Theme: PURPLE HAZE ALL IN MY BRAIN! (This will become clear later.)
16A. Words of protest : WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA? Sarcasm - the idea isn't big at all. I heard this so many times when I was kid!
21A. King's memorable words : I HAVE A DREAM. One of the most famous quotes of the 20th century, from a speech on August 28, 1963 by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr, who really did have big ideas.
33A. Lennon's last album released before his death : DOUBLE FANTASY. Not familiar with it. Three weeks after it's release in 1980, John Lennon was killed on my birthday.
49A. Pensive state : DEEP THOUGHT. Also, the mega computer in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. At the time, it was a play on "Deep Throat."
And, of course, the unifier: 55. Sports psychologist's mantra ... or what can be said about the last word of 16-, 21-, 33- or 49-Across : IT'S ALL IN THE MIND. Like a purple haze.
Hi gang, it's JazzBumpa, able to spend some quality time at The Corner and devote what's between my ears to puzzledom, now that the December performances are in the past tense. Rather a rich musical sub-theme to this puzzle, too as we'll see and hear. Is it in tune? Let's find out.
ACROSS
1. 2007 Oscar winner (Best Original Screenplay) about a pregnant teenager : JUNO. Didn't see it.
5. Greenish-blue : AQUA
9. Astronaut's thumbs-ups : A-OKS
13. "Gimme __": "Be right with you" : A SEC. Short for a second, of course. Someone who wants to take a little longer might say, "Gimme some secs."
14. Turn one's nose up at : SPURN. Hell hath no fury like a woman who has been turned down, or whose nose has been turned up. Yes, I know that's SCORNED not SPURNED, but - hey - close enough.
15. __ the fat : CHEW. To CHEW the fat is to engage in idle chatter. Does anyone know the origin of this interesting expression?
19. High nest : AERIE. I never know how to spell this word, so it always gives me an eerie feeling.
20. Very capable : ADEPT. Like some left handed guitarists.
26. Sound during a massage : AAH. Or, perhaps, "OOF!" That depends on how deeply she's digging into my levator scapula.
27. Do a goalkeeper's job : DEFEND. In soccer or hockey. Get the puck out of here! If you combined soccer with hockey, would it be sockey or hocker?
28. Island in the French West Indies, familiarly : ST. BART'S According to Wikipedia, "officially the Collectivity of Saint Barthelemy (French: Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy), is an overseas collectivity of France. Often abbreviated to Saint-Barth in French, or St. Barts in English, the collectivity is one of the four territories among the Leeward Islands in the northeastern Caribbean that comprise the French West Indies, along with Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint Martin." And, to complete our Caribbean holiday 42. Island nation west of Haiti : JAMAICA. JAMAICA is due south of Cuba, ST. BART'S is in the island chain due east of Puerto Rico.
30. Hockey great : ORR. Bobby ORR was a Boston Bruin for many years. He was a defense man, but not a goalkeeper. If it's hockey and 3 letters, fill in ORR and move on. I wonder why we never see Borje Salming in X-words?
31. Elect : VOTE IN. You can be disappointed right away if your candidate loses, or later on if (s)he wins.
39. Uses a LaserJet : PRINTS. Sadly, mine went kablooey last week, after 14 years of faithful service.
40. "Oh, what a tangled __ we weave": Scott : WEB. " . . .When first we practise to deceive!" From Canto VI, XVII of Sir Walter Scott's epic poem, Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field. I can't wait to see "XVII" so clued!
45. Mineral used in glassmaking : SILICA, better known as sand. Common window glass is called soda-lime-silica glass, after it's major components. Attempts to substitute lemon for the lime have never been successful. Soda - lime- gin in a glass is almost, but not quite, a gimlet.
48. "... man __ mouse?" : OR A. The first of two really awkward partials. A sour note, in my opinion.
52. Nairobi is its capital : KENYA. A country in East-central Africa.
54. Kingdom : REALM. Literally, the dominion of a king, from the old French reaume.
61. Time for lunch : NOON. Synonymous, more or less.
62. Machu Picchu's range : ANDES. The mountain range forming the backbone of South America.
63. Theater honor : OBIE. Off-Broadway theater awards.
64. Instrument in a Chinese temple : GONG. I wanted to link to a YouTube vid, but they all seem to be several minutes long. More long GONGing than I'm wanting.
65. Makes slick, in a way : OILS. Lubricates with oil.
66. Letters at the end of a love letter : XOXO. Hugs and kisses - retro textese. Sok Csok in Hungarian.
DOWN
1. Boxer's target : JAW. Occasionally, they seem to be made of soda-lime-silica.
2. Escort to a seat, in slang : USH. Ish - a back formation: to this way of thinking, an USHER is one who USHES; until the house falls, I suppose.
3. Cultural funding gp. : NEA. The National Endowment for the Arts.
4. C to C, e.g. : OCTAVE. Sadly, your resident trombonist need perp help for this one. And I just improvised 16 measures against a C7 chord Monday night - using the G diminished scale. Sounded weird, even to me.
5. Nuisance to gardeners : APHID. Yesterday we had ant lions, today we have ant cows.
6. Kooky : QUEER. Strange, odd, outre, out of the ordinary. "This is the rather old-fashioned and only slightly pejorative sense of the word," Tom said, gaily.
7. Suffix with sub : URB. According to Wikipedia a SUBURB can be a residential area within a city. I have never heard it used that way. In my experience, a SUBURB is a residential area within commuting distance of a city. Also, the best place for a dressmaker's shop: on the outskirts of town.
8. Singer/songwriter DiFranco : ANI. I guess this song is about Howard Johnson.
9. Low-pH substance : ACID. If you must know, pH is the negative log of hydrated hydrogen ion concentration. The scale runs from 0 to 14, with smaller number indicating higher acidity. The neutral point is 7, and numbers between 7 and 14 are alkaline. I'll let Al decide if there's going to be a quiz.
10. "Goodness!" : OH, DEAR, what can the matter be?
11. Try and try again : KEEP AT. My motto is, If at first you don't succeed, the hell with it!
12. Mowed strips : SWATHS
14. Pricey strings, for short : STRAD. A Stradivarius violin. These instruments made by members of the Stradivari family in the late 1600's are valued in the millions. You can get a decent used trombone for a few hundred bucks.
17. Witnessed : SEEN. "I was witnessed," not "I witnessed.' Passive voice is used in a tricky way here.
18. Chess sacrifice : GAMBIT. Not exactly. A GAMBIT might involve a sacrifice, or just be a tricky move that presents your opponent with a bewildering array of alternatives.
21. Altar words : I DO. The LW and I spoke these words at the Court House in Dearborn. Not the best decision we ever made. The venue, I mean. The decision to get married was one of our best.
22. Gnus' group : HERD. Heard of Gnus? Could there be a wilder beast? That is one tough mama!
23. Hairstyle for Hendrix : AFRO. "Excuse me while I kiss this guy," and the explanation for today's theme.
24. These, in Juarez : ESTAS. I wanted ESSOS. Another spelling conundrum.
25. "... two fives for __?" : A TEN. You decide if this is a good trade.
29. Prefix with gram : ANA. Aha! - An Anagram! Jerome, we need you . . .
31. __ cavae: large blood vessels : VENAE. Collectively, these are the superior VENA cava and inferior VENA cava, large veins that carry deoxygenated blood into the right auricle of the heart.
32. Frequently, to a bard : OFT. "Often" is OFT thusly truncated - or so they would have us believe.
34. Dance-storm link : UP A. The second awkward partial. Which do think is superior or inferior?
35. Like some showers : BRIDAL. The BRIDE-to-be is showered with gifts. This is neither a rain storm not a wet t-shirt contest.
36. Wingless parasites : LICE. I will not link. The ant lion was bad enough.
37. Gulp from a flask : SWIG. "Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle."
38. "Gross!" : YECH. You might want to wipe it off before taking a SWIG.
41. Creature that "sees" using echolocation : BAT. The "blind as a BAT" creature uses it's own natural sonar to navigate.
42. Pulling one's leg : JOKING. Another curious expression.
43. Schoolyard argument retort : ARE TOO. You are one. You and I are too!
44. Controversial rocker Marilyn : MANSON. Not his real name, and not worthy of link.
45. Old Persian rulers : SHAHS.
46. Heracles' beloved : IOLE. No idea.
47. Klutz : LUMMOX. The origin of this clumsy word is unknown. But it did lead me here. Has anyone used this site?
50. Gearshift letters : PRNDL. Acronym of Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive, Low, pronouced "prindle," almost like ersatz potato chips.
51. Heads, to Henri : TETES. Alliteration suggests a foreign word, Henri suggests that it's French. And inside those TETES is another possible connection to the theme.
53. Partner of yin : YANG. Each completes the other. "Within their closed circumference one can find/ Two curves in perfect fit, his YANG, her yin/ That in each cycle once again begin/ To cluster into love's sweet spiral bind." AHH - poetry!
56. __-tzu : LAO. A mystic philosopher of ancient China, author of the Tao Te Ching, who also exists in many variant spellings.
57. Pasta ending : INI. An interesting non-self-referential affix clue. An example would be ROTINI, since we were speaking of spirals.
58. Native of Nigeria : IBO. The IBO, IGBO or IBOE are largest ethnic group in Nigeria.
59. Prohibit : NIX. This comes to us from the German word "Nichts" meaning "nothing." It is also a treatment for 36D (the answer, not a lingerie reference.) Ixnay on the icelay!
60. "Gloria in Excelsis __" : DEO. Glory to God in the highest. "And peace to his people on earth," the words continue. A prayerful and joyous end to today's puzzle.
Answer grid.
There you have it folks, a nice Wednesday puzzle, fun to solve and fun to write up. Hope you enjoyed it.
Cheers!
JzB (who really does know it's "kiss the sky.")
Notes from C.C.:
Congratulations to John Lampkin on his NY Times debut today. Please click here for the Wordplay interview. John also has a LAT tomorrow and a Chronicle of Higher Learning on Friday. Quite a remarkable feat!
Dec 15, 2010
Dec 14, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 Billie Truitt
Theme: J_N - Fill in the space with a vowel, A thru U, and create an entry that starts with it.
18A. Actress in a classic shower scene: JANET LEIGH
23A. Weight management guru: JENNY CRAIG
38A. 1996 Schwarzenegger Christmas comedy: "JINGLE ALL THE WAY"
51A. Comedy Central satirist: JON STEWART. All the other J?N words are embedded in another word.
56A. Kipling story collection, with "The": JUNGLE BOOK
Argyle here.
I checked twice, today is Tuesday. Puzzle feels harder than normal.
Across:
1. Pathfinder org. : NASA. The Mars Pathfinder was designed to be a demonstration of the technology necessary to deliver a lander and a free-ranging robotic rover to the surface of Mars.
5. D-Day carriers : LSTs. There were other ships but we only get this one.
9. Hi-tech classroom : PC LAB
14. Sixth Jewish month : ADAR
15. Tuckered out : BEAT
16. Bowl, e.g. : ARENA. "Are you ready for some football?" Well, maybe not the Metrodome.
17. Siamese checkers? : VETS. Siamese cats and veterinarian doctors.
20. Geometry truth : AXIOM
22. Low-lying area : VALE and 27. Low-lying area : DALE
31. Lieut. producer : OCS. Officer Candidate School (OCS) Graduates are brown bars(due to the subdued gold color of the single bar insignia), second lieutenants.
32. Beaujolais's department : RHONE. Quincié-en-Beaujolais is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.
33. Through : VIA
34. Blast from the past : A-TEST
35. Like this answer : ACROSS
42. Consensus builder : UNITER
43. Mountaineer's tool : ICE AX. Image. Used in mountain climbing.
44. Sleepy colleague? : DOC. Has anyone been keeping track of how many of the dwarves we've had?
45. Pops : SODAS
46. Inflation stat. : CPI. Consumer Price Index (CPI)
49. Most eligible for the draft : ONE A
53. Leeway : ROOM
55. First name in morning talk : REGIS. "LIVE! with Regis & Kelly" Regis Francis Xavier Philbin and Kelly Maria Ripa.
62. Prefix with -gon : DECA
63. "The Interpretation of Dreams" author : FREUD. Dr. Sigmund Freud.
64. Italian bread? : EURO
65. Golfer Norman : GREG. AKA, the Shark. His 2010 Shark Shootout was last week.
66. Patched pants parts : KNEES
67. Barbecue specialty : RIBS. Ummm! Bar-B-Q.
68. Standard Oil name : ESSO. In Canada.
Down:
1. Hogan dweller : NAVAJO. The hogan was much more permanent than the teepees of the plains Indians.
2. Madison Ave. VIP : AD EXEC
3. Some lustrous dresses : SATINS
4. Flaming offense : ARSON
5. Successor to 56-Down : LBJ. Lyndon Baines Johnson. 56. He defeated RMN : JFK. John Fitzgerald Kennedy defeated Richard Milhous Nixon.
6. Bounding main : SEA
7. Salon acquisition : TAN
8. Wonder of music : STEVIE. Started out as "Little Stevie Wonder". I like the way this song(4:45) starts out.
9. Cloud of gloom : PALL
10. Words to live by : CREED
11. Wahine's gift : LEI
12. Director Lee : ANG
13. Dickensian cry : "BAH!". Trivia: Scrooge uttered "Bah! Humbug!" only twice in the entire book.
19. Luggage label : TAG
21. __ Beach: South Carolina resort : MYRTLE
24. Shout of approval : CHEER. Not the actual word; had me going for quite awhile.
25. Parks on a bus : ROSA. But not on the back of the bus.
26. Adult doodlebug : ANT LION. The larva is often called "doodlebug", the adult is often called "lacewing". So where do they get the name Ant Lion? Well it's mainly because they are deadly predators (like lions) and their main diet is usually ants. Want some of your own? Buy 'em here, LittleAussieProducts.
28. Declare : AVOW
29. Maggie Simpson's sister : LISA. Part of the animated TV family.
30. Like pie? : EASY. I know a lot of cooks wonder where "easy as pie" came from.
34. Author's rep. : AGT.. Agent.
35. Really got to : ATE AT
36. Milder drink than the one before it : CHASER. I tried WEAKER for awhile.
37. "Oedipus __" : REX. The Latin title of a Greek play, Oedipus the King, an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 BC.
38. Karate kin : JUDO
39. Privy to : IN ON
40. "Good one!" : "NICE!"
41. Watch readouts, for short : LCDs. Think wristwatch, liquid crystal displays.
45. Melancholy : SOMBER
46. Court shooters : CAGERS. On the basketball court, shooting baskets. Trivia: An early rule of the game was that when the ball went out of bounds, the team who touched it first got possession of the ball. This resulted in scuffles with the fans getting involved! So a fence of cage wire was erected around the court to keep the ball in bounds; whence the term, cagers, for the players inside. Finally, they decided changing the rule was easier than maintaining the fence.
47. Inflation drives them up : PRICES
48. "We're on!" : "IT'S A GO!"
50. Have a dispute : ARGUE
51. Average guy? : JOE
52. Club for most greenside shots : WEDGE. Golf.
54. Auto pioneer : OLDS. Ransom Eli Olds.
57. Coffee source for a crowd : URN
58. Originally called : NÉE
59. Yes, to Yvette : OUI. French.
60. Poetic planet : ORB
61. Levels, briefly : KOs. Knocks out.
Answer grid.
Argyle
18A. Actress in a classic shower scene: JANET LEIGH
23A. Weight management guru: JENNY CRAIG
38A. 1996 Schwarzenegger Christmas comedy: "JINGLE ALL THE WAY"
51A. Comedy Central satirist: JON STEWART. All the other J?N words are embedded in another word.
56A. Kipling story collection, with "The": JUNGLE BOOK
Argyle here.
I checked twice, today is Tuesday. Puzzle feels harder than normal.
Across:
1. Pathfinder org. : NASA. The Mars Pathfinder was designed to be a demonstration of the technology necessary to deliver a lander and a free-ranging robotic rover to the surface of Mars.
5. D-Day carriers : LSTs. There were other ships but we only get this one.
9. Hi-tech classroom : PC LAB
14. Sixth Jewish month : ADAR
15. Tuckered out : BEAT
16. Bowl, e.g. : ARENA. "Are you ready for some football?" Well, maybe not the Metrodome.
17. Siamese checkers? : VETS. Siamese cats and veterinarian doctors.
20. Geometry truth : AXIOM
22. Low-lying area : VALE and 27. Low-lying area : DALE
31. Lieut. producer : OCS. Officer Candidate School (OCS) Graduates are brown bars(due to the subdued gold color of the single bar insignia), second lieutenants.
32. Beaujolais's department : RHONE. Quincié-en-Beaujolais is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.
33. Through : VIA
34. Blast from the past : A-TEST
35. Like this answer : ACROSS
42. Consensus builder : UNITER
43. Mountaineer's tool : ICE AX. Image. Used in mountain climbing.
44. Sleepy colleague? : DOC. Has anyone been keeping track of how many of the dwarves we've had?
45. Pops : SODAS
46. Inflation stat. : CPI. Consumer Price Index (CPI)
49. Most eligible for the draft : ONE A
53. Leeway : ROOM
55. First name in morning talk : REGIS. "LIVE! with Regis & Kelly" Regis Francis Xavier Philbin and Kelly Maria Ripa.
62. Prefix with -gon : DECA
63. "The Interpretation of Dreams" author : FREUD. Dr. Sigmund Freud.
64. Italian bread? : EURO
65. Golfer Norman : GREG. AKA, the Shark. His 2010 Shark Shootout was last week.
66. Patched pants parts : KNEES
67. Barbecue specialty : RIBS. Ummm! Bar-B-Q.
68. Standard Oil name : ESSO. In Canada.
Down:
1. Hogan dweller : NAVAJO. The hogan was much more permanent than the teepees of the plains Indians.
2. Madison Ave. VIP : AD EXEC
3. Some lustrous dresses : SATINS
4. Flaming offense : ARSON
5. Successor to 56-Down : LBJ. Lyndon Baines Johnson. 56. He defeated RMN : JFK. John Fitzgerald Kennedy defeated Richard Milhous Nixon.
6. Bounding main : SEA
7. Salon acquisition : TAN
8. Wonder of music : STEVIE. Started out as "Little Stevie Wonder". I like the way this song(4:45) starts out.
9. Cloud of gloom : PALL
10. Words to live by : CREED
11. Wahine's gift : LEI
12. Director Lee : ANG
13. Dickensian cry : "BAH!". Trivia: Scrooge uttered "Bah! Humbug!" only twice in the entire book.
19. Luggage label : TAG
21. __ Beach: South Carolina resort : MYRTLE
24. Shout of approval : CHEER. Not the actual word; had me going for quite awhile.
25. Parks on a bus : ROSA. But not on the back of the bus.
26. Adult doodlebug : ANT LION. The larva is often called "doodlebug", the adult is often called "lacewing". So where do they get the name Ant Lion? Well it's mainly because they are deadly predators (like lions) and their main diet is usually ants. Want some of your own? Buy 'em here, LittleAussieProducts.
28. Declare : AVOW
29. Maggie Simpson's sister : LISA. Part of the animated TV family.
30. Like pie? : EASY. I know a lot of cooks wonder where "easy as pie" came from.
34. Author's rep. : AGT.. Agent.
35. Really got to : ATE AT
36. Milder drink than the one before it : CHASER. I tried WEAKER for awhile.
37. "Oedipus __" : REX. The Latin title of a Greek play, Oedipus the King, an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 BC.
38. Karate kin : JUDO
39. Privy to : IN ON
40. "Good one!" : "NICE!"
41. Watch readouts, for short : LCDs. Think wristwatch, liquid crystal displays.
45. Melancholy : SOMBER
46. Court shooters : CAGERS. On the basketball court, shooting baskets. Trivia: An early rule of the game was that when the ball went out of bounds, the team who touched it first got possession of the ball. This resulted in scuffles with the fans getting involved! So a fence of cage wire was erected around the court to keep the ball in bounds; whence the term, cagers, for the players inside. Finally, they decided changing the rule was easier than maintaining the fence.
47. Inflation drives them up : PRICES
48. "We're on!" : "IT'S A GO!"
50. Have a dispute : ARGUE
51. Average guy? : JOE
52. Club for most greenside shots : WEDGE. Golf.
54. Auto pioneer : OLDS. Ransom Eli Olds.
57. Coffee source for a crowd : URN
58. Originally called : NÉE
59. Yes, to Yvette : OUI. French.
60. Poetic planet : ORB
61. Levels, briefly : KOs. Knocks out.
Answer grid.
Argyle
Dec 13, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010 Gareth Bain
Theme: Puzzle of the Moment - Four progressively longer periods of time that end the common phrase theme entries in the pattern of " __ OF THE __".
19A. Restaurant special: SOUP OF THE DAY
27A. '60s ABC boxing show: FIGHT OF THE WEEK
41A. Featured mail-order club offering: BOOK OF THE MONTH
47A. Motor Trend magazine award: CAR OF THE YEAR
Argyle here.
This is one of those rare ones where you can almost fill in the answer without seeing the clue. A neat trick to keep it simple but still fun. Good one, Gareth.
Across:
1. __ Squad: Best Buy service team : GEEK. One heck of a marketing gimmick. VW.
5. Paving surface : TAR
8. Classic orange soda : FANTA. Fanta originated when ingredients for the production of Coca-Cola became difficult to obtain in the company's Germany plant during the build up to World War II. A fascinating write-up in Snopes.
13. Bit of subterfuge : RUSE
14. Naked : BARE
15. Ruthless J.R. on "Dallas" : EWING. TV's famous season ending cliffhanger, "Who Shot JR?".
16. Inland Asian sea : ARAL
17. Write on, as sheet metal : ETCH
18. Mediterranean island country : MALTA. Map. I've heard of Malta but not Gozo.
22. Barrio uncle : TIO
23. MSN rival : AOL
24. Rap's Dr. __ : DRE. It seems he's crossword's Doctor, also.
32. Fillies, as adults : MAREs
33. Singer Chris or actor Stephen : REA. Chris Rea: "Fool (If You Think Is Over)", Stephen Rea: "The Crying Game".
34. Tennis star/anti-apartheid activist Arthur : ASHE
35. Microwave gadget : TIMER
36. Sci-fi escape craft : POD. An escape pod figures importantly at the start of "Star Wars".
37. Geometry calculations : AREAs
38. Minute stake? : ANTE
39. Vienna's land: Abbr. : AUS. Austria.
40. Nasal detections : ODORS
44. B'way "no seats" sign : SRO
45. Contrived : PAT
46. Run in : NAB. Police-speak.
53. Ribs sauce style, briefly : BAR-B-Q
56. Silents actress Theda : BARA
57. Niger neighbor : MALI. Map.
58. French parting : "ADIEU"
59. What avengers get : EVEN. (Must resist urge to post picture of Mrs. Peel!)
60. Study a lot in a short time : CRAM
61. Roger who played Bond : MOORE. Bond, James Bond.
62. Low grade : DEE
63. Cathedral recess : APSE
Down:
1. Mardi __ : GRAS. FYI: Carnival celebration starts on January 6, the Twelfth Night (feast of Epiphany); and picks up speed until Midnight on Mardi Gras(March 8), the day before Ash Wednesday.
2. Continental cash : EURO
3. Biblical twin : ESAU
4. Brown seaweed : KELP
5. Bit of body art : TATTOO
6. Semicircular entrance : ARCH
7. Prepared, as leftovers : REHEATED
8. Doe, for one : FEMALE
9. On holiday, say : AWAY
10. Zero, in soccer : NIL
11. Explosive abbr. : TNT
12. __ Khan : AGA. The divinely ordained head of the Ismaʿili branch of Shiʿism.
14. Suits : BEFITS
20. Catchall category : OTHER
21. Qatar's capital : DOHA, Arab emirate.
24. The Kalahari, for one : DESERT. Map. I'll admit I thought of sushi for a sec.
25. Uninspired new version : REHASH
26. Barely gets by, with "out" : EKES
27. Key of Beethoven's "Appassionata" Sonata : F MINOR
28. "You are not!" rejoinder : "I AM TOO!"
29. Plato's language : GREEK. Does the Geek Squad speak computer Greek? I wonder.
30. First-year student, briefly : FROSH. Freshman.
31. __ Terror: Bush campaign : WAR ON
35. Bills at bars : TABS
36. Finished dealing with : PUT TO BED. Often said of publishing a paper.
37. Hacienda brick : ADOBE
39. "We Three Kings" adverb : AFAR
40. Certain Nebraskan : OMAHAN
42. Opposite of transparent : OPAQUE
43. Main dish : ENTRÉE
47. Trucker with a handle : CBer
48. Top choice, for short : FAVE
49. Song sung with arm motions : YMCA
50. O.K. Corral name : EARP. The Earp brothers, Wyatt, Morgan, and Virgil.
51. Word of sorrow : ALAS
52. "The __ of the Ancient Mariner" : RIME. A poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in 1798.
53. "Pow!" cousin : "BAM!"
54. Hoo-ha : ADO
55. __ Grande : RIO
So I'm weak! Mrs. Peel
Answer grid.
Argyle
19A. Restaurant special: SOUP OF THE DAY
27A. '60s ABC boxing show: FIGHT OF THE WEEK
41A. Featured mail-order club offering: BOOK OF THE MONTH
47A. Motor Trend magazine award: CAR OF THE YEAR
Argyle here.
This is one of those rare ones where you can almost fill in the answer without seeing the clue. A neat trick to keep it simple but still fun. Good one, Gareth.
Across:
1. __ Squad: Best Buy service team : GEEK. One heck of a marketing gimmick. VW.
5. Paving surface : TAR
8. Classic orange soda : FANTA. Fanta originated when ingredients for the production of Coca-Cola became difficult to obtain in the company's Germany plant during the build up to World War II. A fascinating write-up in Snopes.
13. Bit of subterfuge : RUSE
14. Naked : BARE
15. Ruthless J.R. on "Dallas" : EWING. TV's famous season ending cliffhanger, "Who Shot JR?".
16. Inland Asian sea : ARAL
17. Write on, as sheet metal : ETCH
18. Mediterranean island country : MALTA. Map. I've heard of Malta but not Gozo.
22. Barrio uncle : TIO
23. MSN rival : AOL
24. Rap's Dr. __ : DRE. It seems he's crossword's Doctor, also.
32. Fillies, as adults : MAREs
33. Singer Chris or actor Stephen : REA. Chris Rea: "Fool (If You Think Is Over)", Stephen Rea: "The Crying Game".
34. Tennis star/anti-apartheid activist Arthur : ASHE
35. Microwave gadget : TIMER
36. Sci-fi escape craft : POD. An escape pod figures importantly at the start of "Star Wars".
37. Geometry calculations : AREAs
38. Minute stake? : ANTE
39. Vienna's land: Abbr. : AUS. Austria.
40. Nasal detections : ODORS
44. B'way "no seats" sign : SRO
45. Contrived : PAT
46. Run in : NAB. Police-speak.
53. Ribs sauce style, briefly : BAR-B-Q
56. Silents actress Theda : BARA
57. Niger neighbor : MALI. Map.
58. French parting : "ADIEU"
59. What avengers get : EVEN. (Must resist urge to post picture of Mrs. Peel!)
60. Study a lot in a short time : CRAM
61. Roger who played Bond : MOORE. Bond, James Bond.
62. Low grade : DEE
63. Cathedral recess : APSE
Down:
1. Mardi __ : GRAS. FYI: Carnival celebration starts on January 6, the Twelfth Night (feast of Epiphany); and picks up speed until Midnight on Mardi Gras(March 8), the day before Ash Wednesday.
2. Continental cash : EURO
3. Biblical twin : ESAU
4. Brown seaweed : KELP
5. Bit of body art : TATTOO
6. Semicircular entrance : ARCH
7. Prepared, as leftovers : REHEATED
8. Doe, for one : FEMALE
9. On holiday, say : AWAY
10. Zero, in soccer : NIL
11. Explosive abbr. : TNT
12. __ Khan : AGA. The divinely ordained head of the Ismaʿili branch of Shiʿism.
14. Suits : BEFITS
20. Catchall category : OTHER
21. Qatar's capital : DOHA, Arab emirate.
24. The Kalahari, for one : DESERT. Map. I'll admit I thought of sushi for a sec.
25. Uninspired new version : REHASH
26. Barely gets by, with "out" : EKES
27. Key of Beethoven's "Appassionata" Sonata : F MINOR
28. "You are not!" rejoinder : "I AM TOO!"
29. Plato's language : GREEK. Does the Geek Squad speak computer Greek? I wonder.
30. First-year student, briefly : FROSH. Freshman.
31. __ Terror: Bush campaign : WAR ON
35. Bills at bars : TABS
36. Finished dealing with : PUT TO BED. Often said of publishing a paper.
37. Hacienda brick : ADOBE
39. "We Three Kings" adverb : AFAR
40. Certain Nebraskan : OMAHAN
42. Opposite of transparent : OPAQUE
43. Main dish : ENTRÉE
47. Trucker with a handle : CBer
48. Top choice, for short : FAVE
49. Song sung with arm motions : YMCA
50. O.K. Corral name : EARP. The Earp brothers, Wyatt, Morgan, and Virgil.
51. Word of sorrow : ALAS
52. "The __ of the Ancient Mariner" : RIME. A poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in 1798.
53. "Pow!" cousin : "BAM!"
54. Hoo-ha : ADO
55. __ Grande : RIO
So I'm weak! Mrs. Peel
Answer grid.
Argyle
Dec 12, 2010
Sunday December 12, 2010 Robert A. Doll
Theme: Familiar Endings - Same word starts and ends its familiar phrase.
22A. Memorable 1994 film exhortation : RUN FORREST RUN. From "Forrest Gump".
27A. Ruthless : DOG-EAT-DOG. It's a dog-eat-dog world.
35A. Skipping no pages : COVER TO COVER
53A. In detail : PLAY BY PLAY. I like Joe Buck. Very distinctive voice.
71A. Defend one's principles bravely : FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT. The only four-word entry.
88A. 1969 Bob Dylan hit : LAY LADY LAY. Unfamiliar to me. Sounds quite sexual.
107A. Lehane crime novel about a missing girl : GONE BABY GONE. Know it only because of the movie.
115A. Complete : OUT AND OUT
125A. Continually : YEAR AFTER YEAR
Why "Familiar Endings"? Because the last word repeats the first word?
Nine theme entries seem to be very common for our Sunday puzzles. I grokked the gimmick rather quickly due to its easy-to- detect pattern. As usual, some of the names gave me fits.
Across:
1. Bear mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympics : MISHA. Was clueless. Makes sense. Misha is such a common Russian name.
6. Like some dancing : AEROBIC
13. Grunt's position : McJOB
18. Modern messages : EMAIL. The clue is asking for plural form, isn't it?
19. Horace's "Ars __" : POETICA
20. Roll player : PIANOLA. See here for more information. Beyond my ken of knowledge. I actually read the clue as "Role player".
24. Well-fortified, in a way : ARMORED
25. __ Pie : ESKIMO. Have never tried it.
26. Nail site : TOE
29. Q5 maker : AUDI. Saw this clue before.
32. Intrude : IMPOSE
34. '60s activist Bobby : SEALE. The Black Panthers co-founder.
40. Spirited horse : ARAB
42. Nintendo's Super __ : NES
43. Game show name : ALEX (Trebek). "Jeopardy!".
44. Originate (from) : STEM
45. Bribe : SOP
47. "The Gold Bug" author : POE. Have you read the story?
49. "If you prick us, do we not __?": "The Merchant of Venice" : BLEED. Sigh. Shakespeare again.
51. Understood : SAW
59. Feature of many a bad review : SARCASM. Biting.
62. Here-there link : NOR
64. Pitching staff leaders : ACES. Baseball.
65. Have in spades : OOZE
66. "Hold it!" : WHOA
68. NASCAR racer Mark : MARTIN. Not familiar with this name. Viagra.
70. Penn or Pitt : ACTOR. Sean Penn. Brad Pitt.
75. He-men : STUDS
77. __ Tunes : LOONEY
78. Needing ice, maybe : SORE
79. "I, Claudius" role : NERO
80. Hard to catch : EELY
81. Power tool? : DAM. Water power?
83. Stock holder? : RANCHER. Livestock. Great clue.
91. Fate : LOT
93. "Three Coins in the Fountain" fountain : TREVI
94. Baltimore daily : SUN. Baltimore Sun.
95. Fa-la link : SOL
97. Maker of PowerCat soccer shoes : PUMA. First encounter with PowerCat.
100. Divided sea : ARAL
101. Crime show with two spin-offs : CSI. CSI Miami/NY.
104. Wilson's predecessor : TAFT
110. Lively movement : RONDO. Often the last movement of a sonata, says Dictionary.
112. "Twelfth Night" duke : ORSINO. Shakespeare again. No idea.
114. Foe of the Iroquois : ERIE. A tribe rather than our old lake clue.
117. Navig. aid : GPS
119. Like many beach bums : TANNED
124. Sports no-no : STEROID
129. Goes after crustaceans : SHRIMPS. Did not know shrimp can be a verb.
130. Access, in a way : LOG ONTO
131. India's first prime minister : NEHRU
132. SAT segment : ESSAY
133. Paul Anka love song with a Spanish title : ESO BESO. "That Kiss".
134. Bee killer, at times : STING
Down:
1. No more than : MERE. Wanted LESS.
2. 1989 Radio Hall of Fame inductee : IMUS (Don). Unaware of this trivia.
3. Went under : SANK
4. Old player : HI-FI
5. 10-time Gold Glove winner Roberto : ALOMAR. He was with the Indians when I came to the US. Second baseman.
6. Loan no. : APR (Annual Percentage Rate)
7. Want ad letters : EOE
8. Musical symbol : REST
9. Emperor under Pope Innocent III : OTTO IV. Need crossing help.
10. Galleys with two banks of oars : BIREMES. No idea. Bi = Two. Rem = Oar.
11. Post-ER area : ICU
12. Unofficial Seabees' motto : CAN DO. Learning moment to me. Seabee is formed from letter CB, Construction Battalion of the US Navy.
13. Hardly the macho type : MAMA'S BOY. Lovely entry.
14. 100 clams : C-NOTE
15. Aqaba is its only seaport : JORDAN. New trivia to me.
16. Corrida cry : OLE OLE
17. Scouting prizes : BADGES
20. Means to get in touch : PAGER
21. High dudgeon : IRE
23. Whomps : ROUTS
28. Adventurers/documentarians Martin and __ Johnson : OSA. Here is a photo of the couple.
30. Period, e.g. : DOT
31. Seals, as a deal : ICES
33. Support, with "up" : PROP
35. Hacks : CABS. Noun "Hacks".
36. Earthen stewpot : OLLA
37. Zig or zag : VEER
38. Perk recipient : EXEC
39. Muscat's land : OMAN
41. They may include ht., wt., skin color, etc. : APBS. APB = All-Points Bulletin.
46. Academy teacher : PLATO
48. Pleistocene, e.g. : EPOCH
50. Team with a mascot named Uga, familiarly : DAWGS. University of Georgia.
52. Bryn Mawr undergrads : WOMEN. One of the Seven Sisters.
54. Etcher's supply : ACIDS
55. Have a __: crave : YEN FOR
56. Ex-senator Trent : LOTT
57. Nitrogen-based dye : AZO. Learned from doing Xword.
58. Law closing? : YER. Closing to the word lawyer.
60. "Pipe down!" : SHH
61. Crüe-ish? : MOTLEY. Oh, a reference to Mötley Crüe.
63. Was relentless, as a storm : RAGED. Brutal weather here. At least 16" of snow since Friday night.
67. Reef ring : ATOLL
69. Shade of blue : ROYAL
70. Secret __ : AGENT
71. Violent anger : FURY
72. Admired stars : IDOLS
73. Georgetown athletes : HOYAS
74. Fund for later yrs. : IRA
75. Irreverent NBC hit : SNL
76. Something to take in the afternoon : TEA
80. Best of the stage : EDNA. Her face looks familiar. I must have googled her before.
82. Wear a long face : MOPE
84. Climber's challenge : CRAG
85. Parade honoree : HERO
86. Hunter of fiction : EVAN. Also known as Ed McBain.
87. Get to : RILE
89. Parent/teen sticking point : AUTONOMY. The answer just wouldn't jump to me.
90. Jellystone Park bear : YOGI. Yogi Bear.
92. CRT part : TUBE
96. Tale starter, perhaps : LONG AGO
98. Scratch : MAR
99. Grab __: eat on the run : A BITE
101. Rupert of "The Reivers" : CROSSE. No idea. Wikipedia says Crosse was the first African American to be nominated for a Best Supporting Academy Award for his role in "The Reivers".
102. __ Oldest Rivalry: Virginia/North Carolina annual college football game : SOUTH'S. Unknown to me.
103. Lays to rest : INTERS
105. Dietitian's forte : FOODS
106. __TV: "actuality" network : TRU. No idea.
108. "Piece o' cake!" : NO PROB
109. Hankers : YEARNS
111. "Beavis and Butt-head" spin-off : DARIA. Another complete unknown. Animated TV.
113. Elegance : STYLE
116. Go down a bit : DIP
118. Compos mentis : SANE
120. No, across the Bering Strait : NYET. Russian for "No".
121. Vintage pop : NEHI
122. Bring home : EARN
123. Put under : DRUG
126. Dawn deity : EOS. Greek Goddess of the dawn. The Roman equivalent is Aurora.
127. NBA stats : FTS (Free Throws)
128. To boot : TOO
Answer grid.
C.C.
22A. Memorable 1994 film exhortation : RUN FORREST RUN. From "Forrest Gump".
27A. Ruthless : DOG-EAT-DOG. It's a dog-eat-dog world.
35A. Skipping no pages : COVER TO COVER
53A. In detail : PLAY BY PLAY. I like Joe Buck. Very distinctive voice.
71A. Defend one's principles bravely : FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT. The only four-word entry.
88A. 1969 Bob Dylan hit : LAY LADY LAY. Unfamiliar to me. Sounds quite sexual.
107A. Lehane crime novel about a missing girl : GONE BABY GONE. Know it only because of the movie.
115A. Complete : OUT AND OUT
125A. Continually : YEAR AFTER YEAR
Why "Familiar Endings"? Because the last word repeats the first word?
Nine theme entries seem to be very common for our Sunday puzzles. I grokked the gimmick rather quickly due to its easy-to- detect pattern. As usual, some of the names gave me fits.
Across:
1. Bear mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympics : MISHA. Was clueless. Makes sense. Misha is such a common Russian name.
6. Like some dancing : AEROBIC
13. Grunt's position : McJOB
18. Modern messages : EMAIL. The clue is asking for plural form, isn't it?
19. Horace's "Ars __" : POETICA
20. Roll player : PIANOLA. See here for more information. Beyond my ken of knowledge. I actually read the clue as "Role player".
24. Well-fortified, in a way : ARMORED
25. __ Pie : ESKIMO. Have never tried it.
26. Nail site : TOE
29. Q5 maker : AUDI. Saw this clue before.
32. Intrude : IMPOSE
34. '60s activist Bobby : SEALE. The Black Panthers co-founder.
40. Spirited horse : ARAB
42. Nintendo's Super __ : NES
43. Game show name : ALEX (Trebek). "Jeopardy!".
44. Originate (from) : STEM
45. Bribe : SOP
47. "The Gold Bug" author : POE. Have you read the story?
49. "If you prick us, do we not __?": "The Merchant of Venice" : BLEED. Sigh. Shakespeare again.
51. Understood : SAW
59. Feature of many a bad review : SARCASM. Biting.
62. Here-there link : NOR
64. Pitching staff leaders : ACES. Baseball.
65. Have in spades : OOZE
66. "Hold it!" : WHOA
68. NASCAR racer Mark : MARTIN. Not familiar with this name. Viagra.
70. Penn or Pitt : ACTOR. Sean Penn. Brad Pitt.
75. He-men : STUDS
77. __ Tunes : LOONEY
78. Needing ice, maybe : SORE
79. "I, Claudius" role : NERO
80. Hard to catch : EELY
81. Power tool? : DAM. Water power?
83. Stock holder? : RANCHER. Livestock. Great clue.
91. Fate : LOT
93. "Three Coins in the Fountain" fountain : TREVI
94. Baltimore daily : SUN. Baltimore Sun.
95. Fa-la link : SOL
97. Maker of PowerCat soccer shoes : PUMA. First encounter with PowerCat.
100. Divided sea : ARAL
101. Crime show with two spin-offs : CSI. CSI Miami/NY.
104. Wilson's predecessor : TAFT
110. Lively movement : RONDO. Often the last movement of a sonata, says Dictionary.
112. "Twelfth Night" duke : ORSINO. Shakespeare again. No idea.
114. Foe of the Iroquois : ERIE. A tribe rather than our old lake clue.
117. Navig. aid : GPS
119. Like many beach bums : TANNED
124. Sports no-no : STEROID
129. Goes after crustaceans : SHRIMPS. Did not know shrimp can be a verb.
130. Access, in a way : LOG ONTO
131. India's first prime minister : NEHRU
132. SAT segment : ESSAY
133. Paul Anka love song with a Spanish title : ESO BESO. "That Kiss".
134. Bee killer, at times : STING
Down:
1. No more than : MERE. Wanted LESS.
2. 1989 Radio Hall of Fame inductee : IMUS (Don). Unaware of this trivia.
3. Went under : SANK
4. Old player : HI-FI
5. 10-time Gold Glove winner Roberto : ALOMAR. He was with the Indians when I came to the US. Second baseman.
6. Loan no. : APR (Annual Percentage Rate)
7. Want ad letters : EOE
8. Musical symbol : REST
9. Emperor under Pope Innocent III : OTTO IV. Need crossing help.
10. Galleys with two banks of oars : BIREMES. No idea. Bi = Two. Rem = Oar.
11. Post-ER area : ICU
12. Unofficial Seabees' motto : CAN DO. Learning moment to me. Seabee is formed from letter CB, Construction Battalion of the US Navy.
13. Hardly the macho type : MAMA'S BOY. Lovely entry.
14. 100 clams : C-NOTE
15. Aqaba is its only seaport : JORDAN. New trivia to me.
16. Corrida cry : OLE OLE
17. Scouting prizes : BADGES
20. Means to get in touch : PAGER
21. High dudgeon : IRE
23. Whomps : ROUTS
28. Adventurers/documentarians Martin and __ Johnson : OSA. Here is a photo of the couple.
30. Period, e.g. : DOT
31. Seals, as a deal : ICES
33. Support, with "up" : PROP
35. Hacks : CABS. Noun "Hacks".
36. Earthen stewpot : OLLA
37. Zig or zag : VEER
38. Perk recipient : EXEC
39. Muscat's land : OMAN
41. They may include ht., wt., skin color, etc. : APBS. APB = All-Points Bulletin.
46. Academy teacher : PLATO
48. Pleistocene, e.g. : EPOCH
50. Team with a mascot named Uga, familiarly : DAWGS. University of Georgia.
52. Bryn Mawr undergrads : WOMEN. One of the Seven Sisters.
54. Etcher's supply : ACIDS
55. Have a __: crave : YEN FOR
56. Ex-senator Trent : LOTT
57. Nitrogen-based dye : AZO. Learned from doing Xword.
58. Law closing? : YER. Closing to the word lawyer.
60. "Pipe down!" : SHH
61. Crüe-ish? : MOTLEY. Oh, a reference to Mötley Crüe.
63. Was relentless, as a storm : RAGED. Brutal weather here. At least 16" of snow since Friday night.
67. Reef ring : ATOLL
69. Shade of blue : ROYAL
70. Secret __ : AGENT
71. Violent anger : FURY
72. Admired stars : IDOLS
73. Georgetown athletes : HOYAS
74. Fund for later yrs. : IRA
75. Irreverent NBC hit : SNL
76. Something to take in the afternoon : TEA
80. Best of the stage : EDNA. Her face looks familiar. I must have googled her before.
82. Wear a long face : MOPE
84. Climber's challenge : CRAG
85. Parade honoree : HERO
86. Hunter of fiction : EVAN. Also known as Ed McBain.
87. Get to : RILE
89. Parent/teen sticking point : AUTONOMY. The answer just wouldn't jump to me.
90. Jellystone Park bear : YOGI. Yogi Bear.
92. CRT part : TUBE
96. Tale starter, perhaps : LONG AGO
98. Scratch : MAR
99. Grab __: eat on the run : A BITE
101. Rupert of "The Reivers" : CROSSE. No idea. Wikipedia says Crosse was the first African American to be nominated for a Best Supporting Academy Award for his role in "The Reivers".
102. __ Oldest Rivalry: Virginia/North Carolina annual college football game : SOUTH'S. Unknown to me.
103. Lays to rest : INTERS
105. Dietitian's forte : FOODS
106. __TV: "actuality" network : TRU. No idea.
108. "Piece o' cake!" : NO PROB
109. Hankers : YEARNS
111. "Beavis and Butt-head" spin-off : DARIA. Another complete unknown. Animated TV.
113. Elegance : STYLE
116. Go down a bit : DIP
118. Compos mentis : SANE
120. No, across the Bering Strait : NYET. Russian for "No".
121. Vintage pop : NEHI
122. Bring home : EARN
123. Put under : DRUG
126. Dawn deity : EOS. Greek Goddess of the dawn. The Roman equivalent is Aurora.
127. NBA stats : FTS (Free Throws)
128. To boot : TOO
Answer grid.
C.C.
Dec 11, 2010
Saturday December 11, 2010 Barry Silk
Theme: None
Total words: 70
Total blocks: 32
Barry placed one grid-spanner flanked by two 14s in the middle of his grid, the first two are making their major newspaper debut today:
30A. Dangerous inner city area : CONCRETE JUNGLE. Learning moment for me.
36A. Munsee-speaking people : DELAWARE INDIANS. I suspect this is Barry's seed entry.
38A. Subject of Michael Crichton's "Prey" : NANO TECHNOLOGY. Great answer.
As usual, some nice cross-references in Barry's themeless:
41A. 1-Down attendees: Abbr. : SRS. And PROM (1D. Event for 41-Across).
11D. Eastern leader since 1994 : KIM JONG-IL. Bad person. Good answer. Kim = Gold. Jong = Straight. Il = Sun. Il, with a different character, but same pronunciation, can also mean the F word.
44D. North __, 11-Down's country : KOREA
Quite a Scrabbly puzzle, two Js, one Z/X, only one Q away from being a pangram.
Across:
1. Psychiatrist's recommendation : PROZAC. So is Zoloft.
7. "Spanish Harlem" singer : BEN E. KING. Unknown to me. Here is the clip.
15. NFL team named for a Poe poem : RAVENS. Baltimore Ravens. Their mascot is named Poe. Very cool.
16. Male models, often : ADONISES
17. Dalí had a pet one : OCELOT. Unaware of the trivia.
18. Sitcom with a robot named Hymie : GET SMART. Only saw the silly film starring Steve Carell/Anne Hathaway.
19. Reason for an award : MERIT
20. TV host with a substantial car collection : LENO (Jay)
21. Morning choice : JAVA. Not mine.
22. Halloween sightings? : GHOULS
24. __ face : POKER
25. Music-licensing org. : BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc)
28. New York and Chicago have the oldest ones in the Americas : ELS
29. Circulation aid : FAN
39. "The Chronic" Dr. : DRE. The rapper. Was ignorant of the album. Great clue then.
40. Gas: Pref. : AER. Gas? I thought it's a prefix for "air", as in aerate.
42. Polyester used in casting : ALKYD. Both the clue & answer mean nothing to me.
45. Topsy-turvy state : BEDLAM
48. Inventor who received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1970 : MOOG (Robert). Synthesizer inventor.
49. Tarot suit : CUPS. Stumped. Know nothing about tarot.
50. Old Asian title : SAHIB. Literally "master," used in Colonial India.
54. Gall : IRRITATE
56. Scour, e.g. : ABRADE
57. Weaken : ENERVATE
58. Easy to handle : DOCILE. Apropos of nothing, I just read it somewhere that women prefer to date men who have dumped their partner before, while men prefer the dumpee because they are afraid of being dumped next. True?
59. Great Lakes routes : SEA LANES.
60. O, in many cases : OXYGEN. Was thinking of Oprah's O.
Down:
2. Tear : RACE
3. Through : OVER
4. Woody Allen film : ZELIG. The 1983 mockumentary.
5. Synonymous with, with "for" : ANOTHER WORD. Didn't come to me immediately.
6. Gary hrs. : CST. Gary, Indiana. I wonder what our Husker Gary was thinking.
7. Follower of everything? : BAGEL. Is "Everything bagel" a NY thing? I've never heard of it before.
8. Perfect places : EDENS
9. Say __: refuse : NO TO
10. Cincinnati trio? : ENS. The trio in the word Cincinnati.
12. "Wicked Game" singer Chris : ISAAK. Faintly rang a bell. Here is the song.
13. Courage : NERVE
14. The sun is one : G-STAR. Bill G linked this terrific comparison chart last time.
20. Brilliance, in Bristol : LUSTRE. Bristol, England. Hence the RE ending.
23. Fatty acid ester : OLEATE. Learned from doing Xword.
24. Repository of Greek mythology : PANDORA'S BOX. Great entry.
25. Alphabet trio : BCD
26. Big name in faucets : MOEN
27. At Dodger Stadium, briefly : IN LA
29. Pouring aid : FUNNEL
31. She "sets my heart awhirl," in a 4 Seasons hit : CANDY GIRL. Do you like the song?
32. Continental trade gp. : EEC (European Economic Community).
33. Holy wars : JIHADS. Literally.
34. Vientiane's land : LAOS
35. Caltech grad's occ., often : ENGR
37. Part of MS-DOS: Abbr. : SYS
42. Nice friends : AMIES. Nice the city in France.
43. Greene of "Bonanza" : LORNE
45. Mesa's cousin : BUTTE
46. Cousins of foils : EPEES
47. Mount __, New York's highest peak : MARCY. No idea, Argyle!
49. "Brian's Song" Emmy nominee : CAAN (James). Dennis the Dummy liked the movie, if I remember correctly. About Brian Piccolo. Quite sad.
51. Reagan secretary of state : HAIG (Alexander). "I'm in control here".
52. Not engaged : IDLE
53. "It's __ too long" : BEEN
55. Knoxville-based agcy. : TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)
56. Bother : ADO
Answer grid.
C.C.
Total words: 70
Total blocks: 32
Barry placed one grid-spanner flanked by two 14s in the middle of his grid, the first two are making their major newspaper debut today:
30A. Dangerous inner city area : CONCRETE JUNGLE. Learning moment for me.
36A. Munsee-speaking people : DELAWARE INDIANS. I suspect this is Barry's seed entry.
38A. Subject of Michael Crichton's "Prey" : NANO TECHNOLOGY. Great answer.
As usual, some nice cross-references in Barry's themeless:
41A. 1-Down attendees: Abbr. : SRS. And PROM (1D. Event for 41-Across).
11D. Eastern leader since 1994 : KIM JONG-IL. Bad person. Good answer. Kim = Gold. Jong = Straight. Il = Sun. Il, with a different character, but same pronunciation, can also mean the F word.
44D. North __, 11-Down's country : KOREA
Quite a Scrabbly puzzle, two Js, one Z/X, only one Q away from being a pangram.
Across:
1. Psychiatrist's recommendation : PROZAC. So is Zoloft.
7. "Spanish Harlem" singer : BEN E. KING. Unknown to me. Here is the clip.
15. NFL team named for a Poe poem : RAVENS. Baltimore Ravens. Their mascot is named Poe. Very cool.
16. Male models, often : ADONISES
17. Dalí had a pet one : OCELOT. Unaware of the trivia.
18. Sitcom with a robot named Hymie : GET SMART. Only saw the silly film starring Steve Carell/Anne Hathaway.
19. Reason for an award : MERIT
20. TV host with a substantial car collection : LENO (Jay)
21. Morning choice : JAVA. Not mine.
22. Halloween sightings? : GHOULS
24. __ face : POKER
25. Music-licensing org. : BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc)
28. New York and Chicago have the oldest ones in the Americas : ELS
29. Circulation aid : FAN
39. "The Chronic" Dr. : DRE. The rapper. Was ignorant of the album. Great clue then.
40. Gas: Pref. : AER. Gas? I thought it's a prefix for "air", as in aerate.
42. Polyester used in casting : ALKYD. Both the clue & answer mean nothing to me.
45. Topsy-turvy state : BEDLAM
48. Inventor who received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1970 : MOOG (Robert). Synthesizer inventor.
49. Tarot suit : CUPS. Stumped. Know nothing about tarot.
50. Old Asian title : SAHIB. Literally "master," used in Colonial India.
54. Gall : IRRITATE
56. Scour, e.g. : ABRADE
57. Weaken : ENERVATE
58. Easy to handle : DOCILE. Apropos of nothing, I just read it somewhere that women prefer to date men who have dumped their partner before, while men prefer the dumpee because they are afraid of being dumped next. True?
59. Great Lakes routes : SEA LANES.
60. O, in many cases : OXYGEN. Was thinking of Oprah's O.
Down:
2. Tear : RACE
3. Through : OVER
4. Woody Allen film : ZELIG. The 1983 mockumentary.
5. Synonymous with, with "for" : ANOTHER WORD. Didn't come to me immediately.
6. Gary hrs. : CST. Gary, Indiana. I wonder what our Husker Gary was thinking.
7. Follower of everything? : BAGEL. Is "Everything bagel" a NY thing? I've never heard of it before.
8. Perfect places : EDENS
9. Say __: refuse : NO TO
10. Cincinnati trio? : ENS. The trio in the word Cincinnati.
12. "Wicked Game" singer Chris : ISAAK. Faintly rang a bell. Here is the song.
13. Courage : NERVE
14. The sun is one : G-STAR. Bill G linked this terrific comparison chart last time.
20. Brilliance, in Bristol : LUSTRE. Bristol, England. Hence the RE ending.
23. Fatty acid ester : OLEATE. Learned from doing Xword.
24. Repository of Greek mythology : PANDORA'S BOX. Great entry.
25. Alphabet trio : BCD
26. Big name in faucets : MOEN
27. At Dodger Stadium, briefly : IN LA
29. Pouring aid : FUNNEL
31. She "sets my heart awhirl," in a 4 Seasons hit : CANDY GIRL. Do you like the song?
32. Continental trade gp. : EEC (European Economic Community).
33. Holy wars : JIHADS. Literally.
34. Vientiane's land : LAOS
35. Caltech grad's occ., often : ENGR
37. Part of MS-DOS: Abbr. : SYS
42. Nice friends : AMIES. Nice the city in France.
43. Greene of "Bonanza" : LORNE
45. Mesa's cousin : BUTTE
46. Cousins of foils : EPEES
47. Mount __, New York's highest peak : MARCY. No idea, Argyle!
49. "Brian's Song" Emmy nominee : CAAN (James). Dennis the Dummy liked the movie, if I remember correctly. About Brian Piccolo. Quite sad.
51. Reagan secretary of state : HAIG (Alexander). "I'm in control here".
52. Not engaged : IDLE
53. "It's __ too long" : BEEN
55. Knoxville-based agcy. : TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)
56. Bother : ADO
Answer grid.
C.C.
Dec 10, 2010
Friday December 10, 2010 Don Gagliardo
Theme: STOCK OPTIONS (56A. Some employee benefits, and this puzzle's title) - meaning if you take a common phrase from the world of finance with the word “stock” in the phrase and you mix it up a little, you can create a new and humorous phrase, while still preserving the sound. STOCK OPTIONS allow an employee to buy shares in a company at a future date at a reduced price. And of course OPTION means having a choice to replace the word STOCK, with a sound alike: man is that a convoluted explanation to a fun theme. Anyway, please read the note from Don G. at the end.
20A. Shrink for a noted Vulcan?: SPOCK ANALYST. When STOCK ANALYST, someone who puts out reports on companies, becomes a shrink (psychoanalyst) for the Vulcan in "Star Trek", we have…
29A. Reason for a laundry odor?: SOCK ISSUE. STOCK ISSUE, an offering of shares in a company, when faced with stinky feet. I was told, if you scrub between your toes, you will lessen foot odor dramatically, any volunteers?
37A. Neighborhood garage sales?: SCHLOCK MARKET. The STOCK MARKET itself, can become the home for cheap items, from the Yiddish .
45A. Collection for an artist's garment?: SMOCK FUND. STOCK FUND, a mutual fund, where people can get buy an interest in many companies, and we all know painters and sculptors wear smocks to protect their clothes.
Can you think of one for SHOCK?
I just love Don Hard G’s work, and this was a pleasure, though I cannot put my finger any one aspect, as the cluing was creative, but all over the place, with deception, history, some esoteric information and lots of work to finish.
A few related clues like, SCIENCE FICTION: 14A "Rendezvous With __": Hugo-winning Arthur C. Clarke novel: RAMA. A wonderful book by the 2001: A Space Odyssey author and contemporary of, 40D. Many an Asimov character: ROBOT. Now here is a conundrum, is a Robot a character, or merely a thing? Asimov was amazing, and everyone should read the Foundation series, and if you like mysteries his Black Widower stories. They both were influenced by H.G. Wells, and The Time Machine which gave us 16A. Morlock fare: ELOI. Finally, 30D. Orson, e.g., in a '70s-'80s sitcom: ORKAN. We are over our Mork and Mindy quota aren’t we?
Or, GAMBLING: 24A What serious players play for: KEEPS. I really like this clue, especially followed by, 28A. Act that gets you a hand: DEAL. And our 67A. Roulette bet: NOIR, just French for Black.
And a bunch of law related stuff, so I could be the blogger, like: 6D. Speaks one's mind: OPINES. Like eschews, a favorite of lawyers, who do not like to ever just say something, they want to aver, or opine. 8D. First-year law student: ONE L. Ick, but real, sounds pompous to me. Then, 13D. Artificial locks: WIG. Which is like, 34D. Hairdo: COIF. This is an accepted variant of COIFFURE. Also, a legal honor society, derived from the barristers in England who all wore WIGS.
On with the rest.
Across:
1. Smart: CHIC. Smart, stylish, not intelligent.
5. Use a user ID: LOG ON. Use a user, nice phrase.
10. Look at: VIEW. This is why you should not stay up all night drinking before you go on TV . You will be one of the 70A. Lushes: SOTS.
15. "Brusha, brusha, brusha" toothpaste: IPANA. Man, we see a lot of Bucky these days.
17. Gp. dissolved 12/26/1991: USSR. I never thought of them as a group, was trying to think of rock and roll groups, which reminded me of 64A. It precedes di or da, in a Beatles song: OBLA. Time to LISTEN .
18. Hybrid big cat: LIGER. Have you all seen HERCULES who weights 900 pounds? Not to be confused with 36A. TV production co. whose mascot was Mimsie the Cat: MTM. No idea, though I remember Mary Tyler Moore and her husband Grant Tinker’s production company and the play on the MGM lion, with MTM and a kitty cat.
19. Half an ice grabber: TONG. Well, I think of the secret society they like to write about in mysteries, any truth C.C.?
23. Feature of Incan farms: TERRACE. I never knew about TERRACE FARMING but I guess schools teach more about native society than in my day.
33. Dry, as wine: SEC. There are also demi-sec (sweeter) and Brut (dryer) wines.
35. Untrained: RAW. I always think of raw recruits.
42. Point: AIM. My kind of pistol.
43. "This American Life" radio host Glass: IRA. Do not know this show. Anyone?
44. Fin. neighbor: NOR. Seems I always get a chance to shout out to our Norwegian friends.
49. "Tiny Toon Adventures" bunny: BABS. I never cared for the Tiny Toons, but with my kids I saw many episodes.
52. Mount also known as Horeb: SINAI. This is a very hot topic for biblical scholars but I will leave that to our own expert Hahtool and WIKIPEDIA .
53. Exterminate: ROOT OUT. More bible, as we root out all evil.
60. Slung food: HASH. My mental picture is MEL’S .
63. Initial strategy: PLAN A. How many of us ever have a plan B?
65. Sommer of "A Shot in the Dark": ELKE. Clouseau is back with a Pretty Woman.
66. Many a surfer: AOLER. Does that sound like a swear word to you too?
68. Diamond spoiler: FLAW.
69. 1954 event coded as "Castle Bravo": H TEST. This was 1,200 times more powerful than the bombs dropped in Japan, making many people who lived in the 50’s quite reasonably afraid of the impending end of the world, causing them to build underground shelters. My kids do not believe it.
Down:
1. Pie maker's pride: CRUST. Well, since we have so many wonderful cooks on our board directors, is it really the crust?
2. Locked, in a way: HASPED. It is a good thing I had the crosses because this would not have been in my head.
3. Marathoner's lament: I'M SORE. How about, I am an idiot for running 26 miles without being chased. I did however, teach Frank Shorter legal writing.
4. Traffic blocker: CAR CRASH. Been there too often.
5. Bath salt fragrance: LILAC. We had such pretty lilacs in pour yard when I was growing up.
7. Infatuated: GAGA. Is this SONG your cup of tea?
9. Not even one, with "a": NARY. A nice word from old western, “Nope nary an Injun around these parts.”
10. Chevy sportsters: VETTES. I always thought of Corvettes as a woman’s car, but maybe because my ex owned many of them.
11. UN workers' agcy.: ILO. International Labour Organization; notice the “u”, which tells you it is not an American group.
12. Two or more eras, in geologic time: EON. See, it is specific, sort of.
21. Infant who escaped Krypton: KAL EL. His father was JOR EL, but he became better known as Clark Kent and Superman.
22. Jet __: SKI.
25. Salinger title girl: ESME. With love and Squalor, another repeat performance.
26. Green stroke: PUTT.
27. Where to study for a Th.D.: SEM. Doctor of Theology, rather than Philosophy.
31. Word with nanny or web: CAM. Spying on your nanny? Which of course reminded of, 61D. __-American: ALL. So, who are we voting for the Heisman trophy, CAM Newton? He was at one time in Gainesville with Tebow.
32. Nine-time U.S. skating champ: KWAN. It seems almost every puzzle I blog contains a shout out to our figure skating females, who I am sure looked just like THIS .
37. Ventura County's __ Valley: SIMI. Most famous now I guess as the resting place of the corporeal remain of Ronald reagen.
38. "Let's go!": C'MON.
39. French wine term: CRU. This describes where a wine’s grapes were grown, without the specificity of a specific vineyard, though with Premier and Grand, it classifies the regions as to their reputations.
41. Three-course military supplies: K RATIONS. This was a hastily put together food package to feed a soldier, initially a paratrooper, three meals for a day. It replaced existing A B and C rations, and was not very nutritious, but did include some Chesterfields.
42. Symbol of stubbornness: ASS. No comment.
46. Some kind of nut: CASHEW. So simple, it was tricky.
47. Tool holder: KIT. I could not get LOIS to fit.
48. Goes on monotonously: DRONES. My real estate professor in law school, D.T. Smith, man could he talk and say nothing.
50. Playground mishap: BOOBOO. You sure about this career move JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE ?
51. Bright, as a porch: SUN LIT. Did you all have a sun porch growing up, like I did. Of course the sun only came out for a few weeks a year….
54. Dizzying genre: OP ART.? It can be disturbing, but it can also let your mind wander, what do YOU see in this PICTURE ? Hint, I was trying to keep a topic from the week going.
55. Nicholas I and II, e.g.: TSARS. Never the see the old CZAR any more, do we.
57. Hawaiian food fish: OPAH. Where have all of our Hawaiin posters gone? Anywya, I did not know this FISH .
58. Lump: CLOT. This was part of the most difficult section, as I think of clots only in terms of blood.
59. Broccoli relative: KALE. Broccoli is actually related to cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. It gets its name from the Italian, BROCCO, which means arm or branch (the Latin stem being Bracchium). Some people love this edible flower, while some children have been know to sit for hours at the table refusing to take even a bite, even foregoing a yummy dessert. You know who you are Brent and Kimberly. Anyway, if you like broccoli, you may also like to try broccoflower, a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. Broccolini, also called baby broccoli, is another new trademarked cross between broccoli and kale. According to nutritionists, raw or steamed broccoli is a superfood with anti-oxidant and ant-cancer ingredients.
60. Mag mogul with a mansion: HEF. Nice alliterative clue for the old Playboy Hugh Hefner.
62. Reggae precursor: SKA. An easy one, as almost every puzzle I blog does overlap my life; Devin, my youngest is going into the studio to record a couple of songs, and SKA was one of his musical influences.
Answer grid.
Thanks for inviting me into your homes, and I hope you enjoyed the show, until next time
Lemonade
Note from Don:
'This theme came to me in an instant. I heard the phrase “Stock Options”, and realized that I could come up with phrases where “stock” is normally used, and substitute a similar word to create wacky phrases. That is about all I can remember, except the first draft had to be revised, and Rich suggested an alternative. I thought the theme was also a little unusual, so it might have appeal from that perspective".
Here are a few beautiful pictures JD took from her recent Oahu trip. She also provided great captions. Click each one for clearer definition.
20A. Shrink for a noted Vulcan?: SPOCK ANALYST. When STOCK ANALYST, someone who puts out reports on companies, becomes a shrink (psychoanalyst) for the Vulcan in "Star Trek", we have…
29A. Reason for a laundry odor?: SOCK ISSUE. STOCK ISSUE, an offering of shares in a company, when faced with stinky feet. I was told, if you scrub between your toes, you will lessen foot odor dramatically, any volunteers?
37A. Neighborhood garage sales?: SCHLOCK MARKET. The STOCK MARKET itself, can become the home for cheap items, from the Yiddish .
45A. Collection for an artist's garment?: SMOCK FUND. STOCK FUND, a mutual fund, where people can get buy an interest in many companies, and we all know painters and sculptors wear smocks to protect their clothes.
Can you think of one for SHOCK?
I just love Don Hard G’s work, and this was a pleasure, though I cannot put my finger any one aspect, as the cluing was creative, but all over the place, with deception, history, some esoteric information and lots of work to finish.
A few related clues like, SCIENCE FICTION: 14A "Rendezvous With __": Hugo-winning Arthur C. Clarke novel: RAMA. A wonderful book by the 2001: A Space Odyssey author and contemporary of, 40D. Many an Asimov character: ROBOT. Now here is a conundrum, is a Robot a character, or merely a thing? Asimov was amazing, and everyone should read the Foundation series, and if you like mysteries his Black Widower stories. They both were influenced by H.G. Wells, and The Time Machine which gave us 16A. Morlock fare: ELOI. Finally, 30D. Orson, e.g., in a '70s-'80s sitcom: ORKAN. We are over our Mork and Mindy quota aren’t we?
Or, GAMBLING: 24A What serious players play for: KEEPS. I really like this clue, especially followed by, 28A. Act that gets you a hand: DEAL. And our 67A. Roulette bet: NOIR, just French for Black.
And a bunch of law related stuff, so I could be the blogger, like: 6D. Speaks one's mind: OPINES. Like eschews, a favorite of lawyers, who do not like to ever just say something, they want to aver, or opine. 8D. First-year law student: ONE L. Ick, but real, sounds pompous to me. Then, 13D. Artificial locks: WIG. Which is like, 34D. Hairdo: COIF. This is an accepted variant of COIFFURE. Also, a legal honor society, derived from the barristers in England who all wore WIGS.
On with the rest.
Across:
1. Smart: CHIC. Smart, stylish, not intelligent.
5. Use a user ID: LOG ON. Use a user, nice phrase.
10. Look at: VIEW. This is why you should not stay up all night drinking before you go on TV . You will be one of the 70A. Lushes: SOTS.
15. "Brusha, brusha, brusha" toothpaste: IPANA. Man, we see a lot of Bucky these days.
17. Gp. dissolved 12/26/1991: USSR. I never thought of them as a group, was trying to think of rock and roll groups, which reminded me of 64A. It precedes di or da, in a Beatles song: OBLA. Time to LISTEN .
18. Hybrid big cat: LIGER. Have you all seen HERCULES who weights 900 pounds? Not to be confused with 36A. TV production co. whose mascot was Mimsie the Cat: MTM. No idea, though I remember Mary Tyler Moore and her husband Grant Tinker’s production company and the play on the MGM lion, with MTM and a kitty cat.
19. Half an ice grabber: TONG. Well, I think of the secret society they like to write about in mysteries, any truth C.C.?
23. Feature of Incan farms: TERRACE. I never knew about TERRACE FARMING but I guess schools teach more about native society than in my day.
33. Dry, as wine: SEC. There are also demi-sec (sweeter) and Brut (dryer) wines.
35. Untrained: RAW. I always think of raw recruits.
42. Point: AIM. My kind of pistol.
43. "This American Life" radio host Glass: IRA. Do not know this show. Anyone?
44. Fin. neighbor: NOR. Seems I always get a chance to shout out to our Norwegian friends.
49. "Tiny Toon Adventures" bunny: BABS. I never cared for the Tiny Toons, but with my kids I saw many episodes.
52. Mount also known as Horeb: SINAI. This is a very hot topic for biblical scholars but I will leave that to our own expert Hahtool and WIKIPEDIA .
53. Exterminate: ROOT OUT. More bible, as we root out all evil.
60. Slung food: HASH. My mental picture is MEL’S .
63. Initial strategy: PLAN A. How many of us ever have a plan B?
65. Sommer of "A Shot in the Dark": ELKE. Clouseau is back with a Pretty Woman.
66. Many a surfer: AOLER. Does that sound like a swear word to you too?
68. Diamond spoiler: FLAW.
69. 1954 event coded as "Castle Bravo": H TEST. This was 1,200 times more powerful than the bombs dropped in Japan, making many people who lived in the 50’s quite reasonably afraid of the impending end of the world, causing them to build underground shelters. My kids do not believe it.
Down:
1. Pie maker's pride: CRUST. Well, since we have so many wonderful cooks on our board directors, is it really the crust?
2. Locked, in a way: HASPED. It is a good thing I had the crosses because this would not have been in my head.
3. Marathoner's lament: I'M SORE. How about, I am an idiot for running 26 miles without being chased. I did however, teach Frank Shorter legal writing.
4. Traffic blocker: CAR CRASH. Been there too often.
5. Bath salt fragrance: LILAC. We had such pretty lilacs in pour yard when I was growing up.
7. Infatuated: GAGA. Is this SONG your cup of tea?
9. Not even one, with "a": NARY. A nice word from old western, “Nope nary an Injun around these parts.”
10. Chevy sportsters: VETTES. I always thought of Corvettes as a woman’s car, but maybe because my ex owned many of them.
11. UN workers' agcy.: ILO. International Labour Organization; notice the “u”, which tells you it is not an American group.
12. Two or more eras, in geologic time: EON. See, it is specific, sort of.
21. Infant who escaped Krypton: KAL EL. His father was JOR EL, but he became better known as Clark Kent and Superman.
22. Jet __: SKI.
25. Salinger title girl: ESME. With love and Squalor, another repeat performance.
26. Green stroke: PUTT.
27. Where to study for a Th.D.: SEM. Doctor of Theology, rather than Philosophy.
31. Word with nanny or web: CAM. Spying on your nanny? Which of course reminded of, 61D. __-American: ALL. So, who are we voting for the Heisman trophy, CAM Newton? He was at one time in Gainesville with Tebow.
32. Nine-time U.S. skating champ: KWAN. It seems almost every puzzle I blog contains a shout out to our figure skating females, who I am sure looked just like THIS .
37. Ventura County's __ Valley: SIMI. Most famous now I guess as the resting place of the corporeal remain of Ronald reagen.
38. "Let's go!": C'MON.
39. French wine term: CRU. This describes where a wine’s grapes were grown, without the specificity of a specific vineyard, though with Premier and Grand, it classifies the regions as to their reputations.
41. Three-course military supplies: K RATIONS. This was a hastily put together food package to feed a soldier, initially a paratrooper, three meals for a day. It replaced existing A B and C rations, and was not very nutritious, but did include some Chesterfields.
42. Symbol of stubbornness: ASS. No comment.
46. Some kind of nut: CASHEW. So simple, it was tricky.
47. Tool holder: KIT. I could not get LOIS to fit.
48. Goes on monotonously: DRONES. My real estate professor in law school, D.T. Smith, man could he talk and say nothing.
50. Playground mishap: BOOBOO. You sure about this career move JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE ?
51. Bright, as a porch: SUN LIT. Did you all have a sun porch growing up, like I did. Of course the sun only came out for a few weeks a year….
54. Dizzying genre: OP ART.? It can be disturbing, but it can also let your mind wander, what do YOU see in this PICTURE ? Hint, I was trying to keep a topic from the week going.
55. Nicholas I and II, e.g.: TSARS. Never the see the old CZAR any more, do we.
57. Hawaiian food fish: OPAH. Where have all of our Hawaiin posters gone? Anywya, I did not know this FISH .
58. Lump: CLOT. This was part of the most difficult section, as I think of clots only in terms of blood.
59. Broccoli relative: KALE. Broccoli is actually related to cabbage, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. It gets its name from the Italian, BROCCO, which means arm or branch (the Latin stem being Bracchium). Some people love this edible flower, while some children have been know to sit for hours at the table refusing to take even a bite, even foregoing a yummy dessert. You know who you are Brent and Kimberly. Anyway, if you like broccoli, you may also like to try broccoflower, a cross between broccoli and cauliflower. Broccolini, also called baby broccoli, is another new trademarked cross between broccoli and kale. According to nutritionists, raw or steamed broccoli is a superfood with anti-oxidant and ant-cancer ingredients.
60. Mag mogul with a mansion: HEF. Nice alliterative clue for the old Playboy Hugh Hefner.
62. Reggae precursor: SKA. An easy one, as almost every puzzle I blog does overlap my life; Devin, my youngest is going into the studio to record a couple of songs, and SKA was one of his musical influences.
Answer grid.
Thanks for inviting me into your homes, and I hope you enjoyed the show, until next time
Lemonade
Note from Don:
'This theme came to me in an instant. I heard the phrase “Stock Options”, and realized that I could come up with phrases where “stock” is normally used, and substitute a similar word to create wacky phrases. That is about all I can remember, except the first draft had to be revised, and Rich suggested an alternative. I thought the theme was also a little unusual, so it might have appeal from that perspective".
Here are a few beautiful pictures JD took from her recent Oahu trip. She also provided great captions. Click each one for clearer definition.
Dec 9, 2010
Thursday December 9, 2010 Kurt Mueller
Theme: Add a letter - Not to the answer, but to each successive clue.
16A. M: JAMES BOND'S BOSS. Sir Miles Messervy, as per The Man With the Golden Gun.
25A. Ma: MRS KETTLE.
37A. Max: PHYSICIST PLANCK. The founder of quantum theory.
51A. Maxi: LONG SKIRT. You have to be a special kind of person to pull this off.
62A. Maxim: PITHY PRINCIPLE. Because "men's magazine" didn't fit...
Hi all, Al here.
A tough theme to continue, I could only go two more steps without resorting to plurals:
Maxima: Nissan Model
Maximal: BeastWars Transformer
I found this puzzle both fun and entertaining, almost Naddoresque in places for the choice of answers like JIM DANDY, CHEAPO, TRIKE, and ZANIER. Also clues that tied together like "little wood", "little butt", "little rascal", and other misdirections. There did seem to be a few names, most not too bad, but the cross of AFT and FROMM did make me have to guess at first, not being one to read classified ads.
ACROSS:
1. Magic: MOJO. Originally meant a lucky charm in the shape of a hand, often worn between the legs, by gamblers and by women (against infidelity). It may derive from the West African Fula word moco’o, a medicine man, or from Gullah moco, meaning witchcraft or magic.
5. Time in a classified ad: AFT. Afternoon, I'm guessing...
8. Syrian president: ASSAD.
13. Surrounded by: AMID.
14. Bud: BRO. Pal, chum, homey, cuz.
15. Little wood: COPSE. Shortening of "coppice", which also has the same meaning: a small grove of trees planted specifically for cutting.
19. So-so connection?: AND. The original use was just to indicate something that is unspecified: "If I want to do so and so, then that's my business!" A similar phrase is "such and such". It has evolved into a euphemism for something unmentionable due to common use, thus acquiring a negative connotation itself: "You dirty so and so!" .
20. __ forces: ARMED. The notion of arms seems to be "that which is fitted together." Meaning "heraldic insignia" (in coat of arms, etc.) originally displayed on shields of fully armed knights or barons.
21. Senate majority leader Harry: REID.
23. Baseball stat.: AVG.
28. More clownish: ZANIER. Originally Zanni, Venetian dialect variant of Gianni, pet form of Giovanni "John." A stock character in old comedies, he aped the principal actors.
31. Doesn't try to reach the green, in golf: LAYS UP. For a safer next shot, use one instead of losing two. Unless you're like me and lose the next two in the pond anyway.
32. Current letters: AC-DC. Also an Aussie hard rock band.
33. Less taxing: EASIER. Like this clue.
43. Most tender: SOREST. I had wondered about the use of "sore" in a few old movies as meaning "very" (I am plumb sore wore out), until the eytmology dictionary pointed out the related German word "sehr", which, oddly enough, means "very".
44. Pace: GAIT. "A walking, or departure", related to gate, from Old Norse gata, a way or path.
45. Low-quality: CHEAPO. Brings to mind bad-smelling cigars.
49. Sumatran swingers: ORANGS.
55. Site of a 1981 sitcom honeymoon: ORK. Mork & Mindy. We've been seeing a lot of them lately.
56. Minute amount: IOTA. The Greek letter "i", which is the smallest letter, so literally the least part of anything.
57. __ badge: MERIT.
59. "Big Blue": IBM. Perhaps the logo, suits, mainframe color, or a combination of all three.
66. Old number?: ETHER. Not a counting number, but to numb your senses, an anesthetic.
67. Instrument on which Jake Shimabukuro can play "Bohemian Rhapsody": UKE. Jake is simply awe-inspiring. I may have also linked his version of Harrison's WMGGW before, but I'm doing it again, just because I think it would have been an even better choice for the clue.
68. Kind of officer or shark: LOAN.
69. Meg and Robert: RYANS.
70. __ Perce tribe: NEZ.
71. Asian beef source: KOBE. Kobe beef fat will actually begin dissolving at 77F degrees, which means the meat will literally melt in your mouth. If prepared as steak, kobe beef cannot be cooked more than medium rare, as it would otherwise liquefy.
DOWN:
1. Goya subject: MAJA. Two paintings, same model and pose, one clothed, one nude.
2. Yemen neighbor: OMAN.
3. Crackerjack: JIM DANDY.
4. Poetic tribute: ODE. From Late Latin, a "lyric song".
5. Common crossword clue letters: ABBR. Why does the word abbreviate need to be so long?
6. "The Art of Loving" author: FROMM. Erich, who presents love as a skill that can be taught and developed. I thought that book was called the Kama Sutra...
7. Cartridge filler: TONER. I started thinking gunpowder, then ink.
8. Coolers, briefly: ACS. Recently saw this clue for air conditioners.
9. One may be choked back: SOB. There, there, just let it all out.
10. Stylish: SPORTY. Concerning cars, I guess.
11. They may be liquid or frozen: ASSETS.
12. Original "Star Trek" studio: DESILU. Was owned by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball.
17. Wise one: SAGE. Also an acoustic performance by Greg Lake of ELP.
18. Driller's deg.: DDS. Doctor of Dental Surgery.
22. Bank acct. entry: DEP. Deposit. Could have been INT.
24. Morrow and Damone: VICS.
26. One who lifts a lot?: KLEPTO. Lifting as slang for theft, not like these people.
27. '50s-'60s chief justice Warren: EARL.
28. Microwave: ZAP.
29. Cologne cry: ACH. German interjection. Lieber Augustin was a popular street musician, who, according to legend, fell into a pit filled with bodies of plague victims, late at night when he was drunk. Assuming that he was certain to catch the disease they left him for dead. Augustin did not contract the disease, which may have been owed to the influence of the alcohol. That sounds like a story for Ripley's Believe it or Not...
30. Boil over?: RECOOK. Over as "again", not as spilling onto the stove.
34. __ Jordan: Nike brand: AIR. I tend to avoid celebrity-endorsed products. Does that make me a hipster?
35. Vane dir.: SSE.
36. Part of TGIF: ITS. Thank God It's Friday. A mantra to take you to a happy place.
38. AOL et al.: ISPS. Internet Service Providers. It was pretty short-sighted to call it America on line, but the internet was young and hadn't taken over the world yet, I guess.
39. Culture medium: AGAR. They don't call it "smelly lab" for nothing... Not the agar itself, but the bacteria that gets grown on it.
40. Lover of Yum-Yum in "The Mikado": NANKIPOO.
41. Little butt?: CIG. Abbreviation for cigarette.
42. Gold meas.: KTS. Karats are the purity proportion. Carats are weight.
45. Second-century date: CLI. Well, it had to start with a C. After that, hope for perps.
46. Barrel worker: HOOPER. Someone had to make those metal bands that held the staves together.
47. Thing: ENTITY. That which is. Related to the crosswordese Latin word ESSE: "to be"
48. Hercule's creator: AGATHA. Hercule Poirot, Christie's Belgian detective with the active "little grey cells". David Suchet is my favorite portrayer.
50. Uniformed campus gp.: ROTC. Reserve Officers' Training Corps. I kept reading this as un-informed for some reason.
52. Little rascal: IMP. Originally just meant a shoot or graft of a plant, then transferred to human form with the sense of "newness". Pejorative association with phrases like "imp of Satan" gives us the present day meaning.
53. Chance to see what you missed the first time: RERUN.
54. Early mode of transportation: TRIKE. Cute clue. Early, meaning young, not ages ago. I wanted something else at first, like a horse.
58. Powerful 1966 hurricane: INEZ. Because the date was given to be in 1966, just find a female name that fits the perp letters and move along without further comment.
60. Yak: BLAB.
61. Word on a biblical wall: MENE. The idiom "The writing on the wall", to be able to foresee doom approaching, is a biblical story in the book of Daniel. King Belshazzar and his court praise the gods of gold and silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone. A disembodied hand appears and writes "Mene, Mene, Tekel u-Pharsin" on the wall. Daniel interprets this to mean God is displeased, and the end of the kingdom is at hand. Sure enough, the king is slain that night. You really had to be careful what you said to people back then, I guess...
63. Cock's mate: HEN. I've never heard it called that before...
64. Jr. and sr.: YRS. School years.
65. Type: ILK. Same. Related word: like
Notes from C.C.:
1) Today, we celebrate the birthday of the always attentive & caring Hahhool, who, together with Argyle & Dennis, has probably read every comment on the blog in the past two years, including those (deleted) mean-spirited troll posts.
2) We also celebrate, though a bit late, Bill G's return to his wonderful home & our blog for the holidays. Click here to see a picture of Bill, his loving wife Barbara and their three beautiful kids. And here to see Bill, Barbara and their adorable grand-kids. Both photos were taken last Sunday. Yesterday Bill asked how everyone pronounces "dissect". I "die-SECT", with long I. How about you?
Al
16A. M: JAMES BOND'S BOSS. Sir Miles Messervy, as per The Man With the Golden Gun.
25A. Ma: MRS KETTLE.
37A. Max: PHYSICIST PLANCK. The founder of quantum theory.
51A. Maxi: LONG SKIRT. You have to be a special kind of person to pull this off.
62A. Maxim: PITHY PRINCIPLE. Because "men's magazine" didn't fit...
Hi all, Al here.
A tough theme to continue, I could only go two more steps without resorting to plurals:
Maxima: Nissan Model
Maximal: BeastWars Transformer
I found this puzzle both fun and entertaining, almost Naddoresque in places for the choice of answers like JIM DANDY, CHEAPO, TRIKE, and ZANIER. Also clues that tied together like "little wood", "little butt", "little rascal", and other misdirections. There did seem to be a few names, most not too bad, but the cross of AFT and FROMM did make me have to guess at first, not being one to read classified ads.
ACROSS:
1. Magic: MOJO. Originally meant a lucky charm in the shape of a hand, often worn between the legs, by gamblers and by women (against infidelity). It may derive from the West African Fula word moco’o, a medicine man, or from Gullah moco, meaning witchcraft or magic.
5. Time in a classified ad: AFT. Afternoon, I'm guessing...
8. Syrian president: ASSAD.
13. Surrounded by: AMID.
14. Bud: BRO. Pal, chum, homey, cuz.
15. Little wood: COPSE. Shortening of "coppice", which also has the same meaning: a small grove of trees planted specifically for cutting.
19. So-so connection?: AND. The original use was just to indicate something that is unspecified: "If I want to do so and so, then that's my business!" A similar phrase is "such and such". It has evolved into a euphemism for something unmentionable due to common use, thus acquiring a negative connotation itself: "You dirty so and so!" .
20. __ forces: ARMED. The notion of arms seems to be "that which is fitted together." Meaning "heraldic insignia" (in coat of arms, etc.) originally displayed on shields of fully armed knights or barons.
21. Senate majority leader Harry: REID.
23. Baseball stat.: AVG.
28. More clownish: ZANIER. Originally Zanni, Venetian dialect variant of Gianni, pet form of Giovanni "John." A stock character in old comedies, he aped the principal actors.
31. Doesn't try to reach the green, in golf: LAYS UP. For a safer next shot, use one instead of losing two. Unless you're like me and lose the next two in the pond anyway.
32. Current letters: AC-DC. Also an Aussie hard rock band.
33. Less taxing: EASIER. Like this clue.
43. Most tender: SOREST. I had wondered about the use of "sore" in a few old movies as meaning "very" (I am plumb sore wore out), until the eytmology dictionary pointed out the related German word "sehr", which, oddly enough, means "very".
44. Pace: GAIT. "A walking, or departure", related to gate, from Old Norse gata, a way or path.
45. Low-quality: CHEAPO. Brings to mind bad-smelling cigars.
49. Sumatran swingers: ORANGS.
55. Site of a 1981 sitcom honeymoon: ORK. Mork & Mindy. We've been seeing a lot of them lately.
56. Minute amount: IOTA. The Greek letter "i", which is the smallest letter, so literally the least part of anything.
57. __ badge: MERIT.
59. "Big Blue": IBM. Perhaps the logo, suits, mainframe color, or a combination of all three.
66. Old number?: ETHER. Not a counting number, but to numb your senses, an anesthetic.
67. Instrument on which Jake Shimabukuro can play "Bohemian Rhapsody": UKE. Jake is simply awe-inspiring. I may have also linked his version of Harrison's WMGGW before, but I'm doing it again, just because I think it would have been an even better choice for the clue.
68. Kind of officer or shark: LOAN.
69. Meg and Robert: RYANS.
70. __ Perce tribe: NEZ.
71. Asian beef source: KOBE. Kobe beef fat will actually begin dissolving at 77F degrees, which means the meat will literally melt in your mouth. If prepared as steak, kobe beef cannot be cooked more than medium rare, as it would otherwise liquefy.
DOWN:
1. Goya subject: MAJA. Two paintings, same model and pose, one clothed, one nude.
2. Yemen neighbor: OMAN.
3. Crackerjack: JIM DANDY.
4. Poetic tribute: ODE. From Late Latin, a "lyric song".
5. Common crossword clue letters: ABBR. Why does the word abbreviate need to be so long?
6. "The Art of Loving" author: FROMM. Erich, who presents love as a skill that can be taught and developed. I thought that book was called the Kama Sutra...
7. Cartridge filler: TONER. I started thinking gunpowder, then ink.
8. Coolers, briefly: ACS. Recently saw this clue for air conditioners.
9. One may be choked back: SOB. There, there, just let it all out.
10. Stylish: SPORTY. Concerning cars, I guess.
11. They may be liquid or frozen: ASSETS.
12. Original "Star Trek" studio: DESILU. Was owned by Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball.
17. Wise one: SAGE. Also an acoustic performance by Greg Lake of ELP.
18. Driller's deg.: DDS. Doctor of Dental Surgery.
22. Bank acct. entry: DEP. Deposit. Could have been INT.
24. Morrow and Damone: VICS.
26. One who lifts a lot?: KLEPTO. Lifting as slang for theft, not like these people.
27. '50s-'60s chief justice Warren: EARL.
28. Microwave: ZAP.
29. Cologne cry: ACH. German interjection. Lieber Augustin was a popular street musician, who, according to legend, fell into a pit filled with bodies of plague victims, late at night when he was drunk. Assuming that he was certain to catch the disease they left him for dead. Augustin did not contract the disease, which may have been owed to the influence of the alcohol. That sounds like a story for Ripley's Believe it or Not...
30. Boil over?: RECOOK. Over as "again", not as spilling onto the stove.
34. __ Jordan: Nike brand: AIR. I tend to avoid celebrity-endorsed products. Does that make me a hipster?
35. Vane dir.: SSE.
36. Part of TGIF: ITS. Thank God It's Friday. A mantra to take you to a happy place.
38. AOL et al.: ISPS. Internet Service Providers. It was pretty short-sighted to call it America on line, but the internet was young and hadn't taken over the world yet, I guess.
39. Culture medium: AGAR. They don't call it "smelly lab" for nothing... Not the agar itself, but the bacteria that gets grown on it.
40. Lover of Yum-Yum in "The Mikado": NANKIPOO.
41. Little butt?: CIG. Abbreviation for cigarette.
42. Gold meas.: KTS. Karats are the purity proportion. Carats are weight.
45. Second-century date: CLI. Well, it had to start with a C. After that, hope for perps.
46. Barrel worker: HOOPER. Someone had to make those metal bands that held the staves together.
47. Thing: ENTITY. That which is. Related to the crosswordese Latin word ESSE: "to be"
48. Hercule's creator: AGATHA. Hercule Poirot, Christie's Belgian detective with the active "little grey cells". David Suchet is my favorite portrayer.
50. Uniformed campus gp.: ROTC. Reserve Officers' Training Corps. I kept reading this as un-informed for some reason.
52. Little rascal: IMP. Originally just meant a shoot or graft of a plant, then transferred to human form with the sense of "newness". Pejorative association with phrases like "imp of Satan" gives us the present day meaning.
53. Chance to see what you missed the first time: RERUN.
54. Early mode of transportation: TRIKE. Cute clue. Early, meaning young, not ages ago. I wanted something else at first, like a horse.
58. Powerful 1966 hurricane: INEZ. Because the date was given to be in 1966, just find a female name that fits the perp letters and move along without further comment.
60. Yak: BLAB.
61. Word on a biblical wall: MENE. The idiom "The writing on the wall", to be able to foresee doom approaching, is a biblical story in the book of Daniel. King Belshazzar and his court praise the gods of gold and silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone. A disembodied hand appears and writes "Mene, Mene, Tekel u-Pharsin" on the wall. Daniel interprets this to mean God is displeased, and the end of the kingdom is at hand. Sure enough, the king is slain that night. You really had to be careful what you said to people back then, I guess...
63. Cock's mate: HEN. I've never heard it called that before...
64. Jr. and sr.: YRS. School years.
65. Type: ILK. Same. Related word: like
Notes from C.C.:
1) Today, we celebrate the birthday of the always attentive & caring Hahhool, who, together with Argyle & Dennis, has probably read every comment on the blog in the past two years, including those (deleted) mean-spirited troll posts.
2) We also celebrate, though a bit late, Bill G's return to his wonderful home & our blog for the holidays. Click here to see a picture of Bill, his loving wife Barbara and their three beautiful kids. And here to see Bill, Barbara and their adorable grand-kids. Both photos were taken last Sunday. Yesterday Bill asked how everyone pronounces "dissect". I "die-SECT", with long I. How about you?
Al
Dec 8, 2010
Wednesday December 8, 2010 Dan Naddor
Theme: Size Matters - The first word of each theme answer is a synonym for very small. Toy, Pygmy, Miniature, and Dwarf are also terms used for certain small animal breeds (i.e., Dachschunds can be dwarf, toy, teacup, or micro-mini).
18A. Members of a small army : TOY SOLDIERS. Great clue. I think every kid played with these.
20A. Lumbering critter of Borneo : PYGMY ELEPHANT. So cute.
36A. Some Steinways : BABY GRAND PIANOS. Also, concert, parlor or boudoir grand. Baby grand is the smallest of the grands.
52A. Game often involving a windmill : MINIATURE GOLF. Anyone willing to take a crack at explaining this? (As Dennis says, so many lines.)
57A. Pluto, now : DWARF PLANET
Melissa here.
Melissa here.
An honor to blog one of the few remaining Dan Naddor puzzles. Full of his typical clever clues. I think he wanted us to have some fun with this one.
Dan also overlapped the first & last two pair of theme entries. Hard to achieve in Xword construction.
Across
1. Rd. traveler's stat : MPG. Miles per gallon.
4. Spinnaker, e.g. : SAIL
8. Tending to hang down : DROOPY. No one here though, it's others.
14. Treasure de la Sierra Madre : ORO. Oro is the Spanish word for gold.
15. "M*A*S*H" star : ALDA. Alan Alda. One of the greatest characters, in one of the greatest shows ever.
16. Merited : EARNED
17. Kung __ chicken : PAO. A spicy Sichuan dish with chicken, chili peppers, and peanuts, named after Ding Baozhen, who's title was Gōng Bǎo (宮保), or "palatial guardian."
22. Conger catcher : EELER
23. Publicize : AIR
24. Delivery experts, for short : OB'S. Obstetricians deliver babies. Cute.
27. Remnant : DREG
28. Stuffed : FULL. For you, Jeannie.
31. "Knock it off!" : STOP
32. Poker ploy : RAISE. Was thinking something more like bluff - great subtle clue.
34. Grumpy co-worker? : SNEEZY. Another fun clue.
40. WWII depth charge targets : U-BOATS
41. Bungling : INEPT. Thought of him. "A clue, a clue, a clue!"
42. Any day now : SOON
43. Bite like a beaver : GNAW. Great word.
44. Construction beam : I-BAR
48. Loud laugh : YUK
51. Take potshots : SNIPE
59. Former CNN anchor Dobbs : LOU
60. Wreck, as plans : DERAIL
61. Losing proposition? : DIET
62. Soul, to Sartre : AME
63. Start liking : TAKE TO
64. WWII Normandy battle site : ST. LO. From Wikipedia: Saint-Lô was almost totally destroyed (95% according to common estimates) during the Battle of Normandy in World War II, earning the title of "The Capital of the Ruins" from Samuel Beckett; it was even questioned whether to rebuild it or to leave the ruins intact as a testimony to the bombing.
65. OPEC unit : BBL. Oil - bbl is a designation for a standard unit of measure of a barrel of oil, 42 gallons.
Down
1. Swabbed : MOPPED
2. Bedtime ritual for many : PRAYER
3. Provider of millions of hits : GOOGLE. Great mis-direction.
4. Woodlands deity : SATYR
5. Lip balm ingredient : ALOE
6. Pastoral verse : IDYL
7. Cut with a surgical beam : LASE
8. Indian metropolis : DELHI
9. Tool for scouting pitchers : RADAR. Used to measure the velocity of a pitch.
10. "Are you out __?" : OR IN. Theme related?
11. Count that may diffuse anger : ONE TO TEN. Could prevent eight-to-ten.
12. Part of 1-Across : PER
13. QB's gains : YDS
19. Birthstone after sapphire : OPAL. September = Sapphire, October = Opal.
21. "When Harry Met Sally..." co-star : MEG RYAN.
25. Doofus : BOZO
26. 1974 CIA spoof : SPYS. Do not remember this.
28. Fragrant evergreens : FIRS. Timely. This just came up on Monday's comments. That time of year already ...
29. __ Today : USA
30. Red Square honoree : LENIN
31. Restaurant host's purview : SEATING
33. FBI employee : AGT. Agent.
34. Gush : SPEW
35. Barely beat : NIP
36. Not taking calls, perhaps : BUSY
37. "__ Ben Adhem": James Leigh Hunt poem : ABOU. I'll leave it to Clear Ayes.
38. Web surfer's shortcut : BOOKMARK
39. Paternity suit letters : DNA. Made me chuckle.
43. Intent : GOAL
45. Class with dissections, for short : BIO-LAB. Biology.
46. Poise : APLOMB. Great crossword word, two vowels, four consonants. Surprised we don't see it more often.
47. Gas up : REFUEL.
49. Not qualified : UNFIT
50. Double: Pref. : DIPLO. Diplomat, diplocardiac.
51. Brief brawl : SET-TO
53. Wrath, in a hymn title : IRAE. Dies Irae (Day of Wrath). So dramatic.
54. Smidgens : TADS
55. Military group : UNIT
56. Casting need : REEL. Fishing.
57. Banned bug killer : DDT. Thanks, in large part, to one of my heroes, Rachel Carson.
58. "Are __ pair?": "Send in the Clowns" lyric : WE A
Answer grid.
Notes from C.C.:
Today we celebrate the birthday of our trombonist/poet/wordsmith Jazzbumpa, Iron (I, Ron) in real life. This is one of my favorite blog photos, Ron with his Lovely Wife Gloria and their 11 grandchildren.
Melissa
Answer grid.
Notes from C.C.:
Today we celebrate the birthday of our trombonist/poet/wordsmith Jazzbumpa, Iron (I, Ron) in real life. This is one of my favorite blog photos, Ron with his Lovely Wife Gloria and their 11 grandchildren.
Melissa
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