Monday, September 6, 2010 Lila Cherry

Theme: "Extra! Read All About It!" - The ending words of four non-newspaper phrases are what you might read in a paper, followed by the unifier.

18A. Watch or clock : TIMEPIECE

20A. Second floor of a home, say : UPPER STORY

33A. With 35-Across, real McCoy : GENUINE and 35A. See 33-Across : ARTICLE. If you're wondering where "real McCoy" came from, Wikipedia. The total word count for the two entries is 14 letters, not suitable for a central theme entry. Hence the break-up in the middle by a black block.

52. Where to begin adding numbers : ONES COLUMN. You remember, adding up numbers in the pre-calculator days

54. Daily publication where you'd read the ends of 18-, 20-, 33/35- and 52-Across : NEWSPAPER

Argyle here with a Lila "Really Rich" Cherry constructed Monday puzzle.

There are 20 three-letter entries and 18 four-letter entries. The two longest theme entries are only ten letters. There are also 24 6-letter or more non-theme fill, including four vertical 8s.

Not much to comment on. Hope you all have a pleasant Labor Day. Except for some rain in the upper mid-west, pretty nice weather nationwide.

Across:

1. Moved on all fours : CREPT

6. "Snow" veggie : PEA. Image.

9. Action film high point : CHASE

14. Break off completely : SEVER

15. Select, with "for" : OPT

16. Like Cheerios : OATEN

17. Open-mouthed : AGAPE

22. Your and my : OUR

23. John who played Basil Fawlty : CLEESE. A short clip, entitled "Panic Stations".

24. QVC competitor : HSN. QVC is an acronym for Quality, Value, Convenience. HSN is the Home Shopping Network. They are cable TV shopping channels engaged in 60A. Cybercommerce : E-TAIL

25. Town, informally : BURG. From Old High German burg, a fortified town

26. Animal fat : LARD

27. Keats or Yeats : POET. Appropriately rhymed.

29. Brighton buddy : MATEY. British alliteration.

30. Ear: Pref. : OTO

31. Ernie's Muppet pal : BERT

32. Amt. still owed : BAL

39. Got ready for a lap dog : SAT

40. Ink stain : BLOT

41. Accelerate, with "up" : REV

42. Gets nosy : PRIES

45. Bump off : DO IN

46. Arrived : CAME

47. Swedish soprano Jenny : LIND. “The Swedish Nightingale”, 1820–87.

48. Tyrannosaurus __ : REX.

49. Element used in dating rocks : CARBON

51. Actress Gardner : AVA

56. Microwave alerts : BEEPS

58. Speechify : ORATE

59. Perrier, to Pierre : EAU. French alliteration. Perrier is a brand of mineral water bottled in France.

61. Justin Timberlake's boy band : NSYNC

62. AAA suggestion : RTE

63. Aromatic compound : ESTER

Down:

1. Civil War org. : CSA. Confederate States of America.

2. Control, as temperature : REGULATE

3. Argentine leader played by Madonna : EVA PERON

4. Livened (up) : PEPPED

5. Ancestral diagrams : TREES

6. Pans partner : POTS. Triple alliteration.

7. Nickname : EPITHET

8. Maximally : AT MOST

9. Xerox : COPY

10. See 25-Down : HAI and 25. With 10-Down, "South Pacific" song : BALI

11. Enjoyed a diner : ATE OUT

12. Tie tightly : SECURE

13. Pizazz : ENERGY

19. Directional suffix : ERN

21. Regret one's sins : REPENT

23. Drain obstruction : CLOG

28. Calif. neighbor : ORE

29. Damon of "Good Will Hunting" : MATT

31. Skewed view : BIAS

32. "Bucking" horse : BRONCO

34. Secondhand : USED

35. Baba who stole from thieves : ALI

36. Dungeness delicacy : CRABMEAT. American alliteration. Dungeness, Washington, now called Old Town Dungeness, is where the first commercial harvesting of the Dungeness crab was done. Image. Don't look, Sallie!

37. Tart dessert : LEMON PIE

38. All square : EVEN

40. Costlier ballpark spot : BOX SEAT

42. Expect to happen : PLAN ON. Like you should PLAN ON a second mortgage if you want to buy BOX SEATS.

43. Funny Joan : RIVERS

44. Sort of : IN A WAY

45. Farther below the water's surface : DEEPER

46. Salad oil bottles : CRUETS

48. Cell "messenger," briefly : RNA

50. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" playwright : ALBEE

52. Oil cartel acronym : OPEC

53. Nikki Sixx/Tommy Lee group Mötley __ : CRÜE

55. RR depot : STN. Railroad station.

57. 35mm camera type : SLR

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday September 5, 2010 John Lampkin

Theme: Funny Business - Familiar two-word phrases are humorously re-interpreted as if they are the workplaces for the corresponding occupations in the clues.

27A. Fishmonger's workplace? : SCHOOL BUILDING. School of fish.

41A. Justice of the peace's workplace? : HITCHING POST. This clue made me laugh.

65A. Cattleman's workplace? : STOCK MARKET. Windhover would love this answer.

89A. Matchmaker's workplace? : CHEMISTRY LAB. Awesome answer/clue, Annette!

104A. Dentist's workplace? : FILLING STATION. This one is for our Dr. G, who's a retired dentist.

15D. Racetrack owner's workplace? : OVAL OFFICE. Great workplace for Argyle/Dilbert/Tinbeni, all racing fans.

34D. Slapstick comedian's workplace? : CORN FIELD. Clue echo with PRATFALL (44A. Slapstick antic).

54D. Hard rock musician's workplace? : METAL SHOP. Crossing central hub answer STOCK MARKET, same as 34D.

70D. Ammunition supplier's workplace? : POWDER ROOM. What a drastic pun!

Very creative thinking, isn't it? I wonder if any race tracker owner actually does own an OVAL OFFICE to brag about. Several of John's theme answers made their first ever crossword appearances today.

A slight aberration from John's typical Sunday pangram puzzles. Two pairs of helper squares to facilitate a smoother fill in the middle part of the grid. Without them, we would not have the wonderful FILE NAME, subsequently SECOND HAND might be impossible. I love both of them very much.

The puzzle design resembles a bit of Rich's "Knock 'Em Dead" puzzle we had on August 15, with 9 theme entries, 4 of which are placed vertically. John's middle anchor STOCK MARKET intersects with two of the Downs, while there's no theme entry interaction at all in Rich's puzzle.

I've highlighted his characteristic clue echos in the write-up. Do feel free to add if I miss any. John is on vacation right now, so he might not respond to our comments.

Across:

1. Leg-pulls : JESTS. And PRANK (44D. Leg-pull). Quintessential John Lampkin style fun. clue.

6. Mean boss : OGRE. And DEVIL (10. Underworld boss?). Boss is related to Labor Day.

15. Chooses : OPTS

19. How some risks are taken, after "on" : A DARE

20. "I'd like to say something" : AHEM

21. Title singer of "You Must Love Me" : EVITA. Only know her "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina".

22. Full of oneself : VAIN

23. Beethoven's love : MUSIC

24. Grave : TOMB. And GHOUL (7. Grave robber).

25. Kids' snow creations : FORTS

26. Spell opener : ABRA. Opener to Abracadabra. This opener is for Jazzbumpa and all those who loves spells.

30. Ring tone activator : CALLER

32. Traffic tangle : SNARL. And JAMS (1D. Traffic tangles).

33. Strong-ox connector : AS AN. Strong as an ox.

34. Last to arrive at the station : CABOOSE. Here are some wonderful pictures and witty comments from John himself.

35. Ruler divisions: Abbr. : CMS. Centimeters. Then we have OLAF (40. Norwegian ruler) and TSAR (120. Old Russian ruler). Different rulers.

38. Letters from your parents? : DNA. Great clue, which works for RNA also, right, Al? Also EIEIO (51. Letters sung after various animal names).

39. Greenhouse gas : OZONE. And EIRE (61. Green land) & ST. PAT (97D. Green land patron, for short). Ireland.

48. First name in B-29 history : ENOLA. Enola Gay.

49. Bard's contraction : EEN. And OPE (39D. Reveal, to a bard).

50. Prince Valiant's son : ARN. Finally committed this word to my memory.

52. Hard drive title : FILE NAME. Debut entry.

55. Rice dish : PILAF

57. Bit for Fido, perhaps : SCRAP

58. Dept. store stock : MDSE (Merchandise)

59. It's south of Georgia : ARMENIA. The country Georgia. And VIRG (12D. It's N of North Carolina).

62. Bears : HAS

68. Twisting shape : ESS. And LIARS (46. Truth twisters).

69. Put __ on: limit : A CAP

71. Property claim resulting from a default : TAX LIEN. Needed crossing help.

72. Timber wolf : LOBO

75. Mill output? : RUMOR. Rumor mill.

77. Rimes of country : LEANN

78. Classic sitcom sidekick : ED NORTON. Always nice to see a full name.

82. Vermont tourist town, home to the Trapp Family Lodge : STOWE. It's named after whom, Lois?

83. One of Beethoven's nine: Abbr. : SYM (Symphony)

84. Denom. : REL. Religious denomination.

86. 1836 siege site : ALAMO

87. Big pain : HEADACHE. And SASH (3. It takes panes). Play on "It take pains".

93. Nymph who loved her own voice : ECHO. Plenty of clue echos in John's puzzle. He has a very imaginative mind.

94. Thigh muscles : QUADS

95. Spain's El __ : CID

96. Canyon pair? : ENS. Two letter Ns in canyon.

97. Begin : START-UP

100. One of two Monopoly squares: Abbr. : UTIL. And BOARD GAMES ( 73D. Monopoly and others). And AGORA (101D. Greek square). Also FETA (104. Greek cheese).

101. Danny of the NBA : AINGE. Nope. Don't follow NBA.

103. Drive to drink? : THIRST. "Drive" here is noun.

109. Baja buck : PESO

110. New, in Nicaragua : NUEVA. Alliteration.

112. Sticky substances : GOOS

113. Spiritual sustenance : MANNA. Food from heaven.

114. Folk singer Guthrie : ARLO

115. Adlai's running mate : ESTES (Kefauver). Have not seen his name for a long time.

116. Protagonist : HERO

117. Duck down : EIDER. Also ABATES (31D. Dies down) and HAIL (90. Come down hard?). Fantastic down tapestry.

118. Pour : TEEM

119. They're always advancing : YEARS. Awesome clue.

121. With a wink, perhaps : SLYLY

Down:

2. PTA concern : EDUC

4. Small chamber groups : TRIOS

5. Used : SECOND-HAND. Nice answer.

6. Healthful cereal choice : OAT BRAN. Eww, I can't stand bran product.

8. Do-fa links : REMI. Do Re Mi Fa.

9. Decorate with brilliant colors : EMBLAZON

10. Rebellious : DEFIANT

11. Four-time Australian Open champ Goolagong : EVONNE. First encounter with the lady.

13. Addams family cousin : ITT

14. Where "Madama Butterfly" premiered : LA SCALA. Easy guess.

16. Cubist Picasso : PABLO

17. Some swing seats : TIRES. Triple alliteration.

18. Drum kit item : SNARE

28. Legal scholar Guinier : LANI. Stumped me again. My brain just refuses to digest certain things.

29. Brit. mil. awards : DSOS. DSO = Distinguished Service Order.

35. Anthony Bourdain, for one : CHEF

36. 2004 iPod debut : MINI

37. Small-runway mil. craft : STOL (Short TakeOff and Land). Another mystery answer, Dudley.

42. Skelton's Kadiddlehopper : CLEM

43. "Golly" : GEE

45. Hawk's nest : AERIE

47. Horses' gaits : LOPES

50. Mem. of seven consecutive All-Star Game winning teams, 2003-2009 : AL'ER. National League won this year.

53. Admin. aide : ASST. Alliteration.

55. Image creators : PR MEN. Spin doctors.

56. Somalian supermodel : IMAN. Wife to David Bowie.

59. Analogous : AKIN

60. Oodles : A TON

62. Austere : HARSH

63. Extreme, as pain : ACUTE

64. Margaret Mead subject : SAMOA

66. Daisy whose buds may be used as a caper substitute : OXEYE. Unknown trivia to me.

67. No blabbermouth : CLAM

74. Airport south of Paris : ORLY. Hub before Charles de Gaulle Airport.

76. Hits back, say : REACTS

78. Yale Blue wearer : ELI. Have never heard of Yale Blue before.

79. Fishing souvenir? : TALE. Fun clue.

80. Land on its own gulf : OMAN. Gulf of Oman.

81. Heads, in slang : NOBS

84. Traffic stopper : RED LIGHT

85. Ambulance initials : EMS

88. Indian relish : CHUTNEY. Love mango chutney.

89. Old sailor's blade : CUTLASS. And SCISSOR (91. Cut with small blades).

92. Salon request : TINT

94. Tremble : QUIVER

98. "Done" : THERE

99. Shopping cart path : AISLE. And E-TAIL (102. Shopping with virtual carts).

105. Denials : NOES

106. Dr. Jones, familiarly : INDY. Indiana Jones?

107. Scott Turow memoir : ONE L

108. Quaint "not" : NARY

111. Employment : USE

Answer grid.

Our constructor John Lampkin writes:

A few months ago, Annette made a really sharp comment here about one of my puzzles. I immediately contacted her through her email link and invited her to be a beta tester for my upcoming puzzles. She has been phenomenal and always has solid suggestions for improvements to the clues. Also, I ran today’s theme idea by her at the early stage of construction and she came up with CHEMISTRY LAB Where matchmakers work? So a big heartfelt thank you to Annette, congratulations on her debut as constructor’s helper, and a big cheer for this blog!

C.C.

Saturday September 4, 2010 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Total words: 72

Total blocks: 30

Barry placed triple stacks of 11s (all multi-words) on the top and bottom of the puzzle, sandwiched with a single 9 in the middle of the grid:

1A. Symbol of concentration : THINKING CAP. I was picturing a Zen monk meditating.

15A. Noted pier site : SANTA MONICA. Could only think of San Fransisco.

17A. Rap sheet notes? : HIP HOP MUSIC. Not criminal rap sheet. Great answer/clue.

38A. Clearance level : TOP SECRET. Security Clearance.

62A. Stock, usually : LIQUID ASSET. Was thinking of goods instead of shares.

67A. Calcium oxide : CAUSTIC LIME. Both the clue and answer meant nothing to me.

69A. Accepting personal responsibility : ON ONE'S HONOR. Didn't come to me easily.

Barry then stacked most of his 7s (total 11) in Down, paralleling one another. Two pairs of 8s cross each other.

I had a disastrous solving. Never mind-melded with Barry. So many unknowns, unfamiliar references and tricky clues.

Across:

12. Water potential symbol : PSI. Wikipedia says water potential (???) is expressed by Greek letter Psi. Who knows?!

16. Org. offering the Canine Good Citizen program : AKC (American Kennel Club). Gimme for Clear Ayes.

18. Manhattan liquor : RYE

19. Vexation-plus : IRE. Was so vexed that I could not even nail this one.

20. Irish __ : SEA

21. Make potable, in a way : DESALT. Remove salt from sea water.

23. Some phones : RCAS. Drew a blank.

25. Emit coherent light : LASE

28. "Sexy" Beatles woman : SADIE. Thought of "Lovely Rita". Have never heard of "Sexy Sadie".

29. Folded parts : TUCKS

31. The south of France : MIDI. Literally "noon"/"midday". The sun is in the south at noon, hence the synonym.

33. __ fide : BONA

34. Milk sources : TEATS. Wow!

36. Stumblebums : LUMMOXES. Add F, we have confusing "flummox".

40. Pocono and others : RACEWAYS. Hmm, gimme for our Dilbert.

43. Virginie et Floride : ETATS. Virginia and Florida in French.

46. Out of control : AMOK

47. Sound heard very close to your ear : SNIP. When you have haircut.

49. Mexican waters : AGUAS

51. Spoke Abyssinian? : MEWED. Did not know Abyssinian is a breed of cat. Not a pet person.

53. "Don't __ word!" : SAY A

55. -an counterpart : ENNE. As in comedian/comedienne, feminine ending. Got me.

56. Hoped : PRAYED

58. Polish, say : RUB. My mind was in Poland.

60. Memorable time : ERA. Rare gimme.

61. Respectful title : SIR. I wonder if Vidwan penned in SRI.

66. Cologne conjunction : UND. "And" in German.

68. Orgs. with chiefs : PDS. Police Departments, I suppose.

Down:

1. Item for a camp project : T-SHIRT. Ideal grid edge word, full of consonants.

2. Buzz, e.g. : HAIRCUT. Drew a blank also.

3. Good way to go : IN PEACE. Does this refer to death?

4. High degree : NTH

5. Mr. Big's org. on "Get Smart" : KAOS. I simply forgot.

6. Press forward : IMPEL

7. Polite turndown : NO MA'AM

8. Savanna sighting : GNU

9. USSR successor : CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States). Not a familiar abbr to me.

10. Biting : ACID

11. Shows impatience, in a way : PACES

12. Seeming contradiction : PARADOX. He always tells lies.

13. View when landing, perhaps : SKYLINE

14. Summer refreshers : ICE TEAS. Again, no D.

22. Spy's doing : SABOTAGE. Nice fill.

24. Old-fashioned tightening tool : SKATE KEY. Mystery answer to me. I've never skated.

26. Historical Oder River region : SILESIA. Located mostly in Poland. Rich in coal and iron-ore. I peeked at the answer sheet.

27. Cabinet dept. : EDUC

30. Store : STOW

32. 2002 Literature Nobelist Kertész : IMRE. Well, I am sure Hahtool knows this fellow. Hungarian Jewish writer. Imre is the Hungarian variation of English name Emery.

35. Places for sweaters? : SPAS. Sweater = One who sweat.

37. Physics leader? : META. Leader of the word metaphysics.

39. Fine and dandy: Abbr. : SYNS. Fine and dandy are synonyms.

40. Increases sharply : RAMPS UP

41. Portmanteau word for a certain native : AMERIND. American Indian.

42. Each of them is "one who, in a perilous emergency, thinks with his legs": Bierce : COWARDS. I used "think with your legs" on the blog once, responding to an Anonymous.

44. Receives on the radio : TUNES IN

45. Italian Riviera resort : SAN REMO. We often see REMO as a partial.

48. Fool's gold : PYRITE

50. Two-__: tandem : SEATER

52. Car battery ignition system pioneer : DELCO. Stumped me last time.

54. Q5 and Q7 : AUDIS

57. Anthropologist Fossey : DIAN. Can never remember her name.

59. "The Well-Tempered Clavier" composer : BACH. Anything classic is beyond me.

63. Locus in __: the place in which (Lat.) : QUO. Quo = Which, correct, Bob/Kazie?

64. SEAL's org. : USN (US Navy). Our ex-governor Jesse Ventura is a former Navy SEAL.

65. Pitch preceder : SLO. Slo-Pitch softball.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday September 3, 2010 Anthony J. Salvia

Theme: ID THEFT (36A. Web danger, and a hint to this puzzle's theme) - ID is stolen from the first word of each two-word common phrase.

17A. Like a dialect coach? : ACCENT PRONE. The base phrase is Accident Prone.

53A. Answer from LL Cool J? : RAP RESPONSE. Rapid Response. LL Cool J is a rapper.

11D. Christmas? : PRESENTS DAY. Presidents Day. Wikipedia says it can also be Presidents' Day.

25D. Herbivorous reptiles? : FLORA GATORS. Florida Gators. Shout-out to Gator Mom, who pointed out my tent dress mistake last time.

Nice pinwheel grid design, with the central hub ID THEFT, which made its LA Times debut today. Great tie-in. We don't often see a unifier in letter(s) addition/deletion/substitution puzzles.

The constructor's black square blocks along the four edges (called fingers, as they look like fingers poking into the grids) and the central parallel ladder-style break-downs give us plenty of 3 & 5-letter words, hence an early week-ish low average word length.

Across:

1. What some sirens do : TEMPT. Knew immediately that "siren" refers to the vamp.

6. 1990s-2000s Irish leader Bertie : AHERN. Alien to me. The dude on the right.

11. Pres. counterparts : PMS (Prime Ministers)

14. It may be blank : STARE. Great clue.

15. Food processor setting : PUREE. Last E prevented me from thinking of BLEND.

16. Outback critter : ROO

19. End of an academic address : EDU

20. Periods : SPELLS

21. Amount-and-interval numbers : DOSES. Drew a blank.

23. Not connected : OFF LINE. Nice entry.

26. Reel art : CINEMA

27. Knack : TALENT

28. Whalebone : BALEEN. Stumped me again.

30. New York home of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute : TROY. Who knows?!

31. Three-time French Open champion : SELES (Monica). French Open '90, '91, and '92.

32. Its symbol is Sn : TIN. Immediately followed by its symmetrical partner EAR (35. Musical knack). Knack clue echo with 27A.

38. Murcia Mrs. : SRA. Have never heard of Murcia, a city in SE Spain.

39. Nutritional stat : RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance.

40. Like some panels : SOLAR

41. Genesis locale : EDEN

42. Key of Mozart's Symphony No. 40 : G MINOR. Got MINOR part quickly.

44. Where the Maine sank : HAVANA. "Remember the Maine! to Hell with Spain!". Everything I learn, I learn from Xword.

46. Expects : AWAITS

48. Consequences of an all-nighter : RED EYES

49. Obsess : EAT AT

50. Titania's consort : OBERON. No idea. The King of "A Midsummer's Night Dream".

52. General on a menu : TSO. General Tso's Chicken.

58. Where Nina Totenberg reports : NPR. She's the legal affairs correspondent for NPR.

59. Inuit for "women's boat" : UMIAK. Kayak means "man's boat".

60. Gives some TLC to, with "in" : TUCKS

61. Doofus : ASS

62. They're heavier than foils : EPEES. Did not know foil is a fencing weapon as well.

63. Source of brown fur : STOAT

Down:

1. Airport safety org. : TSA

2. Last letters on some lists : ETC. Etc, etc...

3. Slicker : MAC. The "raincoat" meaning of slicker is new to me. I am eager to see what funny line Lois can make out of this answer.

4. Performer with five #1 hits in his first year on the Billboard charts : PRESLEY. When was that?

5. One at the edge of the gutter : TEN PIN. Bowling lane "gutter".

6. Record label launched in 1968 : APPLE. Unaware of this trivia.

7. Pitch : HURL. Man, Aroldis Chapman can sure pitch.

8. Lover of Psyche : EROS. Yep. I am aware of their affair.

9. Toon dog : REN. Ren and Stimpy.

10. Most impoverished : NEEDIEST

12. Cable __ : MODEM

13. "Semper Fidelis" composer : SOUSA. Sousa served in the Marine Corps. Do you all like "Full Metal Jacket?". I was just telling Dennis how cruel and humiliating the boot camp was.

18. It may pop up in a clearing : TENT. What "clearing"?

22. Vending machine insert : ONE

23. Fish-eating mammal : OTTER

24. Capacitance unit : FARAD. No idea. It's named after English physicist Michael Faraday. Dudley and Jayce shouldn't have any problem with this one.

26. Bass symbol : CLEF

28. Joy of "The View" : BEHAR

29. A or Ray : ALER. AL = American League. Oakland A's. Tempa Bay Rays. The rhyming clue does not do much for me.

31. City SE of Cherbourg : ST LO. See this map. What is Cherbourg famous for?

33. Papas of "Zorba the Greek" : IRENE. Nope. Another unknown. Greek actress.

34. Family matriarchs : NANAS

36. "For real?" : IS IT TRUE?

37. Oxford fellows : DONS. Like our professors, correct?

41. Become balanced : EVEN OUT

43. Athletes for Hope co-founder Hamm : MIA. Bill G had a close encounter with her.

44. Word on a towel : HERS

45. Embraces : ADOPTS

46. Cigna competitor : AETNA. Named for the volcano Etna.

47. Mud daubers, e.g. : WASPS. Not familiar with the mud dauber wasp.

48. Smells : REEKS

50. Boy with a fishing pole in a '60s sitcom title screen : OPIE. Stumper. I've never watched "The Andy Griffith Show".

51. Highlands hillside : BRAE

54. Rock concert fixture : AMP

55. U.S. Army E-6, e.g. : NCO. What other 3-letter answer could it be?

56. Jamaican genre : SKA

57. Phila. setting : EST. I am guessing the constructor is from Philadelphia.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Thursday September 2, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: Palindrome Pairs (36A. Three pairs of them end the answers to starred clues: PALINDROMES) - The ends of three symmetrical pairs of theme answers are palindromes.

17A. *Dense fabrics: DOUBLE KNITS. And 60A. *More than just grumble: RAISE A STINK. The first and last theme answers are paired. Knits is stink spelled backwards.

20A. *Ready to blow?: OVER STRESSED. paired with 54A. *"Top Chef" spin-off involving competitive baking: JUST DESSERTS. Then the second answer is paired with the penultimate answer. This one impressed me the most. Not just an acronym, stressed is desserts spelled backwards.

27A. *It'll keep your hat on: CHIN STRAP. paired with 44A. *Carquest stock: AUTO PARTS. Finally the third answer is paired with the ante-penultimate answer. Strap is parts spelled backwards.

Al here.

Along with the pairing, there was also some impressive symmetry work involved. The tip-off answer was positioned in the very center. Every pair has one answer that starts on the left edge of the grid and its mating answer answer ends on the right edge, and constructed so that both answers within a given pair are the same length as each other. Amazing 8-letter overlaps on the first and last pair of theme answers.

I can't help wondering how many puzzles from Dan are left before they are gone. Seven theme answers, using 75 squares, that's over 40% of the puzzle letters. Another quick solve for me today though, the short answers were mostly easy. I think abjure was the only word where I had to look up the meaning afterward.

Across:

1. Yankees' div.: AL EAST. Baseball. The Yankees are in the American League.

7. Deal: COPE. From Old French: couper, to hit, originally meant "come to blows with", and later evolved into "handle successfully". This would make coping so much more satisfactory, sometimes...

11. Jenny or jack: ASS. Names which became generic for male and female, applied to other animals (wren) and objects (spinning jenny, car jack). Note that "jack" was not capitalized here, so a name was not being clued. Ridden by 69A. Quixote's squire __ Panza: SANCHO.

14. Alter, as boundaries: REDRAW. Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts, was lampooned when his party redistricted the state in a blatant bid to preserve an Antifederalist majority. One Essex County district resembled a salamander, and a newspaper editor dubbed it a Gerrymander.

15. Slain shepherd: ABEL. Killed by his brother Cain. With 49A. 15-Across's dad: ADAM.

16. "Fer sher": YEP.

19. Prior to, to Prior: ERE. Interesting echo here. The second Prior (capitalized) refers to English poet Matthew Prior.

22. Fettuccine follower: ALFREDO. Noodles with Parmesan cheese and butter. And in the US mostly with cream as well.

25. Aborigines of Hokkaido: AINU. Japan.

26. Compress, in a way: BALE. Hay, straw, cotton, etc.

32. Cat tail motion: SWITCH. Twitch + swish making a portmanteau word that already exists?

35. Specialty: AREA.

40. Lots: A TON. Originally "space occupied by a tun or cask of wine," thus identical to tun.

41. Area 51 location: NEVADA.

50. Bingo call: B-TEN. Each letter has a possible 15 sequential numbers starting with one. There are 552,446,474,061,128,648,601,600,000 different Bingo cards possible.

51. Kettle pair: MA AND PA.

59. www address: URL. Uniform Resource Locator. With 3D. 59-Across ending: EDU.

64. Messenger letters?: RNA. RiboNucleic Acid. Travels out of the cell nucleus to deliver coded instructions to assemble proteins.

65. Ain't right?: ISN'T.

66. Have suspicions about: BE ON TO.

67. One hairpin turn after another: ESS.

68. Cribbage markers: PEGS.

Down:

1. Not easy, to a Cockney?: 'ARD. Hard. Letter H is dropped in Cockney accent.

2. MGM mascot: LEO.

4. Botanical gardens: ARBORETA. An arboretum is a collection of trees or woody plants. Specific arboreta names include: fruticetum, viticetum, and pinetum.

5. Soother: SALVE.

6. Rough wool cloth: TWEED. A trade name said to have developed from a misreading (supposedly by London hatter James Locke) of tweel, Scottish variant of twill, possibly influenced by the river Tweed in Scotland.

7. Six-pack units: CANS. And 22A. Six-pack units: ABS. Mostly an either/or choice, unless you really work at it.

8. Notice with a bio, often: OBIT.

9. Czech hockey player Nedved: PETR. Why would we care? Well, he married her.

10. Threat ender: ELSE.

11. Music to a captain's ears: AYE, SIR.

12. Star sometimes seen opposite Venus?: SERENA. The Williams sisters, tennis stars.

13. Stepped on it: SPED UP.

18. McDonald's founder: KROC. Ray.

21. Gathered dust: SAT.

23. Postgraduate study: LAW.

24. Emma Peel's hair style: FLIP.

28. "I wish I __ seen that": HADN'T. That which has been seen can never be un-seen. I'll be kind and not link anything here.

29. Factory outlet tag abbr.: IRR. Irregular.

30. Vegas gas: NEON. Jumping Jack Flash, it's a gas gas gas.

31. Identical: SAME. Literally from Latin: idem "the same" (from id "it, that one") + demonstrative suffix -dem.

33. Show enjoyment at a show: CLAP.

34. __ high note: HIT A. Payoff at 3:34.

37. Where the Lofoten Isl. are: NOR. Abbr. for Islands, and for Norway.

38. Northwestern University city: EVANSTON. The only private school in the Big-10. The Wildcats.

39. Teen safety org.: SADD. Originally: Students Against Driving Drunk, now they are against Destructive Decisions. Founders of the "Contract for Life" between parents and their children.

42. Skip over water, as stones: DAP. There is actually a North American Stone Skipping Association. The record is 40 skips.

43. Doc bloc: AMA. American Medical Association.

44. Officially retract: ABJURE. From Latin abjurare "deny on oath," from ab- "away" + jurare "to swear,"

45. One-way street no-nos: U-TURNS.

46. Magnetic measures: TESLAS. If only he was this popular in his day...

47. Hudson Bay prov.: ONT. Ontario. Did you ever notice that Canananananada is like banananana? It's hard to know when to stop.

48. Hook's right hand: SMEE. I wanted this to be hook, just for the irony, but "gone" would have worked, too.

52. Saudis, usually: ARABS.

53. On the Aegean: AT SEA.

55. Water waster: DRIP.

56. Slack off: EASE.

57. Participate in karaoke: SING.

58. Grounded jets: Abbr.: SSTS.

61. Ltd. relative: INC. Limited is the British "incorporated".

62. Nonspecific extreme: NTH.

63. "Koochie-__!": KOO. Possibly not safe for work, or while you're drinking something...

Answer Grid.

Al

Wednesday Septemer 1, 2010 Mark Bickham

Theme: Pun Next Door - Each of the four 2-word common expressions is interpreted literally and clued as if the first words all mean "nearby".

17A. Young woman next door?: NEAR MISS. perhaps this ONE .

24A. Adjoining floor?: TOUCHING STORY. In addition to SHADOWLANDS watch another true story, THE BLIND SIDE .

53A. Proximate coins?: CLOSE QUARTERS. For all you city people, there is always a SUBWAY RIDE .

66A. Chess piece within reach?: HANDY MAN. Since I do not have access to pictures of Windhover, would you settle for HIM ?

Happy September all, and it is the return of Lemonade and Mark Bickham, who has started to appear as a regular contributor, and whose last puzzle was the first puzzle blogged by C.C. as an American citizen.

To me this puzzle was a contradiction, with many new words, and almost a pangram, but also lots of three and four letter fill. This is the nature of the puzzle, I guess, somewhere there is sacrifice.

Across:

1. Energy: ZIP. A “Z” in the first word, a hint at a scrabbly puzzle that is missing only the letter J, hmmm. J?

4. It's an example of itself: ABBR (Abbreviation). Very clever.

8. Pure: CHASTE. They are often chased, and need to remember to use PROTECTION . Which kind of fits with 59A. Loosen, as laces: UNTIE.

14. Suffix with verb: OSE. Suffix to the word Verbose.

15. "Star Trek: T.N.G." counselor : TROI. DEANNE was on The Next Generation.

16. Bring about sooner: HASTEN. When I was little, one of the torments of my little friends was this fine poetic turn, “Hasten Jason, get the Basin; Oops, Plop, Get the Mop.”

19. Green light: ASSENT. What you do not get from the CHASTE girl above.

20. Architect Saarinen: EERO.

21. Earth pigment : OCHER. From the Greek, meaning yellow.

23. Hide-hair link: NOR. Neither hide nor hair. Never understood the phrase.

28. Fireside emanation: WARMTH. Do things ever really change FIRESIDE CHAT ?

30. "__ me!": DEAR.

31. '50s White House nickname: IKE.

32. Certain fisherman: EELER.

35. Annoys: MIFFS.

39. __ Piper: PIED. Loved the 60s .

41. Police sting, say: SETUP.

43. Grimace: MOUE, which rhymes with 44. Happen as a result: ENSUE, which follows.

46. "Who Can It __?": Men at Work hit: BE NOW and of course the 80s.

48. Exhaust, with "up": USE.

49. [see other side]: OVER. So simple, but also clever.

51. Brought up: REARED.

58. Spell: HEX. Did anyone see the MOVIE ?

60. Emerald City visitor: TOTO. My ex-wife owned a Cairn terrier, who could have been the stunt double. Yes, she called him TOTO; I said she was my ex!

63. List of things to discuss: AGENDA.

68. Dividend, e.g.: PAYOUT.

69. Germany's von Bismarck: OTTO. An under-appreciated historic LEADER .

70. Letter opener?: ELL. Opener to the word letter. Did anyone fall for this old trick?

71. "When a Man Loves a Woman" singer Percy __ : SLEDGE. Oh yes, this is a SONG .

72. Insolence: SASS.

73. Generous limit?: SKY. Not sure why it is generous, but certainly ambitious.

Down:

1. Area: ZONE.

2. "Got it" : I SEE.

3. Bosc sources : PEAR TREES. Which come near by 6D. "The Garden of Earthly Delights" artist: BOSCH, who 600 or so years ago saw lots of nakedness in his Eden, but no partridges.

4. 24-hr. cash source: ATM. I had trouble with this one, because around my house the three letter word that fits is DAD.

5. French breads: BRIOCHES. If you want, here is a RECIPE .

7. Hindu poet: RISHI. This was my lesson for the day. HISTORY .

8. Old battlefield shout: CHARGE. Old? Still very common at the war zone called the mall.

9. Is suffering from: HAS.

10. Beast of burden: ASS. Okay, I will control myself.

11. Court figure: STENO; I was thinking more along these lines after watching the US Open CENTER COURT .

12. Pavarotti, notably: TENOR. Sometimes my brain is crooked, but my first thought was OBESE, sorry Luciano.

13. Datebook notation: ENTRY.

18. Part of a Clue accusation: ROOM. I amy be the world’s best Clue player.

22. Football play also called a sweep: END RUN; which is balanced nicely by 33. Charles __, major decorator of the Palace of Versailles : LEBRUN, of whom I had no knowledge.

25. Adaptable truck, for short: UTE. Oh, sure, I am going to out my UTE and convert it back.

26. "Casablanca" pianist: SAM. So BEAUTIFUL .

27. Request to a barber: TRIM.

28. Use a napkin on: WIPE, good thing we did have than next to 10D.

29. Like, with "to" : A KIN, not CLAY .

34. Somme season: ETE.

36. Links groups: FOURSOMES. Don’t tell me I am the only one who thought of THESE .

37. A hothead has a short one: FUSE.

38. Future plant: SEED.

40. Couples: DUOS. After foursomes, I wanted FRED.

42. Omens: PORTENTS, not to be confused with 56D. Pal of Porthos: ATHOS.

45. "The Three Faces of __": 1957 film : EVE.

47. Very small: WEE.

50. Treat as the same: EQUATE.

52. Affectedly cultured: ARTY.

53. Biker leggings: CHAPS.

54. Corporate department: LEGAL. Okay, one clue for me.

55. Daisy variety: OXEYE. This is more properly knows as Leucanthemum vulgare, which does not sound very PRETTY .

57. Calf catcher: RIATA.

61. Chitchat: TALK.

62. Part of SRO: ONLY. SRO = Standing Room Only.

64. Doze: NOD.

65. Grooved on: DUG.

67. Elaborate affairs: DOS.

Answer grid.

Well I am outta here; like they say in Florida Click It or Ticket. Ciao.

Lemonade

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 Robert A. Doll

Theme: What Did You Do on Your Summer Vacation? - A minimalist student's essay. The first word (verb) of the four theme entries (17A, 26A, 46A, 61A) outlines what happened on the unifier (63A).

17A. Have significant influence: PACK A PUNCH

26A. "Enough on this subject": "LEAVE IT AT THAT"

46A. Persevere: STAY THE COURSE

61A. Respond at the front: RETURN FIRE. At a war front.

63A. "Round" thing suggested by the first words of 17-, 26-, 46- and 61-Across: TRIP

Argyle here.

A timely theme; just the type of wise guy report I would have turned in. How would you teachers react to such homework? There were some destinations sprinkled through out the puzzle, too.

Across:

1. __ d'état : COUP. First we go to France for “stroke of the state”.

5. Winger of "Shadowlands" : DEBRA. The film, Shadowlands, is a remake of both the 1985 BBC-TV film and a popular stage play about the love story of Joy Gresham and Clive Staples (C.S.) Lewis.

10. Shouts from Emeril : BAMS. Celebrity television chef.

14. Guesstimate phrase : OR SO

15. Fiat : EDICT. Law, regulation.

16. From the top : ANEW

19. Sight from the Sicilian village of Taormina : ETNA. The volcano.

20. Ali trainer Dundee : ANGELO. Boxing. Dundee trained Muhammad Ali, 1960 to 1981. Ali was still Cassius Clay back then.

21. Sunroom : SOLARIUM

23. Doctrinal suffix : ISM. Pertaining to a belief; dogma.

25. Rent : LET

33. Starbucks order : ESPRESSO

34. Charm : ENAMOR. Charm is used as a verb, in this case.

36. Show worry, in a way : PACE

37. Former California fort : ORD. closed in September 1994. Fort Ord was one of the most attractive locations of any U.S. Army post, because of its proximity to the beach and California weather. Would make a good trip destination.

39. Disease cause : GERM

40. Makes amends : ATONES

43. Puts in a new pot, say : REPLANTS. A short clip, a song about Harry Potter and repotting the Mandrakes.

48. Ample shoe width : EEE

49. According to : À LA

50. Belgian capital : BRUSSELS. Take a trip here.

55. Aleve alternative : ANACIN. Brand name pain relievers.

60. Superboy's girlfriend Lang : LANA

64. Mushrooms used in Asian cuisine : ENOKI. Image.

65. Elemental unit : ATOM

66. Places for props : SETS

67. Coolidge's vice president : DAWES. With Coolidge, Dawes is on the right.

68. City NNE of Lake Tahoe : RENO. Visit a city with pits.

Down:

1. Historic NYC club, with "The" : COPA. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named for and about the nightclub.

2. Algerian seaport : ORAN

3. SOS responder, often : USCG. United States Coast Guard (USCG), www.uscg.mil

4. Creep (along) : POKE

5. Kicks out of office : DEPOSES

6. Coll. dot follower : EDU

7. Storage containers : BINS

8. Pepsi competitor : RC COLA

9. Wheaties box picture : ATHLETE

10. Boxer Max : BAER. One of the most colorful figures of his day, Baer(1909 - 1959) enjoyed life in the limelight(like Ali and most boxers). He was the brother of twice World Champion boxing contender Buddy Baer and father of actor Max Baer, Jr., known to two generations as Jethro Bodine of the Beverly Hillbillies.

11. Hostile to : ANTI

12. Computer list : MENU

13. Showed off one's butterfly? : SWAM. A showy swimming stroke.

18. Kicking partner : ALIVE. Alive and kicking.

22. Business letter abbr. : ATTN. Attention.

24. Sushi bar soup : MISO

26. Exams for future attys. : LSATs. Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

27. Florida theme park acronym : EPCOT. Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. A nice place to visit.

28. Place to play : ARENA

29. Dodgers manager Joe : TORRE. The LA Dodgers are the latest in a long list of major league baseball teams that Joe has managed.

30. Viking in the comics : HAGAR. The Horrible. Comic strip by Dik Browne, whose first name might show up in late week puzzles. Also we have a teenage girl, 45. Greg Evans comic strip : LUANN

31. Chorus from the pews : AMENS

32. Flourless cake : TORTE. Made primarily with eggs, sugar, and ground nuts instead of flour. Take a trip to Germany to get some of the best tortes.

33. Ecol. watchdog : EPA. Ecology and Environmental Protection Agency

35. Apt. parts : RMs. Apartments and rooms

38. Ten: Pref. : DECA

41. Looks over warily : EYES

42. Took the wheel : STEERED

44. North Star : POLARIS

47. Treasure State capital : HELENA. “Treasure State” refers to the importance of mining in Montana

50. Popular diner orders, for short : BLTs

51. Prime rib order : RARE

52. Part of ICU : UNIT

53. Easy marks : SAPs

54. Put away : STOW

56. A long way off : AFAR

57. Name as a source : CITE

58. Boxing's "__ Mike" Tyson : IRON. Our third boxing reference.

59. Nautilus captain : NEMO. The fictional character featured in Jules Verne's novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Now that would be a trip worth writing about.

62. Tiny Tim played one : UKE. Charles Dickens never envisioned this Tiny Tim.

Answer grid.

Here are three fantastic photos of our dashing pilot Dudley, whose initials in real life is DD (Yay, Lois!). Please click on each photo for enlargement. I love the wedding one very much. Beautiful couple.

Argyle

Monday, August 30, 2010 James Sajdak

Theme: Rose's Boys - The nicknames (in age older) of three Rose Kennedy's sons are the start of the first three theme entries (all in plural forms). And the forth entry is where they might have been found.

20A. Mister Fixit : JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy.

30A. Footwear often turned down at the ankle : BOBBY SOCKS. Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy.

41A. Tots' furry sleeping companions : TEDDY BEARS. Edward Moore "Teddy" Kennedy.

54A. Hyannis Port site where the starts of 20-, 30- and 41-Across were often found : KENNEDY COMPOUND. Just a little place out on Cape Cod, MA.

Argyle here.

Very Friday-ish grid in terms of total word count (74) and block count (34). Lots of non-theme long words for a Monday (four 9s & two 7s). But the liberal use of esses detracts from an otherwise reasonable Monday for me.

Across:

1. Stringed instrument that may be taller than its player : HARP. Image

5. Left the room : WENT

9. Defame in print : LIBEL. Defame in speech is slander.

14. Chevy subcompact since 2004 : AVEO. An automobile manufactured by GM Daewoo (the South Korean subsidiary of General Motors) and marketed globally in 120 countries – prominently as the Chevrolet Aveo(ah-VAY-o).

15. Native Nebraskan : OTOE. There are many different clues for this one tribe.

16. Slip away to tie the knot : ELOPE

17. Phone sounds : DIAL TONES

19. "Manhattan" director Woody : ALLEN

22. What you eat, to a dietitian : INTAKE

23. Canonized person : SAINT

24. Gallery fare : ART

26. Prefix with intellectual : PSEUDO

36. Vicinity : AREA

37. Qatari chieftains : EMIRS. Arabs

38. __ kwon do : TAE

39. Valued possession : ASSET

40. It means nothing to a Nicaraguan : NADA. Spanish.

43. Totally soak : DRENCH

45. Sun. church delivery : SER. Sunday sermon.

46. Jazz combo rhythm providers : DRUMS

49. Ice cream treat : SUNDAE

58. Skyscraper girder : I-BEAM. Not Z, not L, not H but good old I-beam.

59. Clan members : RELATIVES

60. Hippo ending : DROME. Hippodrome was a Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words "hippos ("horse") and "dromos" ("race" or "course").

61. Shave-haircut link : AND A. Two Bits.

62. Like valuable stamps : RARE

63. Loudness units : SONES. Units of perceived loudness.

64. Appear to be : SEEM

65. Israeli airline : EL AL

Down:

1. Pilgrim to Mecca : HADJI

2. Birdlike : AVIAN

3. Jerk or frown, e.g. : REACT

4. Gdansk dance : POLKA. Gdansk is a city on the Baltic coast in northern Poland.

5. Low-frequency speakers : WOOFERS. High-frequency speakers: tweeters.

6. Italian volcano : ETNA. On the island of Sicily, Italy.

7. Carols : NOELS

8. Onetime Edison rival Nikola : TESLA. Nikola has been getting quite a workout lately.

9. Absorbs the lesson : LEARNS

10. Anxious : ILL AT EASE

11. Like headline typefaces : BOLD

12. Fencing sword : EPEE

13. Camera's focusing device : LENS

18. Hungarian dessert wines : TOKAYS. Tokaji is the name of the wines from the region of Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary. The name Tokaji (Tokay) is used for labeling wines from this wine district. This region is noted for its sweet wines made from grapes affected by noble rot, a style of wine which has a long history in this region. Noble rot is the benevolent form of a grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea, affecting wine grapes.

21. Pointers : TIPS

25. Shopper's carryall : TOTE

27. Bear, to Brutus : URSA. Latin.

28. Bambi and kin : DEER

29. Cheerios grain : OATS

30. Give a little : BEND

31. Sharif of "Doctor Zhivago" : OMAR

32. Wait : BIDE

33. Nongeneric, as a drug : BRAND NAME

34. Gentleman's opposite : CAD

35. Sneakers since 1916 : KEDS

39. Discourteously curt : ABRUPT

41. Dull impact sound : THUD

42. Polite response to Mother : "YES MA'AM"

44. Heavy liqueurs : CRÈMES

47. Breckinridge and Hess : MYRAS. Myra Breckinridge1970 film), Dame Myra Hess(1890 – 1965) was a British pianist.

48. Act division : SCENE

50. Bête __ : NOIRE. The term is used to refer to an object or abstract idea that is particularly disliked or avoided.

51. David of the PGA : DUVAL. This golfer

52. End of __ : AN ERA

53. Memorable '50s lemon : EDSEL. It was said it looked like a Buick sucking a lemon.

54. Jokes with : KIDS

55. River through Spain : EBRO

56. Strip lighting : NEON

57. Quaint shoppe word : OLDE

Answer grid.

Argyle