Friday, January 14, 2011 Dan Naddor

Theme: No K, OK? A two word common phrase in which the first word ends in CK, has the K removed to reveal a new and humorous phrase.

18A. Apple delivery vehicle?: MAC(K) TRUCK. MAC being your Apple computer product, not edible fruit. MACK TRUCKS have been the premier manufacturer of heavy trucks for years, though the company is now owned by Volvo, it is a classic American success story.

19A. Lobbying gp. bigwig?: PAC(K) LEADER. Political Action Committee (PAC) is our modern organized lobbying group, not to be confused with the LEADER OF THE PACK .

39A. Trap for large reptiles?: CROC(K) POT. I use a crock pot to cook stews so they are ready when I get home from work; I do not recommend giving a crocodile any weed, because we are what they eat when they have the munchies.

58A. Coalition celebration?: BLOC(K)PARTY. The Soviet Bloc did not last very long, did it? Are BLOCK PARTIES popular anymore, now that we do not know our neighbors? I went to one on the 4th of July.

61A. Court dispute over footwear?: MOC(K)TRIAL. Oh what fun, as always the puzzle I blog has some law to explain. A MOCK TRIAL is the playing out of a trial, where the lawyers examine witnesses in front of a make believe jury, to practice for a real trial. MOOT COURT is where make believe appellate court arguments are presented to a panel. Trial court is where evidence is put in and appellate court is where the results of a trial are reviewed by one or more judges. We have had MOC for Moccasin often.

3D. Movie with style?: CHIC(K) FLICK. This is perhaps the trickiest because CHIC, meaning stylish is from the French and is pronounced sheek, unlike all the other clues where removing the “K” did not alter the sound of the word.

35D. Employee using a word processor?: DOC(K)WORKER. Brilliant, recognizing that WORD documents are designated DOC. I will always think of this DOCK WORKER .

Happy Friday all, Lemonade here, back in the saddle and blessed with a Dan Naddor (who says wishes do not come true, right MTNEST995). This is so wonderful and a great example of his heavy themeage, his originality and his wit. On with the show:

ACROSS:

1. Illustrative words: SUCH AS. Dan loved his two and three word answers, so visually challenging.

7. Burst: RUPTURED. I never realized how many meanings this word has; made me think of an appendix.

15. Casual top: T SHIRT. Do you really think they look like “T” when they are laid out flat?

16. Intimate meeting: ONE ON ONE. Or perhaps you like the more romantic sounding tête-à-tête?

17. Baroque composer Cavalieri: EMILIO. No familiarity at all with this COMPOSER .

21. Great Seal symbol: EAGLE. Designed by Charles Thompson from written instructions from Congress. It said Ben Franklin preferred the Wild Turkey as the symbol of our new nation. Of course, if you read Dan Brown, you know it is all mysticism.

22. Lab complaints: ARFS. In honor of our recent dog puzzle, Dan deceives with a quick misdirection.

23. CD-__: ROMS. Compact Disc- Read Only Medium.

25. Hardy's "Pure Woman": TESS. Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented is a very sad book about rape and murder, ironically.

26. "S" on an invitation: SIL. Okay, RSVP, Respondez SIL Vous Plait. Man this filled from the perps but my brain did not see why for a long while.

27. Label for many Elton John hits: MCA. Another handy reference for me, as MCA signed the first band I negotiated a record deal for, and I got to visit the Black Tower often, and go to their parties.

29. Ready-to-mail item: Abbr.: SASE. Self-addressed stamped envelope. Often used as 13D. Things with ltrs.: ENCLS. The enclosure in a letter.

31. Ristorante suffix: INI. Rotini, linguini, all merely the Italian suffix meaning little.

32. Pittypat, in "Gone With the Wind": AUNT. An obscure character in the book, the maiden aunt of Scarlett’s first husband, Charles Hamilton. It is at aunt Pittypat’s house that the famous, "Oh, Miss Scarlett, I don't know nothing about birthing no babies." is uttered by Miss Prissy.

34. Aiming aid in some gun sights: RED DOT. The laser pointer indicator; do not sit still if a red dot appears on your forehead.

38. Fourth-qtr. month: DEC.

41. Reveal, poetically: OPE. Open.

42. Glacial ridges: ESKERS. Remarkably all the words I had trouble with were revealed from the same perps, as I know nothing of these DEPOSITS .

44. It parallels the radius: ULNA. The bones in your forearm.

45. Radar's rank: Abbr.: CPL. Corporal Walter “Radar” O’Reilly who loved his grape Nehi and could predict the future.

46. Fish-eating bird: LOON. No doubt, Dan’s shout out to C.C. for her Minnesota connection, and the decision made on the corner to adopt the Loon.

48. Pollster's query: AGE.

49. Heartache: WOE.

50. Homer Simpson's mom: MONA. Poor Homer had been lead to believe his MOTHER was dead, when she was on the run from the law.

53. Chestnut horse: ROAN.

55. Cartoonist Walker: MORT. This amazing 87 year old cartoonist still draws Beetle Bailey, with his sons writing the words. He also created Hi and Lois, a rare comic strip spinoff featuring Beetle’s sister Lois

56. Nailing, as a test: ACING. The very words we all say.

63. Prepare for a break: RACK UP. When playing pocket billiards (pool) you put the balls in the rack, not to be confused with Torquemeda and his games.

64. Texas city on I-40: AMARILLO. I guess Dan was going though Texas because he added 40D. Dallas suburb: PLANO.

65. Colorless gas: ETHENE. There are so many, this also waited for perps.

66. With composure: SEDATELY. Hmm, I think of sedate as more depressing and formal, but I know it is accurate.

67. "__ Waldo?": WHERE'S. And why do we care?

Okay, time for a rest, the on to the

Down:

1. Make way : STEP ASIDE. Again, Dan begins with a two word answer.

2. Dept. of the Navy component: US MARINES. A shout out to our own Dennis and others.

4. Black __: HILLS. South Dakota home of the BADLANDS .

5. Luyendyk of auto racing: ARIE. A Dutch race car driver who has won the Indianapolis 500 twice.

6. Greek colonnade: STOA. We have this word periodically, I guess it is crosswordese.

7. Rival of Paris: ROMEO. Very tricky, as we forget Paris was the prince Juliet’s father had arranged to be her husband. Paris who took Helen to Troy and even Paris Hilton came to mind along with the city.

8. Takes pieces from?: UNARMS. Pieces meaning weapons, firearma.

9. Workout target: PEC. Like this IMAGE of the Pectoral, chest muscles.

10. Carry: TOTE.

11. Like some films: UNRATED.

12. Compact item: ROUGE. Do women still carry Rouge? A cousin to our friend from yesterday, RHODO, from the French for RED.

14. Hockey ploys: DEKES. This comes from the Canadian twisting of the word DECOY.

20. Pipe cleaner: DRANO. Not what you had in mind when you wanted your pipes clean was it Dennis, WH?

24. Wrapped garment: SARONG. A skill for all to learn HOW TO TIE .

27. Prefix with economics: MACRO.

28. Insertion point indicator: CURSOR. The boobly thing that moves where you send it.

30. Biological bristles: SETAE. Our Latin lesson for the day, from the word which means bristle.

33. Mountain West Conf. team: TCU. Since Dan created this TCU after their recent undefeated season, have joined the Big East, to compete for the automatice BCS Bowl bid which went this year to UConn.

36. Auspicious: OPPORTUNE.

37. Sends, obsolescently: TELETYPES. Love the clue, as trying to figure out an obsolete, out of date way of sending something was a fun challenge.

43. Hyundai model: ELANTRA.

47. Cricket violation: NO BALL. Way too COMPLICATED for me; help Nice Cuppa? Kazie?

50. Family nicknames: MAMAS. I never called my mother that.

51. Carol opening: O COME. All ye faithful…

52. Battery acronym: NICAD. I think it is actually more a portmanteau of Nickel and Cadmium.

54. Magnalium, e.g.: ALLOY. I know this is a portmanteau of Magnesium and Aluminium.

55. Papier-__: MACHE. Do mothers still make Papier Mache stuff for their children to take to school.

57. Pluck: GRIT. I remind you all how much I enjoyed the movie, no takers for the Jeff Bridges’ True Grit ?

59. Captain's underlings: CREW. James T. Kirk?

60. Step on it: PATH.The puzzle is all done, and I did not even see this clue, which is my favorite, what classic misdirection, calling up images of speeding or hurrying up, but filled by the perps, drat.

62. __ du Diable: former French penal colony: ILE. We finish with the Devil’s Island .

Answer grid.

Well good to be home and a joy to have another Dan under my belt, as previously stated, what a week from Don G., John L and Dan. Peace out all.

Lemonade

Thursday, Jan 13, 2011 John Lampkin

Theme: Magic Transformations, spelled out in 15A and 17A, illusionist's act, and this puzzle's title. Words associated with a magic presentation are paired with an anagrammed form to make a wacky new phrase.

26A and 28A: "Presenting: Info!": TA-DA DATA.

47A and 49A: "Presenting: Instrument!": VOILA VIOLA.

56A and 57A: "Presenting: Wall hanging!": PRESTO POSTER.

Hi all, Al here.

Tricky today, last to fall for me was the SE corner, mostly due to stubbornness. This puzzle has an odd symmetry from left to right, folded like a book, but not top to bottom or diagonally. John has been really productive lately, conjuring up puzzles for three of the last five Thursdays.

ACROSS:

1. Hand mop?: SWAB. For cleaning a ship's deck

5. Siren, for one: ALARM.

10. Sound rebound: ECHO.

14. Corny state?: IOWA. Heywood Banks.

16. Unit of loudness: PHON. One SONE = 40 PHONs. They are subjective measures of perceived loudness. A decibel is the actual measured sound pressure and can be the same as a phon at times, but at different frequencies, the same pressure can seem to be louder or softer.

20. Playwright's device: ASIDE. Breaking the fourth wall by directly addressing the audience.

21. Sib, either way: SIS. Palindromic sibling.

22. Coincide: AGREE. I agree, when it snows as much as it has been lately we should all coincide and stay warm.

23. Turn in: RETIRE. The sooner, the better...

25. Most dependable: SUREST. Sure from Old French seur from Latin securus (secure).

29. Track figures: ODDS. Likeliest explanation is that odd meant "constituting a unit in excess of an even number", and odds followed with the general meaning of "amount by which one thing exceeds or falls short of another".

32. Start of a confession, maybe: I LIED.

34. Waste time, with "around": MUCK. I had _ _ C K staring at me for the longest time. A few other words came to mind first, but there was no way...

38. Louvre Pyramid architect: PEI. Ieoh Ming (I.M.)

39. Aptly named lab apparatus: BELL JAR.

41. Zip: NIL. Nada, zilch, naught.

42. '80s-'90s entertainment combo: TV-VCR. Convenient for small spaces, but inconvenient if the VCR needed to be fixed, then you were without the TV, too.

44. Gp. with big busts: DEA. Drug busts, Drug Enforcement Administration. This kind of bust comes from the word burst. The partial statue and f. anatomy meaning from Italian busto, upper body, which oddly comes from Latin bustum, a funeral monument or tomb...

45. Aptly named girder: H-BEAM.

51. Holy: SAINTLY. With clecho 46D. Holy: BLESSED.

53. Experience: UNDERGO.

58. Approximately: OR SO.

59. Mountain air: YODEL. Air (from Italian "aria") in the sense of a "song". Putting on airs (aura)

63. Wood site: SHED. I wanted to make GOLF or HOLE work here somehow.

64. Julia in films: RAUL. Best known for playing Gomez in the Addams Family movies.

65. Clinton Cabinet member Shalala: DONNA. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

66. Further: ELSE. I really didn't want to give up ALSO for this one.

67. Kind: TYPE.

68. Not on the level: SHADY.

69. Batik artist: DYER. Linen soaked in wax, then scratched with a sharp tool to allow limited areas to be dyed. Slightly akin to tie-dying.

DOWN:

1. George Harrison played one in "Norwegian Wood": SITAR. Couldn't find actual (real) live footage, so here's the Rock Band game version.

2. In a sorrier state: WORSE.

3. Be ready for: AWAIT.

4. Desperados: BANDITS. Banditos, outlaws, related word: banish.

5. Bowling initials: AMF. American Machine and Foundry. Competition: Brunswick.

6. China neighbor: LAOS. Landlocked between Thailand and Vietnam.

7. Cultural opening?: AGRI. Opening = prefix.

8. Rounded edges, usually: RIMS.

9. Label for many Tom Petty hits: MCA. Music Corporation of America.

10. Dorothy Parker forte: EPIGRAM. Short pithy, usually snide "verbal wallops" like: "Brevity is the soul of lingerie" or "Look at him, a rhinestone in the rough!"

11. Job: CHORE.

12. Perfects: HONES. As in "sharpens ones skills".

13. Advent: ONSET. Start up.

18. Day's "will be": SERA. Que Sera, Sera. Doris Day.

19. Stretched tight: TAUT. (for the ladies)

24. Pop singer Brickell: EDIE. What does she mean?

25. Emmy winner Thompson: SADA.

27. From dawn to dusk: ALL DAY.

28. Illusion of familiarity: DEJA VU.

29. Back (out): OPT.

30. Part of R & D: Abbr.: DEV. Research and Development.

31. Distributes, as the loot: DIVVIES UP.

33. Land in la mer: ILE. French: sea, island

35. Ethereal: UNEARTHLY.

36. Org. with covert ops: CIA.

37. It merged with Air France in 2004: KLM. Royal Dutch Airlines: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij

39. Bond girl Ekland: BRITT. Mary Goodnight.

40. Rose: Pref.: RHODO. Directly from Greek rhodon for rose.

43. Give comfort to: CONSOLE.

48. Insurer at One Lime Street, London: LLOYDS.

50. Needing to be fielded, as a baseball: IN PLAY. Partial clecho with 51D. Baseball, for one: SPORT.

52. Striking grouping: ARRAY.

54. Sixth-day Christmas gift: GEESE. a-laying. The price index for all 12 days: currently $96,824

55. It might be tall: ORDER. Tall is a funny word that has evolved through many meanings over time. In Old English, it meant: prompt, active. It changed to mean brave, valiant, seemly, proper, and then to more than average height. From there it was extended to mean something grandly exaggerated, or lofty, and then to a general purpose intensifier as in tall tales or stories, and this clue: a tall order.

60. "Nice!": OOH.

61. "CSI" sample: DNA. DeoxyriboNucleic Acid

62. You've just reached it: END.

Answer Grid.

Al

Wednesday January 12, 2011 Ken Bessette

Theme: CIRCLE THE WAGONS. The circled letters at the beginning and end of each theme answer spell out a four letter word for a type of wagon.

17A. When some suits don't wear suits : DRESS DOWN FRIDAY. Companies often permit casual attire on Fridays. DRAY = a strong cart or wagon without sides. Like this.

23A. The Pawtucket Red Sox, e.g. : TRIPLE-A FARM TEAM. From Wikipedia: Triple-A (or Class AAA) refers to the highest level of play in minor league baseball in the USA. Teams at this level are divided into three leagues: the International League, the Pacific Coast League, and the MLB-independent Mexican League. Each of the 30 Major League Baseball teams has an affiliation with one Triple-A team in the United States. However, Mexican Triple-A teams are not included in the organized farm team system. TRAM = a four-wheeled wagon that runs on tracks in a mine.

52A. Sandals in Jamaica, e.g. : CARIBBEAN RESORT. CART = a two-wheeled wagon, normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals.

60A. Assume a defensive position (and what we did to highlight this puzzle's theme) : CIRCLE THE WAGONS. On long trips, wagon trains would form a circle with their wagons for protection from enemy attack.

Melissa here.

So many different words for wagon, who knew? I can can think of five-letter paddy and buggy, but there's also conestoga, carriage, and coach. And of course there's the classic 'woody.' Station wagon!

Across

1. The Renault 5, in North America : LE CAR

6. One-named New Ager : ENYA

10. Lake plant : ALGA. Singular. Always makes me think of my favorite book as a kid.

14. Street of San José : CALLE. Spanish word for street.

15. Ending with play or party : GOER. Does she go?

16. Rosemary, for one : HERB.

20. Sound from Simba : ROAR. Hakuna Matata wouldn't fit.

21. Frat "T" : TAU

22. Fords with racing stripes : GT'S

28. Nuclear org. created under HST : AEC. Atomic Energy Commission.

29. __ Grey tea : EARL. Flavored with bergamot.

30. Deep Throat's org. : FBI. Mark Felt revealed his identity in June 2005. I still have the Vanity Fair magazine issue. (He died in December 2008.)

31. Bamboozle : SCAM

33. Christian surname? : DIOR. Christian Dior.

35. How oaths are taken : ALOUD

39. __ de espera: waiting room : SALA. Needed perps, muy poquito Spanish for me.

40. She played Buffy : SARAH. Buffy the Vampire Slayer played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. Never watched it.

42. River to the North Sea : TYNE. In North East England.

43. Derby town : EPSOM

45. Trig ratio : SINE

46. "Sonic the Hedgehog" developer : SEGA. Video game.

47. Shad delicacy : ROE

49. Schoolyard claim : DIBS. Thought it might be AM SO at first.

51. Frame for Roger Rabbit : CEL

57. Sinatra's Gardner : AVA

58. Mideast "son of" : IBN. The Arabic particle بن (English: son of) should be transliterated ibn. I had no idea, had to look that one up.

59. Cheese or its town : EDAM

66. Hard downpour : HAIL. Nice clue.

67. Music biz sensation, perhaps : TEEN

68. "If I Were a Rich Man" singer : TEVYE

69. Feminine suffix : ENNE. As in, comedienne.

70. Mex. miss : SRTA. Senorita.

71. Clear : ERASE. Fooled me, I was thinking adjective, not a verb.

Down

1. Elec. readout : LCD. Liquid crystal display.

2. Field unit : EAR. Corn.

3. Some temps : CLERICALS

4. Journalist Stewart or Joseph : ALSOP. Not familiar with either one.

5. Consignment shop transaction : RESALE

6. Swelled head : EGO

7. Word of urgency : NOW

8. Gossipmonger : YENTA

9. Kennel double talk? : ARF ARF

10. Tuna at a luau : AHI

11. Building shelf : LEDGE

12. Persona non __ : GRATA. Latin, literally meaning "an unwelcome person," indicating a proscription against a person entering the country.

13. Wide gulf : ABYSM

18. Bob Marley feature : DREADS

19. Cuban dance : RUMBA

23. Café cup : TASSE. French. Café = coffe, tasse = cup.

24. Roundup : RECAP

25. Met favorites : ARIAS

26. Where to see a lot of keys : FLORIDA. A few days ago it was valet.

27. Knight games : TILTS. Tilting is jousting.

32. Haka dancers of New Zealand : MAORI. Holy hotwick haka dance, that's a lot of testosterone.

34. Made a quick stop : RAN IN

36. Santana hit also covered by Tito Puente : OYE COMO VA. Original version written by Cachao.

37. Madison's foil : UNGER. Oscar Madison and Felix Unger of The Odd Couple. Funniest. Scene. Ever.

38. Passed out in Vegas? : DEALT

41. Sharon's language : HEBREW

44. Company that uses Pegasus as a symbol : MOBIL

48. Brooklyn's __ Field : EBBETS

50. Get under control, in a way : SEDATE

52. Buried supply : CACHE. Wagon train parties would sometimes cache supplies to lighten their load and ford rivers and streams.

53. Like most cardinals : AVIAN. Most? Okay, not these.

54. __ to go : RARIN'

55. Pencil maze word : ENTER

56. More wise : SAGER

61. Cavs, on scoreboards : CLE. Cleveland Cavaliers. I hear they might have a new announcer.

62. Worked (up) : HET

63. Bambi's aunt : ENA

64. Where Rockefeller was gov. : NYS

65. Match, as a raise : SEE

Answer grid.

Melissa

Tuesday, January 11, 2011 Don Gagliardo

Theme: Knight Moves - There are three consecutive L's in each long them answer and one more L in the adjacent entry. The four L's form a letter-formation of a L-bar, which is then graphically represented by black squares in the same direction. Please read constructor Don G's notes at the bottom.

18A. Passé keyboard key: SCROLL LOCK. What is scroll lock and why is it passé?

9D. Cowardly : YELLOW. These four L's form one set of L-bar.

62A. "I'm afraid this will sound funny": "YOU'LL LAUGH".

47D. Have as a customer : SELL TO. Another set.

3D. Video game difficulty setting: SKILL LEVEL

27A. Was beaten by : FELL TO. Shouldn't be used to describe a squeaker like the Auburn/Oregon game last night! The third set.

31D. Names on it are off-limits to telemarketers: NO CALL LIST

48A. Like some quaint lamps : OIL-LIT. One of the earliest types. Image. Final set.

Unifier:

39A. Angle irons graphically represented by four sets of black squares in this grid, and by letter formations starting in the four longest answers: L-BARs (I have highlighted the 'L' in the appropriate cross word.)

And more:

64D. Ernie of the PGA, to whom this puzzle could be dedicated: ELS

Argyle here.

A puzzle for the books, with the strong visual and layers of meanings.

Across:

1. 17-Across in the neck : PEST. 17. See 1-Across : PAIN.

5. Adventurous : RISKY

10. Domesticated : TAME

14. Chase on stage : ILKA

15. Cat-__-tails : O'NINE

16. Wicked : EVIL

20. Bigger photo: Abbr. : ENL.

21. Extremely, in Essex : BEASTLY. Alliteration, I say, old chap.

22. Horror maven Craven : WES

23. Follower of Mary : LAMB. From the nursery rhyme.

25. Sphere : ORB

29. Midday energizer : POWER NAP

34. K-6 : ELEM.

35. Stroll : WALK

37. Vowel before omicron : IOTA. Omicron is just the Greek O.

38. Bounty rival : VIVA

41. Picket line crosser : SCAB

42. Garden site : EDEN

43. Actor Neeson : LIAM. In many movies.

44. Finishes the road : TARs

45. Got sick again : RELAPSED

50. Fair grade : CEE

51. German GM subsidiary : OPEL. Since 1929.

52. Workshop sprite : ELF. I hope their new-found fame won't go to their heads. That's all I need. Ho, ho, ho.

55A. Crete-born "View of Toledo" painter : EL GRECO. His view.

59. Texas ranch initials : LBJ. President Lyndon Baines Johnson's ranch and now the LBJ National Historical Park.

64. Dublin's land : EIRE

65. Red Muppet : ELMO

66. Trace : TINGE

67. Future atty.'s hurdle : LSAT. The Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

68. Boatload : SLEW. Do we need to say more today?

69. Preminger et al. : OTTOs. He was a famous film director.

70. Eyelid problem : STYE

Down:

1. Lounging jacket wearer's smoke, maybe : PIPE

2. Verve : ELAN

4. Bronze relative : TAN. I was a bit medal mental and had TIN at first.

5. Pasadena arena : ROSE BOWL

6. Andean ancient : INCA. Ancient can mean a person who lived in ancient times.

7. Letter addressees : SIRS

8. Masseuse's challenge : KNOT

10. Business card abbr. : TEL.

11. Speak bluntly : AVOW

12. Cats' quarry : MICE. Plural cat, plural mouse.

13. Benevolent lodgeful : ELKS. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order and social club.

19. Ancient strings : LYRE

21. NYC subway line named for two boroughs : BMT. Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit.

24. Farmers' publication? : ALMANAC

26. Brush component : BRISTLE

27. Hyped-up feeling : FEVER

28. Say "bo's'n," say : ELIDE

29. Scottish pattern : PLAID

30. Gumbo pod : OKRA

32. Big name in video games : ATARI

33. Big name in beer : PABST

36. Up to the task : ABLE

40. Wet ones, so to speak : SMOOCHES

46. Banana discard : PEEL

49. Stock mkt. debut : IPO. Initial Public Offering.

52. Makeup accentuates them : EYES. Painted eyes.

53. Recline lazily : LOLL

54. Do a slow burn : FUME

56. Trot or canter : GAIT

57. Litter's littlest : RUNT

58. Kellogg's toaster brand : EGGO. The Lego Eggo.

60. Donkey's protest : BRAY

61. Ballet leap : JETÉ

63. Sad : LOW

Answer grid.

Constructor's notes:

This puzzle is an example of how a simple idea kept getting more complex. I noticed a phrase where three L’s ran together and thought that was fun. Then I realized that if it ran vertically and another L was added to the side, the four L grouping could look like an L. So I started tinkering with all vertical phrases. It did not work out very well. I don’t know how I made the logical leap, but it seemed that I could have patterns of shaded squares that also look like L’s. When I started arranging them, I saw that they could be displayed symmetrically in a wheel-like configuration. I decided at that point that the L’s in the phrases should mimic the configuration of L’s. So you will notice that the four L pattern always has the same orientation with respect to the shaded square L pattern. I owe many thanks to Rich who came up with the final theme answer (SKILL LEVEL) to keep the pattern intact. As a final observation, I noticed there were appearing a number of EL patterns in the fill. I decided to play with that extra element to see how many I could get into the grid, and have a little bonus secondary theme answer at the southeast corner. I also owe more thanks to Rich who rejected a corner that had a lackluster fill. His suggested correction helped put an exquisite finishing touch on a most enjoyable puzzle constructing experience.

Argyle

Monday, January 10, 2011 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: Special Edition - Along with the unifier, the first word from the four longest entries form the cry of the old time paperboy. Statue in Great Barrington, MA.

17A. Do some palmistry: READ ONES FORTUNE

26A. Groundbreaking 1970s sitcom: ALL IN THE FAMILY

47A. Link on a writer's Web site: ABOUT THE AUTHOR

61A. Hillary Clinton bestseller: IT TAKES A VILLAGE

68A. When repeated, start of an old shout that ends with the starts of 17-, 26-, 47- and 61-Across: EXTRA

Argyle here.

Not bad for a Monday, although someone will complain about 2-Down, I suppose. Four long theme entries with some sparkling fill makes this a Special Edition Monday puzzle.

Across:

1. Make mention of : CITE

5. Bamboo lover : PANDA

10. Army NCO : SSGT

14. Eight, in Essen : ACHT. In Germany.

15. Look forward to : AWAIT

16. Tiger or Twin, briefly : ALer. Baseball.

20. Giant legend Mel : OTT. Baseball, again. He batted left-handed but threw right-handed and played right field.

21. Chick's digs : NEST. Cute clue.

22. Fine distinction : NICETY

23. Tavern tussle : MELEE

25. Delaware senator who sponsored IRA legislation : ROTH. The Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a tax plan that allows a tax reduction on a limited amount of saving for retirement. The principal difference from most other tax advantaged retirement plans is that, rather than granting a tax break for money placed into the plan, the tax break is granted on the money withdrawn from the plan during retirement.

33. Excessively ornate : FLORID

34. Sensitive skin spots : SORES. Alliteration all the way.

35. Not operating : OFF

38. "Midnight Cowboy" hustler Rizzo : RATSO

40. __ Kan: Alpo alternative : KAL. Dog food.

41. Welsh dog : CORGI. Just mention food and a Corgi will show up.

44. Soviet anti-spy group in some James Bond novels : SMERSH. It is an acronym from two Russian words meaning "Death to Spies".

51. "__, old chap!" : I SAY

52. Laura's cry on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" : "OH, ROB!". Laura Petrie, played by Mary Tyler Moore and Rob Petrie , played By Dick Van Dyke.

54. Small gun : PISTOL

57. Western tie : BOLO

60. Stag party attendee : GUY

64. One who might 17-Across : SEER

65. Begat : SIRED

66. Top draft status : ONE A

67. Music boosters : AMPS

69. Cold War initials : USSR

Down:

1. Billiards bounce : CAROM

2. Summer refresher : ICE TEA

3. "__ be the day!" : THAT'LL. Buddy Holly clip.(1:22) I can't help feeling a little sad listening to this clip, given his tragic end.

4. LAX datum : ETD. Estimated Time of Departure.

5. Window section : PANE

6. Leaves speechless : AWEs

7. Condé __ Publications : NAST. Founded by Condé Montrose Nast. Background.

8. "What's the __?" : DIF. Shortened version of DIFFERENCE.

9. Numerous : A TON OF

10. Armstrong's nickname : SATCHMO. That is Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), American jazz musician and not one of these. Wikipedia List.

11. Turn on an axis : SLUE

12. Lady's partner : GENT

13. Low card : TREY

18. NBC correspondent Roger : O'NEIL This guy.

19. Hayworth and Moreno : RITAs. Actresses. R.H. and R.M.

24. Wrapper for Santa : ELF. My unsung heroes.

25. Obstacle for Moses : RED SEA

27. Hide-hair link : NOR

28. In poor taste : TRASHY

29. Blackjack request : "HIT ME". Ask for another card.

30. Aggravate : IRK

31. Grassy expanse : LEA

32. French designer's monogram : YSL. Yves Saint Laurent.

35. Andean stew veggie : OCA. A tuber.

36. Watch chain : FOB

37. To's opposite : FRO

39. Tulsa sch. named for a televangelist : ORU. Oral Roberts University (ORU) in Tulsa, OK.

42. Rock instruments : GUITARS

43. "Not to worry" : "IT'S OK"

45. Seat that often swivels : STOOL

46. 1968 loser to RMN : HHH. Nixon/Hubert H. Humphrey.

48. "Honor Thy Father" author Gay : TALESE

49. Instruments with many pedals : ORGANS

50. Cheek colorers : ROUGES

53. How some learn music : BY EAR

54. Tuscany tower site : PISA. Also, an avatar.

55. Agenda unit : ITEM

56. Twelve-__ program : STEP

57. Homer's son : BART

58. In excess of : OVER

59. "__ Rose": "The Music Man" song : LIDA. Clip.(5:32)

62. Common dinner hour : SIX

63. Comic Costello : LOU

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday January 9, 2011 Jack McInturff

Theme: Oui (Ou → I) - Letters OU is changed into I in each familiar phrase.

23A. Herb homily? : SERMON ON THE M(OU)INT

39A. Like a stroller out of breath? : WALKING W(OU)INDED

50A. Golf pro's protection? : GR(OU)IP INSURANCE. We also have another golf reference: 37D. Golf's Slammin' Sammy : SNEAD. He could kick a 7-foot high ceiling in his 70s.

70A. Coffee at church? : HALLOWED GR(OU) IND

81A. Adoptee's goal? : F(OU)INDING FATHER

105A. "Last Comic Standing" winning routine? : CHAMPIONSHIP B(OU)IT

35D. Knighted vintner's nickname? : S(OU)IR GRAPES

46D. Dorm room Christmas tree? : F(OU)IR POSTER

Nice set of theme answers. Some of the clues made me smile. You've got to have a sense of humor when cluing letter string deletion/addition/exchange theme clues, or any punny theme.

Humor doesn't come to me naturally, even in Chinese. Jerome's outside-the-box thinking on certain mundane answers like IRON last time often impresses and amuses me.

A bit of slog for me today. Quite a few unfamiliar names, either in entries or in clues. Jack worked hard in coming up with fresh clues for some names, such as ANTON (26A. Canadian pianist Kuerti). But most of them just stumped me. A simple "Author Checkhov" would have given me a tap-in gimme. Different strokes I suppose. I bet this guy was an easy fill for Jayce or Jazzbumpa.

Across:

1. Language group that includes Swahili : BANTU

6. "Great" swingers : APES. Not the swingers I had in mind.

10. Yaks : GABS

14. "Get out!" : SCRAM

19. Yellow spreads : OLEOS

20. "Gloria" actress Rowlands : GENA. She's in "The Notebook".

21. It will probably keep you in bed : AGUE. I've never used this word in real life.

22. Raccoon kin : COATI

27. It's usually over a door : EXIT SIGN. Good clue/answer.

28. Australia's __ Rock : AYERS. Lovely fill for Kazie. Popular Australian tourist spot. Also known as Uluru.

29. Current concern : EL NINO. Oh, air current. (Correction: It's ocean current. Thanks, Gunghy!)

30. Dismayed cry : OH NO

31. One begins "Rhapsody in Blue" : TRILL

32. Witness to the Transfiguration of Jesus : ST. PETER. Jack always peppers a few Bible references in his puzzles.

33. Mag transformed by Helen Gurley Brown : COSMO. Unknown trivia to me.

36. Van Morrison's singing daughter : SHANA. Complete stranger. I like the color of her tank top.

37. Union leavers : SECEDERS

38. Hawaiian tuna : AHI. Yellowfin tuna. Mouthwatering, JD! What a pity that Dennis doesn't eat any fish.

43. Fallen orbiter : MIR. De-orbed in 2001.

44. Sound relatives : BAYS. And 113. Sound measure : SONE. Different "sound".

45. With no rocks : NEAT

46. Suspect story, maybe : FIB. So is LIE.

49. '90s game disc : POG

55. Nest egg initials : IRA

56. Upgrade to five stars, say : RE-RATE

58. Not rented : OWNED

59. Capers : LARKS

61. "Sherlock Holmes" actress Rachel : MCADAMS. Recognized her face when I googled. She's the mean girl in "Mean Girls".

63. "What __ Is This?" : CHILD

64. Wander : TRAIPSE

66. Attend to loose ends : MOP UP

67. Look uncertainly (for) : GROPE

68. 1972 Oscar refuser : BRANDO. He won for his performance in the "The Godfather".

69. Wrath : IRE

74. Hindu title : SRI

77. Elected ones : INs

78. Former U.K. carrier : BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation). Stumper.

79. Slick trick : RUSE

80. Lincoln progeny : TAD. Lincoln's youngest son.

86. Director's challenge : EGO. Nice clue.

87. Remove with effort : DISLODGE

91. Use the soapbox : ORATE

92. Spanish others : OTRAs

94. Lures : ENTICES

95. Moccasin, e.g. : SNAKE. No idea. The color does look that of the Moccasin slippers.

96. Pelvic bones : ILIA

98. Areas above hooves : SHANKS

99. Pursue : CHASE

100. Torino tongue : ITALIANO. My friend Roberto is from Roma. He makes terrific risotto & salad.

104. Pasta often served alla vodka : PENNE. Have never had this dish.

107. Drive-thru decision : ORDER

108. It has banks in Switzerland : AARE. River banks. Awesome clue.

109. Not a happy fate : DOOM

110. Writer Zora __ Hurston : NEALE. She wrote "Their Eyes Were Watching God".

111. Tries out : TESTS

112. Lulus : PIPS

114. Taunts : GIBES

Down:

1. Speaker of note : BOSE. Was thinking of Tris Speaker.

2. Author Haley : ALEX. "Roots".

3. Michael Corleone's bodyguard Al : NERI. Wow, no idea. The guy on the left.

4. Hand-played drum : TOM-TOM

5. Wartime diversion : USO SHOW

6. To the max, in the disco era : A GOGO

7. Ivy League member : PENN

8. Stud attachment? : ENT. Student. A rather innovative way to clue ENT.

9. Dry and hot : SAHARAN

10. Some wardens' concern : GAME LAW

11. "__ Like You": Young Rascals hit : A GIRL. Here is the clip.

12. Keister : BUNS

13. Place to be quiet : SET. Movie set.

14. Like Super Bowl tickets, perhaps : SCALPED

15. Hustled : CONNED

16. Kiwi or rhea : RATITE

17. Sorry sort : ATONER

18. They may have 84-Down : MINORs. 84. Spy covers : FAKE IDS.

24. One-time partner of novelist Miller : NIN (Anaïs). Henry Miller.

25. Giving the once-over : EYING

29. "Yada, yada, yada ..." : ETC ETC

31. "__ Promise You": *NSYNC hit : THIS I. Liked the song.

32. Family car : SEDAN

33. Summer getaway : CAMP

34. River formed at Pittsburgh : OHIO

36. Internet communications company : SKYPE. Never know how it got the name.

40. Pianist/composer Chasins : ABRAM. Another blind spot for me.

41. Café additions : LAITS. Café au lait.

42. Denoting a loss : IN RED

47. Bugs : IRKS

48. It may be stolen : BASE. Baseball. We also have 52. Steal : SWIPE.

50. Plotting aid : GRAPH

51. Not at all : NO HOW

53. Without direction : UNLED. Spell check doesn't like this word.

54. African antelope : ELAND

57. http://ucla.__ : EDU

60. It may be financial or legal : AID

61. Year of Super Bowl XXXVI : MMII. 2002. Patriots vs. Rams.

62. Muffin grain : CORN

63. Signs of spring : CROCI

64. Former title-winning women's wrestler Stratus : TRISH. No idea. Great body.

65. Saree wearer : RANEE

67. Forest clearing : GLADE

68. Cruel, as force : BRUTE. Brute force.

71. Stomachs : ABIDES

72. Suit sizes : LONGS

73. Irritate : GRATE

75. Shankar music style : RAGA. Norah Jones looks pretty in long hair, don't you think?

76. Nuptial vows : I DOs

81. Bernie, Roz and Greg, in a 2004 film : FOCKERS. Saw "Meet the Fockers". Can't remember the names.

82. They aren't stars : NO NAMEs

83. Understand : GRASP

85. Like white water : ROILING

87. Absolute ruler : DESPOT

88. Beckoning words : IN HERE

89. Score holders : STANDS. Oh, musical score.

90. Small finch : LINNET. Hey, there!

93. Capital city that hosted the 2007 Baseball World Cup : TAIPEI. Amazed baseball is popular there.

95. #, on scores : SHARP

96. "Who's there?" reply : IT'S ME

97. "Well, __-di-dah" : LAH

99. Indian spiced tea : CHAI

100. A party to : IN ON

101. Rhyme scheme of Kipling's "If—" : ABAB. Needed crossing help.

102. Cairo's river : NILE

103. Plural suffix with Capri : OTES. Capriotes.

105. Salary limit : CAP

106. Hugs, on cards : OOO

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday January 8, 2011 Harvey Estes

((Note to late visitors: Due to computer error, we lost both the write-up and comments. This version is a recovered one. )

Theme: None

Total words: 68

Total blocks: 33

Only four 3-letter answers in this grid: ERR/PEP/TSE/UTE. Amazing.

Harvey placed triple stacks of 10s in each quadrant of the grid, the layout is quite similar to his last Saturday. Notice his answer for 17A? Ha ha, RADIAL TIRE!

Here are the 10s:

14A. Motel convenience : ICE MACHINE

17A. Quicker picker-uppers? : STIMULANTS

19A. Pigeon : EASY TARGET. So is EASY MARK.

48A. Mixed condiment : GARLIC SALT. Mostly salt.

55A. Cause of senselessness : ANESTHESIA

57A. "Don't waste your time" : IT'S USELESS

10D. Churches with carillons don't need one : BELL RINGER. Wow, really? How do they ring the bells then?

11D. Being supportive : AT YOUR SIDE. Oh, being supportive of me.

12D. Opalescent gems : MOONSTONES

24D. Extreme : INORDINATE

25D. Automotive innovation that improved fuel economy : RADIAL TIRE. We also have 36A. It purrs when it's cared for : ENGINE. And 60A. Trip interruptions : FLATS. Flat tires. Needed Dennis' help.

26D. Front borders : ENEMY LINES. Nailed it.

I had an easier time. The lack of obscure names certainly helped.

Across:

1. Worker with many keys : VALET. Was picturing a hotel maid.

6. Fleece : CLIP. Didn't know clip can mean "swindle".

10. Nick Saban's team, familiarly : 'BAMA. Nick Saban & Bear Bryant are all I know about the Crimson Tide.

16. Thames landmark : ETON

18. City on the Rhône : LYON

20. Actress Anderson : LONI. The "WKRP in Cincinnati" girl.

21. Guilty and more : PLEAS

22. Dodge : RUSE

23. Juice carriers : WIRES. Current "juice". I wanted FRUIT.

28. Go astray : ERR

29. Fountain contemporary : HIRT (Al). Pete Fountain.

30. Foolishness : INANITY

32. Spot remover, at times : SPONSOR. Does "spot" here refer to ads? I don't get the clue.

35. Surfing equipment : MODEMS. Internet surfing.

37. Got ready for a big date : PRIMPED

39. Stepped on it, with "up" : SPEEDED. Spell check wants SPED.

40. Boxes of calendars? : DAYS. Clever clue.

41. Mountain West Conference athlete : UTE

43. Code subject : DRESS. Dress code.

44. Builder's truckload : FILL. Or all the non-theme answers in any crossword.

45. High school math calculations : AREAS

47. One fighting something : ANTI

54. Early exile : CAIN. Into the land of Nod.

56. French 101 verb : ETRE. "To be".

58. Driving aids : TEES. Golf.

59. Biweekly tide : NEAP

Down:

1. Workbench item : VISE

2. Court records : ACTA. Learned from doing Xword.

3. Floral gifts : LEIS

4. Peabody relative : EMMY. Peabody Award.

5. Having no play : TAUT. Is "play" the same as "slack"?

6. Pride of country music : CHARLEY. What's his most famous song?

7. Extend one's stay : LINGER

8. Visibly moved : IN TEARS

9. Raid targets : PESTS

13. Warbucks's charge : ANNIE. Daddy Warbucks.

15. What fans do : CLAP

23. Unlikely hero : WIMP

27. Ninnies : SIMPS

29. Perfected : HONED

31. Japanese financial market inits. : TSE (Tokyo Stock Exchange). Had to post-google.

33. Dash : PEP

34. Film for which Warren Beatty won a Best Director Oscar : REDS

38. Mrs. Calabash's creator : DURANTE (Jimmy). Mrs. Calabash is his wife.

39. Shrink-wraps, e.g. : SEALS UP

42. Mother in Calcutta : TERESA. Mother Teresa.

44. Aspect : FACET

45. Over : AGAIN

46. Is in session : SITS. Congress session?

49. Frequent taster : CHEF. So is COOK.

50. Push, in a way : SELL

51. Cruising : ASEA

52. Where guests may be ticked off? : LIST. Nice clue.

53. Sputnik coverer : TASS. Media cover. I wanted CCCP, which covers Sputnik too.

Answer grid.

Today we celebrate the birthday of JimmyB (most right), a very passionate LA Times crossword solver who has been keeping track of the exact time each puzzle takes him to complete since our switch in 2009. Sheng Ri Kuai Le, Jim!

C.C.

Friday January 7, 2011 Gary Steinmehl

(Note to late visitors: Due to computer error, we lost both the write-up and comments. This version is a recovered one. )

Theme: Vowel Quintet - A, E, I, O & U are orderly added to the start of the first word of each two-word familiar phrase.

20A. Proof of quartz sales? : AGATE RECEIPTS. Gate receipts.

30A. Brewery's best? : ELITE BEER. Lite beer.

38A. "Mad Max" and "Twelve Angry Men"? : IRATE MOVIES. Rated movies might be a better base phrase, but then, irated is not a word.

46A. One of many at a Syracuse University football game? : ORANGE TOP. Range top. Here is their mascot Otto the Orange.

58A. Making a mess at the warehouse? : UPENDING CASES. Pending cases.

C.C. here, pinch-hitting for Lemonade, whose computer is sick.

Great to see Gary Steinmehl's by-line. He's a real pro and always comes up with something unique in his theme approach. Read my interview with him if you haven't heard of him before.

Quite a few clechos in his grid today. As usual, I highlighted them in green colors.

Across:

1. Lip : BRIM. One-word clue is always tricky, esp if the word has various meanings.

5. One usually includes an aria and a recitative : SCENA. I wanted OPERA.

10. Rhode Island's motto : HOPE. Wow, so simple. No Latin/French.

14. Jim-dandy : A ONE

15. Kachina carvers : HOPIS. I've never understood the appeal of Kachina dolls.

16. Clue in a hunt : ODOR. Then 18. "Give me __" : A HINT.

17. Amounting to nothing : NULL

19. Texters do it : TYPE

23. __ moon : NEW

24. Ballot marker : X'ER. Every puzzle needs a few abbreviations to glue things together.

25. "One Good Cop" actress : RUSSO (Rene). I've never seen the movie. Rene Russo is awesome in "Tin Cup".

28. Money in the bank, e.g. : ASSET

34. Is after you? : ARE. As in "You are so hot!". So literally are is "after you".

36. Oscar-winning role for Forest : IDI (Amin). "The Last King of Scotland". Forest Whitaker.

37. However : YET. BUT, anyone?

42. Self-realization sect : ZEN

44. Bill : TAB

45. Sweet ending : OSE. As in glucose.

50. Lit up : AGLOW

54. Resort area near Reno : TAHOE

55. Org. offering jumps : AAA. They give cars a jump in cold weather, a la Argyle.

57. First mate? : EVE. Of Adam.

63. Pure and simple : MERE

65. Law partner : ORDER. Law and order.

66. Some are noble : FIRS. Did you want SIRS?

67. Head line : PART. Then 41D. Head lines? : EEG. Brain scan.

68. City where de Gaulle was born : LILLE. Learned this trivia a while ago.

69. Cameo, maybe : ROLE. 72. Cameo material : ONYX. Not the same "cameo" of course.

70. Fellows : GUYS

71. Like Falstaff : OBESE. Shakespeare's Falstaff.

Down:

1. Yogurt flavor : BANANA. Don't eat dairy.

2. They make you red in the face : ROUGES. ERRORS jumped to my mind first.

3. Wedding creations : IN-LAWS. Nice clue.

4. Get all mushy : MELT

5. Slice : SHARE. I don't get how these two are interchangeable.

6. Hold together : COHERE

7. Work with a wide scope : EPIC. Noun "Work" here.

8. Roger Maris wore it : NINE. Loved the movie "61". It's about Maris and Mantle (#7) trying to break the 60 home run record set by Ruth (#3) in 1961. So good.

9. Wine town near Turin : ASTI

10. Place to chill : HOT TUB

11. Adventures : ODYSSEYS

12. Top 40 genre : POP

13. Before : ERE. 22. Before, before? : PRE.

21. Hollywood "spear carrier" : EXTRA

26. Take in : SEE

27. Scrap : ORT

29. Stirrup site : EAR

31. People bend over backwards for it : LIMBO. Oh, this limbo.

32. Promising words : I DO

33. Save for later viewing : TiVO

35. Feminizing ending : ETTE

38. Rushed : IN A HURRY

39. Put away : EAT

40. Composer Albéniz : ISAAC. Onager guess. Not familiar with this Spanish fellow. He died in 1909.

42. Anteater's sound effect in the comic "B.C." : ZOT. Got the answer via crossings. What does ZOT connote? Like "Bam!"?

43. Chunk of time : ERA

47. Apartment caveat : NO PETS. Not a caveat to me. Never a pet person.

48. "My stars!" : GEE

49. Some judges sit on them : PANELS. Great clue. Not BENCHES.

51. Skin wound : LESION

52. Too : OVERLY

53. Setting for many Thomas Hardy novels : WESSEX. I've only read his "Tess of the d'Urbervilles".

56. Go along : AGREE

59. __ contendere : NOLO

60. Small quantity : DRIB

61. Like doodling : IDLE

62. Full coif : AFRO.

63. Automaker's concern, briefly : MPG

64. Water under le pont : EAU. Pont is French for "bridge". I had thought it's "pond".

Answer grid.

C.C.