Friday, November 19, 2010 Daniel A. Finan

(Note: We're instructed to "SEE NOTEPAD" in today's puzzle. In puz file (Across Lite), go to View and click on Notepad. It says "Five clues in this puzzle are deliberately left blank". You'd be really confounded if you solved the puzzle via LA Times' website, no Notepad there, despite the instruction. Does your local paper have SEE NOTEPAD also?)

Theme: CLUELESS (61A. Like five answers in this puzzle, literally and figuratively: CLUELESS. Very tricky puzzle, you see un-clued fill, but there is the dash. So the five answers were without clues, and the five answers were all synonyms for CLUELESS, meaning not very smart. I was an pea brain, airhead for a while, sorting this one out.

17A. -: PEA BRAIN. This is one of the more obvious expressions, coming from the idea of one who has brain the size of a pea does not know much.

28A. -: DINGBAT. None more famous than EDITH . Nobody seems to know where this term comes from.

46A. -: AIRHEAD. Also, pretty self explanatory, if all that is between your ears is AIR, you are not likely to be smart.

11D. -: NINCOMPOOP. A really evocative word, I have heard my entire life, but again, nobody knows why it means what it means.

27D. -: SPACE CADET. This comes from someone who has his head in the sky, with no touch with normal thought.

Well, hello all, it is Lemonade here with your Friday report, and this was a very complicated effort, with pitfalls everywhere. It is my second Daniel A. Finan puzzle to blog, the last being the incredible anagram pangram in August. Once again his approach to theme is new, leaving out clues as clues. So, let’s go.

Across:

1. "When I __ kid ...": WAS A. I put it in but wondered if there was more to it. Is this referring to the Bill Cosby comedy album?

5. Colorado NHLers: AVS. National Hockey League. The Avalanche; they began as the Quebec Nordiques, but were too close to Montreal, and finally moved to Colorado, where they won the Stanley Cup their first year, beating the Florida Panthers.

8. They may be surrounded at parties: PIANOS. Lovely clue, really nice imagery.

14. Set up: Abbr.: ESTD. Established.

15. Acqua Di __: Armani cologne: GIO. My cologne of choice; ladies?

16. Like a maelstrom: ASWIRL. Ah, an “A” word, what fun.

19. Cash in Nashville: JOHNNY. Did you hesitate and think about Money?

20. Rolls to the gate: TAXIES. What planes do after landing.

21. Colorful cats: CALICOS. So many different color COMBINATIONS .

22. Pitts of early cinema: ZASU. An old favorite from the Tribune puzzles, but we have not seen her lately; I remember her from OH SUSANNAH where she was Gale Storm’s sidekick.

24. Retired New York senator Al D'__: AMATO. As a Senator, he was more famous for controversy and long filibusters, now retired he is 73 and has 2 children, a 2 year old, and a 1 year old. Man must be crazy.

25. Hi-__: FIS. Stands for High Fidelity.

30. Second degree?: MBA. Fooled me completely first time through, but after you get your Bachelor’s , you do get a second degree.

33. In spades: AMPLY. Phrase in spades "in abundance" first recorded 1929 (Damon Runyon), probably from bridge, where spades are the highest-ranking suit.

35. It's usually four: PAR. Though generally there also par 5’s and par 3’s; no record of how 4 became the standard, or even why 18 HOLES . We also have, 34. Golfer's concern: LIE indicating where your ball lies.

36. Former 56-Across team: EXPOS. The Montreal EXPOS went bankrupt, and major league baseball moved the franchise to Washington, D.C., where they are now the Nationals. 56A. Baseball div.: NL EAST. Had to guess.

38. Cuisine that includes phanaeng: THAI. I enjpy THAI food, but most restaurants refer to it as PANANG CURRY.

39. "Entourage" agent Gold: ARI. Played ever so hatefully by Jeremy Piven.

40. English walled city: YORK. A fun tour of Europe is to see the WALLED CITIES .

41. Guard dog command: SIC EM. No doubt from ‘seek them’.

43. "__ be a pleasure!": IT'D.

44. O3: OZONE. If I had not gotten this one, I would never have finished, it opened up the whole south for me.

45. Unlock'd: OPE. I ‘ope not again, soon.

49. Place for flock members: PEW. Very cute, I can picture all the sheep in church.

50. "I __ your long lost pal": Paul Simon lyric: CAN BE. This was part of his work with African music and musicians, with American LYRICS .

52. Salon sound: SNIP. Snip, snip go the scissors, a word many men associate with vasectomy.

54. Given, as custody: AWARDED. I hated divorce work, and quit after the old man pulled gun on me in the hall outside my office; criminals were much safer.

60. Mel Gibson persona: MAD MAX. This was Mel Gibson’s break out hit MOVIE .

63. Ring of color: AREOLE. Alas, C.C., I defer to you.

64. "Popeye" surname: OYL. The hot chick the men had to fight over, Olive.

65. Shell's shell, e.g.: LOGO. Like the clue, simple but effective.

66. Aquarium denizens: TETRAS. A fancy word for resident.

67. "Bottle Rocket" director Anderson: WES. This was his first movie, which he did with the Wilson brothers, with whom he forged a long relationship and did other movies such as The Royal Tenebaums he also directed the fable The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and to show our puzzles all make sense, and fit together, the recent Fantastic Mr. Fox .

68. Colony workers: ANTS. Ant colony, not Americans working for the Brits.

DOWN:

1. Showed relief, in a way: WEPT. Tears of?

2. Deported?: ASEA. Oh oh, another “A” word.

3. Vintage R&B record label: STAX. Despite 30+ years representing musicians, I did not remember this LABEL but then I do rock and roll, not R & B.

4. Madison Ave. symbolizes it: AD BIZ. The home of MADMEN and crazy America, my favorite about Madison avenue was the movie CRAZY PEOPLE with Dudley Moore and Daryl Hannah.

5. Court star with the autobiography "Open": AGASSI. Andre was perhaps a bit too Open in his book, discussing his drug usage, etc.

6. Sundial number: VII. A new way to slip in a Roman Numeral.

7. One learning about the birds and the bees?: SON. My father’s entire speech was, “If you like big breasts, go be a farmer because cows have the biggest; and quality over quantity.” Edited for publication.

8. Kind of party: PAJAMA. Ah, we are back with Dennis at the Slumber party in his PJ’s and once again there is a recurring theme.

9. Get away from the others: ISOLATE.

10. In the slightest: A WHIT. Many a wit has realized all the nice things A WHIT rhymes with, but most of us do not give a …..

12. "Yes __?": OR NO. Damn, that was too easy.

13. Stallone and Stone: SLYS. SLY and the Family Stone; was this their biggest HIT ?

18. Set: READY. How can this be synonymous, when you have to be READY for CAB RIDES. (21D. Taxi stand).

23. Odd, as a sock: UNPAIRED.There is some rich creature somewhere with a bazillion single socks.

25. 1980 DeLuise film: FATSO. A rather sad and poignant movie.

26. "Can you dig it?" response: I'M HIP. Sadly, we actually talked like that.

29. "Wayne's World" co-host: GARTH. Dana Carvey to Mike Myers’ Wayne.

31. Shouldered: BORNE.

32. Out of line: ASKEW. An “A” word.

37. ___ Affair: 1798-1800 France/USA dispute: XYZ. Did anyone watch the HBO series about JOHN ADAMS , he was the president who had to deal with this problem.

42. Hindu meditation aid: MANDALA. Now we hit my weak part of the puzzle, as I did not know this DESIGN , nor

44. "Swan Lake" maiden: ODILE. I never was much on ballet, and only ODETTE came to mind.

47. Wild goats with recurved horns: IBEXES. They do have interesting HORNS .

48. Makes void: ANNULS. More divorce work, bleh.

51. Gladiator's defense: ARMOR. I liked the movie with Russell Crowe.

53. Window-making giant: PELLA. Never heard of them either, but the perps finally got me home.

54. Word in a basic Latin conjugation: AMAT. AMO, AMAS, AMAT; I love, you love, he/she/it loves; when I was in 6th grade, we studied Latin and I was conjugating and said the last one too fast…

55. Tupper ending: WARE. Burp?

57. Many millennia: AEON. Fancy spelling for EON (again a new recurring theme) and a movie showcasing a delightful CHARLIZE THERON .

58. Certain NCO: SSGT. Staff Sergeant.

59. General __ chicken: TSOS.

61. Tipping target, so it's said: COW. Yep, the old sport of COW TIPPING .

62. Drano component: LYE. I would not lie to you about this either.

Well another challenge, conquered, almost a pangram (Q short) with so many new words and clues; thanks Mr. F., and to rest of you , have a great week end, and a better Monday.

Answer grid.

Lemonade

Thursday November 18, 2010 John Doppler Schiff

Theme: O What a Theme! - O is added to the end of each two-word common phrase and changes the last word into a celebrity name. The theme entries are clued in a wacky manner as indicated by the (?).

17A. Marx as a Druid?: CELTIC HARPO. Druids were an ancient order of Celtic priests in the societies of Western Europe, Britain and Ireland + Harpo Marx. Here is a Celtic (folk, lever or Irish) harp with a little bit of Led Zeppelin.

55A. Well-dressed Swedish actress?: FORMAL GARBO. Greta Garbo, in formal wear never said "I want to be alone." She said she wanted to be left alone, while on vacation. A common celebrity complaint with all the paparazzi fuss today.

11D. Godfather portrayer turned shop owner?: STORE BRANDO. Marlin Brando + store brand. Like Roundy's green beans. Those are also called "private label" brands by the packaged goods industry.

25D. Beatle in a bout?: BOXING RINGO. I can picture Ringo Starr in a grudge match with Yoko Ono.

Al here.

Nice to see a pinwheel theme formation in a weekday grid, and not too many names other than the theme, which did help me get the "ending with O" parts of two answers. I found this easier than yesterday's for some reason.


ACROSS:

1. Encircled by: AMONG. Related word: mingle.

6. Persian faith: BAHAI.

11. One with a cover: SPY. Like 61A. Bullwinkle nemesis: BORIS. Badenov and Natasha Fatale. The cartoon spies from Pottsylvania always making trouble for Rocky and Bullwinkle.

14. More of a novice: RAWER. As with a raw recruit. Latin novus: new.

15. Lunch hr. end, often: ONE PM.

16. A victory may break one: TIE.

19. Rio hello: OLA. Portuguese, not Spanish.

20. PD precinct boss: CMDR. Police Department, Commander.

21. Chants of a lifetime?: MANTRAS. Not sure whether Rich or John were trying to be clever with the clue, a play on "chance", but this book actually exists: Chants of a Lifetime is a collection of stories, teachings, and insights from Krishna Das, who has been called "the chant master of American yoga".

23. Works: LABORS. The simple answer this time. Was caught trying to figure out an art or music related answer.

26. Cell component: BAR. A Jail cell. Anyone else thinking biological cell at first? Maybe it refers to a cell phone, but one bar isn't very good, right?

27. Lift with effort: HEFT.

28. Win by __: A NOSE.

29. Built up charges: RAN A TAB. Glad it wasn't "staticy" charges.

31. Parts of personal music libraries: MIX TAPES. I used to make mix tapes from my LPs in the 70's, but does anyone even use cassettes anymore? For that matter, 18D. Vinyl successors, briefly: CDS are probably on their way out as well, with ipods, cell phones and computers storing and playing digital music.

33. Musical intervals: THIRDS. Fifths and sixths would also fit.

36. ASCAP rival: BMI. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers vs. Broadcast Music Incorporated. Music rights groups that collect license fees and distribute them as royalties. Maybe SESAC, the third such US-based organization, will be in a puzzle someday. I doubt it, though, probably too obscure.

37. First rabies vaccine creator: PASTEUR. Also largely responsible for hand and equipment sanitization for doctors before operations. Prior to Pasteur few doctors bothered to wash their hands. If you listen to some nurses stories, they still don't...

39. Interior decorator's concern: ART.

40. Classic breath freshener: SEN-SEN. Licorice flavored.

42. Certain counter's woe: INSOMNIA. Counting sheep.

44. Iron supplement brand: GERITOL. A marketing ploy, named to sound like "geriatric", and originally targeted towards older people with "tired blood". Unless an actual condition of anemia exists, it is not needed by women past a certain age, and not by men at all. Over-consumption of iron can cause hemochromatosis, a serious condition which needs to be treated by bloodletting.

46. Spread out: WIDEN.

47. Memo opener: IN RE. Latin "in the matter of", form of "res", commonly seen in puzzles clues as "thing, in law".

49. Bengals, on scoreboards: CIN.cinatti football team.

50. Noble address: MILORD.

51. Question of advisability: DO I DARE.

53. There are pins at the end of one: LANE. Bowling.

54. Columnist Landers: ANN.

60. Biker's chopper: HOG. A Harley Davidson motorcycle.

62. Stravinsky and a lab assistant: IGORS.

63. Barcelona bear: OSO. Spanish.

64. Bright: SMART.

65. Not schooled in: NEW AT.

DOWN:

1. Ring piece: ARC. Briefly wanted GEM, but decided to wait and see a perp first.

2. West of Hollywood: MAE. Come up and see me sometime. Called Charlie McCarthy (Edgar Bergen's ventriloquist dummy) "all wood and a yard long".

3. Athena's attendant: OWL. She is the goddess of wisdom (and war, civilization, strength, justice, etc.) In Homeric poetry, Athena is most often referred to with bright or gleaming eyes, like owls that can see in the dark, and was often pictured with an owl. The evolution of this constant association is why owls became associated with wisdom.

4. Discounted price: NET COST.

5. Antonius Block's chess opponent in Bergman's "The Seventh Seal": GRIM REAPER. There's an abbreviation used in internet chat rooms and message boards: "tl;dr" (too long; didn't read) for something that you can't be bothered with or get too bored to read all the way through. To me, that's this wiki article on this play, but I linked it just in case you're curious.

6. Nuclear Nobelist Niels: BOHR.

7. Prefix with gram: ANA. Jerome's favorite wordplay: anagrams.

8. Author Wouk: HERMAN. Among other books, The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance

9. Paraphernalia: APPARATUS. From Latin prefix "ad-" meaning: to + parare: make ready.

10. "That's my cue!": I'M ON. Show biz.

12. Dinner side, perhaps: PILAF. Rice boiled with broth, often with meat. Turkish pilav, from Persian pilaw.

13. It can raise dough: YEAST. And that can be used in a bake sale to raise dough...

22. Chiang Mai resident: THAI.

23. Ewe kids: LAMBS.

24. Asian cartoon genre: ANIME. Animation, usually adapted from Manga, which is the printed form, somewhat like a comic book.

26. Fortification: BASTION. Middle French bastillon from Old French bastille, literally fortress, stronghold.

29. Musical seconds: RES. Right after Do, a deer.

30. Not charging for: THROWING IN. But wait, there's more!

32. Safe place with a counterintuitive name: PANIC ROOM. A 2002 thriller movie starring Jodie Foster.

34. Less soggy: DRIER.

35. Stop asking for cards: STAND. Poker.

38. Like a USN volunteer: ENL. Enlisted in the US Navy.

41. Parakeet's eats: SEED.

43. Distance on a tank: MILEAGE. Not the army tank.

45. __ del Fuego: TIERRA. Spanish for "Land of fire", named by Magellan. The southernmost tip of South America.

47. Its southern border is about seven times longer than its northern one: IDAHO. Borders six other states + Canada. Name the three states with more state borders.

48. Prohibitions: NO-NOS.

50. Bad start?: MAL. Prefix.

52. HQs for B-2s: AFBS. Air Force Bases.

53. Not leading anyone: LAST.

56. Highest Russian territory, once?: MIR. The former space station. Not an acronym, but a Russian word for (peace, world, society).

57. Kerfuffle: ROW. Spat, ADO, a fight.

58. Grille cover: BRA. A "bug" shield.

59. From Essen to Leipzig, locally: OST. German for east.

Answer Grid.

Al

Wednesday November 17, 2010 Fred Piscop

Theme: WURST PUZZLE EVER. Add "WURST" to the first part of the theme answers, and you get some variety of sausage. Vegetarians might find this the WURST PUZZLE EVER, but to an omnivore like me, it's quite tasty.

17A. Lennon had one : LIVERPOOL ACCENT. The fab four hailed from LIVERPOOL (nasty image if you think about it.) LIVERWURST, from the German Leberwurst, is liver sausage, obviously. Love it or hate it, this staple of northern and eastern Europe is spreadable, high in fat, and contains pig's liver. In Hungary, my ancestral home, it's used with cheese as a filling for baked pancakes. The things you learn . . .

25A. Go from pillar to post : KNOCK ABOUT. This is not a great correspondence. KNOCK ABOUT means travel widely or wander aimlessly. To "go from pillar to post" is to search widely or be driven by circumstances beyond one's control. KNOCKWURST is a soft sausage made of pork and beef spiced with garlic and other seasonings. And, lest you BARQUE up the wrong tree, here is another KNOCKABOUT.

50A. Josephine Tey title orphan : BRAT FARRAR. "BRAT FARRAR is the story of a young man who takes part in a swindle, and suddenly finds himself the champion of the missing heir that he is impersonating against his victim's conceited twin brother." Tey was a Scottish author of mystery novels. BRAT FARRAR might be her best and most famous. BRATWURST is a sausage made of veal and pork. To a purist, it is made with veal only. I guess I'm not a purist.

And the Unifier:
66. Based on the starts of 17-, 25- and 50-Across, what this crossword might be? : WURST PUZZLE EVER. Reminds me of this.

Hi, gang, it JzB, your Hungarian, pig-devouring, Toledo trombonist. I have to repost Dennis's "Did you know?" from yesterday. "The average American eats the equivalent of 28 pigs in his or her lifetime." We could do WURST, I suppose.

ACROSS:

1. Baron Cohen's Kazakh journalist : BORAT. High achievement in low comedy.

6. Dickens alias : BOZ. As the story goes, BOZ was the nickname of his younger brother, Augustus.

9. National Guard challenges : RIOTS. The challenge is to avoid either injuring or being injured.

14. Publicist's concern : IMAGE. When perception trumps reality, IMAGE is all.

15. Bettor's note : IOU. Shortened from "I owe you." Very early textese.

16. Art film, often : INDIE. Independent - not associated with a major studio.

20. Undying : ETERNAL. Forever, and ever. Not an INDIE.

21. Bring to light : UNEARTH.

22. Handle clumsily : PAW. Not to be confused with 62 D.

24. Wallet items, briefly : IDS. Identification, like a driver's license.

31. Rodgers's partner : HART. Lorenz HART was Richard Rodgers's lyricist, before Rodgers teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein. Here is my favorite R&H tune.

35. Part of a TV feed : AUDIO. the sound portion. The Vidio portion is the . . . ah - video

36. Nasty boss : OGRE. Ever have one? My two WURST bosses were really decent people who didn't know jack about how to be a boss.

38. Sigma preceder : RHO. Greek letters. All together now: Rho, rho, rho your beta, gamma down the sigma . . .

39. Eggy bun : BRIOCHE. I'd like one with my BRAT.

42. Vibraphone virtuoso Lionel : HAMPTON. He lost a great deal of memorabilia and recordings when his apartment burned a few years ago. He was a wonderful person, and a terrific musician. He, Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa and Benny Goodman broke the color barrier in American Music. Here, they also break the land speed record.

44. CIA forerunner : OSS The office of Strategic Services.

45. Chuck : HURL. Throw, not a roast. Remember, we're doing pigs today.

47. "All in the Family" spinoff : MAUDE. MAUDE, played by Bea Arthur, was Edith Bunker's outspoken, liberated, rather overbearing cousin.

48. One of Alcott's women : BETH. And one of my daughters-in-law. She is bringing the kids to our house next week for Thanksgiving. We'll all be giving thanks when Tom returns from Afghanistan, some time in January.

53. Old Gremlin maker : AMC. Why anyone would want to make an old gremlin remains a mystery. I guess they mean American Motors Corporation, which at one time made Jeeps in Toledo. Then it was Chrysler, which, more recently, was purchased with Fiat money

55. Fannie follower? : MAE. The Federal National Mortgage Association, or, Freddie Mac's girl friend. They both have debt issues.

56. Not surprisingly : AS USUAL

60. Esteem : RESPECT. Let's all show just a little bit.

68. "South Pacific" hero : EMILE. Here is his song. Also, see 31 A.

69. Museum-funding org. : NEA. National Endowment for the Arts.

70. Origami bird : CRANE. Why not an albatross?

71. Gave a shot, say : DOSED.

You lucky people get another of my poems, based on a real life experience. It gave me the opportunity to moon a comely lass.

FIFTH DAY DOWN

For four straight days I've been flat on my back.
Prospects for tomorrow -- not too bright.
But first I have to face another night
Of nose-runs, insomnia, and cough attack.

Day two they put a needle in my hip,
Pumped in some paste, a substance that is not
The amber liquid I would call a shot:
That lovely Malt, imported in green glass.

When morning comes I'll rise to face tomorrow,
Without a Scottish gift to ease my sorrow,
And if some comely lass of nursely station
Approaches from behind with medication

I'll demure, and if you get my drift,
If she insists, then I will plead the fifth.

-- Jan. 28, 1999, 11:00 pm

Copyright Jazzbumpa. All rights reserved

72. "How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)" author Coulter : ANN. Here, I will practice restraint.

73. Ready to snap : TESTY. If President Coolidge had been irascible rather than taciturn, would he have been TESTY Cal?

DOWN

1. Ill temper : BILE. The cluster of the last three answers restores my faith in a benevolent deity.

2. Jump over : OMIT. The quick brown fox omitted the lazy dog.

8. Pilot's alphabet ender : ZULU. Alpha, Bravo . . . or is it Able, Baker . . . Somebody here will know this, fer sure.

9. Reduced to bits : RICED. If you put boiled potatoes through a ricer, the little bits look like grains of rice - until you stir in the butter, etc.

10. Like bill payments? : IN CASH. Very retro answer. Even checks are passe, now. Put it on plastic, pay it on line with 100% recyclable electrons.

11. Wroclaw's river : ODER. Smell something fishy?

12. Sunroof feature : TINT. Tinted glass or plastic, to keep your car from turning into an oven.

13. Adam's third : SETH. The forgotten son, except in crosswords.

18. Bearded Smurf : PAPA

19. "Peer Gynt Suite" dancer : ANITRA

23. Romance : WOO. See 31 A.

25. Barbecue fare : KABOB. Shish kabob is lamb. Pork - I dunno - pig kabobs?

26. Sip : NURSE. As in nurse a beer. Similar to nursing a baby, I suppose. Not to be confused with someone who does 71 A.

27. Praiseful poet : ODIST. Like me, I suppose. C. A. to the rescue, please.

28. Gp. in a 1955 labor merger : C.I.O. Note Abrv. The Congress of Industrial Organizations merged with the American Federation of Labor. All together now: John L. Lewis had a union, C-I, C-I-O . . .

29. "How'm I Doing?" mayor/author : KOCH. I might ask the same question.

30. "This is awful!" : UGH. Hope that's not the answer.

32. Pianist Rubinstein : ARTUR

33. Ida Morgenstern's daughter : RHODA. A mid 70's spinoff from the Mary Tyler Moore show starring Valarie Harper. Nothing Bazarre about it.

34. Office machine supply : TONER.

37. "Bone Dance" sci-fi author Bull : EMMA. This novel was nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula awards.

40. One may be thrown at a pothole : HUBCAP. Do cars have hub caps any more?

41. Drop a brick, so to speak : ERR. To drop a brick is human. Anybody know anything about this expression?

43. It's often two, in mini golf : PAR. the designated number of strokes for a hole.

46. Hotfoot it : LAM. I only know this from the phrase "on the lam," meaning "at large." So, if Sasquach is on the LAM, that's an at large Bigfoot hot foot. Of course, LAM is also in Shish kabob, which is best served hot.

49. Give grief to : HASSLE. I had the first letter as S for a while, and wondered what language I was using.

51. Burroughs swinger : TARZAN. Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote the Tarzan novels. Tarzan was a swinger, but not like Edna St. Vincent Millay.

52. Have a hunch : FEEL. Hence the sympathetic expression, "I have a hunch about your pain."

54. Softened, in a way : MUTED. A Harmon mute is common on trumpet, but rare for trombone. I have one, and it gives a pretty nice sound.

56. Blown away : AWED. Like a trombone in a windstorm.

57. Heavyweights' ring contest : SUMO. Japanese SUMO wrestlers.

58. "Topaz" author : URIS. Leon URIS also wrote Exodus and Redemption.

59. Moon goddess : LUNA. Also, my most favoritest Harry Potter Character.

61. Shiites, e.g. : SECT. Shia and Sunni dissected Islam in the first generation following the death of the prophet in 632.

62. French pop : PERE. Daddy, not soda.

63. NASA "walks" : EVAS. Extra Vehicular Activity.

64. Euro fraction : CENT. One one-hundreth part. Just like our penny, which is also properly called a CENT.

65. Long basket, in basketball lingo : TREY. A shot from beyond the three point line, which is worth (AS USUAL) three points!

67. Path to enlightenment : ZEN. Not so much a path, as a way of thinking and perceiving the universe. ZEN is a Japanese word derived from the Chinese word Chán, which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which means "meditation" or "meditative state". ZEN also originated in the 7th century. Thank you, Wikipedia.

Answer grid.

Time for me to HURL myself into bed. I have to get up in five hours.

Cheers!

Jazzbumpa

Tuesday, November 16, 2010 Jennifer Nutt

Theme: Confectionery Fixes - The ends of the starred clues answers are ways to get your cacao bean fix. What's your favorite?

18A. *Chicken soup dumpling: MATZO BALL. Image. A dumpling made from matzah meal of white plain flour and water.

35A. *Paleontologist's lucky find: DINOSAUR EGG. Image. Mere coincidence they look like matzo balls.

43A. *Cappuccino seller: ESPRESSO BAR. Image. Espresso Bar in Melbourne.

61A. Confection that can start the ends of the answers to starred clues: CHOCOLATE

3D. *Basic computer component: SILICON CHIP. Image. Mere coincidence they look like matzo crackers.

27D. *Parting smooch: GOODBYE KISS. Clip.(0:35) Warning: Equal Opportunity Kisser.

Argyle here. Oh my, you should have a cup of hot cocoa instead of coffee this morning.

Ambitious lay-out for a Tuesday with the crossing of the long theme entries twice. Visually appealing but not affecting the solving, which was quite easy with some new cluing.

Across:

1. Cold shower reactions : GASPS

6. Chicken or turkey : FOWL

10. Hair tamers : GELS

14. Sacro- ending : ILIAC

15. Athletic shoe brand : AVIA. It isn't Latin for "fly". Right, Bob?

16. Stratford's river : AVON. Stratford-on-Avon is a popular tourist destination owing to its status as birthplace of William Shakespeare.

17. Seward's Alaska purchase, to some : FOLLY. At the time, 1867, but they changed their tune when gold was discovered there, 1896.

20. National flower of Scotland : THISTLE. Image

22. Neophyte : TYRO. Beginner

23. Anatomical bag : SAC

24. Zeus' wife : HERA

26. Fight-or-flight response generator : DANGER

30. Ajar, say : OPEN

32. Atop : UPON

34. Typical studio apartment room count : ONE

38. Punch-in-the-gut grunt : "OOF!"

39. "Batt. not __" : INCL. "Batteries not included."

40. Bon __: witticism : MOT. French for 'good word'.

41. Sit in traffic : IDLE

42. Utmost degree : NTH

47. Baseball's Diamondbacks, on scoreboards : ARI. Arizona

48. Apollo program org. : NASA. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

49. Wee : TINY

50. Bunny or kangaroo : HOPPER

52. Came out with : SAID

54. Recede : EBB

57. Ahmadinejad's land : IRAN. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

59. Body surfer's ride : BREAKER

65. Come up : ARISE

66. Crest : PEAK

67. Coup d'__ : ÉTAT. French, overthrow of the state.

68. Correct, as a stitch : RESEW

69. Torah holders : ARKS

70. Geologic stretches : EONS. Should this be ERAS?

71. A barque has at least three : MASTS. This image may clear up your questions about what a barque is.

Down:

1. Birthday buys : GIFTS

2. Hawaii hi : "ALOHA"

4. Buddies : PALS

5. Grain-cutting tools : SCYTHES. It is an art to swing a scythe and this painting shows a very important part of it. It is nigh on impossible to cut without a razor sharp blade. Windhover, do you swing one?

6. Hall of __: athletic standout : FAMER

7. Breakfast for Brutus? : OVA. The old Roman is having eggs for breakfast.

8. Two-time 1980s skating gold medalist Katarina : WITT

9. Quick brown fox's obstacle? : LAZY DOG. "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" is an English-language pangram, used in typing lessons.

10. Cameroon neighbor : GABON. Africa Map.

11. "The Loco-Motion" singer Little __ : EVA. Clip.(1:16) On Shindig 1965.

12. Texter's guffaw : LOL

13. Tina Fey was its first female head writer, briefly : SNL

19. Asian ape : ORANG

21. Singer Horne : LENA. One of the greats.

25. Sky lights : AURORAS

28. __ Gay : ENOLA

29. Send for consultation : REFER

31. D.C. go-getter : POL. Yes, but is he just going to get our money?

33. Tennis's Sampras : PETE

35. Shore of Hollywood : DINAH

36. Words before the talk show guest enters : INTRO

37. Masked men at home? : UMPS

41. Charged particle : ION

43. Diciembre follower : ENERO. Spanish December / January

44. Frozen cake maker : SARA LEE

45. Recipe direction : STIR

46. Holstered pistol, e.g. : SIDEARM

51. Selections : PICKS

53. Looks out for, as a partner in crime : ABETS

55. Plague : BESET

56. Beer and ale : BREWS

58. Belg.-based peacekeeping gp. : NATO. The NATO headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium.

60. Place : AREA

61. Tax pro : CPA

62. "I've Grown Accustomed to __ Face" : HER

63. Wine barrel wood : OAK

64. Brown shade : TAN

Answer grid.

Here are a few wonderful photos of the Lopez family making & enjoying traditional tamales. Click here (2:35pm) to see Lucina's secret recipe.

Argyle

Monday, November 15, 2010 David W. Cromer

Theme: It's a bird, it's a ... - Plane, a jet, to be precise according to the unifier. The first theme requires a two-word verb phrase while the next two are single verbs; altogether, they describe a plane flight.

20A. Lose a few pounds: TAKE OFF WEIGHT

37A. Act defiantly toward: FLY IN THE TEETH OF, 'In the Face' is more common.

54A. Find ideal employment: LAND A GREAT JOB

58D. You might be on one if you do the starts of 20-, 37- and 54-Across: JET

Argyle here.

A perfunctory Monday puzzle rather easy to solve but was an ambitious construction. Six letter stacks in two corners, two near grid spanning themes and a third that made it all the way. It takes a lot of work to make it look easy.

Across:

1. Estimator's words : OR SO

5. It's cut and styled : HAIR

9. "Of __ I Sing" : THEE

13. Kathmandu's country : NEPAL

15. Part of A.D. : ANNO. Anno Domini, which is Latin for "year of our Lord". Now sometimes referred to as the Common Era, Christian Era, or Current Era (abbreviated as C.E. or CE).

16. Sniggler's prey : EELS

17. Maliciousness : SPITE

18. Not so much : LESS

19. Bivouac : CAMP

23. Opposed (to) : AVERSE

24. Pekoe, e.g. : TEA

25. "Far out!" : "RAD!". I don't believe "RAD" ever got much use.

28. Legal thing : RES. By itself, RES is Latin for thing; it starts many legal terms.

29. They're exchanged at the altar : I DOs

32. Make fun of : TEASE

34. Sweet snack with coffee : DONUT

36. Northern California peak : SHASTA. Located at the southern end of the cascades in Siskiyou County. Map.

41. __ Pieces: candy brand : REESE'S

42. Brings up : REARS

43. Make into law : ENACT

44. Bank claim : LIEN

45. Fashion that doesn't last : FAD

48. Canadian A.L. team, on scoreboards : TOR. TORonto, north across Lake Ontario from Buffalo, NY. The Blue Jays.

49. Crude in a tanker : OIL

51. Invent : CREATE

58. Monopoly square with bars : JAIL

60. Yves's girlfriend : AMIE. A Frenchman's girlfriend.

61. Country with a wall : CHINA

62. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA. Her Columbia County, NY, farmhouse, which she christened Steepletop, is within miles of my sister's house.

63. Heavenly music maker : HARP

64. Kids' flying toys : KITES

65. Clothes : TOGS

66. Norway's capital : OSLO

67. Open-and-shut __ : CASE

Down:

1. GM navigation system : ONSTAR

2. Fix potholes in : REPAVE

3. Volleyball smashes : SPIKES

4. Wild West movie : OATER

5. One of two equal portions : HALF

6. From the beginning : ANEW

7. Maps within maps : INSETS

8. Talk radio host O'Donnell : ROSIE. Image.

9. PC support pro : TECH

10. Summer itch cause : HEAT RASH

11. Stately tree : ELM

12. Psychic's claim : ESP. Extrasensory perception (ESP)

14. Some summer babies, astrologically : LEOs

21. Deceptive moves : FEINTS

22. Collect : GATHER

26. Regarding : AS TO

27. Unable to hear : DEAF

30. "Of course I knew that!" : "DUH!". Followed by a smack to the head with a V-8 can. (D'oh is when someone else smacks you with a V-8 can.)

31. "SNL" alum Cheri : OTERI. Image.

33. Food, on a diner sign : EATS. Or the whole sign.

34. Computer insert : DISC

35. Common pickup capacity : ONE TON. A half-ton is more common.

36. Afterworld communication meeting : SÉANCE

37. Get all worked up : FRET

38. Letterman rival : LENO. Late night talk show hosts.

39. Horse that isn't two yet : YEARLING

40. Golfer's gadget : TEE

44. Alpaca cousins : LLAMAs

45. Tex-Mex serving : FAJITA

46. Makes reparations (for) : ATONES

47. Lower in rank : DEBASE

50. Wyoming neighbor : IDAHO

52. __ of lamb : RACK

53. Value system : ETHIC

55. "Woe is me!" : "ALAS!"

56. "__, Interrupted" : GIRL. It is a best-selling 1993 memoir by American author Susanna Kaysen, relating her experiences as a young woman in a psychiatric hospital in the 1960s after being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. The memoir's title is a reference to the Vermeer painting Girl Interrupted at her Music. It was a 1999 drama film, starring Winona Ryder, Brittany Murphy, Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg and Vanessa Redgrave. The painting.

57. Bank takeaway : REPO

59. Bustle : ADO

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday November 14, 2010 Jeff Chen

Theme: Physical Therapy Session - Each two-word common phrase starts with initials P & T.

23A. It begins with H : PERIODIC TABLE. H = Hydrogen.

29A. Place to take a date? : PALM TREE. Date palm. Medjool dates are the best.

35A. Worker with a fork : PIANO TUNER. Don "Hard G" is one.

46A. Wood shop item : POWER TOOL

57A. One may be used in child support cases : PATERNITY TEST

69A. You can't put it down : PAGE TURNER. What are you reading now?

75A. All-bark, no-bite type : PAPER TIGER

83A. Windshield downer : PARKING TICKET. Good answer/clue.

97A. History feature : PAST TENSE. Needed crossing help.

106A. Intimate exchange : PILLOW TALK. Sweet.

115A. Number that may be shocking : PRICE TAG

126A. Endurance level of a sort : PAIN THRESHOLD. My husband has amazing tolerance for pain. He bowls with painful elbow/wrist all the time.

Simple theme. Nicely executed.

Since no unifier or any specific order is needed for the theme entry placement, Jeff had the freedom to move the phrases (a few are short) around to bring out the smoothest Sunday LAT I've solved this year. The fact that all the answers contain mostly common letters sure helped too.

Thoroughly enjoyable. No obscure words/names to frustrate me.

Across:

1. Target : AIM FOR. Easy start.

7. Zany : MADCAP

13. Standout in a small pond? : BIG FISH. Big fish in a small pond.

20. "Pizza by the slice" chain : SBARRO. The name stumped me last time.

21. Cactus bump : AREOLE. Much prefer "Ring of color" clue.

22. Centers for Disease Control headquarters site : ATLANTA

25. Soaked up, as a spill : BLOTTED

26. Barnyard abode : STY

27. Fit together : MESH

28. Hip-hop doc : DRE. Dr. Dre.

30. Detection device : SENSOR

32. Skipper's direction : ALEE

34. A very long time : EONS

39. Some are narrow : ESCAPES. Narrow escapes.

43. Rice-A-__ : RONI

44. Looked for lampreys : EELED

50. Chopin's Opus 10 works : ETUDES

53. One of seven : ASIA. Seven continents.

55. Video game giant : SEGA

56. NY tech. school since 1824 : RPI. When were you there, Spitzboov?

61. Blotch : STAIN

63. VAIO computer maker : SONY. VAIO = Visual Audio Intelligence Organizer. Learned this name from an old Barry Silk puzzle.

64. Took to the airport, say : SAW OFF

68. Brontë who wrote "Agnes Grey" : ANNE

77. Present-day Persia : IRAN

78. Swarmed : TEEMED

80. U.S. dept. concerned with radioactive waste : ENER

81. "Inception" filmmaker Christopher : NOLAN. Of Batman fame.

90. Actress Thurman : UMA

91. Island at the edge of the Bering Sea : ATTU. Westernmost of the Aleutians.

95. Face-off : DUEL

96. Beethoven's "Waldstein," e.g. : SONATA

100. __ toast : MELBA

103. The toe of an Asian "boot" : OMAN. "Boot" of the Arabian Peninsula? I am ignorant of this reference.

104. From way back when : OLD TIME

109. __ City: Baghdad suburb : SADR

112. "__ said!" : NUFF

114. Essence : NATURE

119. One way to sway : FRO. To and fro.

121. Chapeau site : TETE. "Head" in French.

122. __ tai : MAI

125. 1881 Pasteur vaccine target : ANTHRAX. I remember the scare right after 9/11.

129. Cold War follower : DETENTE

130. Harshly criticize : SCATHE. Scathing remarks.

131. Discordant to many an ear : ATONAL

132. Paris's Champs __ : ELYSEES. More romantic walking along the streets in the evenings.

133. Sommelier, e.g. : SERVER

134. Pestilent fly : TSETSE. Hey, a full fly.

Down:

1. Lethal snakes : ASPS. And 10. Lethal snake : COBRA. Clecho. Please come here and cast your vote.

2. "As if!" : I BET

3. Mrs. Lincoln : MARY

4. Calendar abbr. : FRI

5. Words from a balcony : O ROMEO. By Juliet.

6. Squirrel, for one : RODENT

7. Speed of sound : MACH ONE. First reached by Dennis' idol Chuck Yeager.

8. Pianist Tatum : ART

9. __ in the water : DEAD

11. Gene variant : ALLELE. Can never remember this word.

12. Capital of Poland? : PEE. The capital letter in Poland.

13. Ali the woodcutter : BABA

14. "__ cost you!" : IT'LL

15. Grab, in slang : GLOM. Glom onto.

16. Most plump : FATTEST

17. Preamble : INTRO

18. "Card Players Quarreling" artist : STEEN (Jan). See the painting.

19. Underworld god : HADES

24. Time edition : ISSUE. Do you think Tina Brown will save Newsweek?

29. Cowboy legend __ Bill : PECOS

30. Catty : SNIDE

31. Send along : RELAY

33. Uncanny ability : ESP

35. Get set : PREP

36. Itty-bitty bit : IOTA

37. "Sometimes you feel like __ …" : A NUT. Do you?

38. See 127-Down : REST. And 127. With 38-Down, what's left : THE.

40. Amaze : AWE

41. Cribbage piece : PEG

42. Some are named for presidents : ERAS. We live in the Obama era.

45. "__ Irae" : DIES

47. Borneo rainforest dweller : ORANG

48. Offer a thought : OPINE

49. Big boat : LINER

51. While lead-in : ERST. Erstwhile.

52. Muzzle : SNOUT. Nose.

54. Memo order : ASAP

58. Memo opening : INRE

59. Daly of "Judging Amy" : TYNE

60. It flew its last flight in 2001 : TWA. Oh, I didn't know this.

62. Clavell's "__-Pan" : TAI. Tai = Big. Pan = Boss.

65. Start the bidding : OPEN

66. __ shui : FENG. Feng = Wind. Shui = Water.

67. Worries : FRETS

69. Dorm wall art : PINUP

70. Wavy lines, in comics : AROMA

71. Bashes : GALAS

72. "Bambi" doe : ENA. His aunt.

73. Brit. or Byzantine : EMP (Empire)

74. Pore over : READ

76. The Stooges, e.g. : TRIO

79. Jazz combo member : DRUM

82. Pertaining to all 50 sts. : NATL

84. Opposite of spoil : KEEP

85. Bad, in rap slang : ILLIN. What?

86. 100 simoleons : C-NOTE. So many slang for "dollar": cabbage, clam, buck, etc.

87. __ Sutra : KAMA

88. List-shortening term : ET AL

89. Place to put a tiger, in old ads : TANK. Put a tiger in your tank.

92. Media mogul Turner : TED

93. "Rizzoli & Isles" station : TNT

94. Manipulating : USING

98. Primitive light sources : TORCHES

99. Critter on Australia's coat of arms : EMU. Hey there, Kazie!

101. Gibberish : BLATHER

102. Adjust : ALTER

105. Obliterate : EFFACE

107. Consume more than : OUTEAT

108. Jerks : WRESTS. Oh, not the "jerks" I pictured.

109. "Black bird" pursuer of fiction : SPADE. Sam Spade in "The Maltese Falcon". Got me.

110. Synthetic fabric : ARNEL. Just refuses to sink into my memory bank.

111. Simple tune : DITTY

113. Brother in a hood? : FRIAR. Saw similar clue before.

116. Eagle by the shore : ERNE

117. Pop __, Chok'lit Shoppe owner in "Archie" comics : TATE. Learning moment to me.

118. Cancels : AXES

120. Airing, as a sitcom : ON TV

122. The Alps' __ Blanc : MONT

123. Regretful word : ALAS

124. Not doing anything : IDLE

126. They're usually under signatures: Abbr. : PSS

128. Work the soil : HOE

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday November 13, 2010 Brad Wilber and Doug Peterson

Theme: None

Total words: 72

Total blocks: 29

Great to see a collaboration borne out of our interview. Brad, who now has a regular monthly Saturday Stumper with Newsday, mentioned to me last time that he's co-constructed quite a few puzzles with Doug since then.

This puzzle features eight 10-letter & six 9-letter entries, mostly triple-stacked in each corner:

1A. Single-season RBI record-holder since 1930 : HACK WILSON. Total 191 RBIs in 1930. Hall of Famer. I was aware of his existence and this card, but couldn't recall his name.

15A. Not beyond belief : IMAGINABLE. REASONABLE fit too.

17A. Elementary level : FIRST GRADE. Needed crossing help.

60A. Knocking 'em dead : IN RARE FORM. Nice clue/answer.

65A. Rambo, notably : ONE MAN ARMY. Loved this one also.

67A. Circumscribes : DELINEATES

10D. Sewing circle? : NEEDLE HOLE. Why question mark?

12D. First actress to play Yente in Broadway's "Fiddler on the Roof" : BEA ARTHUR. And EMMYS (53D. Pair on the résumé of 12-Down).

13D. Wheels in a cave : BATMOBILE. In "Batman".

14D. Like many a jalopy : RUST-EATEN. New word to me.

30D. Years in which Picasso's art took a somber turn : BLUE PERIOD. Gorgeous entry.

32D. Any of the "Ocean's" movies, e.g. : HEIST FILM. Was quite fond of those silly "Ocean's" movies.

33D. Upstart : ARRIVISTE. Is it same to nouveau riche?

34D. Ultra-reliable team members : MAINSTAYS. Ah, we have quite a few on our blog. Ultra-reliable!

How long do you normally spend on a Saturday themeless? I punted after 35 minutes.

Across:

11. This ans. is one : ABBR. The word "ans" is abbreviated. I've seen similar gimmick for ACROSS.

16. __ de soie: bridal gown fabric : PEAU. Literally "skin" in French. Soie = Silk.

18. Focus of some H.S. prep courses : SATs

19. Nagano Olympics torch lighter : ITO (Midori). Japanese Figure skater. Stumped me. I wanted ALI. Silly!

20. "Cinderella" opener? : CEE. Letter C in Cinderella.

21. Like season 8 of "Dallas" : DREAMT. Didn't come immediately.

23. Light-footed woman : SYLPH. We've seen the "slender, graceful woman" clue before.

25. Esmeralda's goat in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" : DJALI. Nope! Way too hard a name for me.

28. Salty delicacy : ROE

29. Dealt with a fatal error, perhaps : REBOOTED. Computer "fatal error". Al might get this one immediately.

31. Sched. gap letters : TBA

32. Skywalker player : HAMILL (Mark). Have never seen "Star Wars".

35. Eastern theatrical style : NOH. Literally "ability". Same character as Chinese.

36. Gambler's voucher : CHIT

37. "Moriae Encomium" author : ERASMUS (Desiderius). Not familiar with "Moriae Encomium", an essay translated as "The Praise of Folly" or "In Praise of More" a la Wikipedia.

39. Ochlocracy : MOB RULE. Greek "oshlos" = Mob.

41. Bulb output, maybe : IRIS. Thought of IDEA.

42. "... and too many to mention" letters : ETC

44. Holly of Hollywood : LAUREN. She looks familiar. Nice clue.

45. Stray, in a way : SIN. "In a way", yes.

46. Reacts to an affront, maybe : SPUTTERS

48. Living room sets : TVS

49. Temporary tattoo dye : HENNA

50. Put forward : STATE

54. Less flabby : FITTER. Wanted FIRMER.

56. Bad liar's giveaway : TIC

58. Lap dog, briefly : POM

59. "By Jove!" : I SAY

64. About 5.88 trillion mi. : LT-YR (Light-year). Got me.

66. High point in a Western? : MESA. Sure was not thinking of those small plateau.

Down:

1. Old living room sets : HI-FIs.

2. Good relations : AMITY

3. "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming," e.g. : CAROL

4. Metric meas. : KGS

5. Shade tree native to the British Isles : WITCH ELM. First encounter with this tree.

6. "Bus Stop" playwright : INGE

7. I-35's southern terminus : LAREDO. Drew a blank. The U.S./Mexico border city.

8. Fed. loan source : SBA

9. GOP segment? : OLD. GOP = Grand Old Party.

11. Basilica section : APSE

22. Divested (of) : RID

24. Goody two shoes : PRISS. "Goody two shoe" is a new idiom to me.

26. Cryer in a sitcom : JON. The "sitcom" here refer to "Two and a Half Men", correct?

27. Quark's milieu : ATOM

36. It's rolled out at a patisserie : CRUST

38. Leave agape : STUN

40. What eHarmony users can avoid : BAR SCENE. Those eHarmony commercials look quite sweet.

43. UPS unit : CTN. Carton I suppose.

46. Byron's "__ Walks in Beauty" : SHE

47. Geisha's mat : TATAMI

51. Left on the bridge : APORT. Can never remember those nautical directions.

52. "It Wasn't All Velvet" memoirist : TORME (Mel). Known as "The Velvet Fog".

55. Big name in TV talk : TYRA (Banks). Her talk show was over in May.

57. Caspian Sea country : IRAN

61. Vane dir. : NNE

62. Seminary subj. : REL

63. Govt. agency with a wing on its seal : FAA. Here is its seal.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday November 12, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: You (U) Fit In - Each theme answer is a common two word expression, with the letter “U” inserted into the second word, to create a humorous new expression, with the question mark at the end of the clue telling you a play on words is coming.

16A. Opening with a thud?: BAD DEBUT. BAD DEBT. Something becoming all too familiar after the recent mortgage debacle.

19A. Staple in a Hollywood first-aid kit?: STAR GAUZE. STAR GAZE. We love staring at our stars, making so many tabloids and tabloid tv shows popular. Do we really care that Disney child stars Lindsay Lohan and Demi Lovato are coke heads?

26A. Compulsion to set up camp?: TENT DURESS. TENT DRESS. An interesting internal deception because the meaning of Tent is very different when you are talking about this DRESS STYLE .

34A. Hoss and Little Joe's off-color jokes?: PONDEROSA RAUNCH. PONDEROSA RANCH, the home of the Cartwright family on BONANZA which was the first television show to be shown in color. My favorite phrase of the theme. Do you all remember the name of Ben’s (the father, played by Lorne Greene) horse?

43A. Civil unrest in Brest?: FRENCH FURY. FRENCH FRY. A nice rhyming clue, to obscure the French city.

50A. Restrain a legendary soul seller?: HOLD FAUST. HOLD FAST; FAUST is the Devil in German legend, made famous by Goethe’s tragic play.

58A. Classy accommodations at the Spider Ritz?: WEB SUITE. WEB SITE. Don’t you just love the mind that created the image of an exclusive hotel for spiders?

47. "Have a nice day" response, and a literal hint to this puzzle's theme: YOU TOO. YOU (U) too, meaning an added U.

Et tu Brute! Hallelujah, Lemonade here, week two already. Happy Friday, C.C. and all. Wow, another Naddor for me, and one so typical and so witty. I really enjoyed this effort, with 75 letters and 8 theme related answers. Lots of fun fill, a few things I should have recalled but had to work to get, and generally a good time for all.

Across:

1. Bucolic: PASTORAL. We begin with a pleasant straight forward image.

9. Sushi choices: EELS. I like some sushi, but am not fond of eels, probably something psychological from my childhood.

13. Wood preservative: CREOSOTE. COAL TAR CREOSOTE is an EPA registered wood preservative, distilled from crude coke oven tar, and is mainly composed of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), but also contains phenols and cresols. Like I knew that.

14. Plays the class clown: CUTS UP. Remember, Dan likes two word answers that create deceptive letter strings. 21A. Clueless: AT SEA. 65A. As terrific as they say: THAT GOOD. 7D. "Do you bite your thumb __, sir?": "Romeo and Juliet": AT US. I love that he includes some Shakespeare, as well as the very old insult of biting one’s thumb, which has resurfaced in our culture as seen in the URBAN DICTIONARY . 33D. Corner the market on: BUY UP. Speaking of which, do you remember when the Hunt brothers tried to corner the silver market? They were the inspiration for these BROTHERS .

17. Showy: ORNATE.

18. Overseas fem. title: SRA. As Kazie pointed out, the abbreviation for Senora, like most of our dear ladies.

25. Source of Ulee's gold: BEES.Hi Melissa, and yes, the gold was in the honey, honey.

29. She played Emma in "The Avengers": UMA. We all know this is true in the movie, but this will always be the real MRS.PEEL .

32. Mideast language: IRANI. Oh, in Iran, I guess.

33. Support group?: BRAS. Nice deception, but then again, it may all be DECEPTION .

40. Lake near Niagara Falls: ERIE. Where my oldest is currently freezing his little behind in grad school, though his birthday is in nine days, he will be home in 11!

41. Atlanta campus: EMORY. This is a very well respected private college that emphasizes research; it ended up in Atlanta through the generosity of the people from Coca Cola. If you go to Atlanta, go and tour the Coke factory (except Lindsay Lohan and Demi Lovato, who know better).

42. Jets coach Ryan: REX. He plays against Cleveland this week end, whose defense is coached by his older (by 5 minutes) identical twin brother ROB RYAN .

48. Fizzled out: DIED. Like so many romances…

49. Gulf of Finland city: ESPOO. The second largest city in Finland, and it took me way to long to drag from my brain. We just had the clue in August, in a Barry Silk themeless.

55. Word with a head slap: DUH. DOH, whatever you like; here we use the V-8 can against the head.

57. Six-Day War country: ISRAEL. Remember it well.

62. Insurer of Tina Turner's legs: LLOYDS. LLOYD’s of LONDON has been in the insurance business since 1688, and has always insured the odd things of value like insuring, silent film comedian Ben Turpin's eyes against uncrossing, Jimmy Durante’s nose, Troy Polamalu's hair for $1 million, and these R rated pre-silicone marvels of TEMPEST STORM .

63. One transferring property rights, in law: ASSIGNOR. Must have obscure law clues so Lemonade can feel smart. We love our ORs and EEs.

64. Plenty: TONS.

Down:

1. Banned pollutants: PCBS. They belong to a group of man made “organic” chemicals called PolyChlorinated Biphenyls.

2. Biblical resting place: ARARAT. A nice deception, for it was Noah’s Ark, not a person that ended up resting atop Mount Ararat.

3. Composed: SEDATE.

4. "The Fox and the Hound" fox: TOD. The hound was Copper, but I really do not remember the MOVIE.

5. Suffix with fruct-: OSE.Also with SUCR-, LACT- and others, it means SUGAR.

6. Hold up: ROB. Yes, to rob is to hold up, to burgle is to break in.

8. Riga resident: LETT. We see this one very often, and I actually have some clients from Latvia, but they moved to Venezuela.

9. Old lab heaters: ETNAS. Dan used this in a Sunday puzzle in August 2009, I did not know the term then, and do not now. I am strictly a BUNSEN BURNER guy.

10. Isaac's eldest: ESAU. Poor guy, hairy and he lost his birthright.

11. Eponymous skater Alois __: LUTZ. For our dear CA back from vacation, and our prodigal Robin, just back, we have the TRIPLE LUTZ in pictures and words. Eponymous, is when you give your name to something, like Joe Robbie stadium.

12. WWI German vice-admiral: SPEE. One I knew nothing about, but apparently quite a bold man, of whom Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty at London, wrote: "He was a cut flower in a vase, fair to see yet bound to die.”

14. Centers: CORES. Oh, okay, I get like the center of the earth.

15. Prods: URGES.

20. Justice Fortas: ABE. Another law tidbit for me; Justice Fortas was a very successful student of the law, and lawyer, arguing and winning the famous right to counsel case, GIDEON vs. WAINWRIGHT, in which the Supreme Court for the first time granted all who are accused of a crime the right to be represented by counsel, creating the Public Defender system. Mr. Fortas, who came from an Orthodox Jewish family became very good friends with Lyndon Johnson, who when he became president, convinced sitting Justice Arthur Goldberg (the then Jewish member of the court) to resign to become ambassador to the UN, so Fortas could be appointed to the court. Sadly, Fortas ended up resigning under a cloud for taking fees while on the bench.

22. Derisive: SNIDE. My favorite was this CHARACTER .

23. Raison d'__: ETRE. Meaning literally “ reason to be” in French.

24. Month before Nisan: ADAR. And then a little Hebrew calendar to make me feel at home; that calendar has leap months, where there is a 13th month added to catch up with the earths rotation from a moon based calendar.

27. Card game warning: UNO. A favorite of children of all ages, though my grandmother preferred Skip-Bo.

28. Out of bed: RISEN. Which of course reminds me of this SONG .

29. Still-life subject: URN. Really, I only remember the poem.

30. Bud: MAC. Talk about misleading, and yet easy. In our culture, BUD means beer, not buddy, so hey BUD and hey MAC was very hard.

31. Tip for a smoker?: ASH. Literal but hidden again; I still liked Camel Droppings best.

34. In accordance with: PER.

35. It may be found in a deposit: ORE. No not a bank deposit, silly.

36. Outlaw: NIX. Hmm, my in-laws are named NIX, so they are in-laws and outlaws!

37. Onetime Jeep mfr.: AMC. American Motors Company and one of the big four when the US controlled worldwide auto manufacture. Sadly the Rambler and the NASH American did not keep the company afloat, when the Pacer, their final effort to convince the country to drive smaller fuel efficient cars failed, they gave up. Not long after they folded, we had the first gas crisis and their small car ideas took hold.

38. Architect Mies van der __: ROHE. Did not know him, but he designed lots of BUILDINGS.

39. Pound sounds: ARFS. Another cute rhyme.

43. Fluted, in a way: FIFED. Not the champagne glass, but the guy playing the flute; hmm, a verb?

44. Old Spanish coins: REALS. Spanish Reals are often found at historic sites in the US, as during colonial days in the U.S., the silver Ocho Reales coin, referred to as the Spanish milled dollar, piece of eight, or eight bits, was the principal coin in circulation. Hence, the saying, 2 bits, 4 bits, 6 bits, a dollar; all for the home team stand up and holler. Some still refer to a quarter as two bits.

45. Web address ender: EDU.

46. House Judiciary Committee chair during the Nixon impeachment hearings: RODINO. This piece of trivia was buried deep in the brain, and crossing it with ESPOO really slowed me down. In the ironies of the world, and karma, Nixon was determined to impeach Abe Fortas, who eventually stepped down.

48. Critical moments to gear up for: D DAYS. JUNE 6, 1944 .

50. Maximum degree: HILT. This sweet phrase comes from the violent turn of stabbing a dagger or a sword into the victim all the way to the hilt (the protective handle).

51. European capital: OSLO. To our Norwegian brethren, we shout out.

52. Hubbard of Scientology: L RON. Yes, I like my religion from an unsuccessful science fiction author.

53. Team acronym: SWAT. Special Weapons and Tactics.

54. John with Emmys and a journalism award: TESH. A singer, a talk show host, a piano player and a journalist.

56. Rancher's concern: HERD. Not this ONE .

59. Jamboree gp.: BSA. We had Boy Scouts of America in the very first puzzle I blogged, back in the day.

60. Be in session: SIT. Congress, or the courts, like the Supreme Court!

61. Trendy boot brand: UGG. Worn by our temperature challenged crew, including dear Lo-li-ta. Do they come in red Fishie? I guess they do not sell too well in Arizona.

Answer grid.

Well, a long day ahead, so I am out of here, hope you enjoyed the show; see you same bat channel, same bat time.

Lemonade