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.

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

49. Japanese veggie : UDO. New to me, looks a little droopy. Morel for me, thanks.

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

Tuesday, December 7, 2010 Mark Bickham

Theme: Hare Hoax - Five theme endings that are when a rabbit isn't a real rabbit. Unifier is at the tail end.

18A. Procter & Gamble laundry product: IVORY SNOW. A snow bunny is a female that goes to the mountain with more than skiing on her mind.

27A. Keep America Beautiful concerns: LITTERBUGS. Bugs Bunny needs no intro.

35A. New England storm: NOR'EASTER. Neither does the Easter bunny. A nor'easter is a big storm of the North Atlantic coast and its counter-clockwise rotation brings water(or snow)-laden winds coming from the northeast to all New England. Actually. it can affect the whole eastern seaboard.

49A. Space particles: COSMIC DUST. If you don't know what a dust bunny is, then I want to meet your maid.

59A. Beach Boys album with bees and flowers on the cover: WILD HONEY. Here, I'll play the song for you, my little honey bunny. Clip.(2:40)

68A. Critter that can follow the ends of this puzzle's five longest answers: BUNNY

Argyle here. While none of the themes are very long, they are interesting and the stacks of sevens in the corners are impressive.

I await your comments. Of course, I awaited a comment on the band, Phish, yesterday but only Seen spoke of them.

Across:

1. Prepared for pie, as apples : CORED

6. Skirt fold : PLEAT

11. 1,150, to Brutus : MCL

14. Speed skater __ Anton Ohno : APOLO. An unknown to me with an unknown spelling. US-American Olympic gold medal-winning short track speed skater who also won Dancing with the Stars in 2007. Here is a short(1:50) clip that may explain the popularity of the show. Hot!

15. Get-up-and-go : OOMPH

16. Author Levin : IRA. He wrote the play, No Time for Sergeants and the novel, Rosemary's Baby.

17. What cats and bats do : RHYME

20. Earl Grey et al. : TEAs (weak link) 42. Rank below marquis : EARL

21. "The loneliest number," in a song : ONE. Clip(2:56)

22. Nickel or cadmium : METAL

23. The works : ALL

24. Favorite : PET

25. Simian : APE-LIKE

30. Lawyers' charges : FEES

31. Craft that can be rolled : KAYAK. You can put your kayak upside down in the water and still roll it back upright, if you haven't lost your paddle.

32. "As ye sow, so shall ye __" : REAP

34. Country rtes. : RDs.

39. Bruin legend Bobby : ORR

43. Nutritious beans : SOYAs

47. Razz : JEER

52. Asks to the party : INVITES

54. King of France : ROI

55. 9-Down adviser : CPA and 9D. 30-day mo. : APR.

56. Kentucky county named for a trailblazer : BOONE. Daniel Boone.

57. It follows Wed. : THU.

58. Stride : GAIT

62. Beyond the fringe : OUTRE. We see this spelling frequently.

63. Columnist Buchwald : ART. Snapshot.

64. Alleviated : EASED

65. __ mix: hiker's fare : TRAIL

66. Snake sound : "SSS!". Can make a hiker drop his trail mix.

67. Wipe out : ERASE

Down

1. NPR auto show : "CAR TALK". National Public Radio; The hosts of Car Talk are brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi, also known as Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers.

2. Hamlet's love : OPHELIA. Spoiler alert: She dies...oh wait, they all die...never mind.

3. Writer's payment : ROYALTY

4. Shady bunch? : ELMS

5. Anonymous John : DOE

6. Destination in a two-part route : POINT B. After you start from point A.

7. "Many-splendored thing" of song : LOVE. In case you've forgotten the great ballad.(3:02)

8. Comic Philips : EMO. Alleged comic.

10. Mint family herb : THYME

11. Toothpaste comparison word : MINTIER

12. Cried like a raven : CROAKED

13. Like anarchy : LAWLESS

19. Note to __ : SELF

21. Across, in verse : O'ER

24. "Orange" tea grade : PEKOE. We've had a big discussion about this before but if you want, we can go over it again.

25. A long time : AGES

26. 130-minute H.S. exam : PSAT

28. Beach lover's goal : TAN

29. Eurasian range : URALS. The range dividing Europe from Asia.

33. Joe of "GoodFellas" : PESCI. He played a whack-job(but don't tell him I said that).

36. Senate contest : RACE

37. God with arrows : EROS

38. Staff associate? : ROD

39. Lake Superior natives : OJIBWAs. The Ojibwa Indians, also known as the Chippewa Indians, lived mainly in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Ontario, Canada at the time of European contact. Good web site here.

40. Some Impressionist paintings : RENOIRs. Google page.

41. Sickens : REVOLTS

44. Mexican peninsula : YUCATAN. Map. It has been hard hit by hurricanes before.

45. Bayer product : ASPIRIN

46. Majestic : STATELY

48. Melon exterior : RIND

50. Villainous literary alter ego : MR. HYDE. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is the original title of a novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson

51. Promise to pay : IOU

53. Little laugh : TE-HEE

57. Golfer's pocketful : TEEs

58. Spiritual guide : GURU

60. Stick in the lake? : OAR

61. Govt. hush-hush org. : NSA. National Security Agency (NSA)

62. Bettor's hangout, briefly : OTB. Off-Track Betting. It was bad when the mob did it but OK now that our govt. does it.

Answer grid.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Today we celebrate the birthday of Windhover, our blog farmer and philosopher. I think the third picture there is what made Annette want to ride his bike.

2) Speaking of cool, click here and here for two terrific shots of Splynter. Obviously he loves guitar (He writes music) & hockey (a goalie). He is in construction/remodeling business, and he wants to "Make your home your castle".

Argyle

Monday, December 6, 2010 Donna S. Levin

Theme: On Solid Footing - Four phrases that end with a word that indicates what you may build on, literally or metaphorically.

20A. Sidewalk periodical vendor : NEWSPAPER STAND

25A. Edwards or Langley, e.g. : AIR FORCE BASE

42A. Court-ordered parental obligation : CHILD SUPPORT

48A. Philanthropic group chartered by auto execs : FORD FOUNDATION

Argyle here.

If you have a strong crossword background to build on, then Donna's offering should cause you little trouble. The grid is well grounded with strong blocks at the corners and lengthy cross ties.

I'm going to assume we all have basic expertise in puzzles and do minimal comments; there are entries from the past and the present. Anybody with a question, just ask it and someone will answer it.

Across

1. Try to obtain sensitive info using an Internet scam : PHISH

6. Chase down, as a fly ball : SHAG

10. Falls behind : LAGS

14. "Tiny Bubbles" singer : DON HO. Hawaiian

15. Tip-top : A-ONE

16. Towards the sheltered side, at sea : ALEE

17. Specialized jargon : ARGOT

18. "__ call us, we'll ..." : DON'T. Video. (3:24)

19. Red sky, to a sailor : OMEN

23. __-Locka, Florida : OPA. A city located in Miami-Dade County.

24. Gut courses : EASY A'S. Knew the answer but not the clue. The best definition I found is that a gut course is a class so easy that you can forgo studying, go with your gut instincts, and still get an A.

31. Political corruption : GRAFT

32. Police busts : RAIDS

33. Revolutionary statesman Franklin : BEN

36. Knocks on the door : RAPS

37. Response to a fencing lunge : PARRY

38. Nothing, in tennis : LOVE

39. Picnic invader : ANT

40. Intimidated : COWED. "Don't have a cow, man!": Bart Simpson.

41. Tendon : SINEW

44. Show hosts : EMCEEs

47. Actor Mineo : SAL

54. Notion : IDEA

55. Univ. sports group : NCAA

56. Liberate from the hitching post : UNTIE. That is just PETA talk.

58. Shakespearean king : LEAR

59. Tiger Woods's ex : ELIN

60. Allow to pass : LET BY

61. Benevolent order : ELKS

62. Cowgirl Evans : DALE

63. Cropped up : AROSE

Down:

1. High-tech organizer, briefly : PDA. Personal digital assistant, an electronic device which can include some of the functions of a computer, a cellphone, a music player, a camera and a partridge in a pear tree.

2. English or French instrument : HORN. English or French.

3. "Picnic" dramatist : INGE

4. Braggarts : SHOW-OFFS

5. Lively nightclub : HOT SPOT

6. Thompson of "Family" : SADA

7. Hula __ : HOOP

8. Green Gables girl : ANNE. The tale of a red-headed girl.

9. Prepare : GET READY

10. Taoism founder : LAO-TSE. Laozi, Laosi, Lao Tse, Lao Tu, Lao-Tzu, Lao-Tsu, Laotze, Lao Zi, Laocius, and other variations.

11. Hypoallergenic skin care brand : ALMAY

12. Davis who played Thelma : GEENA. Cover.

13. Transmits : SENDS

21. Bogey beater : PAR

22. Impertinence : SASS

25. Taj Mahal city : AGRA

26. Pakistan neighbor : IRAN

27. Engrossed : RAPT

28. Move like a baby : CRAWL

29. Like some seals : EARED

30. Feathered friends : BIRDS

33. Sonny of Sonny and Cher : BONO. Sadly, their "I GOT YOU BABE" turned into "IT AIN'T ME BABE".

34. Happily __ after : EVER

35. Eft, when mature : NEWT

37. Like the victims in "Arsenic and Old Lace" : POISONED. Performed as a school play everywhere.

38. Pencil for one's kisser : LIP LINER

40. Kitchen VIP : CHEF

41. Pancake flipper : SPATULA

42. Coniferous trees : CEDARS

43. Mex. neighbor : USA

44. Submit a tax return over the Internet : E-FILE

45. Hobbyist's plane, e.g. : MODEL

46. Old floorboard sound : CREAK

49. Golden State sch. : UCLA

50. Carpentry fastener : NAIL

51. Certain Scandinavian : DANE. From Denmark.

52. Filmdom's Preminger : OTTO

53. Penpoints : NIBS

57. Sight organ : EYE

Answer grid.

Notes from C.C.:

1) This is a week of birthday celebrations on our blog. Today we sing "Happy Birthday to You" to the ever sunny, happy & DD-Delightful Lucina. On her left in lovely aqua is our exotic bird Dodo, who just had her 85th birthday on October 29.

2) If you want to be included in our Blog Photos archive, please send me a picture or two (crosswordc@gmail.com). We'd love to "see" you.

Argyle

Added later: Today is also constructor Donna Levin's birthday. Happy Birthday, Donna!

Sunday December 5, 2010 Nora Pearlstone

Theme: CD Changers - The starting letter C is changed into D in various familiar phrases.

23A. Athlete's illegal plan? : DOPING STRATEGY. Coping Strategy.

44A. Inevitably short story of a track event? : DASH ACCOUNT. Cash Account.

68A. Derrières? : FRENCH DUFFS. French Cuffs.

96A. Contented furnace part? : HAPPY DAMPER. Happy Camper.

119A. Pass receiver's nightmare? : DREAM OF THE DROP. Cream of the Crop. The only one with double changes.

13D. Dangerous links game? : GOLF DARTS. Golf Carts.

41D. Where authors exhibit unedited work? : DRAFTS FAIR. Crafts Fair.

44D. Designated area for Southern dialogue? : DRAWL SPACE. Crawl Space.

83D. City employee who helps with the dishes? : TOWN DRIER. Town Crier.

Fun puzzle. Some of the theme clues made me laugh. Cottoned onto the theme rather quickly. Had a hunch of what the gimmick was about after reading title, then had it confirmed in no time. For once I mind-melded with Rich.

To those who are not familiar with various alias name of editor Rich Norris, he uses Nora Pearlstone (anagram of "Not a Real Person") mostly for his Sunday puzzles.

Nora tends to spread out her theme entries widely and intersect them when possible.

Across:

1. Post-commencement fliers? : CAPS. The image just wouldn't come to my mind.

5. Skirmish : FRAY

9. Polite address : MA'AM

13. Freedom of speech inhibitor : GAG LAW. Same as Gag Order, right?

19. Snack with several eating options : OREO

20. Grimm bad guy : OGRE

21. Adolescent woe : ACNE

22. Shopping with a mouse, say : ONLINE. Mouse click.

26. Check up (on) : LOOK IN

27. Put to work : EMPLOY

28. Whom a physician should heal? : THYSELF. "Physician, heal thyself".

30. TV Batman Adam : WEST. We also have 99. Dogpatch's Daisy __ : MAE. Not cross-referenced today.

31. Dost speak : SAYST

32. Kenyan tribe : MASAI. New word to me. Dictionary says they live in Tanzania too.

35. Businesses : TRADES

37. Credits (to) : ASCRIBES

40. It's nearly bisected by the Missouri R. : S DAK. Wow, true.

41. Caesar's 601 : DCI

47. It's not wall-to-wall : AREA RUG

49. Hopping desert rodent : JERBOA. Alien to me. Strange looking creature.

51. Cross-country need, perhaps : SKI

52. Put on the tube : AIR

54. Until now : TO DATE

55. Sign of a slip : ERASURE. Sure was not thinking of "mistake" slip.

57. "SNL" producer Michaels : LORNE

59. Endure : SUFFER

60. Handful : FEW

61. Deceive : LIE TO

64. Winans of gospel : CECE. BEBE too.

65. Asian celebration : TET. Only in Vietnam.

66. Leave no room in : FILL

72. This, in Spain : ESTO. Also ESTA.

75. Distress letters : SOS

77. Restaurateur Toots : SHOR

78. Exams for sophs or jrs. : PSATs

80. Warm lining : FUR

81. Influence : IMPACT

84. Publishing crime : LIBEL. I don't get the clue, though I know most libels are in printed form.

86. Place : SITUATE

88. Milan's __ alla Scala : TEATRO. Only know La Scala, not its full name. What does "TEATRO" mean?

89. Dept. in charge of rural development : AGR (Agriculture)

90. Author Tarbell : IDA. No idea. Read here for more information. Interesting: muckraker. What Julian Assange has done appalls me.

93. Brain : GENIUS

94. Does without : ESCHEWS

100. Children's author Blyton : ENID. Learned from doing Xword.

102. Cutting tool handy in tight crevices : SABER SAW. Like this, Splynter?

103. Football play also called a sweep : END RUN

105. __ man : LADY'S. Like Bond.

106. Rumor starter? : I HEAR

111. General Mills brand : CHEX

114. Do some home improvement : REMODEL. Hey, another shout-out to Splynter.

116. Film set at the Bates Motel : PSYCHO

117. Island state : HAWAII

123. Delphic medium : ORACLE

124. Failed '80s gridiron org. : USFL. No idea. United States Football League, 1983-1987.

125. Go (toward) : HEAD

126. What kings and courts do : RULE. Oh, I see, Kings' courts.

127. Civic or rec follower : CENTER

128. Allot, with "out" : METE

129. Line on a horse : ODDS. We also have 95. Filly's father : SIRE. I like the name Zenyatta, very cool!

130. "__ Death": "Peer Gynt Suite No. 1" movement : ASE'S. Ase is Peer Gynt's mother.

Down:

1. Sets of regulations : CODES

2. Olfactory lure : AROMA

3. Energized : PEPPY

4. Dirties : SOILS

5. Stick-in-the-mud : FOGY. Old geezer.

6. Some NFL blockers : RGS

7. Gallery display : ART

8. "__ durn tootin'!" : YER

9. 20th-century Canadian composer André : MATHIEU. Well, I bet Jayce knows this guy. Québécois composer.

10. __-deucy : ACEY

11. Therapy subject : ANGST

12. Seth of "SNL" : MEYERS

14. 365 días : ANO

15. Shines : GLOWS

16. Take a shine to : LIKE

17. Spanish liqueur : ANIS. Made of aniseed?

18. Took off : WENT

24. Nobody at all : NOT A SOUL

25. Steaming mad : AT A BOIL. Two little multip-word phrases.

29. Russian auto : LADA. What does Lada mean?

32. Longtime Olivia Newton-John label : MCA. MCA = Music Corporation of America.

33. Rainbow paths : ARCS

34. Tired partner? : SICK. Sick and tired.

36. Barely make, as a living : EKE OUT. Good to have a full phrase.

38. Bridge star Omar : SHARIF

39. Caught in a net : SNARED

42. Overused word at the nursery : CUTE

43. Disney president Robert : IGER. Quite articulate.

45. Tummy muscles : ABS. Look at here. Amazing. The kid must have been working really hard on them.

46. Costner links film : TIN CUP. Great movie.

48. Classified charge : AD FEE

49. Bridges of "Starman" : JEFF

50. "... __ saw Elba" : ERE I. Ha ha. Just mentioned it yesterday.

53. Coral phenomena : REEFS

56. Chariot ending : EER. Charioteer.

58. Earthy tone : OCHRE

62. One weber per square meter : TESLA. Hey, he's back, with a very technical clue though.

63. Above : ON HIGH

67. Reluctant : LOATH

69. Charmed snakes? : COBRAS. Why "charmed"?

70. Notes after mis : FAs. Musical notes: Do Re Mi Fa Sol...

71. Mark of disgrace : STIGMA

73. "Swan Lake" outfit : TUTU. Have any of you seen "Black Swan"?

74. Tram car fillers : ORES

76. Conceal : SCREEN

79. How AA members complete their program : STEPWISE. Didn't come to me immediately.

81. News bit : ITEM

82. City east of Tempe : MESA. I've never been to AZ.

85. ChapStick, e.g. : LIP BALM

87. A, to Fauré : UNE

91. Changed the locks? : DYED

92. "He was white and shaken, like __ martini": Wodehouse : A DRY. Not familiar with the quote. Funny.

97. Lager alternative : PALE ALE

98. Barnyard brayer : ASS. Alliteration.

101. Jerk : DUMDUM. Another new word to me.

103. Right-on : EXACT

104. Swedes' neighbors : NORSE. Norwegians? I always associate Norse with the ancient Scandinavian people.

107. Victim of Hercules : HYDRA. The nine-headed serpent.

108. Tan shades : ECRUS

109. Financially struggling, with "in" : A HOLE

110. Boxing ring borders : ROPES

111. Prefix with -aholic : CHOC. Chocaholic. My spell checks wants chocoholic.

112. Wonderland tea party attendee : HARE

113. McGregor of "Big Fish" : EWAN. Know his name, not the movie.

115. Skillful : DEFT

116. Some profs : PH. Ds

118. Mer land : ILE. Mer = Sea.

120. Discoverer's shout : OHO. AHA too.

121. Miffed, with "up" : FED

122. Tiny amount : TAD

Answer grid.

We are all familiar with this avatar photo of the always witty & musing & amusing Husker Gary. Here is a closer look at him and his wife Joann. They've been married for 45 years.

C.C.

Saturday December 4, 2010 Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

Total words: 68

Total blocks: 32

Bruce Venzke often has grid-spanners in his puzzles, themed & themeless. Today we have:

17A. Like versatile antennas : OMNIDIRECTIONAL. New word to me.

20A. More important matters : BIGGER FISH TO FRY. Nice answer.

50A. 1890s warning song for sailors : ASLEEP IN THE DEEP. No idea. Maybe Spitzboov is familiar with the song. Such a deep voice.

54A. Avon work, say : DOOR-TO-DOOR SALES. This could be the seed entry. Sparkling.

Triple columns of 7s are then stacked in each corner. Very choppy solving for me. Some of the clues are way out of my league.

Across:

1. Big event : GALA. Easy start.

5. Acid-tongued : ACERB

10. Soyuz letters : CCCP. Cyrillic for USSR.

14. Lakers forward Lamar : ODOM. The guy on the right. The only Laker I recognize is Kobe Bryant.

15. Kentucky college town with an annual Spoonbread Festival : BEREA. What is Spoonbread?

16. Ding Dong relative : HO HO. What, no shout out to our sweet Santa?

21. Picking up a prescription, say : ERRAND

22. Atelier items : EASELS

23. Go green, in a way : REUSE

24. PETA concern : FUR

27. Karaoke essential : LYRIC. Boomer loves Karaoke.

28. ID theft item : SSN

29. Compound cry of displeasure : BOO! HISS!. Well, I sure hear "Boo!" and the hissing sound. Never "Hiss!".

32. Protected whale : SEI. Not familiar with sei whale, Wikipedia says "sei" is the Norwegian word for pollock.

33. Jalopy : CRATE. Did not know crate can mean "old car".

34. Primatologist's subject : APE

37. Spa fixture : JACUZZI. Scrabbly.

39. Scale notes : FAs. Musical scale.

42. Bit of rodeo gear : REATA

44. Ron who played Tarzan : ELY

45. Memorable WWII gesture : V-SIGN

47. Boat ramp site : MARINA

49. Saw-toothed formation : SIERRA

55. Seine feeder : AUBE. No idea. It's pronounced like OH-b.

56. TV exec Arledge : ROONE. Learned his name from doing Xword. Longtime chairman of ABC News.

57. Longtime Balkan leader : TITO. A Heroic figure in our history book.

58. Got the lead out : SPED. "Get the lead out" is new idiom to me.

59. Expressed reproval of : TSKED

60. Orwell's alma mater : ETON. Guessed.

Down:

1. Nestlé peanut snack : GOOBERS. Why peanuts are called goobers is beyond me.

2. Finds appealing : ADMIRES

3. Words signifying commitment : LONG RUN. I don't get this clue.

4. Juanita's friends : AMIGAS

5. "__ Without Wings": Celtic Thunder song : A BIRD. First encounter with the song. Oh God, it sounds so good.

6. "What's My Line?" panelist : CERF (Bennett). I can never remember his name.

7. "... kissed thee __ killed thee": Othello : ERE I. Could only get the answer if it were Elba related.

8. LPs : RECS (Records)

9. Soak : BATHE

10. Particular : CHOOSY

11. Gives : CONFERS

12. Commercial tuna : CHARLIE. This refers to StarKist's Charlie the Tuna I presume?

13. Study of govt. : POLY-SCI. Political Science?

18. Bright star in Cygnus : DENEB

19. Tilted type: Abbr. : ITALS (Italics)

24. Compel : FORCE

25. Ryder rival : U-HAUL

26. Like five-diamond hotels : RITZY

30. Andean staple : OCA. Xword staple.

31. Slangy word before or after "who" : SEZ

34. Ill-fated attackers of 1588 and 1589 : ARMADAS. The Spanish Armada.

35. Meteorological metaphor : PEA SOUP. Dense fog.

36. Spot for a stud : EARLOBE. Stud earrings.

37. Critic Maslin : JANET. Film/Literary critic for the NY Times. Foreign to me.

38. Penn and others : IVIES. Was thinking of Sean Penn rather than the University of Pennsylvania.

39. Like s'more-makers' faces : FIRE-LIT

40. Accept : AGREE TO

41. Attaches with a click : SNAPS ON. What click?

43. Like most stadiums : TIERED

46. Calm : SEDATE

48. Left on the boat : APORT

49. Tear up : SHRED

51. Church exchange, perhaps : I DOs. See, this is the commitment I was thinking for the 3D clue.

52. Breakfast spot : NOOK

53. Muscle quality : TONE. I want her arms. Super-toned.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday December 3, 2010 Pamela Amick Klawitter

Theme: No scotch, just add A RY(e). I am not good at naming these add on themes. By adding ARY to the end of the second word of a common phrase, a new and entirely different phrase emerges, with oodles of frivolity.

20A. Where a witch's influence ends?: SPELL BOUNDARY. Or is SPELLBOUND really one word? I like the imagery of a boundary on spells.

25A. Office employee to avoid?: DEADLY SECRETARY. Deadly secret. I am not really familiar with this as a phrase, though I know there is a movie, and the newspapers use it often, like when describing the Toyota cover-up.

47A. Shuttle evangelist?: SPACE MISSIONARY. Space mission. I think many of our televangelists would be better if sent off in a rocket ship, but that is just me.

53A. Bird in a landfill?: GARBAGE CANARY. Garbage can. My favorite, as it turns a can into a bird.

Well, it is your semi- recovered Lemonade here for your Friday entertainment. This is my first blogging of Ms. Klawitter, but we have had many of her puzzles this year, mostly on Sundays, but last month’s Wednesday effort with all the swapping and trading was fun.

Some really fun clues:

23A. River past Memphis: NILE. Ha ha, fooled you, Memphis used to be the capital of Egypt, before Cairo.

33A. Teen sensation?: ANGST. Great clue, man. For me it was ages 11 to 14.

9D. Treetop rocker: CRADLE. Oh. I LOVE this clue, they get you thinking about music, and rockers and then slip in my favorite lullaby, which was obviously written by someone who did not like kids. I mean what kid wants to hear about falling out the top of a tree?

40D. Item in a stirring picture?: SPOON. Another great clue, simple elegance..

On we go.

ACROSS:

1. Actor Gyllenhaal: JAKE. Did the controversial BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN with Heath Ledger, dated Reese Witherspoon among others, and his sister, Maggie appeared in the DARK KNIGHT which is the Batman movie where Heath Ledger was so fabulous as the Joker. Also, see below for more Batman stuff.

5. Big rolls: WADS. The online dictionary says this goes back to the US in 1778.

9. "Zorba the Greek" setting: CRETE.A wonderful, fun MOVIE .

14. Very top: APEX. Not to be confused with ACME, also four letters beginning with A.

15. Cartoon drooler: ODIE. Poor baby, he gets such bad press because of the CAT.

16. Invoice word: REMIT.

17. Downed shot: BELT. The first shout out to our shot downer, Tinbeni.

18. Eugene O'Neill's daughter: OONA. Also, married to Charlie Chaplin.

19. Lab flask contents, perhaps: ACIDS. Like my stomach tonight, ick.

24. Tim's "Tool Time" sidekick et al.: ALS. Ick, a gratuitous plural, when Lou Gherig’s disease could do it.

34. What a recent ex may need: TLC. Or recent eye surgery patients….

35. With 62-Down, call: SEE A, 62d. See 35-Across: BET. Poker rules, still.

36. Early 16th-century date: MDI.

37. "Also sprach Zarathustra" composer: STRAUSS. I am not the music expert, but is the music used for Space Odedsey:2001 ?

41. Shade on a beach: TAN. A wonderfully tricky clue, as I was trying to think of a three letter word for umbrella. I am a tan freak. We also have, 63A. Sunburn soothers: ALOES, to keep those tans safe.

42. Cookie recipe morsels: NUTS. Okay, I refuse to go back to that discussion, just believe me, there is no gravitational issue.

44. Fitting: APT.

45. Phoenician dialect: PUNIC. Well, while we may not know the clue directly, most of us have been taught about the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage, and the famous pictures of Hannibal crossing the Alps on elephants to attack Rome from the north. Of course, having a son getting his PhD in Roman archaeology may have made this a touch easier for me.

51. Part of a roadie's load: AMP. Okay, here is where I tell my tales of going on the road with bands I represented, traveling by bus, eh, maybe later.

52. __ bomb: ATOM. Well BOOM! BAM!(Forgive me Emeril and BATMAN).

59. Actress Thomas who is now St. Jude's National Outreach Director: MARLO. Danny’s daughter, and the star of That Girl .

60. For all of us: OURS.

61. Certain line crosser: SCAB. Unions were very serious when I was growing up, and while they did much good in the 40’s and 50’s, eventually they became tools of bad people and did much to ruin American Industry.

64. Actor Baldwin: ALEC. My favorite of the brothers.

65. Kate __, a.k.a. Batwoman: KANE. This was very difficult for me, as I never knew of the 2006 change to BATWOMAN who is no longer Kathy Kane, but is a Jewish lesbian! In the continuing saga of clues relating to my life, I collected comic books while in law school and for years after, and had my own store in Gainesville until I had to move to South Florida for a previous eye operation.

66. Air ducts: VENTS.

67. "There you have it!": TA DA. The word of the whole corner!

68. USMC rank: SSGT. They have a lot more SERGEANTS than I knew. Dennis, was this just for you?

DOWN:

1. Setup punch: JAB.

2. Fossey focus: APES. Dian who lived among GORILLAS .

3. Source of the food thickener alginate: KELP. No clue, but with Jake being easy, so was this.

4. Lengthens: EXTENDS. Okay, Lois and Carol and ladies, I know where this one fits in your memory banks.

5. Wild associate?: WOOLLY. Don’t know why but this reminded me of this classic SONG .

6. Sun-dried structures: ADOBES. Unlike the tomatoes…

7. Flintstones' Snorkasaurus: DINO. Their pet; very cute.

8. Linebacker Junior who played in 12 consecutive Pro Bowls: SEAU. He played many years in San Diego, came to Miami for a couple of years and then EXTENDED his career with the Patriots. Sadly, I think he has retirement adjustment PROBLEMS .

10. Changes the actor: RECASTS, and the similar, 31D. Televise again: REAIR. REGURGITATE?

11. Kuwaiti VIP: EMIR.

12. Unlike folks on "Hoarders": TIDY. I have never and never will watch this “reality” show from A&E (Arts? Entertainment?) which exploits the sad life of mentally ill people.

13. Saturn drivers?: ETS. Cute, but drivers?

21. Light melodies: LILTS. Okay ladies, help me here, because this is all I thought of from my YOUTH , am I the only one?

22. Some traffic monitors: NARCS. We had this in a puzzle I blogged recently.

25. Condemns: DAMNS. Most famous ONE . Which leads naturally, even if spelling does not work, to 43D. Like an infamous "A": SCARLET.

26. Become, finally: END UP.

27. Antacid target: AGITA. Fascinated that this ITALIAN SLANG would be an acceptable term.

28. Texas and Tennessee, in Toulouse: ETATS. Well, this is silly, since there are no states in Toulouse named Texas, why not “to Toulouse” to show it is a French answer?

29. Gulager of "The Virginian": CLU. He is still working, now in horror movies at 82 ACTOR and has since 1956, when I first began watching TV; always sounded like he swallowed something wrong.

30. Insurance company named for a mountain: AETNA. A Hartford Connecticut mainstay, the company not the mountain.

32. "The Waltons" handyman Tucker: YANCY. Another one I did not know, but it is Friday. He was played by ROBERT DONNER, a weird looking dude.

38. City on its own bay: TAMPA. Okay Tin man who did you pay today?

39. Sch. in Troy, NY: RPI. And another Spitzboov reference?

46. Exposes: UNMASKS.

48. Make stand out: EMBOSS. Another opportunity ladies?

49. Divine: SACRED.

50. Mississippi source: ITASCA. We have had this river in Illinois, trying to trick us before.

53. 8 on the Beaufort scale: GALE. My first love was GALE, and I thought she was 10.

54. Elvis __ Presley: ARON. My oldest boy's name, spelled wrong,

55. Billy __: GOAT. For you again Tinbeni, I wanted MARTIN.

56. "The Long, Hot Summer" vixen __ Varner: EULA. We just had this back in an October offering from Ed Sessa.

57. Some HDTVs: RCAS.

58. Bright side?: YANG. Please somebody help, I know YIN, and I know YANG represents the bright colors in Feng Shui, so I guess this is what it must mean, but honestly I never saw the clue and would never put YANG in there except the corner was already filled. (From C.C.: Yang is literally "bright" in Chinese. Yin means "shady".)

59. Dallas NBAer: MAV.

Answer grid.

Well peoples, it is good to be at least partially back; enjoy the day and week end; bruised but not broken, Lemonade 714.

Thursday December 2, 2010 Pancho Harrison

Theme: Wacky Business Slogans. In each theme answer (all phrasal verbs in *ing + adv format), a pun is made about a type of business or job activity. No unifier clue.

17. "So I hear your job as exercise class instructor is __": WORKING OUT.

29. "So I hear your job as a burlesque dancer is __": TAKING OFF.

46. "So I hear your trash removal business is __": PICKING UP.

62. "So I hear your scuba diving business is __": GOING UNDER.

This was kind of fun. I couldn't find one, but there must be a name for these, right? I hear running your muffler business is exhausting. I hear the awning business is kind of shady. I hear the window business is kind of a pain. I hear that sod farm salesmen are easy to get a lawn with.

And the rest:

ACROSS:

1. Thread bearer: SPOOL.

6. Classic name in shoes: MCAN. Thom. Now owned by CVS/Caremark but sold at Kmart (which is owned by Sears) and Wal-mart.

10. Dressed: CLAD. Past participle of clothe.

14. Aquarium concern: ALGAE.

15. Fabled craft: ARGO. Jason and the Argonauts.

16. Old: YORE. Related word: year.

19. Word with belly or blast: BEER. Cerveza, (spanish for beer), sounds so much more refined, doesn't it?

20. "Forget it, comrade!": NYET.

21. Ancient Andean: INCA. From Quechea: "lord, king." Technically, only of the high Inca, but it was used widely for "man of royal blood."

22. Davenport shopper, probably: IOWAN. Right across the river from Moline, Illinois. There are also cities named "Couch" in TX, FL, WV, and MO.

23. Artist Magritte: RENE. Surrealist.

25. Branch honcho: Abbr.: MGR. Manager, as in a bank.

26. Pops (out): FLIES. Baseball?

35. Choice: SELECT. Used in the sense of "quality" (select cuts of meat), not the sense of "option" as it appears, because that would have to be "selection".

37. Big, outmoded piece of equipment: DINOSAUR.

38. Paris pronoun: TOI. You.

39. Accountant, at times: AUDITOR. From Latin, "a hearer", related to audience, "a hearing". Auditing was formerly done and vouched for orally.

41. Airport safety org.: TSA. Transportation Security Administration.

42. Carousing: ON A SPREE. Likely from French esprit, lively.

44. Shiny fabric: SATEEN.

48. Revenge seekers in a 1984 film: NERDS.

49. Dollar sign shape: ESS.

50. Baltic resident: LETT. Of Latvia. The other Baltic states are Lithuania and Estonia.

52. Early afternoon hr.: ONE PM.

55. Disease attacker: DRUG.

57. Helps out: AIDS.

61. Demagogue's delivery: RANT.

64. Wine region south of the Matterhorn: ASTI.

65. "Got it, Daddy-o!": I DIG. Peter, Paul, and Mary.

66. Party person: GUEST.

67. DEA agent: NARC. Because NARCO was too long an abbreviation for narcotics agent.

68. Frosty's button: NOSE. With a corncob pipe and a button nose...

69. Honshu city: OSAKA.

DOWN:

1. Felled, in a way: SAWN.

2. Queen sacrifice in chess, e.g.: PLOY.

3. Shrek or Fiona: OGRE.

4. Yellow ribbon site of song: OAK TREE. Obligatory link.

5. Island welcome: LEI.

6. Lodestone: MAGNET. From Greek Magnes lithos (Magnesian stone). Magnesia, region of Thessaly where magnetized ore was obtained.

7. Hook nemesis, for short: CROC. Characters in Peter Pan.

8. Monterrey water: AGUA. Spanish.

9. "__ a chance!": NOT.

10. Bionic beings: CYBORGS. Portmanteau of "cybernetic organism" could explain how this is possible.

11. MGM co-founder: LOEW. Marcus. On November 3, 2010, MGM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

12. Field of expertise: AREA.

13. "Coming Home" actor: DERN. Bruce. OK, now I recognize who this is.... He always seemed to play the nut-job character.

18. "Delta of Venus" author: NIN. Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell

22. "Everybody is __, only on different subjects": Will Rogers: IGNORANT. I never read a Will Rogers quote I didn't like.

24. Watching "Avatar," say: ESCAPISM. The blue guy (Sam Worthington) without makeup.

25. Cretan king of myth: MINOS.

26. SLR setting: F-STOP. Single Lens Reflex (camera). The F-number indicates "speed". The larger the number, the longer you need for exposure. An F number twice as large as another one takes four times as long to get enough light.

27. Téa of "Spanglish": LEONI.

28. Of a pelvic bone: ILIAC.

30. Gascony good-bye: ADIEU. Gascony, France.

31. Caboodle partner: KIT. The whole thing, tools and possessions. Likely why we have the word "oodles".

32. Lash LaRue film, e.g.: OATER. Alfred (Lash) Larue, a Western film star in the 40s and 50s. He was very skilled with a bull whip, thus "Lash".

33. Joined by melting: FUSED. Parts is parts, Wendy's commercial. Fused at about :23 in.

34. Artist __ Hals: FRANS. Dutch Golden Age painter, mostly portraits.

36. Parts of directions: TURNS. Google maps makes a funny at the driving directions for step 17 of this route. You need to scroll down to see it.

40. MBA, for one: DEG. Master of Business degree.

43. One looking askance: SKEPTIC. "Skeptic does not mean him who doubts, but him who investigates or researches as opposed to him who asserts and thinks that he has found." [Miguel de Unamuno, "Essays and Soliloquies," 1924]

45. Lockjaw: TETANUS. More properly, trismus, which can be caused by tetanus, but also by MDMA, Meth, Ritalin, radiation therapy, infection, anesthesia, needle prick, several other diseases and drugs.

47. Drop dramatically: PLUNGE. Like a neckline.

51. Breakfast fare: EGG. Only humans habitually eat specifically designated foods at different times of the day.

52. Algerian port: ORAN. Across from Spain.

53. Apollo 13 gp.: NASA. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

54. __'acte: ENTR. Between the acts, as during a play. Could be an intermission or just an interlude piece of music.

55. Bygone bird: DODO. Another shout-out to our bloggers?

56. Teddy Roosevelt biographer: RIIS. Jacob. A Danish American social reformer, muckraking journalist, and documentary photographer. Was dedicated to helping the impoverished in NY City.

58. "I have an __!": IDEA.

59. Student's spot: DESK.

60. Arg. miss: SRTA. Argentina, senorita.

62. Cry while showing one's cards: GIN. Rummy.

63. Actor Tognazzi: UGO. I'm not sure a crossword answer gets any more obscure than this, an Italian actor. The only movie I recognized was La cage aux folles, but he was in a lot of films.

Answer Grid.

Al

Wednesday December 1, 2010 Ed Sessa

Theme: ENEMY (56D. Foe hiding, in a way, in the puzzle's four longest answers). N & ME span across two words in each theme entry. Phonetically "N-M-E" sounds like "Enemy".

20A. Viral illness associated with a rash : GERMAN MEASLES. Wikipedia it's called "German measles because the disease was first described by German physicians in the mid-eighteenth century".

35A. List that comes from the top : DROP-DOWN MENU. Computer menu. Mangesh Ghogre used this great phrase in his "Missing You" puzzle in Games magazine. His answer is a hilarious "Drop-Down Men(u), clued as rappers referenced if I recall correctly.

43A. Possible response to "Gotcha!" : THAT'S ONE ON ME.

57A. Pie with a fluffy topping : LEMON MERINGUE. Still have not tried Lemon Meringue Pie yet.

C.C. here, pinch-hitting for the traveling Melissa Bee. When did you get the theme? Took me sometime to grok the gimmick.

We also have a bit of French current going on:

34D. Dijon honey : AMIE. I was picturing Dijon honey mustard, not how to say "Honey" in Dijon the French city.

60D. Old gold coins of France : ECUS. Classic crosswordese.

58D. Hot times in the cité : ETES

Favorite clue/answer today is LADY LUCK (40. Gambler's favorite woman?).

Across:

1. Chews the fat : GABS

5. "Here's to ..." tribute : TOAST

10. Lingerie size : C-CUP. Doesn't look like Salma Hayek is wearing a bra.

14. Inuit word for "house" : IGLU. That's how we get igloo.

15. Like bighorns : OVINE. Always thought bighorns are goats rather than sheep.

16. Obsessed fictional captain : AHAB. "Moby Dick".

17. Modeler's aid : GLUE.

18. More inclined to butt in : RUDER. Couldn't fit in NOSIER.

19. Comes together : GELS

23. Paint base : LATEX

24. A major, e.g. : KEY

25. Healthful resort : SPA

28. 911 responder, for short : EMS

29. Lanchester of "Witness for the Prosecution" : ELSA. Know her. Not familiar with the movie.

33. Like Fran Drescher's voice : NASAL

38. Cuba or Mallorca : ISLA

41. Thumper's friend : BAMBI. Thumper is a rabbit. There's also a character called Flower.

42. Agenda listing : ITEM

46. Like some waves : TIDAL

47. Have to have : NEED

48. Fond du __, Wisconsin : LAC

51. "School's out" response : YAY

52. "Eeeuuw!" : ICK

55. Bloodsucker : LEECH

62. Tight : TAUT

64. Sister's daughter : NIECE

65. Humorist Bombeck : ERMA. The "Joy of Cooking" author is Irma Rombauer.

66. "Going __, going ..." : ONCE

67. On the wrong side (of) : AFOUL. Have only encountered this word in the phrase "Run afoul of".

68. Track competition : MEET

69. Stir-fry cookers : WOKS

70. Full of juicy tidbits : NEWSY

71. Longings : YENS

Down:

1. Embarrassed reaction, maybe : GIGGLE. OK, "maybe".

2. Shining brightly : AGLEAM

3. Exclaims suddenly, with "out" : BLURTS

4. "Do something about it! I dare you!" : SUE ME

5. Betwixt and between : TORN

6. Egg, to Ovid : OVUM. Plural is ova.

7. Right-hand man : AIDE

8. Tiptoe : SNEAK

9. Succinct : TERSE. To me, TERSE has a negative one, succinct does not.

10. Place with bars : CAGE. Thought of JAIL first.

11. Where to find four knights : CHESS SET. Three consecutive Ss.

12. "Friendly skies" co. : UAL

13. "Masterpiece" airer : PBS

21. Hatchet man : AXER. ER words are seldom interesting.

22. "Coal Miner's Daughter" subject Loretta : LYNN

26. Glass section : PANE

27. Former senior, for short : ALUM. Couldn't quite parse the clue.

30. "Rio __": John Wayne film : LOBO. Was ignorant of the movie. Western again?

31. Wingspread, say : SPAN

32. Madison Ave. figures : AD MEN

35. Statistical input : DATA

36. Reed instrument : OBOE

37. Red, white or Blue Nun : WINE. Blue Nun is a German wine brand. Alien to me.

38. Bitty start? : ITTY. Itty-bitty.

39. Islamic branch : SHIA. And Sunni.

44. Svelte : SLIM

45. 1551, on monuments : MDLI

48. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" villain : LEGREE (Simon). No idea.

49. Keen judgment : ACUMEN

50. Marked deck users : CHEATS. What is "Marked deck"? Poker?

53. Movie barbarian : CONAN. "Conan the Barbarian".

54. Swiss Army __ : KNIFE

59. Catty remark : MEOW. The clue works with or without the question mark.

61. Bank (on) : RELY

62. Auto club service : TOW

63. Year, in Yucatán : AÑO

Answer grid.

C.C.