google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Feb 1, 2011

Tuesday, February 1, 2011 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: Rack 'Em - The first word of the theme entries relate to that trouble they had in River City. Yes, I said trouble. Trouble with a capital "T" and that rhymes with "P" and that stands for 65-Across!

17A. Coach's pregame lecture: CHALK TALK. A coach will often use a blackboard as a visual aid during the pep talk. A pool player uses chalk on the tip of the cue to aid in applying "English" to the cue ball.

24A. Home seller-and-buyer's short-term loan: BRIDGE FINANCING If one has bought a new home that they were going to pay for with the proceeds from the sale of their old home and the old one hasn't sold yet, a bridge loan can cover the gap. In pool, a special stick, can be used when striking the cue ball has to be done bridging another ball.

41A. 1929 women's air race, as dubbed by Will Rogers: POWDER PUFF DERBY. I don't believe Will's term is politically correct nowadays. Talc powder is used to keep a player's hand smooth and dry while making a pool shot.

51A. Production number director's cry: CUE THE ORCHESTRA This cue is the spelled name of the letter q which is an abbreviation (found in acting scripts) of Latin quando, "when". (News to me.) The cue stick comes from the word queue, because it is similar to the long and tapering braid of hair called a queue?

65A. Summer shindig, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 24-, 41- and 51-Across: POOL PARTY. Again, the word pool has come from to different meanings. The game is so-called because a betting pool was established prior to playing the game. "I am shocked — shocked— to find that gambling is going on in here!"

Argyle here. 


Solid puzzle. Grid spanners. Blocks in the corners. I wrote so much on the theme I don't have much left for the rest so I better get to it.

Across:

1. One in charge : BOSS

5. Ticketless rail rider : HOBO. and 44A. Rail rider : TRAIN

9. Resell at a major markup : SCALP

14. Pirate's syllables : YO, HO. Some scalpers are pirates.

15. Bean product? : IDEA. Bean, slang for head.

16. More virtuous : PURER

19. University of Maine town : ORONO

20. Raptor's roost : AERIE

21. Late-night Jay : LENO

23. Diarist Anaïs : NIN

28. TV revue since '75 : SNL. Saturday Night Live.

29. Acting instructor's deg., perhaps : MFA. Master of Fine Arts.

30. Start to knock? : ANTI. Gasoline additive.

34. Pop music's Lady __ : GAGA. Sounds better than she looks, IMHO.

37. Surround securely : EMBED

45. 1944 invasion city : ST. LO

46. Spot for a hoop : LOBE. Earring.

47. WWII espionage gp. : OSS. Office of Strategic Services.

49. Oktoberfest cry : "ACH!"

60. Gambling letters : OTB. Off-track betting.

61. Gambling city : RENO. Clecho.

62. Assumed identity : ALIAS

63. Absolut rival, for short : STOLI. Vodka

68. Fruit served in balls : MELON

69. Way to store pix : ON CD

70. Prepare for a shot : POSE

71. Speak at length : ORATE

72. Soup veggies : PEAs

73. Job opening : SLOT. I also tried SPOT and SHOT, close but no cigar.

Down:

1. How many city folks travel : BY CAB

2. Fireworks watcher : OOHer

3. Puppeteer Lewis : SHARI

4. Three-dimensional : SOLID

5. Wallop : HIT

6. Harem room : ODA

7. Attorney Melvin : BELLI. The palimony lawyer.

8. Like wine barrels : OAKEN

9. Pampered : SPOON-FED

10. Mangy mongrel : CUR

11. Rice-__ : A-RONI

12. Bolshevik leader : LENIN

13. Plug projection : PRONG

18. Tapped barrels : KEGS

22. '60s-'70s service site, briefly : NAM

25. Certain Caltech grad: Abbr. : ENGR.

26. Envelope parts : FLAPS

27. Desert mount : CAMEL. Got me!

30. Well-chosen : APT

31. Fish-fowl connection : NOR

32. Bygone intl. carrier : TWA. Trans World Airlines.

33. Jerk : IDIOT

35. Instinctive, as a feeling : GUT

36. Company with a web-footed spokescritter : AFLAC. He won't go away!

38. Short relative? : BRO

39. Recede : EBB

40. Change, as one's locks? : DYE

42. Elect to a Hall of Fame, say : ENSHRINE

43. Nina of "Spartacus" : FOCH.
Image.

48. "What did I tell you?" : "SEE!"

50. Disorderly mound : HEAP

51. Women's mag : COSMO

52. Put into words : UTTER

53. African virus : EBOLA

54. "Hop __": Dr. Seuss book : ON POP

55. ABC's Arledge : ROONE

56. High-fives, e.g. : SLAPS

57. Divided Austrian state : TIROL. German spelling of TYROL

58. Joe's "Midnight Cowboy" pal : RATSO

59. Up to this point : AS YET

64. Subdivision unit : LOT

66. Andean tuber : OCA

67. Mormons' gp. : LDS. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (abbreviated as the LDS).

Answer grid.

Argyle