Wednesday January 19, 2011 Michael Sharp and Angela Olson Halsted

Theme: TANKS A LOT! Theme entries are all vertical today, and all start, or are topped, with some type of a TANK - and a different type of tank in each case.

3D. *"Heads up!" : THINK FAST - a warning to react quickly. A THINK TANK is an organization designed to influence policy.

8D. *Pioneering Frank King comic strip featuring Walt and Skeezix : GASOLINE ALLEY. I have vague recollections of this strip from my long-ago youth Skeezix gave it away. A GASOLINE TANK stores fuel in your vehicle, unless you use some type of alternate fuel.

17D. *Award-winning author of "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" : SHERMAN ALEXIE. The first of many unknowns for me. He is a novelist and poet. Here is his web site. The SHERMAN TANK is an armored war vehicle prominently used in WW II by the U.S. and allied forces. It fired a 75 mm SHELL (not 10 D.) The German Tiger fired an 88 mm shell.

33D. *Trendy place for a breather? : OXYGEN BAR, per Wikipedia, an establishment, that sells oxygen for recreational use. I am not making this up. An OXYGEN TANK is a simple utilitarian device that allows divers to go underwater without having to hold their breath, and astronauts to complete space walks.

And the unifier, 24 D. Sleeveless summer wear, or what each answer to a starred clue might be said to have : TANK TOP. Worthy of a picture.

Hi, gang, JazzBumpa here. This is a great puzzle from a constructing team that I don't recognize, but it gave me fits: way too many unknowns for my little pea brain to cope with.

(Note from C.C.: Michael Sharp is Rex Parker. Angela Olson Halsted is PuzzleGirl. Congratulations on the LA Times debut!)

Across:

1. They may be indoor or outdoor : PETS. Gold fish vs dogs, I suppose.

5. Starr with rhythm : RINGO. The mop-topped drummer who played long ago with some band from England. Inexplicably, my first thought was of Bart.

10. Angel dust, for short : PCP. AKA 1-(1-phenylcyclohexyl) piperidine, an antiglutamatergic hallucinigen. Dangerous stuff. Skip this, and go for the oxygen.

13. Yearn (for) : ACHE

14. Like a supportive crowd : AROAR

15. Come as you __ : ARE. Just the way you are.

16. China flaw : CHIP. Happens when you bang the dishes together.

17. Far from dense : SPARSE. As in densely or SPARSELY populated. I like a dense coating of nutmeg, but use parsley SPARSELY.

18. Source of rays : SUN.

19. "West Side Story" duet : TONIGHT. Worthy of a listen.

21. Prepare to seal, as an envelope : MOISTEN. Lick it, lick it good!

23. Classic Welles role : KANE. Again from Wikipedia -- "The story is a film à clef that examines the life and legacy of Charles Foster Kane, played by Welles, a character based upon the American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst and Welles' own life." Hearst was not amused.

24. Whopper : TALL TALE. Al explained TALL to us last week. I believed him.

25. Sunscreen letters : SPF. Sun Protection Factor.

27. 7-Down's "Casta diva," e.g. : ARIA. This confused me. I thought the clue was looking for a character, not a song.

29. UN workers' gp. : ILO. International Labor Organization. From its website, "The main aims of the ILO are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues."

30. Fab rival : ERA. These are laundry soap products. Try G-spotting either word, and you'll come up with everything else. Here is a commercial - good to know if you have kids or outdoor PETS.

31. Agt. under Ness : T-MAN. Treasury Agent. Eliot Ness enforced prohibition in Chicago. His big prize was Al Capone, but they could never convict him for any of his gang-land crimes, so they got him for tax evasion, and violations of the Volstead Act.

32. Hose : NYLONS. Stockings, that is, not this.

36. Playwright Hart : MOSS. His plays include You Can't Take It With You, and The Man Who Came To Dinner. He also did the screenplay for A Star Is Born (19454.) I wanted BRET, but that's Harte.

38. Place for a bracelet : ANKLE. Some of them are adornments. Here is the Lindsey Lohan Model.

40. Suit : EXEC. Synonyms for corporate big wig.

41. Like some conditional statements : IF-THEN. IF I knew more stuff, THEN I could have completed this puzzle.

43. Warty amphibian : TOAD. An outdoor PET.

45. Singer Sumac : YMA. Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo was a Peruvian singer, reportedly descended from the last Peruvian emperor, Atahualpa.

46. Hard-rock link : AS A. Or, "Grey as a mouse, Big as a house."

47. Eye hungrily : OGLE. And in a rude way.

48. Hunk : GOB. A big ol' chunk o' somethin', and not this.

49. Polite links response : GOLF CLAP. A quiet smattering of polite applause.

53. Loll : LAZE

55. Outfit : CLOTHES

56. Drive crazy : DERANGE. I believe this is the first time I've seen DERANGE used as a transitive verb. I once DERANGED a kitchen, for remodeling.

59. Back talk : LIP

60. Like former admirals : EX-NAVY

62. Surefooted goat : IBEX. Well-endowed fellows.

63. Pre-holiday day : EVE

64. Handle with skill : WIELD

65. Hindu royal : RANI

66. Shriner's cap : FEZ

67. Lowly workers : SERFS

68. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT. The complete phrase is, "Quod ERAT demonstrandum," that which was to be demonstrated - or, in the vernacular: "See - told ya!"

Down:

1. Warsaw __ : PACT. An alliance of eight European communist countries, from 1955 through 1991, to counterbalance N.A.T.O.

2. Bounce : ECHO. A sound that bounces back.

4. Dark brown pigment : SEPIA

5. Mesmerized : RAPT

6. George's musical partner : IRA. More than just partners - they were a band of brothers.

7. Bellini opera : NORMA. The tragic story of the love of NORMA, a Druidess, for Pollione, the Roman Proconsul.

9. 1990s "Inside Edition" host : O'REILLY (Bill)

10. Shells, e.g: PASTA. Not the 75 mm variety.

11. Unusual companion? : CRUEL. This took me a long time to suss. These words are paired in the phrase "CRUEL and unusual punishment," prohibited by the 8th Amendment to the U.S Constitution.

12. 10-Down type : PENNE. More PASTA, cylinder shaped with slanted ends.

20. Tiny biter : GNAT. Should be obvious, but I needed perp help.

22. Lifted : STOLE. The fur lifter STOLE a mink STOLE.

25. Climbing lane occupant : SEMI. A climbing lane is an extra lane in the highway, designated for large vehicles that can't climb hills quickly. I've seen them, but never knew the name, so I was stumped.

26. Univ. employee : PROF. A Professor. Note abrv in cl and ans.

28. John in Scotland : IAN. The Scottish version of the name, not to be confused with his English cousin, Loo.

34. Hard-to-find clownfish : NEMO. From the eponymous movie.

35. Picketer's bane : SCAB. A worker who crosses a picket line during a strike.

37. Vertical passage : SHAFT. I've got mine!

39. Captain Kirk's record : LOG. I believe every episode of the original Star Trek series started with a Captain's Log entry.

42. Stays away from : ESCHEWS. My favorite bumper sticker says: "Eschew Obfuscation."

44. Pricey : DEAR. Experience teaches a dear school. That confused me when I was a kid.

49. Staff symbol : G CLEF. I'm a bass (F) cleff guy.

50. Drab color : OLIVE.

51. 1990s-2000s Braves catcher Javy : LOPEZ. I had _ _ PEZ, so it was an easy guess.

52. Ed of "Up" : ASNER. I forgot. Very poignant movie.

54. Rumble in the Jungle setting : ZAIRE. Challenger Muhammed Ali knocked out world heavyweight champion George Foreman in the 8th round. This was one of Don King's early ventures, and he cooked up the deal with Mobutu Sésé Seko.

56. Netflix shipments : DVDS

57. Actress Rowlands : GENA. She played Gloria.

58. __ poll : EXIT. Polling of voters leaving the voting site is considered to be highly accurate.

61. "Go Simpsonic With the Simpsons" composer Clausen : ALF. No idea. This is the 1999 sound track album. Can't find a YouTube vid, so here is the album cover.

Answer grid.

Jazzbumpa

Tuesday, January 18, 2011 Gareth Bain

Theme: Singing Male Siblings - Three singing groups, identified by their songs, and connected by the unifier.

20A. Group with the #1 hit "ABC": THE JACKSON FIVE. Image.

32A. Group with the #1 hit "One Bad Apple": THE OSMONDS. Image.

41A. Group with the #1 hit "Jive Talkin'": THE BEE GEEs. Image.

51A. 2001 Spielberg WWII miniseries, and what 20-, 32- or 41-Across is: BAND OF BROTHERS. Image.

Argyle here.

A rather straightforward puzzle; either you knew it or you didn't. I had a few new WODs(Word of the Day) but except for one cross where I had a brain skip, all were doable.

Across:

1. Lin or Angelou : MAYA. Lin and Angelou.

5. Terrier type : SKYE

9. Performed on stage : ACTED

14. Contest with seconds : DUEL

15. Gillette's __ II : TRAC

16. Do-re-mi : MOOLA. Slang for money.

17. Catch, as one's sleeve : SNAG

18. "Mazes and Monsters" author Jaffe : RONA

19. Ventilated, with "out" : AIRED

23. Emeritus, e.g.: Abbr. : RET.. Retired.

24. Some garden plants need it : SHADE

25. Official count : CENSUS

28. Control tower devices : RADARS

35. Western-style "Scram!" : "GIT!"

36. Lena who played Glinda in the movie version of "The Wiz" : HORNE

37. Epi center? : PEE. The letter 'P', center of Epi. (No snickering.)

38. Nez __, Native Americans who breed their own horses : PERCE. They live in the Pacific Northwest region(Columbia River Plateau).

40. Faulkner's "__ Lay Dying" : AS I. A 1930 novel by William Faulkner

43. Garden tool : WEEDER. It's in the shed getting rusty now.

46. Snorkel et al., familiarly : SARGEs. Sgt. Snorkel, from the comic strip, "Beetle Bailey".

47. Put in a seat : ELECT

50. MIT or UCLA : SCH.. What about RPI?

57. Believed without question : ATE UP

58. Cosecant's reciprocal : SINE. Math.

59. Really long time : AEON

61. Present moment : NONCE

62. Ski resort lift : T-BAR

63. Arp's movement : DADA

64. Exceed the limit : SPEED

65. Eponymous logical diagram creator : VENN. Go ahead and look it up, I had to!

66. Online annoyance : SPAM

Down:

1. Docs : MDs

2. Godmother, often : AUNT

3. Slangy okay : YEAH

4. "Flowers for __": story from which the film "Charly" was adapted : ALGERNON. A science fiction short story and subsequent novel written by Daniel Keyes, Algernon is a laboratory mouse who has undergone surgery to increase his intelligence by artificial means. The name came from the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne which Keyes thought was an unusual name. And so do I.

5. Layer : STRATUM

6. Big cheese associated with Big Macs? : KROC. Ray Kroc, McDonald's founder.

7. Americans, to Brits : YANKS

8. PayPal funds : E-CASH

9. Actress Peet or Plummer : AMANDA. Peet and Plummer.

10. Styled in the salon : COIFED

11. Doughnut shapes : TORI. Image. This is funny: I had to change Google to strict search to get away from Tori Spellings(and others) and found this image on...Crossword Corner.

12. Mtn. road sign stat : ELEV. Elevation on the mountain.

13. Miami-__ County : DADE. They showed up a lot on "Cops" TV show when it first aired.

21. Wrestler Ventura : JESSE. So much more than just a wrestler, eh?

22. Rowing crew : OARS

25. Selected : CHOSE

26. Spine-tingling : EERIE

27. Next year's junior : SOPH. Sophomore.

29. What double-checked totals should do : AGREE

30. Runs through a sieve : RICES. Or use a special tool. Video.(0:16)

31. Jeanne d'Arc et al.: Abbr. : STEs

32. Defrost : THAW

33. Michelle Obama __ Robinson : NÉE

34. Ball girls : DEBS. We had DEBUTANTE BALL yesterday.

38. Birdcage feature : PERCH

39. Highbrows : EGGHEADS

41. Not kosher : TREF. Where did TREF come from?

42. New York's time zone : EASTERN

44. Figure out : DEDUCE

45. Married in secret : ELOPED

48. Network with an eye logo : CBS TV

49. "Survivor" faction : TRIBE. Don't watch it. It is on CBS.

51. Outlaws : BANS. Verbs.

52. Resting on : ATOP

53. Hawaii's state bird : NENE

54. __ errand: out : ON AN

55. Harvest : REAP

56. Fizzy drink : SODA

60. "The Deer Hunter" war zone, for short : NAM. Image.

Answer grid.

Note from C.C.:

Here is a great photo of eddyB & his dog Daisy. Eddy said: "Daisy is an AKC Boxer who thinks she is a lap dog. We will see when she is 70 lbs."

Argyle

Monday, January 17, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Game, Set, Match - The first four theme entries end in a term used in the sport that will give you the ailment in the fifth entry.

17A. Does some Web browsing: SURFS THE NET

24A. Coming-out gala: DEBUTANTE BALL

37A. Demand accompanied by a banging gavel: "ORDER IN THE COURT"

47. Illegal lottery : NUMBERS RACKET

58A. Lateral epicondylitis (and a possible injury hinted at by the ends of 17-, 24-, 37- and 47-Across): TENNIS ELBOW

Argyle here.

I did not start in the NW corner. 'Nuff said. Although the long entries were relatively easy, overall, this was one of the harder Mondays. But did you notice...the theme words (NET, BALL COURT & RACKET) were progressive in their length. Not a coincident, I'm thinking. Right, Donna?

Across:

1. Finalize, as a deal : SEW UP. I put in SHAKE and was slow to take it out.

6. "Let __!": "Start the ball rolling!" : IT RIP. I couldn't find a definitive meaning of the phrase but it relates to doing things quickly. It is much like how you can tear a fabric easily in one direction or if you are sawing lumber, ripping, or sawing with the grain, is much faster the cutting across the grain.

11. Sleep attire, briefly : PJs. Pajamas Adult Onesies.

14. Honolulu hello : ALOHA

15. NFL's winningest coach Don : SHULA. Now has a chain of steak houses.

16. Below-the-belt : LOW

19. "The Kids __ All Right": 2010 film : ARE. A book, a film, and a song(3:01).

20. Building wing : ELL

21. Photographed : SHOT

22. Brownish-green eye color : HAZEL. National Geographic.

28. Forever and ever : ALWAYS

30. Rolled grain : OATS

31. Clark's love : LOIS. And 12D. Superman's birth father : JOR-EL

32. "Me, too!" : "SO AM I!"

34. NFL six-pointers : TDs. Touchdowns

41. Casual shirt : TEE

42. La Virginie et la Caroline du Sud : ÉTATS. French for states (Virginia and S. Carolina)

43. La __ Tar Pits : BREA

44. Karate blow : CHOP

45. Restrain : REIN IN

52. Tibetan capital : LHASA

53. Bedouin, ethnically : ARAB

54. Eyjafjallajökull residue : ASH. Glad the Icelandic volcano is the clue and not the answer; it wouldn't fit anyway.

57. Get stuck for, as a cost : EAT

62. Regret : RUE

63. Furry "Star Wars" creatures : EWOKs

64. Track event : RELAY

65. Family Stone frontman : SLY

66. Thick : DENSE

67. Nerdy types : GEEKS

Down:

1. Submission encl. : SASE. Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope.

2. 12th Hebrew month : ELUL. The twelfth month of the Jewish civil year and the sixth month of the ecclesiastical year. (I could use a little help here.)

3. Global : WORLDWIDE

4. 300 to 3,000 MHz : UHF. The channels are 14 through 83. Remember when you had an antenna on the roof?

5. Elapse : PASS BY

6. Enjoys faddish popularity : IS HOT

7. It precedes iota : THETA. It's Greek to me.

8. Pantyhose woe : RUN

9. Sight in the Seine : ÎLE. French alliteration.

10. Pitiful : PATHETIC

11. Eloise's hotel, with "the" : PLAZA. From a series of children's books written by Kay Thompson

13. Peachy : SWELL

18. Ergo : THUS

23. Crunch targets : ABs

25. Relax, as restrictions : EASE

26. __ Ark : NOAH'S

27. Like most pets : TAME

28. Scads : A LOT

29. Wisdom of the elders : LORE

32. Clothes fasteners : SNAPS

33. Baseball great Mel : OTT

34. Phonograph component : TURNTABLE

35. Eins und zwei : DREI. German 1 + 2 = 3

36. Ollie's partner : STAN. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

38. Readied the leftovers, say : REHEATED

39. "... believe __ not!" : IT OR

40. Big Apple theater award : OBIE. Off Broadway.

44. "Survivor" network : CBS

45. Some TVs : RCAs

46. Anita of "La Dolce Vita" : EKBERG. Image.

47. Cards and Phils : NLers. Baseball.

48. Amateur mover's rental : U-HAUL

49. Sailor's sobriquet : MATEY

50. Military levels : RANKS

51. Get up : ARISE

55. Hose down for a while : SOAK

56. Major rtes. : HWYs. In general, the interstates are even numbers for the east-west highways, increasing from south to north, and the odd numbers are north-south highways, increasing from west to east.

59. Woolly farm female : EWE

60. Rouen refusal : "NON". Rouen is the historic capital city of Normandy, in northern France.

61. Important name in Virginia history : LEE. La Virginie.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday January 16, 2011 Jonathan Black

Theme: Put Me In, Coach - ME is inserted in each familiar name/phrase/word, and the resulting phrase is then humorously clued.

23A. King of workouts? : HENRY THE FIR(ME)ST. Henry the First.

45A. Belittle Short? : DE(ME)AN MARTIN. Dean Martin. Martin Short.

96A. Rogaine-induced reverie? : DREA(ME)D LOCKS. Dreadlocks. I've never heard of Rogaine. Drug for hair loss.

119A. Institution for Shrek and Fiona? : HO(ME)LY MATRIMONY. Holy matrimony.

15D. Footballers who draw flags? : DIRTY LINE(ME)N. Dirty Linen.

48D. Purloined sirloin? : (ME)AT HEIST. Atheist.

51D. Zoo area for dromedaries? : CA(ME)L ZONE. Calzone. Have yet to taste it.

64D. Silent cowboy flick? : MI(ME)D WESTERN. Midwestern.

Nice set of 8 theme answers. Half of them have one-word base phrases. No easy task to comb through **ME** words & come up with cluable answers.

I also like the intersection of 4 theme answers. Always impressive. The theme title is rather self-revealing though. I bet many of you grokked the gimmick quickly.

Could be Jonathan Black's debut. If so, congratulations.

Across:

1. Toward the ship's rear : ABAFT. Nailed it.

6. It may be rolled out : TARP. Was picturing red carpet.

10. Sandler of "Big Daddy" : ADAM

14. Really dig : ADORE

19. Man of La Mancha : SENOR. Nice play on the film "Man of La Mancha".

20. Asian nurse : AMAH. Lots of Filipinos working as nannies in Hongkong.

21. Steam (up) : RILE

22. River to the Tyrrhenian Sea : TIBER. Through Rome.

26. Cache : TROVE. Ah, now Argyle and I fully understood how important those cached files are.

27. Jam time : SESSION

28. Balaam's mount : ASS. Biblical mount.

29. Upscale groups : ELITEs

31. Swore : ATTESTED

34. By far : EASILY. Easily the best.

36. Seed protector : ARIL. Like the tiny white stuff covering the pomegranate seeds.

39. Isolate, in a way : ENISLE

41. Green sides : SALADS. Took me a minute.

50. __ Victor : RCA

52. Country where Baha'i was founded : IRAN. Their calendar consists of 19 months of 19 days.

53. Lab subject : DNA

54. Bully : COERCE

55. Hip bones : ILIA

57. Milky Way phenomenon believed to occur almost weekly : NOVA

58. Delay : LAG

59. Bullet that leaves a trail : TRACER. New to me.

60. Wordsworth works : POEMS

62. Commander, in Arabic : EMIR

63. Fragrant resin : ELEMI. Learned from doing Xword.

65. "My mama done __ me ...": song lyric : TOL'. Grammatically incomprehensible.

66. One paying a flat fee : LESSEE

67. Earned : MADE

68. Creep : INCH. Needs "along" in the clue, no?

70. Good in the 'hood : BAD

71. Bowler's assignment : LANE

73. Cup part : BRIM

76. Parting shot, say : RETORT. I don't get this clue. Why "parting"?

79. La __ : PAZ. Bolivia. Paz = "Peace"

81. Chimborazo's range : ANDES

85. Bank deposit : LODE. River bank. Awesome clue.

86. Beauty pageant prize : TIARA

87. Pounds : THROBS. What did you want, Dennis?

89. "__ fallen ..." : I'VE

90. Word most often heard around midnight : AULD. On New Year's Eve.

91. Talk with one's hands : SIGN. Sign language?

92. A lot of thinking is done in them : CRANIA. I feel the left side of my skull is bigger than the right side.

93. Truck capacity unit : TON

94. Hasenpfeffer, e.g. : STEW. I've never heard of this German rabbit stew, Kazie. Hase = Rabbit. Pfeffer = Pepper, a la Wiki.

95. Antitrust law enforcer: Abbr. : FTC

99. Mezzo Berganza : TERESA. No idea. She's Spanish.

101. They have reservations : HOTELS. Thought of Indians.

103. Quaker's pronoun : THEE. I confuse Quakers with Shakers.

104. Confined : SHUT IN

106. Most austere : BLEAKEST

111. Compound used to stabilize perfume : KETONE. Learning moment.

113. Charlotte-to-Raleigh dir. : ENE. I trust the constructor gets it right.

115. Self-playing instrument : PIANOLA

118. Like some floors : TILED

124. Bestow : AWARD

125. "-zoic" things : ERAS. I like this clue.

126. Cork's home : EIRE. Cork county, Ireland.

127. Bistro bill of fare : CARTE

128. Fool : NINNY

129. Coastal raptors : ERNS

130. Artistic impressions, briefly? : TATS (Tattoos).

131. See 2-Down : KNEES. And 2D. With 131-Across, greatest thing : BEES. Bee's knees.

Down:

1. Lenten symbol : ASH

3. Writer Tyler : ANNE. She is from Minnesota.

4. On eBay, e.g. : FOR SALE. I just buy.

5. Assignation : TRYST

6. California border lake : TAHOE

7. Words of agreement : AMENs

8. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF. Was unaware the "so few" in "Never was so much owed by so many to so few"refers to the Royal Air Force.

9. Key letter : PHI. Fraternity/Sorority key. Got me. (Correction: KEY here refers to the PHI Beta Kappa symbol. Thanks, Lemonade.)

10. Guns : ARMS

11. Semi filler : DIESEL

12. Capone and Capp : ALs. Then we have 114D. Capone harasser : NESS (Eliot). Capone echos.

13. Allots, with "out" : METES

14. Fifth-century scourge : ATTILA. Attila the Hun, Scourge of God.

16. O, in old radio lingo : OBOE. No idea.

17. Guns : REVS

18. "... __ he drove out of sight" : ERE

24. Little bird : TIT. Made me TEHEE (105. Giggle).

25. Pie cuts, essentially : RADII

30. Dr. Cuddy on "House" : LISA. Got via crosses.

32. 1970s-'90s Toyota : TERCEL. Wiki said "Tercel" derives from Latin meaning "one third" as the Tercel was slightly smaller than the Corolla.

33. Come in : ENTER

35. Mountain homes : AERIES. For the eagles.

36. Discombobulate : ADDLE. Fun word, discombobulate.

37. Kidney-related : RENAL

38. Candidate's concern : IMAGE

40. Threw barbs : SNIPED

42. Pizzeria attraction : AROMA

43. Longtime Seinfeld collaborator : DAVID (Larry)

44. Catch : SNARE

46. Join the cast of : ACT IN

47. "__ any drop to drink": Coleridge : NOR

49. "Giovanna d'__": Verdi opera : ARCO. Know nothing about operas.

56. __ Altos, California : LOS

61. Caribbean, e.g. : SEA

66. Delt neighbor : LAT

69. PC component : CRT

70. German chancellor, 1969-'74 : BRANDT (Willy). First encounter with this guy. He won Nobel Peace in 1971.

72. Like Willie Nelson's voice : NASAL. Boomer loves his songs.

73. Great time : BLAST

74. Beat : ROUTE

75. Dynamo's antithesis : IDLER

77. Discipline involving slow movement : TAI CHI. Very slow. Mostly practiced by old people in China.

78. Web address ending : ORG

79. "Wheel of Fortune" category : PHRASE

80. Saroyan's "My Name Is __" : ARAM. I've never heard of the book.

82. Abandon : DITCH

83. Arouse : EVOKE

84. Taste, e.g. : SENSE

87. Immune response component : T CELL

88. Nod, maybe : BID

95. Man-goat deity : FAUN. Satyr is a faun, right?

97. Mutiny : REBEL

98. It can help you relax : OTTOMAN. Sofa.

100. Poorly made : SHODDY

102. Like some bands : ONE-MAN

107. Like soldiers and their families, usually : APART. Poignant clue.

108. Toys with tails : KITES

109. Ring bearer? : EAR. Earrings?

110. Small cut : SNICK

111. Smallest ratite bird : KIWI

112. Brio : ELAN

116. Traditional wisdom : LORE

117. A chip, maybe : ANTE

118. "The Joy Luck Club" author : TAN (Amy). Very authentic portrayal of Chinese-American immigrants.

120. "Catch-22" pilot : ORR. Wow, no idea, Bobby!

121. "Are we there __?" : YET

122. "Mamma __!" : MIA

123. "Absolutely!" : YES

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday January 15, 2011 Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 29

Looks like Brad planned the grid with triple stacks of 10s in the upper left and lower right, then added two black squares in the corner to get the smoothest fill. Here are the resulting four 10s:

14A. Manhattan clam chowder feature : TOMATO BASE. New England clam chowder is milk-based.

16A. Nanny's challenge : HOLY TERROR. Fun to say.

55A. Dramatic atmosphere source : FOG MACHINE. Needed crossing help.

58A. Some tree sculptures : TOTEM POLES. Nice full name.

Difficult solving for me. Brad Wilber has strong backgrounds in literature, art & theater, and his grids naturally reflect his interests. Stuff like DANILO (41D. "The Merry Widow" hero) is just out of my wheelhouse.

On the other hand, I was so happy to see THOME (14D. Jim with 589 lifetime homers). Such a classy guy. Twins just signed a one-year contract with him on Friday. He's going to reach 600 homers this coming season. The new Target Field certainly fits his eyes.

Across:

1. Its leaves are used as a heart stimulant : DIGITALIS. Foxgloves. Don't think they grow in Minnesota.

10. More than comfortable? : RICH

15. "The Aviator" actor : ALDA (Alan). Four letter? I could only picture CATE Blanchett & her amazing portrayal of Katharine Hepburn.

17. Disco family name : GIBB. Andy Gibb or any of the Bee Gees?

18. Like the Ford logo : OVAL

19. 2/9/2010 victory parade honoree : SAINT. The Superbowl winner New Orleans Saints.

20. Lemming predator : SKUA. Had no idea skuas prey on lemmings. Both live in the Arctic region.

21. 59-Across element : METER. 59. Frost lines? : POEM. Robert Frost.

23. The Lean One, in "Peer Gynt" : SATAN. Unknown to me. I've never read "Peer Gynt".

25. Directional suffix : ERN. As in western.

26. "... __ we extinguish sight and speech": Browning : ERE

27. Kennedy associate : ALITO (Samuel). Anthony Kennedy. Supreme Court.

29. Nitrogen compound : AMINE

31. Lupe's "Later!" : ADIOS. Is Lupe a typical Spanish name?

32. Van Helsing's creator : STOKER (Bram). Only know he wrote "Dracula".

33. Serving : PORTION

36. Imaginary monster : CHIMERA. Fire-breathing monster: with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.

37. Certain Honshu resident : OSAKAN. I confused it with Okinawa, the Blue Zone prefecture, where people live a long long life.

38. Exotic smoothie ingredient : GUAVA. Love tropical fruit. Not guava though.

39. Lennon love song : WOMAN. Ode to Yoko Ono.

40. Arens of Israel : MOSHE. Stumper. Only know MOSHE Dayan. His face does look familiar though. Must have seen his interview somewhere.

41. Part of HUD: Abbr. : DEV. HUD: Department of Housing and Urban Development,

44. Logical tips? : ELS. Letter L starts and ends the word "logical".

45. Mom's dinnertime plea : TRY IT

47. Pundit : SWAMI

49. Handbook list, briefly : REGS

51. Otherwise : IF NOT. Give OR ELSE a rest.

53. Spanish cordial : ANIS. How does it taste like, Santa?

54. Latin I word : AMAT. Amo (I love), amas (You love), amat (He loves).

57. Somewhat, with "a" : MITE

60. Inventory site : STOREROOM

Down:

1. Mulligan, e.g. : DO-OVER. Golf. Some men are so vain, often take several mulligans per round.

2. White Rabbit's cry : I'M LATE

3. Rabbitt's "You and I" duet partner : GAYLE (Crystal). Eddy Rabbitt. Here is the clip. I like the consecutive "Rabbit" and "Rabbitt" clues.

4. Derby-wearing Addams : ITT. Cousin ITT. The Addams Family".

5. Water testers : TOES

6. Neosporin target : ABRASION

7. Rodeo twirlers : LARIAT. Spanish for "La Reata".

8. Sees through : IS ONTO

9. Sealy competitor : SERTA

10. Cleaning aids : RAGS

11. 1950s Irving Berlin campaign song : "I LIKE IKE". Know the slogan, not the Berlin reference.

12. Modern storage aid : CD BURNER. Thanks to Al, now I've got FLASH DRIVE.

13. Sultry Cuban dance : HABANERA. Does this look sultry to you?

22. Luminous : RADIANT

24. Locals : NATIVES

28. Savanna stalker : LION

30. NYC home of Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" : MoMA

31. Alaskan island : ATKA

32. Bygone Persian title : SHAH

33. PA system essential : POWER AMP. Our PA often blasted a song for Chairman Mao every morning when I woke up.

34. The Tony Martin hit "There's No Tomorrow" is based on its melody : 'O SOLE MIO. Not familiar with the Tony Martin reference. Elvis's "It's Now or Never", yes.

35. English Channel resort : RAMSGATE. Was ignorant of this resort. Must have lots of rams there.

36. Pitch target? : CUSTOMER. Sales pitch.

38. Attending : GOING TO

40. "Oh, ri-i-i-i-ght!" : "MY FOOT!"

42. "8 Mile" rapper : EMINEM

43. Workbench gadgets : VISES

46. Schisms : RIFTS

48. Exultant yell : "WAHOO". I've yet to cry out a "Wahoo!" on a Brad Wilber puzzle.

50. Goblet feature : STEM

52. Not very edgy : TAME

56. Lifeguard's skill, for short : CPR

Answer grid.

C.C.

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