's home run.

116A. *Article I mandate : US CONGRESS. Article I of US Constitution. It describes the power of US Congress. Veiled inside is SC.

3D. *Beer named for a patriot : SAM ADAMS. Someone mentioned this beer on the blog a while ago. MA is sheltered in.

42D. *First Chief Justice : JOHN JAY. Gimme gimme. He's the author of "The Federal Papers". Listed prominently in our exam booklet. NJ is shielded inside.

62D. *Like the government outlined in the Constitution : FEDERAL. DE is covered.

91D. *Site of a decisive 1777 patriot victory : SARATOGA. Know nothing about Battle of Saratoga. GA is tucked inside.

Then, John's unifier:

55A. *Each circled pair is an abbreviation for one; all 13 are arranged in the roughly north-to-south order in which their representatives (except for John Hancock) signed the Declaration of Independence : COLONY. NY is contained.

Here are those signatures. John Hancock represented MA, which is gridded in the upper left corner. Maybe Argyle can validate John's order. I am very bad recognizing autographs. Those colonies have now become STATES (9D. This puzzle's circled pairs, nowadays).

And more patriotic entries:

21A. Birthplace of seven presidents : OHIO. Minnesota has none.

65A. "Burr" and "Lincoln" : NOVELS. Gore Vidal's "Burr" and "Lincoln". Got me.

95A. Code for Burr and Hamilton : DUELLO. New word to me. Code regarding dueling.

99A. Washington portraitist Rembrandt __ : PEALE. And PEAL (16D. Bell sound that sounds like a portraitist?) & OIL COLOR (30A. Rembrandt choice)

1D. "Yankee Doodle" word : MACARONI. The Feather. And DAMN (51A. "__ Yankees"). Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets.

13D. Tribe allied with the patriots : MOHICANS. Not aware of this information.

101D. Washington's mount? : VERNON. Mount Vernon.

120D. Emulate Betsy Ross : SEW. Her flag has 13 stars, representing the 13 states. John's original theme title is "The First Thirteen *". With the asterisk, I thought it's very clever, esp since each of the 13 theme clues has * too.

Probably my favorite LAT Sunday puzzle in 2010. Below are my reasons:

1) I loved the theme. Tight & complex. Three layers (in John's words): All 13 theme clues & answers have to do with Revolutionary War history; 13 colonies hidden inside; All arranged in north-south order. Clever placement of those state abbreviations and yet all the theme answers still remain symmetric.

2) Lots of clue echos and thoughtful weaving. A sign that the constructor went to extra steps to entertain his solvers. For a 4th of July change, I highlighted them in red in my write-up today.

3) Pangram: Check. John used all the 26 letters at least once to spice up the scrabbliness of his puzzle. Cheater/Helper squares: Nope. It does not please his photographer's eye aesthetically.

I think this puzzle should be distributed as part of the US Citizenship & Immigration Services Civics Lessons for the Naturalization Test booklet.

Across:

1. Painted Desert sight : MESA. I am used to the "Flat tableland" clue.

5. Racetracks : OVALS

10. Minuteman, e.g., briefly : ICBM (InterContinental Ballistic Missile). And SILO (17D. Minuteman's home). I was only familiar with the colonial militia Minuteman meaning.

14. Slip : LAPSE

19. Audio/visual production awards : AVAS. Ava = Audio/visual Awards. New to me.

20. Aspect : FACET

22. __ the hole : ACE IN

23. Aide-de-__ : CAMP

24. Appetite stimulant : AROMA. Hunger too.

27. Therapists' org. : APA. OK, American Psychiatric Association.

31. Chagrin symptom : RED FACE. I just bite my lips. I do that a lot.

33. Alleviate : EASE

36. Queen of the Nile, familiarly : CLEO. And ASP (4D. Queen of the Nile biter)

37. Dental products brand : ORAL B

42. Pickle : JAM. In a jam/pickle.

45. A.L. Rookie of the Year after Derek : NOMAR (Garcia). Oh, 1994 then. I had Derek Jeter's rookie card. It's 1993.

46. Deviate from a course : YAW. Yaw, Pitch and Roll. Dennis is an expert on this term. Thrust too.

47. Land bordering los Pirineos : ESPANA. Was ignorant that Los Pirineos = The Pyrenees. We also have QUE PASA (69. "What's up?" in 47-Across).

48. Macbeth's burial isle : IONA. Nice to know this trivia.

49. Penned? : IN STIR. And PAROLES (71D. Unpens?). Pen = Lock up in the prison. Fantastic clues.

53. Clouseau's rank: Abbr. : INSP (Inspector).

54. Scorch : CHAR

57. Poet's "before" : ERE

58. 2010 Super Bowl champs : SAINTS. New Orleans Saints.

60. Boxer's outbursts : ARFS. Dogs.

64. Scope : KEN

68. Menial position : McJOB. Learned this slang from doing Xword.

72. Song syllables : TRA LA LA

74. Canceled : UNDID

75. Fowl less fancy than her mate : PEAHEN. Peacock is fancy indeed.

77. Nonpro sports org. : AAU (Amateur Athletic Union). Was vaguely aware of this org.

78. Looker : EYER

79. Brewpub fixture : ALE TAP

81. __-80: old computer : TRS. Can never remember this old computer model.

85. Meadow mom : MARE. Alliteration all the way.

86. Bounce back : ECHO. Plenty in this grid.

88. Lily used as food by Mormon pioneers : SEGO. I am not surprised. Dried lilies are widely used in Chinese cooking.

89. Abductor's demand : RANSOM

94. Minimally : A TAD

97. Indefinite amount : ANY. And SOME (120. Indefinite amount).

100. First word of Dante's "Inferno" : NEL. No idea. The starting line is "Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita" = "Halfway through the journey of my life".

103. Western buds : PARDS. I can see the groan in Melissa 's face. She does not like this word.

104. Gp. of battalions : REGT (Regiment)

105. Paving stone : SETT. Rectangular paving stone. I forgot.

106. Waffles : SEESAWS

108. Civilized : DECOROUS. Such a polite word.

115. Palindromic peewee : TOT. And SAS (34D. Palindromic airline).

119. Astrologer Sydney : OMARR

121. "... __'clock scholar" : A TEN' O. Partial.

122. "__ to 'Enry ...": Cockney toast : 'ERES. Here's to Henry. The H sound is dropped in Cockney accent.

123. "... __ man put asunder" : LET NO

124. First Alaskan governor : EGAN. Nailed it. Our old editor used this clue very frequently.

125. Encumbered : LADEN

126. Shoe spec : SIZE. Did you also want EEEE?

127. Laud : EXTOL

128. Desire : WANT

Down:

2. 1946-'52 first lady : EVA PERON. Ah, Argentina's first lady.

5. Joan __ : OF ARC

6. "Spice of life" : VARIETY. Variety is the Spice of Life.

7. Slip __: err : A COG

8. Tony of '60s golf : LEMA. Champagne Tony. Died when he's only 32 years old. Plane crash.

10. Cyclotron bit : ION. Cyclotron is a new word to me.

11. Taiwan tea : CHA. Literally "tea" in Chinese. John picked up Taiwan for alliteration purpose. It's called CHA in mainland China too.

12. __-Honey: almond candy : BIT-O. Have never had Bit-O-Honey.

14. Surgical knife : LANCET

15. Allergic reaction : ACHOO

18. Cabinet dept. with a lightning bolt on its seal : ENER (Energy). Did not know this fact. See its seal. And FABRIC (28. It's bought in bolts) & EATEN (29. Bolted down). I am in awe of John's "bolting" mind.

26. LIKE THIS : ALL CAPS. The clue letters are all capped.

32. Driving problem : FLAT. Flat tires.

35. Realms : EMPIRES

39. Was wearing : HAD ON

40. Obi-Wan portrayer : EWAN (McGregor).

41. Triptych third : PANEL

43. France of France : ANATOLE. Have never heard of Anatole France. French novelist who won Nobel Literature 1921.

44. Snickers cousin : MARS BAR. Does it have peanuts inside?

48. Eaves dropper? : ICICLE. Lovely clue.

50. Seoul soldiers : ROKS

52. Birds that ape : MYNAHS

56. Look follower? : LEAP. Look before you leap.

57. Make manifest : EVINCE. Another alliteration.

59. Health org. : AMA

60. Atlantis dweller of comics : AQUAMAN. Have heard of the dude. Don't know where he dwells though.

61. Fall behind : RUN LATE

63. Treated maliciously : SPITED

66. Lode load : ORE. Homophone & alliteration.

67. Boer burg : STAD. Dutch for "burg"?

70. Nabokov novel : ADA. Alliteration.

73. Penitent type : RUER

76. Lucy's landlady : ETHEL. "I Love Lucy".

77. Included in : AMONG

80. Didactic sort : PEDAGOG. Annoying person. But cool answer.

83. Seaweed gelatin : AGAR

84. Got forty winks : NAPPED

87. Bio lab subjects : CULTURES

88. Civil beginning? : SOFT C. The beginning of the word "Civil" is a Soft C.

90. Civil rights activist Ralph : NEAS. Unknown figure to me. Consecutive "Civil" echo.

92. Noted shoe dweller : OLD WOMAN. "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe...". Nursery rhyme.

93. Where soldiers put away food : MESS TENT

96. Soap chemical : LYE

98. "Decide now!" : YES OR NO

102. "The Ruling Class" star, 1972 : O'TOOLE (Peter). Have never heard of the movie.

104. ABC's Arledge : ROONE. Chairman of ABC.

107. Filmdom's Flynn : ERROL. Alliteration.

108. Two-part : DUAL

109. This, in Toledo : ESTA. Another alliteration.

110. Sent the same ltr. to : CCED. Easy for me.

111. LPGA star __ Pak : SE RI. First Korean to be on the LPGA tour. Her surname name is actually Park. Immigration or some other agency misspelled her name. She just let it go.

113. Taos's st. : N MEX

114. Suffragist Carrie : CATT. Recognize her face when I googled. She has a Curt Schilling look, don't you think?

117. "__ who?" : SEZ

118. Boston-to-Weymouth dir. : SSE. Have never heard of Weymouth, a city in MA. Is there any revolutionary tie to this clue?

Please feel free to post on Comments section any alliteration/rhyme/echo or any clever wordplay tricks I've missed. Thanks. And a Happy 4th of July!

Answer grid.

C.C.

PS: LA Times website does not support circles. Please see my Answer grid to see where they are placed.

Saturday July 3, 2010 Will Nediger

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 36

One letter Q away from a pangram.

Will Nediger anchors his puzzle with a grid spanner MARRIED TO THE MOB (33A. 1988 Michelle Pfeiffer film) and stacks a couple of 11s & a 10 on the top/bottom. OVERANALYZE (52A. Figure to a fault) is my favorite entry today. Awesome.

Will is majoring in linguistics, so his fill/clue skew academics. He probably loves Shakespeare stuff, see the below clues:

1A. He played Brutus in "Julius Caesar" (1953) : JAMES MASON. Total stranger to me.

28A. "I kissed thee __ I killed thee": "Othello" : ERE

45D. "In __, you are to blame": "Othello" : SOOTH. In truth.

As the norm with Saturday puzzles, a few new words for me and plenty of V-8 moments.

Across:

11. Member of a notable foreign trio : AMO (I love). Amo, amas, amat. Latin trio.

14. Complex mirage : FATA MORGANA. New word to me. See the etymology. Italian name. Had some King Arthur root.

15. Go for the bronze? : TAN. Nailed it.

16. 1965 Peter and Gordon hit : I GO TO PIECES. The tune sounds familiar.

17. Enter the pool : BET. D'oh, betting pool. DIP did not work.

18. Crescent : LUNE. Rooted in Latin moon "Luna". Makes sense.

19. Wet-weather wear : GALOSH. Man, I never know there's a special term for this kind of waterproof overshoe.

21. Ski nautique site : LAC. French for "lake". I don't know the meaning of "Ski nautique". Nautique is just French for "Nautical".

22. Acolyte's area : ALTAR

27. Barista's preparation : LATTE

29. Shinto temple gateway : TORII. Like this. I always associate it with ex-Twin Torii Hunter.

30. House or lodge : STOW. Verb. I was in the noun direction.

31. Pelvis-patella connectors : FEMURS

32. The farther ones : THOSE

37. Large amount : OCEAN

38. Stockpile : GATHER

39. Add water to, perhaps : THIN. Can't jam in DILUTE.

40. Tribe member in many films : EXTRA. Extras who play the tribe members. I thought the answer is asking for a real Indian tribe who appears in film often.

41. New Jersey casino, with "The" : TAJ

44. Pen output : OINKS. Pig pen.

46. Sitting Bull, e.g. : SIOUX. Yes, this is the kind of tribe I was picturing for 40A.

47. Doc bloc : HMO. Rhyme.

48. Team that's played in the same home park since 1912 : RED SOX. Their Fenway Park is the oldest ball park in Major League.

50. Busiest : PEAK

51. "__ Got Bonnie": Rydell hit : I'VE. I guessed.

58. One in a zillion? : ZEE. One letter in the word "zillion". Clever clue.

59. Venerable : TIME-HONORED. Another awesome answer.

60. Transgress : ERR

61. Some countdowns : HIT PARADES. Countdowns of most popular songs.

Down:

1. Rain forest cat : JAGUAR. I drew a blank.

2. Without delay : AT ONCE

3. King's downfall, maybe : MATE. Chess ending.

4. Punk rock offshoot : EMO. Learned from doing Xword.

5. Payoff : SOP. Bribe.

6. Med. technique using contrast agents : MRI. What are "contrast agents"?

7. What candles may reveal : AGE. Wrinkles too.

8. Egg holder : SAC

9. A hundred sawbucks : ONE G. 1,000.

10. Like some vowels : NASAL. Like what? I only know nasal consonants.

11. Fundamentally : AT BOTTOM

12. Stately and dignified, in music : MAESTOSO. New word to me. So close to Maestro.

13. Generally Googleable : ON THE WEB. OK.

14. Dijon daughter : FILLE. "Daughter" in French. Alliteration.

20. 1993 Anne Rice novel : LASHER. See the book cover. Not in my radar.

22. Ordered pizza, perhaps : ATE IN

23. Capital of Togo : LOME. Uh-uh, nope. No idea. God will be resigned by my unwillingness to learn those capitals in faraway countries.

24. Walks with effort : TRUDGES

25. Chartered carrier : AIR TAXI. The answer just would not come to me.

26. Ristorante dish : RISOTTO. OK, ristorante is Italian for "restaurant" then.

31. Dogs : FRANKS. Hot dogs.

32. Walking papers : THE AX. Walking papers: slang for dismissal.

33. Make easier to use, in a way : MOTORIZE. Didn't jump to me immediately.

34. One who gets things done : ACHIEVER. This word seems to always come with "over" or "under".

35. Cupid, for one : REINDEER. Santa's Cupid. Not Roman love god.

36. Via, informally : THRU

41. "__ here!" : THEY'RE. Does this refer to the tagline for "Poltergeist"?

42. Floors : AMAZES. Verb.

43. Caused a breakup? : JOKED. Convulsed with laughter "breakup".

49. Louis __: son of Marie Antoinette : XVII. Makes senses. Her husband is Louis XVI.

50. Lumber : PLOD. I confused "Lumber" with "Slumber".

53. First to arrive, often: Abbr. : EMT. True!

54. Good standing, for short : REP (Reputation)

55. "Got it!" : AHA

56. Easter preceder? : NOR. Nor'easter. Strong rain storm in east coast. So named because the winds come from the northeast.

57. Santa __ : ANA

Answer grid.

Tomorrow we are going to have a special 4th of July tribute puzzle by John Lampkin. The theme involves circles, which are unsupported by LA Times website software. If you don't use Across Lite, please come to the blog on Sunday morning for the pdf version.

C.C.

Friday July 2, 2010 Jack McInturff

Theme: KING ME (71A. Board game demand, and hint to this puzzle's theme) - KING is added to the end of three-letter word of a common phrase.

18A. Temporary teacher's lot? : SUB PARKING. Subpar. The only theme entry where the base phrase is one word. Temporary teacher = Sub.

23A. What it would have been if 10-Down went down? : ORIGINAL SINKING. And ARK (10. Ararat arrival). Noah's Ark landed in Mt. Ararat. What exactly is the "Original Sin"? Eve & Adam ate the forbidden fruit and then made love?

52A. Brusque words about strong coffee? : ESPRESSO BARKING. Espresso Bar. Quite an evocative clue. Brusque order from a customer.

61A. Actress Brenneman losing on purpose? : AMY TANKING. Amy Tan, author of "The Joy Luck Club", very real portrait of Chinese American mindset. I liked Amy Brenneman's role in "NYPD Blue".

Interesting that every one of Jack's recent puzzles has a unifier entry. "King Me" came to my radar only because Lois had lots of DF fun with the term some time ago on the blog. I've never played Checkers.

As you all know, I am quite fond of clue echos and cross-references, but I truly dislike those ones that give absolutely nothing for me to decipher. In today's case:

6D. 13-Down relative : EDU

13D. 6-Down relative : ORG

They are relatives because both are common internet address endings?

Across:

1. Rhine tributary : RUHR. In Essen.

5. Word spoken while pointing, perhaps : HER. New clue.

8. Slow tempo : ADAGIO

14. Sitcom redhead : OPIE. Ron Howard in "The Andy Griffith Show". I thought of LUCY Ball.

15. Stock ending? : ADE. Ending to the word Stockade.

16. Sole sauce : TARTAR

17. Hosp. workers : LPNS (Licensed Practical Nurses). New abbr. to me. Maybe it's gimme for August & Crazy Horse.

20. Escorted : LED IN

22. Where to kiss the Blarney Stone : EIRE

30. Nat or Red : NLER. National Leaguer. Washington Nationals/Cincinnati Reds.

31. "The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom" author : ORMAN (Suze)

32. '60s activist gp. : SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)

35. Former sergeant, perhaps : EX-COP. Needed crossing help.

38. Classic Callas role : TOSCA. No idea. All I know about Maria Callas is her affair with Ari Onassis.

39. "Very funny" : HA HA

41. Greenish blues : TEALS

43. Links sight : CART. Golf.

44. Memorable mission : ALAMO

46. Pond papa : DRAKE. Alliteration.

48. __ Arc, Arkansas : DES. Not familiar with this city. We also have ARCED (25D. Bowed). Minor duplication.

49. Former name of the Mariinsky Ballet : KIROV. Previously Kirov Ballet.

50. Fanatics : NUTS

59. Like an undeliverable pkg. : RETD. Returned I suppose.

60. Where to get down : EIDER. Duck down.

67. Normal opening? : PARA. Opening to the word Paranormal.

68. Hunts diligently : SCOURS

69. Date : SEE

70. It acquired Applebee's in 2007 : IHOP. Unaware of this fact.

72. Little shaver : TOT. Shaver = Small kid.

73. Peter of reggae : TOSH. Gimme. The Wailers. With Bob Marley.

Down:

1. Rich kid in "Nancy" comics : ROLLO. Stumper. I don't read comic strips.

2. Berth place : UPPER

3. Language that gives us "cheetah" and "chutney" : HINDI. Any good recipe for mango chutney?

4. Quit : RESIGN

5. Holds : HAS

7. Rise up : REBEL

8. Pong creator : ATARI

9. Are more than reluctant to : DARE NOT. I say this a lot.

11. VW hatchback : GTI. GTI = Grand Tourer--Injected. Who knows? Volkswagen is the largest foreign car maker in China.

12. Creator of Q and M : IAN (Fleming). Q & M are Bond characters.

19. Circle constants : PIS

21. __ green : NILE

24. "What happened __?" : NEXT

26. McDonald's founder : KROC (Ray)

27. "When __ she comes to me with a thousand smiles": "Little Wing" lyric : I'M SAD. Stymied. Jimi Hendrix song. Any The Corrs fans there?

28. Shell layer : NACRE. Mother-of-pearl. Mollusk shell.

29. Punkies : GNATS. Punkie is a new word to me.

32. Wooden shingle : SHAKE. Was ignorant of this carpentry term.

33. "The Sacrament of the Last Supper" and others : DALIS. Here is the painting.

34. Off-key, in a way : SHARP. Need Jazzbumpa's explanation.

36. Watercraft control : OAR

37. Alternate strategy : PLAN B

40. Cupid : AMOR

42. Arctic predator : SKUA. Hi there!

45. Like many a baseball pitch : OVERARM. Overarm pitch.

47. French 101 verb : ETRE. "To be".

51. "Never mind" : SKIP IT

53. Common quality? : SENSE. Common sense.

54. NYSE buy : STK (Stock)

55. Lyrical poet : ODIST

56. Only state that borders six states and Canada : IDAHO. Wow, it's true.

57. __ Circus, where St. Peter was crucified : NERO'S. Learning moment for me. Jack likes to put a few Biblical references in his puzzle.

58. Plotting device : GRAPH

61. Quiz : ASK

62. Verizon subsidiary : MCI

63. That, old-style : YON

64. Harbor vessel : TUG. Quite a few 3-letter word entries in the grid. Total 21.

65. Revival prefix : NEO. Neoclassic, e.g.

66. Fetch : GET

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday July 1, 2010 Robert A. Doll

Theme: HOT STUFF (61A. 1979 song for which Donna Summer won a Grammy, and a hint to the puzzle theme found in the answers to starred clues). The queen of disco. - HOT can precede the first word of each theme entry.

16A. *Tennis legend nicknamed "Rocket": ROD LAVER. Hot Rod. To say any more would be 8D: a faux pas.

23A. *Mighty Mouse's archenemy: OIL CAN HARRY. Hot Oil. Oil Can Harry (an evil cat) and Mighty Mouse (Superman imitator) were Terrytoons released by the 20th Century Fox Studio. Perhaps a little obscure..

33A. *1983 film that won the Oscar for Best Music, Original Song: FLASHDANCE. Hot Flash.

38A. *Stray hunter: DOG CATCHER. Hot Dog.

51A. *Deli side: POTATO SALAD. Hot Potato.

Hi all, Al here.

Today's puzzle had both easy and hard spots, I thought. I got through most of it quickly, but got a little stuck in the southwest with the proper nouns going down. The theme didn't help and I didn't even really notice it until after I was done solving, which still didn't seem as long as last week, but it still was about right for a Thursday, I'd say.

Across:

1. Minute Maid product: LIMEADE. I don't think Mr. Doll reads the blog. So close to recognition...

8. John or Paul: BEATLE. Too long of an answer to be a POPE.

14. Hotel option: TWIN BED.

15. Corsage flower: ORCHID. Corsage from Old French cors "body" (related: corpse); the meaning "body of a woman's dress, bodice" is from 1818 in fashion plates translated from French; Sense of "a bouquet worn on the bodice" is 1911, Amer.Eng., apparently from Fr. bouquet de corsage "bouquet of the bodice."

18. Early hr. to retire: NINE PM. Bed? I'm just getting started with my day.

19. Olivia of "The Wonder Years": d'ABO. After playing the hippie sister Karen Arnold, she was a voice actor in quite a few animations, including Jane in the Disney's version of Tarzan and Jane.

20. Resident's suffix: ITE. Also a mineral suffix.

22. Hebrides tongue: ERSE. Early Scottish variant of Old English Irisc or Old Norse Irskr "Irish". Applied by Lowland Scots to the Gaelic speech of the Highlanders.

27. Watch: EYE.

28. Squirrel's home: TREE. It is funny because the squirrel gets dead. From "Up".

29. Put away: ATE.

30. Claude who played Sheriff Lobo in "B.J. and the Bear": AKINS. The bear was actually a chimp. Sheriff Lobo is the one seated.

32. Profs' aides: TAS. Teaching Assistants.

35. Swing __: ERA. The days of the Big Bands, Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, Count Basie. One of the factors for the demise was a recording ban where the union that most jazz musicians belong to told its members not to record until the record companies agreed to pay them each time their music was played on the radio. Things haven't changed much...the music industry will never learn, it seems.

37. Granola grain: OAT.

44. Call from a crow's nest: CAW. Interesting misdirection. I was looking for a sailing term, but it was actually a straightforward clue.

47. Mozart is on some Austrian ones: EUROS. The one, the two, the five and the fifty... others?

48. Hefty ref.: OED. Oxford English Dictionary.

49. Pesky yard critter: MOLE. Had to wait to see whether it would be VOLE instead.

50. Spot to stop: Abbr.: STA. Station.

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

57. Court cry: LET. A tennis term for the serve hitting the net (but still going over), or a distraction, like a ball rolling on the court, something requiring a "do-over".

58. Partner of void: NULL. Legally, something that is "null and void" can no longer be enforced. Both words mean empty, as in a vacuum or having no contents.

59. "The Shining" mantra: REDRUM. Murder spelled backwards. "Heere's Johnny".

65. Rio Grande city: EL PASO.

66. Showed awe over: AAHED AT.

67. Safari sightings: ELANDS. The largest African antelope, it can weigh nearly a ton. As opposed to the Royal Antelope, which is about the size of a jackrabbit, only growing to about 6-7 lbs.

68. Arachnophobe's fear: SPIDERS. I don't like spiders and snakes.

Down:

1. USPS delivery: LTR. United States Postal Service, Letter.

2. WWII battle site, briefly: IWO. Jima. Letters from Iwo Jima. and Flags of Our Fathers.

3. Means: MIDDLES. Shouldn't that be Medians? A mean is a mathematical average, and if your numbers are skewed, the mean wouldn't necessarily be the middle.

4. Intertwine: ENLACE.

5. Addis __: ABABA. The capital city of Ethiopia.

6. Cornwall neighbor: DEVON. Southern England.

7. Stamp finish?: EDE. "Finish" here indicates a suffix, stampede.

8. Faux pas: BONER. Yes, those can be embarrassing...

9. Airport north of Pittsburgh, in itineraries: ERI. Erie International Airport / Tom Ridge Field

10. Reason to see a dermatologist: ACNE. Accutane warning.

11. Legalese adverb: THEREIN.

12. Mouth the words: LIP SYNC.

13. '80s attorney general: ED MEESE. The 75th, under Reagan. Quote: "An expert is somebody who is more than 50 miles from home, has no responsibility for implementing the advice he gives, and shows slides."

17. Gaucho gear: RIATA. Spanish for cowboy and lasso (Lariat)

21. Half of seis: TRES. French for six and three.

23. Giant of a Giant: OTT. Mel Ott, Baseball. Right fielder, played his entire career for one team. First NL player to exceed 500 home runs.

24. Lyricist Gershwin: IRA. Brother/partner of George Gershwin, the latter is probably most famous for "An American in Paris" and "Rhapsody in Blue", neither of which have words.

25. Difficult computer of film: HAL. I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that. (2001, A Space Odyssey).

26. "Blah ...": YADA. Seinfeld's version of "Blah blah blah".

31. "Krazy __": KAT. This comic strip was old before I was born.

33. Sprat's taboo: FAT. Jack Sprat could eat no fat...

34. Old TV knob: HOR. Horizontal hold. I suppose "abbrev" isn't necessary because the label for the knob wasn't spelled out...

35. "Foucault's Pendulum" author: ECO. Umberto. Foucault's Pendulum has been called "the thinking person's Da Vinci Code, but it is more a satire on the futility of conspiracy theories and those who believe them, rather than an attempt to proliferate such beliefs.

36. Farrier's tool: RASP. A pedicurist/shoer for horses, a specialized blacksmith.

38. Obama's first social secretary __ Rogers: DESIREE.

39. Move more goods than: OUTSELL.

40. Pop's pop: GRANDPA.

41. Pigeon shelter: COTE. A small house for animals. Related: cottage, and coterie (circle of acquaintances).

42. "Macbeth" setting: HEATH. A wasteland.

43. N.J. summer setting: EDT.

44. Plan a heist (with): COLLUDE. From Latin colludare (to play with).

45. Cookbook words: A LA. In the manner of. Chicken a la King.

46. Marry: WED.

49. Shake alternative: MALTED.

52. "Stand and Deliver" star: OLMOS. Edward James.

53. Ready to be drawn: ON TAP. Beer.

54. Sashimi cousin: SUSHI. Sashimi is raw fish served sliced, but as-is. That means no rice bed or roll, but it is often served alongside daikon and/or shiso. The word sushi refers to the rice (the Japanese word su means vinegar, and shi is from meshi, the Japanese word for rice, hence sushi is 'vinegared rice'.

56. Air__: budget carrier: TRAN. News to me, I had never heard of this airline before.

60. Amer. currency: USD. United $tates Dollar.

62. Defense gp. founded in Bogotá: OAS. Organization of American States. All the countries of North and South America except Honduras (suspended in 2009 due to a coup d'etat), Iceland, and Greenland (simply not members).

63. Way off: FAR. I still don't think I understand...

64. NBA stats: FTS. Basketball, Free Throws.

Answer grid.

Al