Sunday September 26, 2010 Damien Peterson

Theme: Mal de Mer -"Mer" is added to the ends of various parts of common phrases.

23A. Response to "What's a six-letter answer for 'Silent performer'?"? : MUMMER'S THE WORD. The base phrase is "Mum's the word".

50A. Seaside vacation disappointment? : BEACH BUMMER. Beach bum. We also have PIERS (27. Spots for seaside strolls) and SHORE (30A. Spot for seaside strolls). Three "seaside" clechos (clue echos).

60A. Prison performer? : SLAMMER DANCER. Slam dancer. Slammer is a slang for "prison".

75A. Team in an agricultural all-star game? : THE FARMER SIDE. The Far Side. From Argyle. I don't get the joke.

84A. Station that exclusively plays rapper MC's hits? : HAMMER RADIO. Ham radio. Rapper MC Hammer.

118A. Like steak cooked by an enchanting chef? : CHARMER BROILED. Charbroiled.

32D. Sugary complaint? : CANDIED YAMMER. Candid yam. With a bit of toasted walnuts, delicious!

34D. More cordial old-timer? : WARMER VETERAN. War veteran.

Some of the MERs are inserted to the end of the first word, some the middle word, some the end. Nice variety. Five of the them are attached to a M-ending word.

Like Doug Peterson's last "El Week" (playing on "Hell Week" ), the title "Mal de Mer" is just a title, not a direct summary of the theme, nothing seasick, nothing mal with de mer. But French references aplenty:

70A. Capital of Nord, France : LILLE. Je ne sais pas. De Gaulle's birthplace.

104A. Idée source : TETE. Head in French.

106A. French wine region : RHONE

58D. 1956 star of Vadim's "And God Created Woman" : BARDOT (Brigitte). Gorgeous.

61D. "Les __" : MIZ

71D. M.'s partner : MME. Monsieur/Madame.

85D. Dada co-founder : ARP (Jean)

111D. Fille's father : PERE. Fille = Daughter.

Interesting theme entry placement. The grid has a nice week-day style edges, with two fingers (the black square blocks, called so because they look like fingers poking into the grid) rather than three fingers, resulting in plenty of 7s and 6s on the outside and lots of 3s in the middle, esp Downs, several are abbrs.

Across:

1. Railroad foundation : ROADBED. Had road track in mind.

8. Short chat? : CONFAB. Short for confabulation.

14. Destroys : WRECKS

20. Philosopher's term : A PRIORI. Argument without evidence/analysis.

21. Portugal's second-largest city : OPORTO. Also PORTO, from which port wine gets its name.

22. __ reason : WITHIN

25. Superficiality : FACADE

26. Memo opener : AS PER

28. Professor's end? : IAL.End to the word professorial.

31. Agnus __: Mass prayers : DEIS

32. Poolroom array : CUES

33. Loud bird : MACAW

35. The whole shebang : A TO Z. Colorful clue.

36. Bermuda hrs. : AST. Atlantic Standard Time.

37. Five-time NBA championship-winning coach : PAT RILEY. Came to me without difficulty. We must have seen either his given name or surname in the puzzle before.

40. Shah's land, once : IRAN

42. Manhattan cooler? : ICE. Cocktail.

43. Siskel or Shalit : GENE. Only know former.

44. Sleeveless garment : VEST

45. Dinghy pair : OARLOCKS

47. Mountainous region in Genesis : GILEAD. No idea. In Jordan.

52. Sub in a tub : OLEO. Sub of butter. Nice rhyme. Has a Clear Aye style poetic euphony/rhythm feel.

53. Actress Lupino : IDA

55. Being, to Augustus : ESSE

56. Corn remnants : COBS

66. Full of team spirit : RAH RAH

68. Different : ODD

69. Picture cards? : IDS. ID cards.

71. Super Bowl honoree : MVP. Vikings have never won a Super Bowl.

72. Palindromic "before" : ERE

73. Agitated state : FRENZY

78. Roller on a Rolls : TYRE. Good clue.

79. Rhein tributary : AARE

82. Worked (up) : HET

83. Pair at the altar : I DO'S. Pair of oaths.

90. Sci-fi psychic : EMPATH. I only know empathy, rooted in empath, I presume?

92. Declared : AFFIRMED

95. Powerful energy-market gp. : OPEC

96. Abbey titles : FRAS

97. Mex. title : SRA

98. Bench-presser's pride : PECS

99. "Risky Business" co-star : DE MORNAY (Rebecca). Recognized her face when I googled.

101. Flightless bird, nowadays? : SST. Now grounded, hence "flightless".

108. Heads or tails, e.g. : NOUN. This kind of clue gets me all the time.

109. Repentant one : RUER

110. Wrap-up : RECAP

112. Program file suffix : EXE

113. Relief agcy. founded in the U.K. in 1942 : OXFAM. Stands for Oxford Committee for Famine Relief. Unknown to me.

115. NFL ref, in slang : ZEBRA

116. Sacred birds : IBISES. Sacred in Egypt.

121. Bistro, informally : NITERY

122. Comes up : ARISES

123. Unisex : EPICENE. Does not seem to have "sex" root, does it? Not that I know what "sex" root is.

124. Yellowstone attraction : GEYSER

125. "Candid Camera" bits : PUT-ONS

126. Name of earthshaking importance? : RICHTER

Down:

1. Inn crowd option : RAMADA. Great play on "In crowd".

2. Musical works : OPUSES. Thought of OPERAS first.

3. It's exposed many times during the singing of "YMCA" : ARMPIT. Wow, let's see. Awesome clue.

4. 40% of quarters? : DIMES. Yep. I had to calculate in paper. I can't do mental math.

5. Transvaal settler : BOER. Dutch has those kind of aa clusters.

6. Make a misstep : ERR

7. Argument : DISPUTE. Followed by COHESIVE (8. Like good arguments). Another clecho.

9. Phone abbr. : OPER

10. "__ the time!" : NOW'S

11. Not to : FRO. To and fro.

12. Hotel courts : ATRIA

13. Amazing, in dialect : BODACIOUS. Crockett likes to use this word.

14. Hulk Hogan's '80s-'90s org. : WWF (World Wrestling Federation). Learning moment.

15. River inlets : RIAS

16. __ Sketch : ETCH A

17. Hardly orderly : CHAOTIC

18. "All Summer Long" singer, 2008 : KID ROCK. Great song.

19. Cold signs : SNEEZES

24. Theater section : TIER

29. '40s-'70s Coliseum team : LA RAMS. Needed crossing help.

33. It's not true : MYTH. TALE too.

37. Stew veggie : PEA

38. Cow country : LEA

39. Part of many a mtge. payment : ESC. Escrow?

41. Marlins' div. : NLE. National League East.

43. Trig. prerequisite : GEOM

46. Mus. ensemble : ORCH

47. Become lenient, as on crime : GO SOFT. The judge, right?

48. Offer to a dishwasher : I'LL DRY. Dishwasher does all the work for us.

49. Boss : LEADER

50. Counterfeit : BAD

51. Kentucky college or its city : BEREA. Not familiar with Berea College. What is it famous for?

54. Operations mgrs. : DRS. Directors?

57. Food company named for two states : ORE-IDA. Oregon-Idaho.

59. "Yikes!" : SHEESH

62. Modify : ALTER

63. Bethesda-based research org. : NIH. Unknown trivia to me.

64. Largest OH airport : CLE. You'd think it's Cincinnati.

65. Santa staffer : ELF

67. Car loan abbr. : APR. Annual Percentage Rate. I drew a blank.

74. Grape soda brand : NEHI

76. P-like letter : RHO

77. Makes a drink last : SIPS

80. "Cocoon" Oscar winner : AMECHE (Don). Again, recognized him only after I googled.

81. Fenway souvenir : RED SOX CAP. Man, this opens a slew of possible new entries. Twins' Cap, Twins' Program, Twins' Jersey, etc.

86. Used taxis : RODE

87. Big klutz : APE

88. JFK, but not LAX : DEM. Of course I was thinking of JFK Airport. It would really be a cool clue if LAX were named after a famous Republican.

89. Case-breaking words : I CONFESS. Nice entry.

91. When moms are honored : MAY

92. Guitar's second-lowest : A STRING. Well, Al knows.

93. Hotel soap, say : FREEBIE

94. Easy Street's metropolis? : FAT CITY. Both new slang for me. Comfortable living.

96. Stop in photography? : F NUMBER

100. Engine sound : ROAR

101. Lease prohibition : SUBLET

102. Unruffled : SERENE

103. Wall Street worker : TRADER

105. Facilitates : EASES

107. India's prime minister before Shastri : NEHRU. Intuitive guess. Was ignorant that Shastri is India's second prime minister.

109. Wealthy, in Weimar : REICH. Oh, really? I thought it's a just noun.

113. Roughly : OR SO

114. Marvel Comics heroes : X-MEN

115. Suffix with Paleo- : ZOIC

117. Half of the UAR : SYR. The other half is Egypt.

119. Thames islet : AIT. Classic crosswordese.

120. Sch. in Troy, NY : RPI. Spitzboov's alma mater.

Answer grid.

Happy Birthday, Dennis! Hope it's a memorable one and filled with love, joy and every pleasure you desire.

C.C.

Added later: Damien Peterson is another alias name of Rich Norris, anagram of "Editor's Pen Name".

Saturday September 25, 2010 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Total words: 72

Total blocks: 30

This puzzle is anchored by two intersecting 15s right in the middle of the grid:

37A. Four-time NBA MVP: WILT CHAMBERLAIN. So, how old was he when he claimed that he had had sex with 20,000 many women?

8D. Residential street warning : SPEED BUMPS AHEAD. Brilliant debut entry.

Barry then builds up his grid with two Down 10s, two Across 9s, then triple stacks of 8s in the upper left and lower right corners.

My favorite fill and clue today is FATTY ACID (47A. It may be essential). Essential fatty acid.

Across:

1. Places for pieces : GUN RACKS. I wanted ARMORIES.

9. Support base : PLINTH

15. Worker's advocate : UNION REP. Needs "for short" in the clue, doesn't it?

16. Foe of Mark Antony : CICERO. Was ignorant that these two even lived in the same time.

17. Imagination : MIND'S EYE. Had trouble seeing the answer.

18. Screwed up : BLEW IT

19. NEA supporters : PTAS. Seems like Husker Gary can write a Ph. D thesis on the function of Nebraska NEA.

20. Third of seven: Abbr. : TUES. My week always starts on Monday.

22. Quantum mechanics subjects : ATOMS

23. "Bojangles" Robinson, for one : TAP DANCER. Recognized the guy when I googled.

25. El Cid player, 1961 : HESTON (Charlton). Have only seen his "The Ten Commandments".

29. Life lines? : BIO. Nice clue.

30. Mass garb : ALBS

33. Like an excited World Series crowd : AROAR. I bet Barry is already picturing his Phillies win the World Series. Also in the grid is ERA (36. Baseball stat). Any Roy Halladay fan?

34. Sign of life : PULSE

40. White, in Waikiki : KEA. As in Mauna Kea (White Mountain).

41. Up : HAPPY

42. Cox who played Drew in "Deliverance" : RONNY. Nope. Can't recall his name. "Deliverance" is absolutely terrifying.

43. Old pol. units : SSRS

45. Substitutes for forgotten words : LAs. In songs?

46. Releases : LETS GO

50. Sterno, for one : JELLY. Ha ha, I thought it's gas inside the Sterno.

52. Vengeful Quaker of fiction : AHAB. No idea about the Quaker connection. Have never read "Moby Dick".

53. Gee : THOU (Thousand). Weird to see G spelled out.

57. Profits : AVAILS

59. Party animal? : ELEPHANT. For the GOP. Great clue.

61. Abrasive mineral : GARNET. Lovely deep red color.

62. Compact : ALLIANCE

63. Derisive : SNEERY

64. Can't abide : DESPISES

Down:

1. Winston Groom hero : GUMP. Forrest Gump. Did not know the author.

2. Newton or curie : UNIT. OK, Dictionary says the un-capitalized curie is a unit of radioactivity.

3. La __: ocean phenomenon : NINA

4. Angler's supply : RODS

5. Q&A part: Abbr. : ANS

6. Greek islander : CRETAN. From Crete.

7. Excite : KEY UP

9. Pollutant found in NCR paper : PCB. What is NCR paper?

10. Color similar to pale plum : LILAC

11. Summer cooler : ICE TEA. No D again.

12. Where to get a muffuletta sandwich : NEW ORLEANS. I've certainly heard of muffuletta sandwich.

13. Garnish : TRIM. As a Christmas tree.

14. Red __: candy : HOTS

21. Pass on a ketch : SAIL BY. Ketch is sailing boat.

23. Tribal Council prop : TORCH. Don't get the clue.

24. Narrow margin : NOSE

25. Peddles : HAWKS

26. Native New Yorkers : ERIES. This refers to the Native Americans, correct?

27. Phenomenon that emits X-rays : SOLAR FLARE. I thought X-ray is emitted by the machine.

28. Work with a shuttle : TAT. Use shuttle to make lace.

31. Fetch : BRING

32. Maker of eneloop rechargeable batteries : SANYO. Not familiar with the batteries.

34. Melonlike fruit : PAPAYA. Looks ugly, but delicious. I like all tropical fruit.

35. Didn't get 100, say : ERRED

38. Stop order : HALT

39. Large amount : LOT

44. Hospital solution : SALINE

46. Abuses freedom of the press, perhaps : LIBELS. Had difficulty parsing the clue.

48. Texas city named for a president : TYLER. No idea. Wiki said the city is named for John Tyler in recognition of his support for Texas' admission to the United States

49. Valencia street : CALLE. Spanish for "street".

50. Flings : JAGS. Did not know jag can mean "spree" also.

51. Novelist Hunter : EVAN

53. Golden Triangle native : THAI. Drug in Golden Triangle. Heroin.

54. Former UN weapons inspector Blix : HANS. Man, it's been a long time. I can still hear his accented English about WMD.

55. Formerly : ONCE

56. Versatile wheels : UTES. Well, here it comes again.

58. Dump : STY

60. Spot : PIP. Playing card spot.

Answer grid.

Thanks for the sweet words about my Dennis birthday puzzle, everyone. I had fun doing it.

C.C.

Friday September 24, 2010 Kelsey Blakley

Theme: SPOONERISM - Two-layered theme. The initial consonant(s) of common word/phrases are switched, and the end of each spoonerized two-word answer is a type of knife.

17A. Choose deli platter items? : PICK CHEESE. The unspoonerized word is Chickpeas. Cheese knife.

25A. Beef marinated in Jim's bourbon? : BEAM STEAK. Steam Bake. Not a familiar cooking term to me. Steak knife.

34A. Rooster's spread? : COCK'S BUTTER. A bit DF, isn't it? Box Cutter. Massive spoonerism in this one. The only entry where the middle consonants X experiences spelling CK change. Sound remains the same of course. Butter knife.

49A. "Casablanca" nightclub income? : RICK BREAD. Brick Red. Rick's Cafe in "Casablanca". Bread here means "money", right? The other three theme entries all end in real food. Bread knife.

58A. What each of the other four longest answers in this puzzle is : SPOONERISM

55A. Ironically, the 58-Acrosses in this puzzle end in types of them : KNIVES. "Ironically"? Are they supposed to end in "SPOONS"?

We also have TINE (19A. Jabber?). You use fork to jab I suppose.

Rather complicated scheme, isn't it? I was clueless about theme until I reached the unifier. Even then I still needed a bit of head-scratching to untangle the initial base phrase.

Total 21 non-theme entries of six or more letters. Quite impressive. Mainly a result of breaking down left and right edges of the grid into two rather than our normal three parts. Two-part edges are often seen in Saturday themeless.

Across:

1. Elián Gonzalez's home : CUBA. Easy start.

5. Legendary brothers in law : EARPS. At O.K. Corral. Not brothers-in-law.

10. Hogwarts messengers : OWLS. Lovely entry for Argyle.

14. What the connected have : AN IN. Have an in. The connected people.

15. Sole projection : CLEAT. SPIKE too, in golf.

16. Unconvincing : THIN

20. Opera set on Cyprus : OTELLO. Verdi opera based on Shakespeare's Othello. Did not know where it's set.

21. Spiced 23-Across : CHAI. And TEA (23. See 21-Across). Several cross-referenced clues in the grid.

24. Oater camp sight : TEPEE

27. Both Begleys : EDS

28. Chrysler division : RAM. Dodge Ram.

30. Shooting gadget : SYRINGE. Was not picturing medicine shooting.

31. Oklahoma tribe : KIOWA. Only know OTOE.

33. Dutch physics Nobelist Simon van der __ : MEER. No idea. 1984 Physics co-Nobelist. Still alive.

38. Shelled out : PAID

40. Rival of 2-Down : US AIR. And UNITED (2D. Red Carpet Club flier). Also, MOTH (54A. Light-headed flier?). Flier clecho (clue echo)

41. Bring charges against : ARRAIGN. Learned from watching "Law & Order".

45. Stumble : ERR

46. Sagittarian's mo., probably : DEC. Probably, yes.

51. Friend of Jesús : AMIGOS. Funny clue. To me, Jesus lived in Israel and spoke Hebrew, so did his friends. (Correction: The answer is singular AMIGO.)

53. Shih __ : TZU. The Tibetan dog.

56. Pack member : WOLF

60. Subj. with skeletons in the closet?: Abbr. : ANAT. Nice clue too.

61. Balm : SALVE

62. Within: Pref. : ENTO. Opposite ECT(O).

63. Place to keep stock? : YARD. Livestock? Don't quite get the clue.

64. Grammy winner Gormé : EYDIE. Faintly rang a bell.

65. Mtg. : SESS. Meeting/Session.

Down:

1. "In Cold Blood" author : CAPOTE (Truman)

3. Arm & Hammer logo feature : BICEPS. Arm & Hammer baking soda. Novel clue.

4. __ socks : ANKLE

5. Pilot's "E" : ECHO. Well, gimme for our pilot Dudley.

6. It may be blonde or brown : ALE. Got via crosses. Tricky clue.

7. Volleyball star Gabrielle : REECE. Model too.

8. Ottoman lords : PASHAS. Used to stump me.

9. Hot and heavy : STEAMY. Love. Sex.

10. Baseball's Master Melvin : OTT. Man, I never knew Mel Ott is nicknamed called "Master Melvin".

11. Bleach : WHITENER

12. Roots : LINEAGE

13. British : trainer :: American : __ : SNEAKER. Really, Nice Cuppa, you call sneakers "trainers" in Britain?

18. Ayatollah, e.g. : CLERIC

22. Camp David Accords signer: Abbr. : ISR. Egypt too. Camp David Accords.

25. Upscale imports : BMWS

26. Source of ticking : TIMER

29. Verbal thumbs-up : A-OK. Reminded me of Jennifer Aniston "Love Happens".

31. Maker of the FunSaver disposable camera : KODAK

32. __ Dhabi : ABU

34. Advertising notice : CIRCULAR

35. Recycled : USED

36. What many rural roads lack : TAR

37. Albania's capital : TIRANE. How can I remember this name? Looks so ordinary.

38. Not completely : PARTWAY

39. Home of Carefree Highway : ARIZONA. I guessed.

42. Chip maker : IBM. Computer chips.

43. Detroit suburb __ Pointe : GROSSE. Nope. Was it the place first settled down by the French?

44. Take-home : NET PAY

46. Like some wisdom : DIVINE

47. Discharges : EGESTS. Opposite INGESTS.

48. Carl Sagan PBS series : COSMOS

50. Get __ of: locate : A HOLD

52. Entangles : MIRES

55. Bouncing joint? : KNEE. Bouncing what? Soccer ball?

57. Wire svc. involved in many arrangements : FTD. Oh, flowers.

59. Egg opening : OVI. Prefix.

Answer grid.

Since many of you do not come to the blog on weekend, I'd like to share with you a birthday puzzle I made for a special blog contributor, who is celebrating his birthday this coming Sunday. The clues are very general, you don't need to know him to solve the grid.

Click here for the puz file (Across Lite), and here for the pdf version. I also had a write-up of the puzzle and my thought process. But don't read until you solve the puzzle. It's here.

C.C.

Thursday September 23, 2010 John Pounders

Theme: The Kool-Aid Man's catchphrase, Oh, Yeah! All three answers end with THAT. Each is punctuated differently to have a different meaning.

20A. "Oh, yeah?": SURE ABOUT THAT?

36A. "Oh, yeah!": I LIKE IT LIKE THAT.

53A. "Oh, yeah ...": I REMEMBER THAT.

Al here.

Lots of tricky cluing today, only four proper names and a couple of geography clues. A fun puzzle, but nothing really stood out structurally to me, so on with the answers.

ACROSS:

1. A teaspoon, maybe: DOSE. It seems so obvious after you see it. Not so much before.

5. It may involve splashing: BATH.

9. Old hat: PASSE. Out of fashion, trite. The allusion is to nothing more than the appearance of worn-out headgear, but there is an older, more vulgar meaning...

14. Quechua speaker: INCA. Estimates are that 6-8 million people in the Andes region speak it today. You can take lessons...

15. Return from the Alps?: ECHO. Hike, anyone?

16. Sticky resin used in paint: ALKYD. Oil-based as opposed to Latex water-based. The term alkyd is a modification of the original name "alcid", reflecting the fact that they are derived from alcohol and organic acids.

17. Hot quaff: GROG. Supposedly an allusion to Old Grog, nickname of Edward Vernon (1684-1757), British admiral who wore a grogram cloak and who in August 1740 ordered his sailors' rum to be diluted.

18. Love god: EROS. Greek. Cupid was the corresponding Roman God.

19. "Thelma and Louise" car: T-BIRD. Movie Spoiler picture.

23. __ manual: USERS. The one for my blue ray player came in 8 different languages. What a waste of paper.

24. Canadian sentence enders?: EHS. How do you spell the country to our north? C, eh? N, eh? D, eh?

25. Start using: TAP. Like a beer keg.

28. High degree: PHD. Needed perps to eliminate NTH.

29. Prone: LIABLE. Apt is actually the older meaning from Latin: bent forward, inclined. To lie face-down wasn't recorded until the 1570s.

33. "Carnival of Harlequin" surrealist: MIRO. Joan. We just had him for "Sill Life With Shoes" last Thursday.

34. Angler's accessory: SEINE. A net.

35. Silas Marner, e.g.: MISER. Subtitled The Weaver of Raveloe, by George Eliot (the pseudonym of Mary Ann(e) Evans).

41. Garden bulb: TULIP. Do you think of flowers or vegetables first when you see or hear the word garden? I wanted ONION at first. Gardenias are named for naturalist Dr. Alexander Garden, Vice President of the Royal Society.

42. Sharp ridge: ARETE. There are several in this picture.

43. Repose: CALM. A related word to repose is "pause". Calm is from from Old Italian calma, which is from Late Latin cauma "heat of the mid-day sun" (in Italy, a time when everything rests and is still).

44. Journey: VOYAGE. A journey was originally one day's travel. Or a group once again made popular by a bunch of Gleeks.

46. Merit badge org.: BSA. Boy Scouts of America.

49. Quarterback's cry: HUT. Why? I also found this, which claims that back when Roman Centurions gave orders, they then said HUT to execute it immediately. It could be true, the military today still uses HUT in marching cadence.

50. Time in a pool: DIP. To dip was originally to baptize, and is possibly related to "deep".

51. Willow tree twig: OSIER. Used in basket weaving. And they're coming to take me away, ha ha.

58. Virile one: HE-MAN. Dolph Lundgren in the live movie adaptation of the earlier cartoon.

60. Cranny's partner: NOOK. I think we just had INGLE recently, too.

61. First name in Indian music: RAVI. Shankar. Father of Norah Jones.

62. Church chorus: AMENS. Choir first anyone?

63. Tackle box item: LURE.

64. Mars counterpart: ARES. Mars/Roman, Ares/Greek Gods of war. Ares and "ire" are related. He was an angry god.

65. Opinion giver: JUDGE.

66. Cravings: YENS. Earlier yin "intense craving for opium", from Chinese yan "craving," or from a Beijing dialect word for "smoke." Reinforced in Eng. by influence of "yearn".

67. Word with cheap or bike: DIRT.

DOWN:

1. Unearths: DIGS UP.

2. Assault: ONRUSH. Assault from Latin prefix ad- (toward) + saltus (a leap or jump).

3. Homered, say: SCORED. Baseball home run. Nothing to do with the Simpsons.

4. Thirsty: EAGER.

5. Overseas network, with "the": BEEB. BBC is the British Broadcasting corporation. Also called "Auntie" Beeb.

6. Polis leader?: ACRO. Acropolis, acro for "high", and polis for "city". Usually translated as "citadel". The famous one at Athens, Greece. A picture that shows it high on a hill.

7. Commandment pronoun: THOU.

8. Hiker's stopover: HOSTEL. Not sure why a hiker, specifically. More budget-oriented than a hotel, I suppose.

9. Rustic ways: PATHS.

10. Jessica of "Sin City": ALBA. Another "comic book" movie. "Visually groundbreaking", rated moderately high.

11. People-wary, as a horse: SKITTISH.

12. Turk. neighbor: SYR. Turkey, Syria.

13. Byrnes of "77 Sunset Strip": EDD. TV detective show, ended in 1964.

21. Dreaming, perhaps: ASLEEP.

22. Not just a: THE. Definite article "the" vs. indefinite "a".

26. Space: AREA.

27. Sea side: PORT. The left side of a ship, that faces the harbor when docked. Opposite of starboard (the side where early boats were steered)

30. 1969 Super Bowl: III. The first two were retroactively renamed Super Bowls. They weren't called that at the time.

31. Colony dweller: ANT. From a compound of bases *ai- "off, away" + *mait- "cut." Thus the insect's name is "the biter off." Emmet survived into the 20th c. as an alternative form.

32. Secure, as a ship's line: BELAY. To coil a running rope around a cleat or pin.

33. Tick cousin: MITE. Little suckers. Another recent word.

34. Whole alternative: SKIM. Wanted semi. Didn't think of milk at first.

35. Falling star: METEOR. Meteor formerly meant any atmospheric phenomenon (thus meteorology for weather study). Atmospheric phenomena were formerly classified as aerial meteors (wind), aqueous meteors (rain, snow, hail), luminous meteors (aurora, rainbows), and igneous meteors (lightning, shooting stars).

36. Allergic reaction: ITCH.

37. Place to see grass skirts: LUAU. Had HULA in there at first.

38. Poorly planned: ILL-TIMED.

39. Bank offering, for short: IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

40. Powder container: KEG.

44. Animation: VIM.

45. For all to see: OPENLY.

46. Native of NE India: BIHARI. Bihar.

47. Pitcher known as "Tom Terrific": SEAVER. Awards galore.

48. Escape __: ARTIST. Hatch was too short.

50. Crowded: DENSE. Also Thick.

52. Valuable violin: STRAD. Also AMATI.

54. "You __?": RANG. Lurch, from the Addams Family.

55. Pout: MOUE.

56. Conceived, as an idea: BORN.

57. Barely manages, with "out": EKES.

58. Muslim's duty: HAJ. Hajj, Hadj

59. Source of lean meat: EMU.

Answer Grid.

Al

Wednesday September 22, 2010 James Sajdak

Theme: SLAPSTICK COMEDY (36A. Where it's laughable to see the answers to starred clues). Beautiful grid spanning unifier, right in the middle.

17A. *Coconut dessert : CUSTARD PIE

23A. *Facetious name for a fund-raising circuit entrée : RUBBER CHICKEN

46. *Mixer holder : SELTZER BOTTLE ♪♬ ♫ A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer in your pants ♬♫♪

57. *Yellow slipper? : BANANA PEEL Mythbusters.

Melissa here.

What a fun puzzle, very visually evocative. A pangram, too. This is James Sajdak's sixth appearance this year in the LA Times, his themes are always entertaining.

Across:

1. Cabo locale : BAJA. See Cabo at the very bottom.

5. Fall, as home prices : SLUMP. Don't remind me.

10. Havana howdy : HOLA

14. Distant start? : EQUI. Equidistant.

15. Insured patient's med cost : CO-PAY

16. Mideast nation : IRAN

19. State bordering eight others: Abbr. : TENN. Tennessee. Borders Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri

20. Krazy of comics : KAT.

21. Backsliding event? : LUGE. Fun clue.

22. Tourist attraction : MECCA

27. Some campus sisters : THETAS

29. Big repair bill reaction : OUCH. Very slapstick-y. And 25D. Bops : CONKS, which crosses two theme answers.

30. "Hee Haw" prop : BALE. Pretty. They make beautiful homes, too.

31. Kuwaiti currency : DINAR

33. Fairy tale legume : PEA. The princess and the pea.

40. Old curse word : POX. "A pox damn you, you muddy rascal, is that all the comfort you bring me?" Henry IV Part II.

41. Overhangs : EAVES

42. Canal that Sal worked on, in song : ERIE. The Boss's cover.

43. Stud farm stud : SIRE

44. Groundbreakers : FIRSTS

51. Mindful : AWARE

52. Rankles : IRKS

53. TV channels 2 to 13 : VHF

56. Lisa's title : MONA. From Wikipedia: "In Italian, ma donna means my lady. This became madonna, and its contraction mona. Mona is thus a polite form of address, similar to Ma’am, Madam, or my lady in English." Slapstick Mona Lisa.

60. "Agreed!" : OKAY

61. Put an __: stop : END TO

62. Janis's comics mate : ARLO. A new clue for Arlo. Well, sort of. The lead characters of this strip are named after 1960s music icons Arlo Gurthrie and Janis Joplin. Wiki says "Many of the most notable jokes are based on sexual attraction, especially Arlo's desire for Janis." Like this.

63. Sale caution : AS IS

64. County northeast of London : ESSEX

65. Oceanic flora : KELP

Down:

1. Eponymous German brewer Heinrich : BECK

2. Caribbean color : AQUA.

3. "Don't worry about it!" : JUST RELAX. Be happy.

4. River isle : AIT. An ait (or eyot) is a small island. It is especially used to refer to islands found on the River Thames and it's tributaries in England.

5. Surgical coverage? : SCRUBS. Didn't get this right away, even though I have some in every color.

6. Raccoon ___, "The Honeymooners" fraternal group : LODGE. Did not remember this.

7 Like some echelons : UPPER

8. Printemps month : MAI. Printemps is French for Spring.

9. Joe-__ weed: herbal remedy : PYE. Pretty.

10. Like smart phones, e.g. : HI TECH

11. Vacuum shown lifting a bowling ball in TV ads : ORECK. Bowling balls seem to be the standard for suction.

12. Tilting pole : LANCE. Couldn't have said it better myself.

13. 1997-2006 UN leader : ANNAN. Kofi.

18. Goya's "Duchess of __" : ALBA. Painting.

22. Prefix with scope : MICRO

24. Sch. near the Rio Grande : UTEP. University of Texas at El Paso.

26. '50s Red Scare gp. : HUAC. House Un-American Activities Committee. Some great movies about it - Guilty by Suspicion, Citizen Cohn, The Front.

27. Kitchen meas. : TBSP.

28. Saintly circle : HALO

31. One going down : DIVER. Umm ...

32. Assure victory in, slangily : ICE

33. Gut it out : PERSEVERE

34. Cut out, say : EDIT

35. Bridge assents : AYES. Sailor speak.

37. Take by force : SEIZE

38. Container allowance : TARE. The weight of an empty container.

39. Keyboardist Saunders who collaborated with Jerry Garcia : MERL. Had no idea.

43. Range rovers? : STRAYS. Sneaky clue.

44. Loc. with billions in bullion : FT KNOX

45. "__ girl!" : IT'S A

46. Island where Robert Louis Stevenson died : SAMOA. Was unaware of this trivia.

47. Furry Endor inhabitants : EWOKS. Star Wars creatures.

48. Hawaii's Pineapple Island : LANAI

49. Pickles : BINDS

50. Speak formally : ORATE. Little oral fixation today. Maybe it's just me.

54. War, to Sherman : HELL. William Tecumseh Sherman, Union general during the Civil War. "You don’t know the horrible aspects of war. I’ve been through two wars and I know. I’ve seen cities and homes in ashes. I’ve seen thousands of men lying on the ground, their dead faces looking up at the skies. I tell you, war is Hell!"

55. Hardly a big ticket-seller : FLOP

57. Sewing circle : BEE

58. T or F, on tests : ANS. True or False.

59. Karachi's country: Abbr. : PAK. Karachi is the largest city, main seaport, and financial center of Pakistan.

Answer grid.

Melissa

Tuesday, September 21, 2010 Robert A. Doll

Theme: Life's a Beach - As the unifier indicates, put BEACH in front of the first word of these four common phrases and you have a connection.

17A. Top banana: HEAD HONCHO. Beachhead - the area that is the first objective of a military force landing on an enemy shore.

23A. Unstable situation, metaphorically: HOUSE OF CARDS. Beach house.

37A. Huge mess: BALL OF CONFUSION. Beach ball.

45A. Gregarious fun lovers: PARTY ANIMALS. Beach party.

58A. Valuable shore property, and a hint to what the first words of 17-, 23-, 37- and 45-Across have in common: BEACH FRONT

Argyle again.

The unifier explains the connection but doesn't really help the solving of the clues. The first three change their meaning when combined with beach but PARTY stays the same. In fact, you can find PARTY ANIMALS at a BEACH PARTY. Toga! Toga!

Across:

1. Briquettes : COALS. A sort of progression: Briquettes - COALS - embers - ash.

6. Zip : ZERO

10. Country music pioneer Ernest : TUBB. When I listen to his I'm Walking the Floor Over You, I can't help but think of Poe's, The Tell-Tale Heart. Dost thou think I am mad?

14. "As a result ..." : AND SO

15. Country on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula : OMAN. Map.

16. Spot in the ocean : ISLE

19. Depilatory brand : NAIR. Or Neet/Veet.

20. '60s-'70s war site, briefly : NAM

21. "Now it makes sense!" : I SEE

22. Cake finish : ICING

26. Workplace inspection org. : OSHA

29. Comportment : MIEN

30. Louise's gal pal : THELMA. From the 1991 movie, "Thelma & Louise".

33. Buzzing swarmers : BEES

34. Performed : DID

40. "Danny and the Dinosaur" author Hoff : SYD. An "I Can Read" book.

41. Court postponement : STAY

42. Ancient Greek military power : SPARTA. They hit the big time with their movie.

43. Blood fluids : SERA

44. Veggies studied by Mendel : PEAS

52. Assumed name : ALIAS

53. Defensive spray : MACE

54. Marx's "__ Kapital" : DAS

57. Thin curl of smoke : WISP

61. Third man : ABEL and 3D. Father of 61-Across : ADAM

62. High-strung : EDGY

63. Sacher treat : TORTE. The Sachertorte was created by pastry chef Franz Sacher (1816-1907) in 1832 for Prince von Metternich, the Austrian State Chancellor. The prince enjoyed trying new dishes and ordered the chef to create a new cake. Orders were sent to the kitchens where it was instant pandemonium. The head chef was sick and the team of cooks in the kitchen had no idea what to prepare. Franz Sacher, a 16-year old apprentice cook, rolled up his sleeves and created this famous chocolate cake with the ingredients that were available. It consisted of chocolate sponge cake cut into three layers, between which apricot jam are thickly spread between the layers and on the top and sides of the cake. The whole cake is then iced with a velvet-like chocolate and served with a side dish of whipped cream. The Sacher Torte and other recipes made him prosperous, and he operated several cafes and restaurants.

64. Goodyear product : TIRE

65. Member's obligation : DUES

66. What matzo lacks : YEAST

Down:

1. "High Hopes" lyricist Sammy : CAHN. "High Hopes" is a popular song, introduced in the 1959 film A Hole In The Head, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1959. The music was written by Jimmy Van Heusen, the lyrics by Sammy Cahn. A Sinatra standard.

2. Top draft status : ONE A

4. '60s "trip" drug : LSD

5. Early gas company based in Cleveland : SOHIO. Standard Oil of Ohio or Sohio was one of the successor companies to Standard Oil after the antitrust breakup in 1911. It merged with British Petroleum, now called BP(Hiss, boo), in 1968.

6. Districts : ZONES

7. Roast host : EMCEE

8. Bleachers cry : RAH

9. John __ Lennon : ONO. Lennon and Yoko Ono were married in Gibraltar on 20 March 1969, and he changed his name by deed poll on 22 April 1969, adding "Ono" as a middle name. Although he used the name John Ono Lennon thereafter, official documents referred to him as John Winston Ono Lennon, since he was not permitted to revoke a name given at birth.

10. Kid's make-believe phone : TIN CAN. Not make believe. This site can tell you how to make one.

11. Carrier that added "ways" to its name in 1997 : USAIR. USAir in 1979, US Airways in 1997. Of local interest, Mohawk Airlines was an early part of what was to become USAir.

12. Duck hunter's cover : BLIND. Not only for ducks, the meaning "anything that obstructs sight" is from 1530s. In this case, the obstruction of the prey's sight of the hunter.

13. Cold-water hazards : BERGS

18. Its flagship sch. is in Stillwater, west of Tulsa : OSU. Oklahoma State University.

22. Freezes over : ICES UP

23. Oates's musical partner : HALL. Daryl Hall and John Oates, Private Eyes.

24. Divine sign : OMEN

25. Feudal domains : FIEFs

26. Gambling parlors, briefly : OTBs. Off-track betting (OTB)

27. One-horse carriage : SHAY. Two wheeled is correct version but four wheeled carriages are often called shays, also.

28. Had in one's hands : HELD

31. Strolls (along) : MOSEYS

32. Performers' union: Abbr. : AFTRA. The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). AFTA. The After Shave Skin Conditioner.

33. Tarzan's son : BOY

34. Awful : DIRE

35. Letter after theta : IOTA

36. Genetic info carriers : DNAs

38. "Misery" actor James : CAAN. Movie poster

39. Easy targets : SAPS

43. Swingline fastener : STAPLE. Swingline is a brand name for staples and staplers.

45. Touch, cat-style : PAW AT

46. Accused's excuse : ALIBI

47. Choir platform : RISER

48. Likeness : IMAGE

49. "Miracle on 34th Street" setting : MACY'S. One of my favorite movies.

50. Rhine whine? : ACH. Great rhyme.

51. Sandy Koufax or CC Sabathia : LEFTY. Left-handed baseball pitchers(and a mini shout-out to our leader).

54. The first Mrs. Copperfield : DORA. Not the magician. "David Copperfield or The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery (which he never meant to publish on any account)" is a novel by Charles Dickens, first published as a novel in 1850. Like most of his works, it originally appeared in serial form a year earlier. David, as an adult, first married naïve Dora Spenlow, but she dies. He eventually marries and finds true happiness with the sensible Agnes, who had secretly always loved him.

55. Insects on farms : ANTS

56. Editor's "leave it in" : STET

58. B&B part : BED. Bed and Breakfast inns, usually a private home. Many couples have bought old homes, thinking becoming a B&B will pay the mortgage; it doesn't, for most of them.

59. College URL ending : EDU. Its name is derived from education, indicating its intended use as a name space for educational institutions.

60. Future fish : ROE. Finally, some alliteration.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, September 20, 2010 Samantha Wine

Theme: Have you seen my... - Three common phrases start with a word that may indicate, say, our car keys when we are in a hurry.

20A. Daydreaming: LOST IN THOUGHT

36A. Failing to grasp a key element: MISSING THE POINT

52A. Not expected back at work until tomorrow: GONE FOR THE DAY

Argyle here.

A compact Monday puzzle from our editor. Samantha Wine is an anagram of "What's in a name?").

Simple theme. Lively theme answers, none of which have been used in any major newspaper puzzle before. The sparse theme entries allow Rich to place 20 six-letter or more non-theme fill, including a wonderful BAILOUTS.

A bit harder than usual, perhaps.

Across:

1. Persian Gulf emirate : DUBAI. A small nation with a big footprint.

6. Aptly named novelist : READE. Charles Reade (1814 - 1884) was an English novelist and dramatist, best known for The Cloister and the Hearth. I must have missed that one.

11. Check for drinks : TAB. Goes well with 38D "Drinks are on yours truly" : "I'M BUYING"

14. Rocket scientist Wernher von __ : BRAUN. We had Eva Braun yesterday.

15. Use for dinner, as dishes : EAT ON

16. Realm from 800-1806: Abbr. : HRE. The Holy Roman Empire (HRE). The first Holy Roman Emperor is generally considered to have been Otto I, King of Germany. Charlemagne, crowned Emperor of the Romans in 800, was the forerunner of the Holy Roman Empire, largely because he had inaugurated the tradition of imperial coronation by the Pope.

17. Jazzy O'Day : ANITA. Singing Ain't Misbehavin'.

18. On the __: broken : FRITZ. Origin unknown.

19. Approx. landing hr. : ETA

23. More intimate : CLOSER

25. __-mutuel: type of betting : PARI

26. Funny Costello : LOU. Partnered with Bud Abbott.

27. Abel's slayer : CAIN

30. Tsar or emperor : DESPOT. It doesn't mean tyrant, necessarily.

32. It follows the overture : ACT I

34. Pressed for time : IN A RUSH

41. Conceived of : IDEATED, Didn't need to see this word again.

42. IRS agent : T-MAN

43. What ballerinas dance on : TIPTOE

46. Slangy agreement : YEAH

48. HVAC measure : BTU. British Thermal Unit (BTU or Btu)

49. Utah city near Provo : OREM

50. Uproar : TUMULT. Taken straight from Latin

58. Econ. yardstick : GNP. Gross National Product

59. Nebraska city : OMAHA

60. Tee shot : DRIVE. Golf.

63. Mauna __ : LOA. Active volcano on the island of Hawaii.

64. Lees competitor : LEVIS

65. Ocean ship : LINER

66. Bigger picture: Abbr. : ENL.

67. Kosher deli offering : KNISH. Knish Nosh.

68. Sharp-eyed bird : EAGLE

Down:

1. Trade name abbr. : DBA. Doing Business As.

2. Caterer's vessel : URN

3. Controversial financial rescues : BAILOUTS

4. Cars : AUTOS

5. "Be right there!" : "IN A SEC!"

6. Get a better int. rate, probably : REFI. Refinancing.

7. Make on the job : EARN

8. Working busily : AT IT

9. "The lady __ protest too much": "Hamlet" : DOTH. We had DOST yesterday.

10. Automaker Ferrari : ENZO

11. Store to "fall into," in old ads : THE GAP. Can you buy both Levis and Lees there?

12. Prefix with -scopic : ARTHRO. And often followed by surgery.

13. "Scram!" : "BEAT IT!"

21. New employee : TRAINEE

22. End result : UPSHOT. 1531; originally, the final shot in an archery match, hence sense of "result, issue, conclusion" (1604).

23. Littleneck, e.g. : CLAM

24. Centers of activity : LOCI. Plural of locus, (in many legal phrases) a place or area, esp the place where something occurred.

28. Actress Swenson : INGA. She was on the TV show, "Benson". She is the one standing behind Benson(Robert Guillaume), on the left. Image.

29. Smartly dressed : NATTY

30. Obstetrician's calculation : DUE DATE

31. Psychic's asset, for short : ESP

33. "Surely I'm not the only one?!" : "IS IT ME?"

35. South Korea's first president : RHEE. Syngman Rhee (1875 – 1965) was President from 1948 to 1960.

37. Altar promise : "I DO"

39. MLB league : NATL.

40. Letter-shaped fastener : T-NUT. An image of one style of T-nut.

43. Flip back and forth, as an on-off switch : TOGGLE

44. Like some denim patches : IRON-ON. Hell, now days, they are ripped on purpose!

45. Letter-writing friend : PEN PAL

47. Circular gridiron gathering : HUDDLE

51. "West Side Story" heroine : MARIA

53. Music genre that experienced a '50s-'60s revival : FOLK

54. Sign of the future : OMEN

55. Sitarist Shankar : RAVI

56. That's partner : THIS. This and that.

57. Corned beef dish : HASH

61. Commercial prefix with -cro : VEL

62. Prior to : ERE. Ere there was Vel-Cro, there was Duct Tape.

Answer grid.

Argyle