Sunday October 24, 2010 John Lampkin

(Note: LA Times website does not support circled letters feature. Here is the pdf file of today's puzzle.)

Theme: Country Kitchen - a UN Day Tribute puzzle. Each familiar food phrase contains two 3-letter country codes used by the UN.

23A. Lunch box item : BOLOGNA SANDWICH. Bol: Bolivia. And: Andora.

41A. Sautéed fish entrée : PAN FRIED TROUT. Pan: Panama. Rou: Romania.

48A. Cup-shaped breakfast fare : BRAN MUFFIN. Bra: Brazil. Fin: Finland.

77A. Basil-based topper : PESTO SAUCE. Est: Estonia. Sau: Saudi Arabia.

85A. Honey-coated dish : GLAZED CHICKEN. Aze: Azerbaijan. Ken: Kenya.

103A. Tangy confection : PEPPERMINT CANDY. Per: Peru. Can: Canada.

16D. It's milder than yellowfin : ALBACORE TUNA. Alb: Albania. Tun: Tunisia.

58D. Some links : SWEET SAUSAGE. Swe: Sweden. USA, not AUSA, the first A is for the crossing Aze. John probably could not find a better phrase where all the embedded codes are isolated.

54D. Country __: used by the org. in 65-Across, there are 16 circled in this puzzle : CODES.

65A. Oct. 24, every year : UN DAY. Today.

Great central placements of the odd number lettered CODES & UN DAY.

Some of the codes are not familiar to me. Had to check Wikipedia NATO country code. So has trigram replaced digram or both are in use?

I can''t imagine the amount of research John did for this puzzle. We all can pick a few phrases which contains 2 different country codes. But to pick 8 with no repeat and to make the grid work is daunting.

As usual, no cheater square, only one letter Q away from a pangram. Lots of fun & witty clues, many clechos (highlighted in green) as well.

Across:

1. Breakfast-on-the-run choice : BAGEL

6. On the way : SENT. Mails.

10. Competed in a triathlon : SWAM

14. Moves with the music : SWAYS

19. Building on a 1936 centennial stamp : ALAMO. Was unaware of the trivia.

20. Speed : PACE

21. Plane starter? : AERO. As in aeroplane. And the real PILOT (22. Plane starter).

26. Ready to bloom : IN BUD

27. Shout : YELL

28. One-named Irish singer : ENYA. Bono too.

29. Its formula includes a plus or minus : ION. Because it can be both positive and negative?

30. Mattress giant : SERTA. Sealy is 5-letter as well.

32. Archimedes' shout : EUREKA

34. They may be behind pictures : SAFES. Wall safes are often hidden behind pictures.

36. People in trees, perhaps : NIECES. Family trees.

39. So-called autobiographer of "Before You Leap" : KERMIT. Here's the book cover. I thought the author is a real person

43. Dvorák contemporary : GRIEG (Edvard). Norwegian composer. Of "Peer Gynt Suite" fame.

44. Aegean region where an architectural order began : IONIA. Oh, no wonder the name.

46. False-sounding soap components : LYES

47. Tech sch. near Albany : RPI. Hey, Spitzboov!

50. Prying tool : LEVER

52. Glassmaker's oven : LEHR. Pronounced like "leer". New word to me.

53. Holes a gimme : TAPS IN. No yip.

54. Made 7 into 343, say : CUBED. "Made 1 into 1" could be tricky.

55. __-Rooter : ROTO

56. Rm. coolers : ACs

59. One of two in a Frost poem : ROAD. "The Road Not Taken".

60. Ping maker : SONAR. Dennis said "when a ship or submarine sends out a sonar signal, it's a PING. I was lost. Could only picture Ping golf clubs.

61. Bolt down : SECURE. Crossing EAT (62D. Bolt down). Great clechos.

63. Herder's equine : COWPONY. Another new word for me.

66. Waxy-flowered plant : BEGONIA

67. Louisiana language : CREOLE

68. Bygone news medium : CRIER

69. Lewd look : LEER

70. Do one's part : ACT

71. Take-out order? : DELE. Editing "take-out".

72. Crabber and cutter : BOATS. Dictionary says crabber is a boat used in catching crabs.

73. Court clown : JESTER. And 83. __ clown : CLASS.

75. Partner of starts : FITS. Fits and starts.

76. Heavy hammers : MAULS

81. Gp. from which Cuba was suspended from 1962 to 2009 : OAS. Ha ha. I knew this fact.

82. Phone call : RING

84. Cranial recess : SINUS

89. Streetcar name? : DESIRE. "A Streetcar Named Desire".

90. Rocketeer gear : G-SUITS

91. Netlike hair wear : SNOOD. Learned from doing Xword.

92. Tiny sandwich : SLIDER

94. Ill will : SPITE

96. Early riser? : SUN. Lovely clue.

97. Jubilance : GLEE

98. Hip : COOL. And 87. Hip location? : IN SPOT. Where the hip crowd are.

101. Jumped : LEAPT

107. Heavenly body? : ANGEL

108. One with many fans : IDOL

109. Say no to : DENY

110. '60s protest : LIE-IN. Like what John Lennon and Yoko Ono did.

111. Name on a mower : DEERE

112. Puppylike : CUTE. And 113. "Puppy Love" singer : ANKA (Paul).

114. List in the back : INDEX

Down:

1. Labor day output? : BABY. Great clue. Also 4D. Compensation for labor : EMOLUMENT. Another new word for me.

2. Soothing balm : ALOE

3. Shopping mecca : GALLERIA

5. Turtle's basking spot : LOG. Vivid image.

6. Punish, in a way : SPANK

7. Hardly a tough course : EASY A

8. Sweet Sixteen org. : NCAA

9. Pin in the back : TEN. Bowling pin.

10. Prune : SAW OFF

11. "Mad Men" creator Matthew : WEINER. No idea. Any "Mad Men" fans?

12. Episodic story line : ARC

13. Mineralogist with a scale : MOHS. Hardness scale. And 89D. You probably need a scale to tell if it's working : DIET.

14. Apparitions : SPIRITS

15. Concerto in Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" : WINTER. Needed crossing help.

17. Word said while pointing : YOU

18. Not irr. : STD (Standard)

24. First hair remover to be marketed in cream form : NEET. ENYA prevented me from penning in NAIR.

25. Roman goddess of the hunt : DIANA. Artemis in Greek.

31. Rear-__ : ENDER

33. Tediously detailed process : RIGMAROLE. Mainic likes to use this word.

34. Three-time All-Star pitcher Johnny who threw the first major league pitch to Jackie Robinson : SAIN. Interesting trivia. I knew his name only from the poem "First we'll use Spahn/then we'll use Sain/Then an off day/followed by rain...".

35. Dinnerware : SILVER

37. Deliriously happy : EUPHORIC

38. Recipe instruction : STIR

39. CIA rival, once : KGB. Putin was a KGB.

40. Lose money on "Jeopardy!" : ERR

41. Nabokov novel : PNIN. Also learned from doing Xword.

42. Looked at : EYED

44. "Suppose ..." : IF SAY

45. "The Wizard __" : OF ID. Comic strip "The Wizard of ID". I've learned not to recklessly put in OF OZ.

49. Barely winning : UP ONE.

50. Like some eclipses : LUNAR

51. 24/7 auction site : EBAY

52. Crackers : LOCO. Another great clue.

55. Backslid : REGRESSED

56. Blue Devils' gp. : ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference). Blue Devils is Duke's sports team.

57. Liqueurs : CORDIALS. Oh, new meaning of cordial to me.

60. Piques : SNITS

61. Take care of : SEE TO

64. D.C. insiders : POLS

65. River to the Caspian : URAL

66. Defeats : BESTS

68. Hacks : COUGHS. Hack has so many meanings.

69. On sale, say : LESS

72. Judicial seat : BANC. Literally "bench" in French.

73. Author Auel : JEAN

74. Run riot : RAISE CAIN. Not many multi-word today.

75. Verne's traveler : FOGG. Phileas Fogg. "Around the World in Eighty Days". I can never remember his name.

76. Heart : MIDST

77. Appealed : PLED

78. Having a pressing need? : UNIRONED. Nice clue.

79. Contemptible one : CUR

80. Peking add-on : ESE. Pekingese.

82. Do an editor's task, perhaps : RE-TITLE. Rich does re-title some of the Sunday puzzles.

83. Unisex designer cologne : CK ONE. Sparkling fill.

86. It may be under a fly : ZIPPER

88. Link : COUPLE. Both verbs.

92. Move furtively : SLINK

93. Singer of many Weill songs : LENYA

95. "Paradise Lost," e.g. : EPIC. Did you want POEM?

97. Racketeer busters : G-MEN

99. Slobbering comics dog : ODIE

100. Forest cat : LYNX. Hey, dog and cat, consecutively.

101. Little shaver : LAD

102. 67.5 deg. : ENE. This kind of clue often confuses me.

104. Campus URL ending : EDU

105. Old vitamin bottle abbr. : RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowances). Now it's RDI (Recommended Daily Intake).

106. Caesar's 151 : CLI

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday October 23, 2010 R. M. (Bob) Peoples

(Note: Tomorrow's puzzle involves circles, which are unsupported by LA Times website. I'll release the pdf & puz files on the blog around 9:00pm tonight.

(Updated @9:05pm. Here is the pdf version of tomorrow's puzzle.)

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 29

This puzzle has two grid-spanning marquee answers, all lively colloquial phrases:

17A. "You've made your point!" : OK, I GET IT ALREADY

60A. Reference to a long-forgotten acquaintance : OLD WHAT'S HIS NAME?

They are intersected by a couple of 9s and 11s:

3D. Swing both ways : SWITCH HIT. Did you think of baseball immediately?

11D. Hardly a Michelin three-star eatery : GREASY SPOON. Guess which city has the most Michelin starred restaurants?

23D. Catnap : CATCH A FEW Z's

35D. Decide to defend someone, say : TAKE A CASE. Didn't come to me easily.

The ladder structure in the middle of the grid gives the puzzle an amazing interconnectedness. Quite challenging to put together, as one bad answer could cause a collapse of the whole puzzle.

Across:

1. Sources of inside info? : CT SCANS. "Info" hints an abbreviated answer.

8. Small hounds : BEAGLES

15. Question at a wine tasting : HOW IS IT? Also 36D. Wine selection concern : AGE & 37D. Wine selection : RED. "Wine" clechos (clue echos).

16. Like some glass display cases : REAR LIT

19. Stroke : PET. Both noun/verb work.

20. Atomic number of nitrogen : SEVEN. I forgot all I learned in the chemistry class.

21. Place for controls : PANEL. Oh, control panel.

22. Starfleet registry prefix : NCC. Drew a blank. From "Star Trek".

24. E-mails : SENDS

26. Hurting : SORE

27. Turn left : HAW. GEE is "Turn right".

29. In a level-headed way : SANELY

31. 1987 Beatty bomb : ISHTAR. The name escaped me again. We had this clue before. JD mentioned the Babylonian Ishtar before. Goddess of love/war/fertility.

34. One who draws exceptionally well? : MEGASTAR. Because megastars have drawing power?

38. Insert casually : STICK IN

40. Surfer's destination : WEB PAGE. Internet surfer.

41. Precisely : ON THE DOT. Wanted ON TARGET.

43. Short-changed : ROOKED

44. Energy problem : ANEMIA. Lack of iron.

46. Preschool group? : ROE. It has not become fish, which travel in school.

47. Beehive, say : COIF

50. Health, in Le Havre : SANTE. ''A votre santé!''

52. "Coming Home" subject : NAM. Have never heard of the movie. Starring Jane Fonda. How ironic! I bet Dennis boycotted it.

54. Wrinkles : LINES

56. Tank swimmer : TETRA

58. One sold at Sotheby's in 1989 for more than $50,000 : CEL. Not surprised. Saw some expensive ones in "Antique Roadshow".

63. Taking by force : SEIZURE

64. Truman secretary of state : ACHESON (Dean). Nope. Complete stranger.

65. He played Captain Davies on "Roots" : ED ASNER. His name consists of all common letters, hence the frequent appearances in Xword.

66. Number one : THE BEST. I like how it ends the grid.

Down:

1. Do some food prep : CHOP

2. Keepsake : TOKEN

4. Smoke, briefly : CIG

5. Grieg's "__ Death" : ASE'S. No idea. Here is a clip. Edvard Grieg. ASE is sometimes clued as "Peer Gynt's mother". Ibsen play.

6. Evenings in the classifieds : NITES

7. Destination in a poetic riddle : ST. IVES. Riddle: "As I was going to St. Ives. / I met a man with seven wives...". Got me.

8. Cherry, so to speak : BRAND NEW. New meaning of "cherry" to me.

9. Fish often smoked : EEL. Not to my taste. I liked pickled fish.

10. Seniors' PAC : AARP

12. Plain in the Southwest : LLANO

13. It might get you down : EIDER. Awesome clue.

14. Pizazz : STYLE

18. When Sunday NFL action starts on the West Coast : TEN AM. Big game this weekend for the Vikings. Against Al's Packers.

25. "Against the Wind" singer : SEGER (Bob). See this clip.

28. Rise, and maybe shine : WAKEN. What exactly does "shine" refer to?

30. Cabinet department since 1913 : LABOR. Nice to know.

31. Equal opening : ISO. As in isobar.

32. Place to buy tkts. : STN

33. Teases : RIDES

39. Irrespective of : NO MATTER. WHATEVER has 8 letters too.

42. Some silverware parts : TINES

45. In addition : AT THAT

47. Nip and tuck : CLOSE

48. Smashed : OILED. Yet another slang for "drunk".

49. Birthplace of Merle Oberon : INDIA. I don't even know who Merle Oberon was. British actress.

51. __ Maria Remarque, author of "All Quiet on the Western Front" : ERICH. Nope. This author is not in my memory shelf either.

53. Notes : MEMOS

55. Steer clear of : SHUN

57. "Off the Court" autobiographer : ASHE (Arthur)

59. Fast time : LENT. I've never fasted. Don't have the will.

61. Art today? : ARE. "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?". Great clue.

62. Lincoln's st. : NEB

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday October 22, 2010 Clive Probert

Theme: The Art of the Pun - The first word/part of each familiar phrase/word is punnily replaced by a sound-like name of an artist, whose school of art is indicated in the clue with a question mark to let the solver know a play on words is coming.

20A. Baroque painter's study of a snack?: RUBENS SANDWICH. Pieter Pawl Rubens was a Flemish painter who perhaps is best remembered for his portraits of FULL FIGURED women, so much that the term Rubenesque is used to compliment an attractive but not petite woman. I am not sure it is a snack, but who (other than you Veeeegans) does not love a good REUBEN SANDWICH .

36A. Surrealist's portrait of a president?: DALI MADISON. The wife of James Madison our fourth, and shortest president, was DOLLEY MADISON who was the first president’s wife to get much notice. She might have been a good subject for Rubens, but not for our bizarre friend SALVADOR .

42A. Synthetist's picture of a French author?: GAUGUIN ZOLA. My favorite as this synthesizes into one word, GORGONZOLA, the cheese, which has little to do with the colorful paintings of the Van Gogh contemporary PAUL GAUGUIN who was around the night Van Gogh cut his ear off, and showed the world the beauty of Polynesia.

57A. Impressionist's study of a washerwoman?: MONET LAUNDERER. In my youth, as a criminal defense lawyer, I learned about the strange art of the MONEY LAUNDERER, who could make black money green. MONET not to be confused with his fellow impressionist MANET, was credited as the founder of impressionism. I personally enjoy all four of these artists work; as my father taught me, I may not know art, but I know what I like. My youngest is a big DALI fan.

Plus, 45D. Representing in drawing: LIMNING. I guess this DEFINITION supplements our artistic theme.

Good day to C.C. and all of you anxiously awaiting the week end, and Halloween next week end. Lemonade here, with a fun puzzle from Clive Probert, who this summer did a NYT puzzle with 48 “B”s, with at least one in each answer. This theme was much simpler.

On to the rest, with clechos, lots and lots of music, and more.

Across:

1. Bulletin board material: CORK. A little teeny deception if you were trying to think what was being posted.

5. __ ed: PHYS. Shouldn’t there be a period after ed. To show it is an abbreviation?

9. Human-powered Eastern cab: CYCLO. I was not familiar with this term for the BICYCLE TAXI which was my learning experience of the day.

14. Hyalite, e.g.: OPAL. INTERESTING .

15. Realize: REAP. Reap what you sow big boy.

16. Arcadian: RURAL. This ancient Greek concept of pastoral bliss could have fit in out UTOPIA puzzle.

17. Actress Andersson : BIBI. One of Ingmar Bergman’s regular ACTRESSES starring some wonderful movies, like Seventh Seal .

18. Karachi language: URDU. In our current world, we should all know KARACHI is the largest city in Pakistan, and URDU is one of the two official languages of Pakistan. What do you think the other is? We also have 25. Muscat money: RIAL with MUSCAT the largest city in OMAN.

19. Popped up: AROSE. Calm down Lois.

23. 1986 movie title trio: AMIGOS. How bad could a MOVIE starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase be? Watch and see. Funny, every puzzle I blog reminds me of a story from my life. I am sure most of you have seen the new commercial where the couple bumps into Chevy Chase on the plane, they buddy up on vacation. Well, when I was doing my traveling to LA to talk to record companies, I literally bumped into him (he is one tall guy, btw) outside a Mexican restaurant. It just so happens my brother had published a book on Karate for teenagers (Defend Yourself, New American Library, long out print, but sometimes seen on ebay) and the editor was Ned Chase, Chevy’s father, which I thought made for an interesting coincidence. He did not, and was rude.

24. Rib: KID.

28. Employees with a lot of keys: VALETS. Really, is this supposed to be literal?

33. Go back: EBB. A new, simple way to clue a puzzle favorite.

38. Spanish pronoun: ELLA. Our first language lesson of the day.

40. Suffix with polymer: ASE. Way beyond my knowledge of SCIENCE .

41. Org. co-founded by Babe Zaharias: LPGA. Ladies Professional Gold Association, now at home in Florida. She was an amazing athlete, who is worth reading about. LINK .

47. Afternoon break: NAP. I know, I am going so slowly, you all need one.

48. Radiances: SHEENS. Like these TWO .

49. Mars candy bar: TWIX. Their version of the KIT-KAT, which has been around in England for decades.

50. Pol. platform-promoting org.: DNC. Democratic National Committee.

52. Après-dinner confection: MENTHE. Now our French lesson, I am sure you all deduced it just means mint.

62. Intense excitement: FEVER. Do you like A or B ? Also, 63. Sheryl Crow's "__ Wanna Do": ALL I. A very nice SONG filmed in part outside the ROXY in Hollywood, where I had some wild nights with Dick Whitehouse from Curb records. This is balanced by 44D. Stevie Wonder's "__ She Lovely": ISNT. LISTEN .

64. When repeated, "I agree": HEAR. And, then 7D. When repeated twice, "and so on": YADA. (Clecho) For good measure we also have the semi-synonym, 34D. Yawn-inducing: BLAH.

65. Newmark with an online list: CRAIG. Never knew this GUY .

66. Land of 10,000 Lakes: Abbr.: MINN. Is there ever been a bigger gimme for C.C. Jeannie and you other northern lights?

67. Delinquent's fear: REPO. I was thinking more about my father’s belt, but…

68. Ma's forte: CELLO. More music from the fabulous YO-YO .

69. Pre-wedding party: STAG. Not any more, very un-PC.

70. Pres. Reagan's "evil empire": USSR. We all know better, don’t we TB DAMN YANKEES .

Down:

1. G.I. Joe foe: COBRA. Never got into that world with my boys, more Transformers and Power Rangers.

2. Subject of Great Britain/China wars: OPIUM.

3. Religious teacher: RABBI. Literally.

4. Filmmaker's __ light: KLIEG. Our WORD OF THE DAY

5. Berlin was its last capital: PRUSSIA. More to LEARN .

6. Bathrobe word: HERS. I think more of towels.

8. Mettle: SPUNK.

9. Freshwater crustacean: CRAWDAD. You catch ‘em you eat THEM . And, 51D. Quahogs: CLAMS. LINK .

10. First first name in space: YURI. Then, 59D. First first name on the moon: NEIL. (Clecho) followed by, 60D. Landed: ALIT.

11. Popular foam shoe: CROC. I wonder if Clive received some shoes for planting AN AD.

12. Mascara target: LASH. Better than La Rue?

13. Shout of support: OLE. Not for the Bull.

21. Gare du __: Paris railway station: NORD. This is where we got our word NORTH.

22. Aria singer, often: DIVA. More music, three in a row.

26. Country singer Jackson: ALAN. Wrote a powerful song after 9/11 .

27. Symphonic poem pioneer: LISZT. Listen and see if you can recognize where you know this TUNE is from.

29. Word in many a rap name: LIL. Eva, Wayne, etc.

30. "NBA on __": ESPN. I wonder why they started in Bristol Connecticut of all places.

31. Frat party wear: TOGA.More than just fraternities.

32. __ pea: SNAP. I had them for dinner last evening; wow Clive and I are in tune.

33. Noodle tests?: EEGS. Cute, noodle equals brain, use it wisely.

35. Sad: BLUE. LISTEN .

37. "Please open a can for me"?: MEOW. Poor Morris.

39. Improve, perhaps: AGE. Fine wine, steak and….

43. Have, as an operation: UNDERGO.

46. Let go: AXED. Never liked this phrase.

53. Type of jacket the Beatles helped make fashionable: NEHRU. Perfect costume for HALLOWEEN .

54. Windbreak, often: TREES.

55. Lots: HEAPS.

56. Oversight: ERROR.

57. Like mortals?: MERE. Mere mortals. Love the alliteration.

58. Track: OVAL. Like INDY .

61. Humerus neighbor: ULNA.

62. Govt. broadband regulator: FCC.

Answer grid.

Here is an awesome photo of our witty Santa Baby Argyle. Here is a closer look. So sweet.

Oh well, I went over board again, and you all will need to take the day off to finish, but it was fun. Meanwhile, I am serious about a Corner thanksgiving day where we try to get EVERYONE to say hello; it is so nice to hear from Dr.Dad, g8trmom, Robin and the others, but if you still talk to our MIAs, let’s aim for the day before Thanksgiving. Good night Mrs. Calabash.

Lemonade

Thursday October 21, 2010 Ed Sessa

Theme: You've Been Pied - Several 2-word common phrases & one compound word, unrelated to food, with first part being a type of pie, are humorously interpreted and ? clued with "Pie" and an associated description for the remainder.

18A. Pie flop?: CHERRY BOMB. Illegal fireworks, a type of "salute", which is a pyrotechnic device designed to make a loud report. A show that bombs is a flop. Cherry pie.

23A. Pie taste-test site?: CHOCOLATE LAB. A dark Labrador Retriever. Tests are performed in a laboratory. Chocolate pie.

39A. Pie to-do?: MUDFLAP. A splash guard for vehicles. A flap was originally Brit slang for a noisy tumult or to-do. Mud pie.

50A. Pie charts?: APPLE RECORDS. Music recording label founded by the Beatles. Charts and records as in a doctor's office. Apple pie.

60A. Pie patter?: MINCE WORDS. To try to politely tell someone something unpleasant in a manner such as to not hurt their feelings. Patter orig. from Latin "pater" to mumble prayers rapidly (pater from Paternoster, the Lord's Prayer). Mince pie.

Al here.

An OK puzzle today, sped through fairly quickly except the SW gave me some trouble getting a start, but I got it all without assistance, the perps filling in enough of the names and abbrevs for guessing, which is how it should be. I never saw a few of the clues, so this was more like a Wednesday level puzzle to me.

ACROSS:

1. A party to: IN ON.

5. Quite the fashion plate: CHIC. I find it interesting that it might come from two different sources: old German words for neat/orderly shikken/schicken, or from a French word for trickery (chicanery). Make your own fashion conclusions...

9. Spring bloomer: LILAC.

14. His epitaph reads "And the beat goes on": BONO. Sonny Bono (Sonny & Cher) was the only member of congress to have a #1 single on the Billboard top 100 chart.

15. Faulkner femme fatale Varner: EULA. A William Faulkner story, The Hamlet, was made into The Long Hot Summer in 1958, with Lee Remick as Eula. Also made into a 26 part TV series in 1965. Never heard of any of it before today...

16. BP merger partner: AMOCO. American Oil Co., British Petroleum.

17. TV role for Bamboo Harvester: MR. ED. The "real" name of the palomino horse in the TV show of the same name.

20. Italian deli sandwich: PANINI. Similar to a small Italian sub.

22. Travelers' burdens: VALISES. Suitcase, soldiers kit bag.

26. X, at times: TEN. Roman numeral. Also times at times. Cute.

27. www bookmark: URL. Uniform Resource Locator.

28. Film director's headaches: EGOS.

32. Luther's lang.: GER. Martin Luther, medieval priest. Basically stated that you can't buy your way into heaven, which got him in all sorts of trouble with the church.

34. First Amendment lobbying gp.: ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union.

36. Numbers game: SUDOKU.

38. Buckeyes' home: Abbr.: OSU. Ohio State Univ.

41. Post- opposite: PRE.

42. One in distress?: DAMSEL. Melodrama.

44. Slug or song ending: FEST. Shortening of festival.

45. Loft material: HAY.

46. Apartment manager, familiarly: SUPE.

47. Quaff for Andy Capp: ALE. British syndicated comic strip.

48. Curling setting: ICE. Probably the only Olympic sport you can participate in while preggers.

56. Like the auditory and optic nerves, e.g.: CRANIAL. They're all in your head.

59. Aspen topper: SKI HAT.

63. Prohibited thing: NO-NO.

64. Days of Hanukkah, e.g.: OCTET.

65. Flag: TIRE. To go limp or droop, as with a flag with no wind.

66. First name in Olympics gymnastics: OLGA. Korbut. The media whirl which surrounded her 1972 Olympic debut caused a surge of young girls to join their local gymnastic clubs, and a sport which had seldom been noticed previously made headlines.

67. Like beer halls, usually: NOISY.

68. Eyewear, in ads: SPEX. X-ray ones, no doubt.

69. Raid target: PEST. Not just for bugs.

DOWN:

1. High-tech debut of 1981: IBM PC.

2. Grammy winner Jones: NORAH. Best Album. Don't know why.

3. Bridge opening: ONE NO TRUMP.

4. "Fuggedaboutit!": NO DICE. Nothin' doin'. Gambling with dice was illegal in many states and so gamblers went to some pains to hide the dice when challenged by the police. Courts would sometimes throw out cases if the dice weren't offered in evidence. There are several court records where gamblers were alleged to have swallowed dice to avoid arrest. No dice, no conviction.

5. 1980s-'90s slugger Fielder: CECIL

6. "Whazzat?": HUH.

7. Seine sight: ILE. French river, island.

8. Longtime ice cream cake brand: CARVEL. Another unknown to me. Connecticut based.

9. Clapton title woman: LAYLA. Unplugged.

10. Wet one's whistle: IMBIBED. From Latin imbibere "absorb, drink in, inhale.

11. Johns, to Elton: LOOS. Probably from Fr. lieux d'aisances, "lavatory," lit. "place of ease," picked up by British servicemen in France during World War I. Or possibly a pun on Waterloo, based on water closet.

12. Top: ACME. Or apex. Need at least one other perp letter besides the A.

13. Male swans: COBS. Females are called PENS.

19. "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-__": Irish lullaby: RAL.

21. Hardly distinguished: NO NAME.

24. Nostalgic song title word: AULD. LANG SYNE

25. Godiva product: TRUFFLE.

29. Tunnel entrance of sorts: GOPHER HOLE.

30. Gumbo ingredient: OKRA.

31. Chop __: SUEY. From Chinese (Cantonese dialect) tsap sui "odds and ends."

32. Mars and Venus: GODS.

33. Name meaning "hairy" in Hebrew: ESAU. Perhaps a tad obscure...

35. __-de-sac: CUL.

36. Airline to Oslo: SAS. Scandinavian Airlines.

37. Slight market improvement: UPTICK. Stock market trend change.

40. Disconcerting glance: LEER. Or OGLE.

43. Hand-holding events: SEANCES. From French séance "a sitting,"

47. Parcels out: ALLOTS. To divide into lots. Related to the sense of "drawing lots" where in new settlements, sometimes the best properties were determined by lot. Also related, lottery.

49. Requiring change, briefly: COIN-OP. Like the government in both senses, needing to change, and being run by money...

51. Reverence: PIETY.

52. A pad helps protect it: PAW.

53. Elizabeth I's beloved: ESSEX. Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex. Eventually executed for treason after falling out of favor and trying to mount a coup.

54. Mild expletives: DANGS.

55. Brown ermine: STOAT.

56. "Get real!": C'MON.

57. Guy who "wore a diamond," in the song "Copacabana": RICO.

58. ABM component?: ANTI. Ballistic Missile.

61. Scary current: RIP.

62. Grammy-winning Dr.: DRE.

Answer Grid.

Bon voyage, Clear Ayes! You'll be missed.

Al

Wednesday October 20, 2010 Elizabeth A. Long

Theme: Letters Stepping Down - Fifteen Es, Fs & Gs are placed in three grid-spanning columns to portray the visual meaning of each theme entry. E, F & G are in alphabetical order. Answers are placed in Down rather than Across for better visual effect.

4D. Online IRS document submission system, literally? : EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. E-filing. E filing down the grid. January 15 - April 15 is the window to file tax returns.

7D. '60s sitcom set at Fort Courage, literally? : FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF. F-Troop. F trooping down also. ABC sitcom 1965 - 1967. I've never seen it.

8D. Skimpy bikini part, literally? : GGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. G-String. A string of Gs. That, i've seen.

Interesting looking grid pattern, with eight cheater squares. Not an easy puzzle. I don't remember seeing this kind of theme before, with 3 grid-spanning (down) theme answers that repeat one letter. And a total of 33 E's, wow. The last Elizabeth Long puzzle to appear in the LA Times was over a year ago. Speaking as the only female guest-blogger, it's nice to see the work of female constructors.

Melissa here.

Reminds me a little of Mangesh's recent puzzle, that coincidentally, I also blogged, and included theme answers E-Trading, F-Number, and G-String once again, for posterity.

Across:

1. Use chicanery on : DUPE. Chicanery - the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose. And 48. Achieves via trickery : FINAGLES. Obtains something by devious or dishonest means.

5. Pole worker? : ELF. You were expecting something else?

8. Lots : GOBS

12. Author __ Stanley Gardner : ERLE. Crossword staple - wrote detective stories.

13. Islamic mystic : SUFI

15. Work on, as a bone : GNAW. Great word.

16. Fit of fever : AGUE

17. Roosevelts' successors as first family : TAFTS

19. Festive event : GALA

20. Desert with a view of Beersheba : NEGEV. In Israel. From the Hebrew root denoting "dry".

22. One studying saucers : UFOLOGIST. Actual word. Who wants to be a pole-ologist?

24. Awfully long time : EON

26. Popular pâté : FOIE GRAS. The fattened liver of a duck or goose. I've never had it.

27. He's not always a beast : WEREWOLF. Clever clue. Werewolves change from human to beast, usually at the full moon.

31. Cat chaser : DOG

32. Take the stand again : RETESTIFY

34. Mass unit : GRAM. Base unit of mass in the original French metric system; one-thousandth of a kilogram. And 53. Metric energy unit : ERG. Clecho.

38. Gen. Robt. __ : E. LEE

39. Gather : INFER. Tricky.

41. Arizona river : GILA. A tributary of the Colorado River, in New Mexico and Arizona. 650 miles long.

42. It has a floor on Wall St. : NYSE. New York Stock Exchange.

43. Good feeling that lingers : AFTERGLOW. Ahh.

45. Common Mkt. : EEC. European Economic Community. And 23D. War on Poverty org. : OEO. Office of Economic Opportunity.

49. Lets up : EASES OFF

54. Working hours for night owls : LATE SHIFT.

56. Libya neighbor : EGYPT

60. Creamy cheese : BRIE. Grilled brie and bacon sammy.

61. Volunteer : OFFER

63. "La maja desnuda" painter : GOYA. This should be a gimme by now.

64. Stare at impolitely : OGLE

65. Words before then : IF SO

66. Pita sandwich : GYRO. Anyone else hungry?

67. Playground shout : WHEE

68. Co. whose logo features Mercury carrying a bouquet : FTD. Florists' Transworld Delivery.

69. "What __ around ..." : GOES. "What goes around, comes around."

Down:

1. Official with a list : DEAN. A Dean is the head of the faculty, and the Dean's list is a category of students who achieve high grades.

2. Attempt to persuade : URGE

3. Outlet connection : PLUG. Anyone still looking for ideas for halloween?

5. Educ. guess : EST. Estimate.

6. Island cookout : LUAU

9. Studio warning light : ON AIR

10. Wood for model fliers : BALSA. Hi Dennis.

11. Deals with, as a fly : SWATS

14. "__, Sing America" (Langston Hughes poem) : I TOO. There's your cue, Clear Ayes.

18. Arrived at a base, in a way : SLID. Ball. I meant baseball.

21. Promises : VOWS

25. "It must have been someone else" : NOT I

27. St. Paul's architect : WREN. St. Paul's Cathedral (in London), designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Prince Charles and Lady Di were married there.

28. Hard to hold : EELY. Okay.

29. AAA suggestions : RTES. Routes.

30. Filmmaker Wertmüller : LINA. No idea. Italian filmmaker and director. First woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for directing. She looks like a character. Wiki says she was expelled from more than a dozen Catholic schools in her youth.

33. Mythical Himalayan : YETI

35. Brooklet : RILL

36. Ointment ingredient : ALOE

37. Animal mouths : MAWS. I forgot.

40. Actor Auberjonois : RENE. Played Father Mulcahy in the movie version of M*A*S*H, among other roles.

44. Like a once-in-a-blue-moon event : RARE. Love me some Van.

46. Hook shape : ESS

47. Small to mid-size salmon : COHO

49. Macaroni shape : ELBOW

50. Plaint from a pirate : AARGH

51. It turns a lot in rush hour : STILE. Nailed it.

52. Stereotypical poodle name : FIFI

55. __-drive : TEST

57. Fluctuate wildly : YOYO

58. Combustible pile : PYRE

59. New Mexico resort : TAOS. Pretty. Who's been?

62. Gun, in slang : ROD

Answer grid.

Here is a nice photo of Chickie (most left, green shirt), JD & WM taken yesterday at an art gallery in San Jose.

Melissa

Tuesday, October 19, 2010 Anna Gundlach

Theme: It's Your Move - Four twelve-letter entries that start with synonyms for your avatar on BOARD GAMES.

1A. With 73-Across, where you might find the starts of 20-, 33-, 43- and 59-Across: BOARD and 73A. See 1-Across: GAMES. Symmetrically placed pair.

20A. Guy in a spotlight: MAN OF THE HOUR

33A. Feature of much of Bach's music: COUNTERPOINT

43A. Coin for Long John Silver: PIECE OF EIGHT

59A. Symbolic but inconsequential act: TOKEN GESTURE

Argyle here.

I don't know about you but it gave me a start to see a unifier as the first entry. Then to find the last Across entry was also a unifier and together, they gave me no clue...well, I wasn't a happy camper. But the perps came through and the unifiers weren't really needed to solve the the themed entries. They did clarify the theme, so all is right in my Tuesday world.

This might be a debut puzzle. I would like to see more from this constructor.

Across:

6. Skips, as stones : DAPS. Did you remember?

10. "This doesn't look good" : "UH, OH!"

14. Sleep problem : APNEA. The temporary suspension of breathing, occurring in some newborns (infant apnea) and in some adults during sleep (sleep apnea).

15. Scat queen : ELLA. Ella Fitzgerald, also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella".

16. Best Musical award, say : TONY. For excellence on Broadway. Obie is for off-Broadway.

17. Almost fail : GET A 'D'. Tricky to parse.

18. "Parlez-__ français?" : VOUS. "Do you speak French?"

19. Slightly : A TAD

23. Country in which Tetris was created : RUSSIA. The puzzle video game was originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov.

26. Work hard : TOIL

27. Simpson judge : ITO. Lance Ito, the Los Angeles County Superior Court judge who presided during the O. J. Simpson murder case.

28. Droid download, say : APP. Application.

29. Portfolio asset: Abbr. : STK. Stock.

31. Antacid named for its elements : MAALOX. Just google it if you need to know what they are.

37. Prefix with plasm : ENDO. Inner prefix.

38. Scepter's partner : ORB. Symbols of power. Image.

39. Inning sextet : OUTS. Three per side.

48. Spelunking spot : CAVERN. Spelunking = Cave Exploring.

51. Notable period : ERA

52. Meadow : LEA

53. Bird: Prefix : AVI

54. Senate helper : AIDE

57. Activating, as a fuse : ARMING

62. Numbskull : TWIT

63. Euterpe, to musicians : MUSE. Euterpe is the Muse of music.

64. Often unattainable perfection : IDEAL

68. Pre-Easter period : LENT

69. Blackjack needs : ACES. That and a face card or ten gives you 21 and that is good.

70. Nabisco's __ Wafers : NILLA

71. Beat by a whisker : EDGE

72. E-mail outbox folder : SENT

Down:

1D. Help a market cashier : BAG

2D. Unlock, poetically : OPE

3D. Hill crawler : ANT

4D. Chews (out) : REAMS

5D. Marcel Duchamp, e.g. : DADAIST. This is art? "Objet d'art".

6D. Punk/New Wave band since the '70s : DEVO. This is music? short clip.

7D. Like dirigibles : ALOFT. They are ALOFT when they're flying.

8D. Demoted planet : PLUTO

9D. Japanese fish dish : SASHIMI. Raw fish. Sashi = Pierced. Mi = Meat. Needs wasabi of course.

10D. The Beehive State : UTAH

11D. Hushpuppies are often fried in it : HOT OIL

12D. Running by itself : ON AUTO

13D. Original Oreo competitor : HYDROX

21D. __ Dogg, Snoop's cousin : NATE. Both are "musicians".

22D. Vivacity : ELAN

23D. 10K, for one : RACE

24D. Second word of many fairy tales : UPON. Once upon a time...

25D. Tater : SPUD

30D. McDonald's founder Ray : KROC

32D. Yours, in Reims : A TOI. Reims, a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lying 129 km east-northeast of Paris.

34D. "Don't think so" : "NOPE!"

35D. Start to conceive? : PRE

36D. Clarinet cousin : OBOE

40D. Fruit that isn't pretti? : UGLI. Cutesi to end them in "i".

41D. After that : THEN

42D. Male deer : STAG

44D. Turkey neighbor : IRAN

45D. Conundrums : ENIGMAS

46D. Weimar wife : FRAU. So we get a tad of German to go with our French today.

47D. Hoop or stud : EARRING

48D. Drive drove : CATTLE. Drove means herd.

49D. Swore : AVOWED

50D. Minnesota footballer : VIKING. Favre finally got Moss to play with him.

55D. Common wild card : DEUCE

56D. German industrial city : ESSEN

58D. Oil, watercolor, etc. : MEDIA

60D. Suffix with major : ETTE

61D. Part of SAT : TEST

65D. Horror film street : ELM

66D. Top-fermented brew : ALE

67D. __ Cruces : LAS. New Mexico.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, October 18, 2010 Don Gagliardo

Theme: Pat, I would like to buy an 'E' - Now here is a theme that is not very evident until you get the unifier and a unifier that doesn't help much in getting the answers. All the theme answers have at least 4 Es and only an 'E' for a vowel.

20A. Was disappointed, as with a performance: EXPECTED BETTER. Five Es.

25A. Out-of-the-ordinary brews: EXTREME BEERS. Five Es.

37A. Attorney general under Ronald Reagan: ED MEESE. Four Es.

44A. Calm by nature: EVEN TEMPERED. 5 Es.

52A. She replaced Paula Abdul as an "American Idol" judge: ELLEN DEGENERES. 6 Es.

56D. "Buy It Now" online site (and where vowels were bought for 20-, 25-, 37-, 44-and 52-Across?): EBAY

And an extra EEE (29. Third shoe width beyond D), connecting 2 theme answers.

Argyle (18A) here after a long night. Cruciverb was down again. No new puzzle until earlier this morning.

A rather difficult construct for a Monday puzzle (only 74 words). See the constructor's note at the end.

Solving was a notch or two harder for a Monday but probably no problem for this group. There are 25 'E's in the theme, 42 'E's all together. Record is 78 (NY Times).

Across:

1. White whale chaser : AHAB. "Moby Dick".

5. Cannes clergymen : ABBÉs. On the French Riviera.

10. Foam ball maker : NERF

14. Island nation near Tonga : FIJI. They are all island nations in the South Seas. Map.

15. Wild animal : BEAST

16. Leaf-to-branch angle : AXIL. Like this.

17. Difficult youngster : BRAT

18. Jolly holiday visitor : SANTA. Jolly all the time, right, elves?

19. Underground missile launch site : SILO

23. Shrinking Asian sea : ARAL

24. GPA booster : EASY 'A'. Grade Point Average (GPA)

31. Lewd material : SMUT

32. Compassion from the judge : LENIENCY

36. DDE opponent : AES. Dwight D. Eisenhower vs. Adlai E. Stevenson II.

40. Big Band __ : ERA

41. Smudges in a psychological test : INK BLOTS. Whoopsie, I put down Ink Spots.

43. Lascivious look : LEER

48. __ Arabia : SAUDI

51. Not worth debating : MOOT

58. 1999 Ron Howard film : "EDtv". A strange movie.

59. __ Mountains: south-central U.S. range : OZARK

60. Term referring to a prev. citation : IBID. Latin, short for ibidem, meaning the same place.

62. Actress Hatcher : TERI. Image. (43A)

63. Mournful music : DIRGE

64. Stun : DAZE

65. Spoken : ORAL

66. Seven Dwarfs' only beardless member : DOPEY

67. Spud's buds : EYES. Cute rhyme.

Down:

1. Ohio's Wright-Patterson, e.g.: Abbr. : AFB. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB). Southwestern Ohio. Location of the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

2. Give the job to : HIRE

3. Sink-cleaning brand : AJAX

4. Very small role : BIT PART

5. 1970s-'80s FBI bribery sting : ABSCAM. The operation initially targeted trafficking in stolen property but was converted to a public corruption investigation. The investigation ultimately led to the conviction of a United States Senator, five members of the House of Representatives, one member of the New Jersey State Senate, members of the Philadelphia City Council, and an inspector for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

6. Fab Four member : BEATLE

7. Ruination : BANE

8. Cornerstone abbr. : ESTD.

9. Attack, á la Brutus : STAB

10. '70s tennis star Ilie : NASTASE

11. They're marked with lit signs : EXITS

12. Lead the life of __ : RILEY. Who Riley (or Reilly, or Reiley) was isn't clear. If he had been a known individual then it surely would have been recorded. The lack of any such records points to the name being chosen as that of a generic Irishman, much as Paddy is used now. More here. Also, it was an early TV comedy. 2 minute clip.

13. Plant life : FLORA

21. Bard's "before" : ERE

22. Spooky : EERIE

25. Actor Morales : ESAI

26. Mutant superheroes co-created by Stan Le : X-MEN

27. Mammoth feature : TUSK

28. Hallowed : BLEST

30. Naval Acad. grad : ENS.

33. __-do-well : NE'ER

34. Canadian tribe : CREE

35. Lawn party site : YARD

37. NBA Hall of Famer Hayes : ELVIN. Elvin Ernest Hayes (The Big E). Position: Forward-Center Height: 6'-9".

38. John or Jane : DOE

39. Map feature with an elev. : MTN.

42. Torment diabolically : BEDEVIL

43. Left on the table, as a bet : LET RIDE

45. Come out : EMERGE

46. Organ grinder's pet : MONKEY

47. "Annabel Lee" poet : POE. Edgar Allan Poe.

48. Tend : SEE TO

49. Birch family tree : ALDER

50. Prefix with violet : ULTRA

53. Connecticut senator Chris : DODD. This man.

54. Basso Pinza : EZIO. He made it on to the cover of Life magazine.

55. "The World According to __" : GARP. A Robin Williams movie.

57. Magnitude : SIZE

61. __ Moines : DES

Answer grid.

Constructor Notes:

"This theme started out as something else. ELLEN DEGENERES got the ball rolling. I noticed all those E’s in her name. I had the thought of making an all E vowel puzzle. I know that it was done before in the New York Times, but I couldn’t remember how it was done. I didn’t realize that having long theme entries and all E vowels would be really tough. But I tried anyway. The fill suffered terribly. It was no fun. I looked for another hook, or unifier as C.C. would call it, that would give me a reason for having all E vowels in the theme answers. EBAY popped into my head immediately, and Rich agreed that it could serve as the unifier. I looked for theme answers with a lot of E’s, and still struggled with the fill. Being a Monday puzzle, it is always a challenge to make the fill fresh and familiar. I really enjoy solving LA Times Monday puzzles, and though they may be easy to solve, there is an element of fun there that all solvers can appreciate."

Argyle