Friday September 10, 2010 Jack McInturff

Theme: EY DROPS - The letters EY are dropped from the end of the first word of easily recognizable phrases, to yield a new phrase with a comical twist.

20A. Faultfinding brother?: MONK ON ONE'S BACK. Monkey on one's back. This expression goes back to ancient Egypt, originally meaning a guiding spirit or source of inspiration. More recently, it's some sort of burden, affliction, or addiction. I wanted a sibling brother, but a MONK will do just fine.

29A. Debris in the hayloft? : BARN RUBBLE. Barney Rubble, Fred Flintstone's pal.

38A. Impervious to chutzpah? : GALL PROOF. This one's my favorite. Galley proof: the final proof copy of a page being typeset for printing, before it is set as a page of a book or booklet.

50A. What Michelle Kwan might do in a financial emergency? : HOCK SKATES. Hockey skates: essential hardware for the Buffalo Sabres. Somehow, I don't think Michelle will ever be in that position.

59A. Haystack-hiding Ottoman? : TURK IN THE STRAW. Turkey In The Straw. Musical Americana.

No unifier, but five brilliant theme entries, two of them almost grid-spanning, along with ten 7-letter answers. Wow!

Hi gang, Jazzbumpa here, aka JzB, more formally, Mr. Bumpa, or just plain Bumpa to my 11 favorite youngsters. But you can call me Ron.

This is a hard puzzle, and I never got on John McInturff's wave length. Even after I sussed the theme, I couldn't get TURK IN THE STRAW, due to errors in the perps. So, I was reduced to technical assistance for many requested answers.

Across :

1. Spread __ : EAGLE. An unincorporated community in Wisconsin. Or this pose. You can search Google images for many interesting variations.

6. Rises to great heights : SOARS. Like an EAGLE.

11. Short nightwear? : PJS. "Short" indicating an abbreviation. Here is one of the more demurre images.

14. Series : ARRAY. Each is a systematic arrangement of things.

15. Speedpass brand : EXXON. I don't use a gas station Speedpass, so the scrabbly answer had to slowly reveal itself.

16. Space in time : LAG. Clever, and it left me behind. Here is my favorite example.

17. "Big Girl in the Middle" co-author Gabrielle : REECE. American professional volleyball player, sports announcer, fashion model and actress.

18. Longtime DieHard rival : DELCO. Car batteries. Any reference to yesterday's reversals?

19. Fake it : ACT. and 54. Pretense : POSE. Which do you think is pretending?

23. Spat end : ULA. End to the word spatula. You all know how I love this kind of clue for an affix. It's my affixiation.

24. Carmelite, e.g. : NUN. Very easy for a simple Catholic boy from Toledo. Clearly, a fun-loving bunch.

25. Daughter of Laban : LEAH. Jacob loved Rachel, but on the wedding day, sneaky Laban substituted her older sister, LEAH. Jacob coped as best he could, and LEAH bore him six sons.

27. Lighten up : FADE. Nice misdirection here. I was expecting frivolity, and instead got bleach.

34. Shivering causes : FEARS. Aha - this is what made the Shakers shake! But what were they afraid of?

36. Each : A POP. I never care much for this equivalence. But the free dictionary includes it waaaaayyy down the page..

37. WWII intelligence gp. : OSS. Office of Strategic Services - precursor of the CIA. Abrv in cl & ans.

42. Jordan was part of it: Abbr. : NBA. Aha! Michael Jordan, former star in the National Basketball Association.

45. Dreamcast maker : SEGA. Now, John is just playing with us.

46. Dona __ pacem: grant us peace : NOBIS. (Lord) grant us peace, in Latin. Very easy for a simple boomer Catholic boy from Toledo. But, alas, this often-uttered prayer seldom yields the requested answers.

55. First daughter of the '60s : LUCI. Lucy (later LUCI) Baines Johnson, one of several LBJ's in the late 60's first family. Born after me with a LAG of about 28 weeks and raised Episcopalian, she converted to Catholicism at age 18. Since I had not yet given it up, we had something in common for awhile.

56. Boomer's kid : XER. For us, X = 4.

58. Basso Berberian : ARA. An opera singer born in Detroit in 1930. Way too early to be a boomer.

65. MGM motto word : ARS. The MGM motto is "Ars Gratia Artis," meaning "Art for Art's sake." They lifted it from France's 19th-century bohemians, who inexplicably spoke Latin.

66. D-Day beach : OMAHA. From WWII, and a puzzle echo from earlier in the week. "Pzzecho" anyone?

67. Wedding memento : VIDEO. Like anyone is EVER going to watch it again.

68. Blow without distinction? : JOE. This baffled me completely. Has John McInturff ever heard me play? But JOE Blow is just an ordinary guy.

69. Not fresh : BANAL. Not much that's BANAL in this fresh puzzle.

70. Green shampoo : PRELL. It's been around for a long time. Anybody remember White Rain?

71. Balaam's beast : ASS. Balaam and his ass didn't get along very well. This was one of the rare (at the time) talking asses.

72. Radiate : EXUDE. Only sort of. More of an oozing kind of radiation.

73. Finishing stroke : SERIF. A short line at the end of a main stroke of a character.

Down:

1. Canal protector : EARMUFF. I see. Ear canal. If anyone tries to put a bug in your ear, use protection. Or ear drops.

2. Colorful rings : AREOLAE. A Crossword Corner Classic.

3. Caribbean island nation : GRENADA. In the Caribbean - wow. I had not idea atoll.

4. Dearth : LACK. No lack of EY drops today.

5. "__ America Tour": 2006 CBS News event : EYE ON. EYE ON America. I've never eyed it. But in keeping with the theme, it should be aired for an EON.

6. Arizona's "Red Rocks Country" : SEDONA. I'll let one of our travelers fill us in.

7. Team members : OXEN. Not the smart team.

8. Wheelset component : AXLE.

9. Mythical birds : ROCS. Big and powerful.

10. Arty type, maybe : SNOB. We have art SNOBs, wine SNOBs, and just plain SNOBs.

11. Controversial testing component : PLACEBO. A fake pill POSing as medication, either to fool the patient into feeling better or to ACT as a control in an experimental trial. I guess the controversy comes from not giving the control group anything that will actually help them.

12. Nocturnal scavengers : JACKALS. Wild African canines. Not to be confused with these.

13. Friday was one: Abbr. : SGT. Police Sgt. Friday from the old Dragnet TV show, or the 1987 movie.

21. Heart : NUB. Besides heart, NUB can also mean a protuberance, small lump, or remnant. My favorite William Gass Story is "In the Nub of the Nub of the Country."

22. Tirana is its cap. : ALB. Tirana, ALBANIA. N.B. use of Abbrv. And -- 39. Coin in Tirana : LEK. The other Albanian Capital, Legal tender for all debts public and private, I assume, and a clecho (clue echo).

26. Stars of "Two and a Half Men," e.g. : HES. Just a couple of Joe Blows, I guess.

28. Work unit : ERG. This is the work done by a force of one dyne acting over a distance of one centimeter, roughly equivalent to one fly doing one push-up..

30. Knock on : RAP AT. Knock knock. Who's there? Friend of Pooh. Friend of Pooh who? Hey - don't poo-hoo me!

31. "Fresh Air" airer : NPR. National Public Radio.

32. Friend of Pooh : ROO. ROO, that's who! (And Tigger, too.)

33. Knowledgeable about : UP ON.

35. Reason for grounding, perhaps : SASS. But, maybe children who are well grounded are less likely to SASS. Or as Shreck said, "SASS, my ASS!"

40. Airport near Citi Field, briefly : LGA. Laguardia, airport near the home of the N.Y. Mets. I can't keep track of the commercial names for stadia. "Briefly" again indicates an Abbrv.

41. Dandy : FOP. Overdressed, not an ordinary guy. Also not like the ones in the previous link.

42. Sabres' org. : NHL. Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. 'Nother Abrv.

43. Former U.N. secretary-general __-Ghali : BOUTROS. Golly - I knew his name, but had to guess at how it was spelt.

44. Charges : ACCUSES. In a legal sense. Otherwise, I'd run up too many ACCUSES on my credit card.

47. One taken in : BOARDER. I was not taken in by this tricky clue. Were you?

48. Sharon, notably : ISRAELI. Ariel Sharon was in the Israeli army from 1948 on, served in various government positions in the 70's and 90's and served as Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006. Not a BANAL life, by any means.

49. London classic, with "The" : SEAWOLF. A Jack London story, about which I know notihng.

51. Cassis apéritif : KIR. Creme de Cassis is a blackcurrant liqueur. For a KIR, take a measure of C de C, and top it off with white wine.

52. Yoga command : EXHALE. Don't forget to breath!

53. Date : SEE. This evidently does not apply to blind dates.

57. Requested answers : RSVPS. Répondez s'il vous plaît, French for "Please respond." We should add this to "Dona NOBIS Pacem!"

60. Eastern beef city : KOBE. Far East. KOBE is a city in Japan, noted for its beef.

61. It gives you the big picture : IMAX. A motion picture and projection format using a big, big screen, from the Canadian Company IMAX Corp..

62. Half a sitcom signoff : NANU. From the TV show Mork and Mindy, featuring Robin Williams and the ever-cute Pam Dawber. Shazbots! My love for "Half a" clues is right up there with affixes. The perfect one would be "Half a' affix."

63. Ohio State basketball coach Matta : THAD. Ohio State plays basketball? Who knew? Not me. I tried CHAD.

64. Flag : TIRE. This is one of the less common meanings of flag. It is now 1:20 a.m. EST, and I am flagging. Do you think TIRE football will ever catch on?

65. Grammy-winning Steely Dan album : AJA. Aha! It's pronounced "Asia!" Sophisticated pop from Becker and Fagan. I'd play it for you, but Ricky lost that number.

Answer grid.

Cheers!

JzB

Thursday September 9, 2010 John "Doppler" Schiff

Theme: AUTO REVERSE (61A. Cassette deck feature, and a hint to this puzzle's theme) - Two-word car parts are reversed in order and clued to have wacky backwards meanings, indicated with a "?".

17A. Excessive pride in one's china?: PLATE VANITY. Vanity Plate examples.

26A. Brawl during a game of musical chairs?: SEAT RUMBLE. Last built in 1939. Decapitation, really? I wonder why they're no longer an option.

36A. What Winfrey couldn't do during a noted couch-jumping episode?: CONTROL CRUISE. If you like Tom Cruise, who jumped at Oprah's couch to professed his love for his then girlfriend Katie Holmes, don't watch this...

51A. Zorro's chamois?: BLADE WIPER. Poor choice IMO. Ever try to get blood stains out of suede leather?

Al here.

Definitely a step up with tricky cluing today. Another puzzle that you look back at after solving and think, why did this take me so long? I think because of all the wrong words I put in at first.

The puzzle is noticeable for the paralleled long Downs in each quadrant, esp the two 8s in the upper right and lower left corners.

Across:

1. "__ the Line": Johnny Cash hit: I WALK. A modernized version. Definitely not traditional.

6. Beatles beat provider: STARR. I confidently put Ringo in there first.

11. "Gosh!": GEE.

14. Trailer follower: MOVIE. Kind of clever, you see the trailer first before the movie comes out, or before the movie starts. They are called trailers though, because they used to show them at the end of movies. Not marketing genius at the time.

15. She played Adrian in "Rocky": TALIA. Shire.

16. Cellular transmitter: RNA. and 52D. Cellular transmitter: PHONE. Clue echo, or clecho a la Dennis.

19. A storm might delay it: Abbr.: ARR. Arrival.

20. Sailor's rear: AFT.

21. Sorrowful comment: PITY. I took this in the sense of showing pity, not actually using the word in a sentence.

22. Congo neighbor: GABON.

24. Coveted role: LEAD. Wanted to think of some specific play or movie instead of just a general term.

29. Relevant, in law: AD REM. To the matter. Get to the point, no digression.

31. Tuxedos, often: RENTALS. I wore one once, at my brother's wedding. I don't even own a suit, myself.

32. Power source size: AAA. Battery.

34. Bolt, e.g.: EAT. And 2D. Gobbled: WOLFED. Swallow hurriedly, with little or no chewing.

35. Acquire: GET.

41. Case, for instance: Abbr.: SYN. Case and instance are synonyms: In this case; in this instance.

42. Apt. ad spec: RMS. Apartment, rooms, abbreviations.

43. Middle-earth monster: ORC. From JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings novels.

44. Followed, as an impulse: ACTED ON.

47. Respectful refusal: NO SIR.

55. Chihuahua child: NINO. Spanish.

56. B on a table: BORON. A chemical symbol on the table of elements.

57. High, to Henri: HAUT. French

59. Sheet with beats, for short: EKG. A chart of heart electrical activity. From German: Elektrokardiogramm

60. Filmmaker Lee: ANG. Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger, The Hulk, Brokeback Mountain. Can't pigeonhole him.

65. Ball-bearing device: TEE. Golf. I was looking for something automotive here instead.

66. Queen's mate: DRONE. Bees. Hi Melissa!

67. Reason for a raise: MERIT. I make money the old-fashioned way. I earn it. There are older professions though, and I should stop short of the obvious here.

68. Marshall Plan pres.: HST. Harry S Truman. His middle initial didn't actually stand for anything, but it was given to him in an attempt to please both grandfathers: Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. Barely born and already a politician.

69. Sighted: AIMED.

70. Thicke and Rickman: ALANS.

Down:

1. Savanna leaper: IMPALA. Or a model of Chevy to go along with the car theme.

3. 2009 James Cameron blockbuster: AVATAR.

4. Burning: LIT.

5. Medieval castle tower: KEEP. Used as a dungeon or a stronghold.

6. Clinton's department: STATE. Hillary.

7. Tucker of country: TANYA.

8. "Float like a butterfly" boxer: ALI.

9. Accel.'s opposite, in music: RIT. Accelerando, ritardando. Tempo change terms.

10. Flash Gordon weapon: RAY GUN. This is probably the inspiration for the SDI program (Reagan/Star Wars). OK, I'm so not funny.

11. Random assortments: GRAB BAGS.

12. Course taker: ENROLLEE.

13. Not kidding: EARNEST. It's important to be this.

18. It drops with fog: Abbr.: VIS. Visibility. Might have been temperature: TMP.

23. Tsp. or tbsp.: AMT. Amount measurements.

25. Jerry's comedy partner: DEAN. Martin and Lewis. And 63D. Jerry's partner: TOM. Another clecho.

27. __ II razor: TRAC.

28. Fashionably dated: RETRO.

30. Gym safety item: MAT. I had PAD here first.

33. Feathered flier: ARROW. I put AVIAN in after getting the leading A.

34. Trains overhead: ELS.

36. Twisters: CYCLONES. Greek kyklon "moving in a circle, whirling around"

37. In line with the goal: ON TARGET.

38. Defunct sci-fi magazine: OMNI. Why we're alone in the universe. A short story that appeared in the magazine. I used to subscribe...

39. Vase relative: URN.

40. Clickable pic: ICON. Greek: eikon "likeness, image, portrait"

41. Day of rest: SABBATH.

45. Fishing village that became Tokyo: EDO. Picture from 1865-66

46. "Gracias" response: DE NADA. Spanish: thank you; it's nothing.

48. High chain: SIERRA. Mountain chain.

49. Finalizes, as a cel: INKS IN. Hand-colors one frame of animation, (of which you need anywhere from 10-30 for just one second of film).

50. Word-for-word reference?: ROGETS. Thesaurus. Used to substitute words, as in a homework assignment.

53. Like cornstalks: EARED. Seemed too obvious to be correct.

54. Wish one hadn't: RUE.

58. Adult cable rating: TV-MA. The following program is intended for mature audiences. Viewer discretion advised.

62. Alleged spoon-bender Geller: URI.

64. Sushi fish: EEL. Unagi.

Answer Grid.

Al

Wednesday September 7, 2010 Mangesh Sakharam Ghogre

Theme: Easy as A-B-C - All the theme answers are phrases that begin with a single letter followed by a single word. And all in alphabetical order.

20A. Elite socialite : A-LISTER

22A. Place for a finance major : B-SCHOOL (Business School)

27A. Delivery method : C-SECTION. Caesarean section - surgical procedure to deliver a baby.

37A. Planned attack times : D-DAYS. From Wikipedia: "D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. The best known D-Day is June 6, 1944 — the day of the Normandy landings — initiating the Western Allied effort to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II. However, many other invasions and operations had a designated D-Day, both before and after that operation."

48A. Online investing : E-TRADING. Electronic trading of securities, such as stocks and bonds.

54A. Camera lens ratio : F-NUMBER. Often called f-stop -f is for focal length, it is a measure of lens speed.

56. Bare wear : G-STRING. If i must. Wiki says "the origin of the term 'g-string' is obscure."

What else …? H- or I-Beam. O-Ring. U-Turn. X-Factor.

Great to see another puzzle by Mangesh. His second byline in LA Times. He was a commenter here for a time, and you can re-read C.C.'s interview with him here.

Mangesh also just had two puzzle accepted by the Games magazine (December issue). Congratulations, Mangesh! Do tell us how you developed today's Letter Openers theme.

Across:

1. Bit of cat chat : MEOW.

5. Phobia : DREAD

10. Cell signal strength indicators : BARS. A beautiful sight.

14. __ mater : ALMA. Latin for "nourishing mother.'

15. Unconventional : OUTRE. The Free Dictionary defines outre as Out of the common course or limits; extravagant.

16. Atty.-to-be's challenge : LSAT. Law School Admission Test.

17. Indian princess : RANI

18. Flightless birds : RHEAS. Similar to ostrich.

19. Where some descents start : ACME

24. Dick and Harry's leader? : TOM. Leader to the phrase "Tom, Dick and Harry".

25. __ name: computer ID : USER

26. "__ size fits all" : ONE

31. Russian coins : RUBLES. 1 Russian ruble = 0.0324 US dollars.

33. Grinders : HEROS. Sandwiches. Also called hoagie or sub.

34. 1960s Canadian prime minister Pearson : LESTER. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. Quote: "The grim fact is that we prepare for war like precocious giants, and for peace like retarded pygmies."

36. Pound of poetry : EZRA

38. Middle __ : EAST

42. Ironic tales' tails : TWISTS

44. Sharapova of tennis : MARIA. Russian.

45. Low parts : BASSES

50. Bambi's aunt : ENA

51. "Baseball Tonight" channel : ESPN

53. Like some stocks, for short : OTC. The phrase "over-the-counter" can be used to refer to stocks that trade via a dealer network as opposed to on a centralized exchange.

60. Wasatch Mountains ski resort : ALTA. In Utah.

61. Body-care brand named from the Latin for "snow-white" : NIVEA

63. Sch. with Riverside and Irvine campuses : UCAL. University of California.

64. Soup vegetable : LEEK

65. Stunning weapon : TASER. Great clue. Don't tase me, bro!

66. Tableland : MESA

67. __ majesty : LESE. The crime of violating majesty. No idea. Check out the picture.

68. Like some bars : SMOKY

69. Pitt in films : BRAD. Sigh.

Down:

1. Kate of "We Are Marshall" : MARA. Had no idea.

2. Airline to Ben-Gurion : EL AL

3. Prefix with bus : OMNI. Omnibus. Several meanings.

4. Oxford vests : WAISTCOATS. Crossing two theme answers.

5. Moola : DOREMI. Both are slang terms for money.

6. German coal valley : RUHR

7. Riviera season : ETE. French summer. Should be a gimme by now.

8. Emirate natives, mostly : ARABS

9. Menu heading : DESSERTS. Nailed it. I don't have much of a sweet tooth - for dessert i just want more dinner.

10. Not at all scintillating : BLAH

11. Comparable to a cucumber : AS COOL. Cool as a cucumber.

12. Punk rock icon Joey : RAMONE. Died of lymphoma in 2001.

13. Inscribed slabs : STELES. Like this.

21. Young 'uns : TOTS. Curtain climbers. Ankle biters.

23. Rock's Mötley __ : CRUE

25. Yet to be had : UNEATEN. Seems sad.

27. Revolutionary Guevara : CHE. Funny.

28. "Oh yeah? __ who?" : SEZ

29. Misjudge : ERR. I suppose.

30. Auto pioneer : OLDS

32. Bit of a fairy tale trail : BREAD CRUMB. Cute.

35. Process: Abbr. : SYST

37. Begs to differ : DISSENTS

39. Jackie's "O" : ARI. Aristotle Onassis, Jacquelyn Kennedy's second husband.

40. Sloth, for one : SIN. Seven deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony. Anyone else have a favorite?

41. Price indicator : TAG

43. Hall of Fame NFL coach Ewbank : WEEB. Weeb was short for Wilbur.

44. Dillon of "There's Something About Mary" : MATT

45. Happen to : BEFALL

46. Shakers founder : ANN LEE. Had no idea, but she looks exactly like one would expect.

47. Pan-fries : SAUTES

49. Prayer beads : ROSARY

52. Trojan War king : PRIAM. Mythology, I never remember any of it.

55. Brand : MAKE

56. Computer nerd : GEEK

57. "Happy birthday" writer, perhaps : ICER. One who ices a cake.

58. Org. that reaches for the stars? : NASA

59. "I'm __ it's over" : GLAD. Almost.

62. Brandy letters : VSO. Very Superior Old.

Answer grid.

Melissa

Tuesday, September 7, 2010 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Am I Blue? - A timely question, now that summer is over. The first word of the four common phrases is a shade of blue, followed by the unifier in the SE.

20A. 1978 movie set in a Turkish prison : MIDNIGHT EXPRESS. It is based on Billy Hayes' book. Hayes was a young American student sent to a Turkish prison for trying to smuggle hashish out of Turkey. Midnight blue is a dark shade of blue, close to black.

35A. Volatile situation : POWDER KEG. Powder blue may refer to two different colors. Originally, it referred to a dark blue color, but it has since come to refer to a pale blue color. The original color is now called dark powder blue, also called smalt.

46A. White legumes : NAVY BEANS. Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue which almost appears as black and got its name from the dark blue worn by officers in the British Royal Navy since 1748.

57A. Big name in Danish porcelain : ROYAL COPENHAGEN Founded in 1775; its mark. Royal blue is traditionally defined as a deep to dark blue, often with a purple or faint reddish tinge.

70A. Shades of it begin this puzzle's four longest answers : BLUE. Did you consider placing BLUE as the last Across entry in 73A, Donna?

Argyle here.

I hope you all had a nice Labor Day. Now you can have a nice Tuesday puzzle. (After my write-up, I notice the hardest part is the language in the clues.)

Across:

1. Stinging flier : WASP

5. Unifying idea : THEME

10. Let the cat out of the bag : BLAB

14. Seed cover : HULL. The outer cover, the chaff.

15. "Bolero" composer : RAVEL

16. Monetary unit of Cyprus : EURO. Straight forward clue; no bread today.

17. Notion : IDEA

18. Repeated question in Matthew : IS IT I

19. Dollar dispensers, briefly : ATMS

23. Part of ESL: Abbr. : ENG. English as a second language

24. One of a "Great" quintet : ERIE. The Great Lakes.

25. Evian, e.g. : SPA. Evian-les-Bains is a lovely mountain city on the French-Swiss border.

28. Hotpoint appliances, familiarly : GES. Owned by General Electric. There is also Hotpoint appliance manufacturer in Britain but not related.

30. Peppery root veggie : RADISH

39. Because : SINCE

40. Island feast : LUAU

41. Peaceful protest : SIT IN

43. Sgts. and cpls. : NCOS

44. Real estate units : ACRES

48. Escaping, with "on" : THE LAM

50. Observe narrowly : EYE. "Narrowly" because you often squint your eyes to get a better look. The famous Eastwood squint.

51. Observe : SEE

52. "Gilligan's Island" shelters : HUTS

55. E. Coast border : ATL Atlantic Ocean.

65. Early sibling rivalry victim : ABEL

66. Mall booth : KIOSK

67. Cass's title : MAMA. Cass Elliot, of "The Mamas and Papas".

68. Scintilla : IOTA

69. Run off to get hitched : ELOPE

71. Island garlands : LEIS

72. "Robinson Crusoe" author : DEFOE. Daniel Defoe (ca. 1659-1661 – 1731)

73. Back talk : SASS

Down:

1. Caprice : WHIM

2. Car company whose name is Latin for "Hark!" : AUDI. Sona is Latin for "Honk!"

3. Winter ride : SLED

4. Carpentry smoother : PLANE. Image.

5. Gun activators : TRIGGERS

6. Diner hodgepodge dish : HASH

7. Online party notice : E-VITE. I can just imagine the groans going up when this answer was revealed.

8. Curbside payment collector : METER

9. Cure-all mixture : ELIXIR

10. Yogi or Boo-Boo : BEAR. Cartoon bears.

11. Mandolin relative : LUTE. Short clip.

12. Second Amendment subject : ARMS. Guns.

13. Chief : BOSS

21. "Bus Stop" playwright : INGE

22. They may be split in soup : PEAS

25. Water balloon sound : SPLAT

26. Marsupial's pocket : POUCH

27. Cognizant : AWARE

29. Dermatologist's concern : SKIN

31. Eat in style : DINE

32. Machu Picchu architects : INCAS

33. Pastry at a Devonshire tea : SCONE

34. "Siddhartha" author Hermann : HESSE

36. Hamilton-Burr engagement : DUEL. Hamilton lost.

37. Greek "H" : ETA

38. Rhett's last verb : GIVE

42. Pinstriped ALer : NY YANKEE. Often paired with Rhett's last noun.

45. Humorist Mort : SAHL

47. "Little Women" woman : BETH

49. Folded (one's hand), in poker slang : MUCKED. Not a term I'm familiar with.

53. Patterned fabric : TOILE. Toile, which is a French word, translates literally to 'cloth'. Its origins can be traced to Jouy-en-Josas, France, where the first commercial plant to mass produce it started production in 1760. Despite its very proper reputation, toile had a decidedly illicit beginning.

54. "SNL" staple : SPOOF. Saturday Night Live (SNL)

56. Symbols of gentleness : LAMBS

57. Pool table border : RAIL

58. Bassoon cousin : OBOE

59. Legendary Himalayan : YETI

60. Sighed word : ALAS

61. Hockey Hall of Famer Phil, to his fans : ESPO. Philip Anthony Esposito(born February 20, 1942 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey center.

62. Festive party : GALA

63. Avian Aussies : EMUS

64. Hamish's refusals : NAES. Scottish.

Answer grid.

Argyle

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.