Wednesday, Jan 26, 2011, Robert A. Doll

Theme: HOLY COW, BATMAN! Each is the name of a comic superhero, clued as the name of his or her 'civilian' name.

17A. Diana Prince's alter ego : WONDER WOMAN. Very interesting, the creator of Wonder Woman was William Moulton Marston, a psychologist and the inventor of the polygraph. He wanted to create a new kind of superhero that thrived off of intelligence and love. But it was actually his wife, Elizabeth, who had the idea to make the new character a woman. Another woman, who was in a relationship with the both of them, Olive Byrne, also served as a model for the character that would be Wonder Woman.

24A. Peter Parker's alter ego : SPIDERMAN. Spidey gets his girl.

31A. Britt Reid's alter ego : THE GREEN HORNET. Anyone seen the new movie?

37A. Steve Rogers's alter ego : CAPTAIN AMERICA

48A. Linda Lee Danvers's alter ego : SUPERGIRL

56A. Reed Richards's alter ego : MR FANTASTIC. One of the Fantastic Four (with the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and Thing).

And a bonus:

53D. Lee who co-created 24-Across : STAN. Lee also co-created 56-Across (The Fantastic Four), Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, The X-Men, and ... serious ... Stripperella.

SUPER-fun puzzle, I love heavy themeage - count 'em, SIX theme answers. Not a big comic reader, but all these characters were familiar enough to be gettable. Peter Parker was the only alter-ego name I knew.

Across:

1. Place to chill out : SPA. Batcave wouldn't fit. I spend my share of time at the spa, and then some.

4. "In all likelihood ..." : ODDS ARE

11. Hollywood hrs. : PST. Hollywood, California is on Pacific Standard Time.

14. Many, many moons : EON

15. Land purveyor : REALTOR. Just spoke with one yesterday.

16. Mr. __!: old whodunit game : REE. Detective board game that pre-dates Clue - never heard of it.

19. Have some grub : EAT

20. Wore : HAD ON

21. Thus : LIKE SO

23. Cutting the mustard : ABLE

27. Arctic explorer John : RAE. 1813-1893. Scottish doctor who surveyed parts of the Northwest Passage (a sea route through the Arctic Ocean).

28. Quetzalcoatl worshiper : AZTEC. Quetzalcoatl is a Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and has the meaning of "feathered-serpent"

30. Aromatherapist's supply : OILS. I use these a lot in my practice - they are fun to blend.

35. Bite for Mister Ed : OAT

36. Bray beginning : HEE. The sound a donkey makes, "hee-haw."

45. "Kubla Khan" river : ALPH. Had to google to learn that "Journey on the River Alph" is a collection of Poetry by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. His poem "Kubla Khan" was the inspiration behind the Realm of Xanadu cyber-novel. I'll leave the rest to to Clear Ayes.

46. Meted (out) : DOLED

47. XV years before the Battle of Hastings : MLI. I always have to guess with these.

51. Trade punches : SPAR

52. Sound acquisition? : STEREO

53. More artful : SLIER. Looks odd spelled that way.

55. Flight board abbr. : ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.

61. Bis plus one, to a pharmacist : TER. Latin. “bis in die” twice a day; "ter in die" three times a day.

62. Lizards with dewlaps : IGUANAS

63. "__ Hunters": History Channel show with the tagline "Hoax or History?" : UFO. Have only heard of House Hunters.

64. Many SAT takers : SRS. Seniors.

65. Abundant flow : TORRENT. Wet and relentless.

66. Pink Floyd guitarist Barrett : SYD

Down

1. Use a Singer : SEW

2. High-muck-a-muck : POOHBAH

3. "General Hospital" actress : ANNA LEE. Lila Quartermane. Died in 2004 at 91. Didn't know this, don't watch soaps.

4. Cookie that might flavor a McFlurry : OREO

5. "Jurassic Park" actress : DERN. Loved her in Rambling Rose.

6. Margery of kids' rhyme : DAW. See saw Margery Daw.

7. Road warning : SLO

8. Source of 20s, for short : ATM. Automatic Teller Machine.

9. Author Dahl : ROALD. Author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and my favorite, James and the Giant Peach, among others.

10. "Sesame Street" regular : ERNIE

11. Early arrival : PREEMIE. Premature, uh ... delivery.

12. Natural seasoning : SEA SALT

13. Jackson Hole backdrop : TETONS. Ansel Adams picture, The Tetons and The Snake River.

18. HST's successor : DDE. Dwight D. Eisenhower; Harry S. Truman.

22. Danish coins : KRONER

23. Museum fare : ART

24. Canonized mlle. : STE. STE = Saint. Mlle = Mademoiselle (French equivalent of "miss.") The process by which someone becomes a saint is called canonization.

25. Write : PEN. Verb.

26. Cologne pronoun : ICH. German for me.

28. "How now? __?": Hamlet, before mistakenly slaying Polonius : A RAT. In Act 3, Scene 4, Hamlet mistakes Polonius for the King. "Oh shame, where is thy blush?" Favorite all time play, bar none.

29. Letter after epsilon : ZETA. Greek.

32. Burrowing rodent : GOPHER

33. "Alas" : OH ME

34. Swamp growth : REED

37. Disorder : CLUTTER. Bothers me.

38. Shows up : APPEARS

39. Infamous Amin : IDI. Seeing this pretty regularly lately.

40. Postal motto word : NOR. The original saying was actually "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" and was said about 2500 years ago by the Greek historian, Herodotus. He said this adage during the war between the Greeks and Persians about 500 B.C. in reference to the Persian mounted postal couriers whom he observed and held in high esteem.

41. Every last one : ALL

42. Driving force : IMPETUS. A moving force; impulse; stimulus.

43. Elucidate : CLARIFY

44. Make public : AIR

45. Balance sheet heading : ASSETS

49. Send in the check : REMIT

50. 1961 British movie monster : GORGO. A British, underwater Godzilla.

51. Sasha, to Malia : SIS. The first daughters.

54. In the cellar, so to speak : LAST

57. Jet set garb : FUR

58. Rhine feeder : AAR. In the Swiss Alps, flows through Bern, see?

59. Tuscaloosa-to-Huntsville dir. : NNE

60. New England catch : COD

This theme reminded me the game Superheroes, from "Whose Line is it Anyway," still makes me laugh.

Answer grid.

Melissa

Interview with Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Some of us were impressed by the ICON ARTISTS alternative theme answer HeartRx came up with for the IRATE MOVIES puzzle in early January. Well, it's no accident. She's today's constructor Marti DuGuay-Carpenter.

Marti joined our blog last year, and she has been consistently entertaining us with her astute observations on puzzles and various topics on the blog. Her bubbling personality, sense of humor and caring nature shine through her various posts.

Congratulations on the debut, Marti. We're very proud of and pleased for you!

How does this "Missing Link" theme idea come to you? What are the other theme entries you also considered?

I was reading the news online and came across the headline "Bait and Switch: Online Electronics Store Caught in Fraud". As I was falling asleep that night, I thought it would be really funny if a fishing tackle store got caught changing fishing lures, because that would be a "Bait switch". I played around with other "conjunction" phrases like "fair square", "bits pieces", "short sweet" etc. But it was difficult to come up with ones that would make sense when clued. I finally settled on "Movers Shakers" and "Trial Error". I would have liked to have had more theme entries, but after reading Nancy Salomon's advice on Cruciverb, I decided it was better to have only three solid fills, than to have four or five with a couple "iffy" ones.

Was this puzzle accepted on the first try? Which part of the grid gave you the most trouble while constructing?

When I first submitted the puzzle, Mr Norris had a few minor changes in the mid-west. After I re-did those, he accepted it without any further adjustments. The hardest part of the grid was the SE. I wanted to put a theme unifier "and" in the last spot, but that left me with an awkward " - - - R - A" to fill. I really didn't like ILIAC for the crossing of SIERRA, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and move on (sigh).

Tell us a bit about your background. What do you do for a living and what prompted you to make your first crossword?

My background is in the medical field, and I worked in research for many years. Now I am in biotech, and export medical diagnostic products to Germany and Austria. I guess I am a very analytical person because I love tackling problems, whether its a research hypothesis or a marketing issue. I like setting challenging goals for myself, just to see if I can meet them. So in July of 2010 I decided to try my hand at constructing crosswords. I found out that it is a very different experience to construct than it is to solve. The left side of the brain is dominant for me when solving or actually filling the grid. But the right side definitely comes into the forefront when thinking of themes and cluing the puzzle.

How long have you been solving crosswords? Which constructors often inspire you?

I have been solving puzzles for over 45 years, and can't get enough. I always enjoyed ones by the late Dan Naddor, but Gail Grabowski, Barry Silk and Don (Hard G) Gagliardo are at the top of the list, too. For some reason, I can always relate to their sense of humor. But it's their tight themes, cleverness and sparkling fill that always makes me want more.

How does participating in our blog influence the way you develop clues/design a grid?

This blog has had a great impact on the way I look at crosswords. I will re-work entire sections of a grid just to get rid of the dreaded "e-" word (like e-tail, e-zine, e-date, e-tc). But it is the regulars who do the daily write-ups that really make me think about how I create a theme or fill the grid. You guys are quite brilliant when it comes to "de-structing" a puzzle, and making sense of it. So I always have to run my puzzles by you "in my head", to try to figure out how you would look at a particular entry or theme. If it passes that test with a positive answer, then I'm pretty sure it will be a good one.

Besides crossword, what else do you do for fun?

The best fun in life is just being able to enjoy it. I am a breast cancer survivor, so every new day is a gift, and I try to remember to say "Thank you" for each one. Most of my hobbies involve the outdoors: Skiing, golfing, kayaking, hiking, biking and gardening. But I also love to read, and have belonged to the same book club for more than five years. It's always interesting to hear other people's views on the current book, and that makes it a much more absorbing experience than if I just read for my own pleasure. And I never know when a word or idea might lead to a new puzzle!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: Conjunction Malfunction - Three examples of what would be left if some common phrases were to lose their conjunction and lastly, the unifying conjunction.

17A. *Worm change?: BAIT(and)SWITCH

37A. *Relocation company's cocktail mixers?: MOVERS(and)SHAKERS

60A. *Court mistake?: TRIAL(and)ERROR

68A. Word usually found in the answers to starred clues: AND

Argyle here. A simple yet clever Tuesday; how hard is that? A pleasing grid layout and the most six letter words(16) I've seen in a weekday puzzle.

Across:

1. Utah Jazz's gp. : NBA. Basketball.

4. Slopeside structure : CHALET. Along the ski slopes.

10. Sodas : POPs. A friend's father always uses both; soda pop.

14. DDE opponent : AES. Presidential elections of 1952 and 1956. Ike won both times.

15. Dugouts, e.g. : CANOES

16. Frizzy do : AFRO

19. Sci-fi saucers : UFOs

20. Shimmery sushi fish : OPAH. Known also as Moon Fish or Sun Fish. Does it depend on when you catch them?

21. Lush : SOT

22. Speck in the sea : ISLET. And 48D. Strand on a 22-Across : MAROON

24. Lender's product : BAGEL. Pioneer of the frozen bagel industry. A North American leader in the marketing, distribution and sales, and the brand evolved into one of the top five fresh and frozen bagel producers in North America.

26. Hardly a tough decision : NO-BRAINER

29. Decelerate : SLOW UP

31. Dough dispenser, briefly : ATM. Do-re-mi, moolah, bread, cabbage, chicken feed, dinero, green stuff; it's all legal tender

32. Craps cube : DIE. An alliteration with a poor visualization; craps is a dice game.

33. Words before "Here's to," perhaps : "A TOAST!". At sunset, for some people.

36. Remain unsettled : PEND. It is a stand alone verb.

41. Without accomplices : LONE

42. Didn't run the ball : PASSED

43. Nice vacation time? : ÉTÉ. Summer on the heart of the French Riviera.

44. Old word of annoyance : FIE. As in, "Fie! I can't make it to Nice again this year."

46. Twitches : SPASMS

50. Kentucky's state flower : GOLDENROD. Perhaps a comment, windhover?

54. Sacro- ending : ILIAC

55. "How Do I Live" singer LeAnn : RIMES. Our first song(3:56) of the day.

56. One of a salty seven : SEA

58. Architect Saarinen : EERO

59. Start of a coconut cocktail name : PINA

63. Former Israeli president Weizman : EZER. He is a little tough for a Tuesday.

64. Shoelace holder : EYELET

65. Canapé topper, perhaps : ROE. Would you care for one?

66. Corporate freebie : PERK

67. Breaks down in English class? : PARSES. Parse comes from when school was taught in Latin. Quae pars orationis? "What part of speech?"

Down:

1. Pooh-bahs : NABOBs. Although not in the original meaning, they have a negative connotation now.

2. "C'mon sport, help me out" : "BE A PAL"

3. Cheese from Italy's Veneto region : ASIAGO

4. IV amounts : CCs. IV / IntraVenous and CC / cubic centimeter.

5. Hesitating sounds : HAWs. Usually partnered with HEM.

6. Negatively charged atom : ANION

7. Game with scratching : LOTTO. Upstate just had a Powerball winner that was purchased in a laundromat!

8. Treaty of Rome org. : EEC. European Economic Community, the forerunner to the European Union.

9. Top at the beach : T-SHIRT

10. St. __ Girl beer : PAULI. Image. It looks like she is wearing glasses. (On her face, guys.)

11. Lawbreaker : OFFENDER

12. Dietary needs found in beef : PROTEINS

13. Titanic signal : SOS

18. Coordinated fan effort at a stadium : THE WAVE

23. One of the Warner Brothers : SAM. Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack. Any besides Jack is a tad hard for a Tuesday. There are many easier SAMs out there.

25. Bard's instrument : LUTE. Classic image.

27. Bubbly soothers : BATHS. Or maybe Craklin' Rosie?

28. Wine choice : RED

30. __ favor: señor's "please" : POR

34. According to : AS PER

35. Retirement org. : SSA. Social Security Administration.

36. One on a bike : PEDALER

37. Add an engine to : MOTORIZE. Then you wouldn't have to pedal.

38. Quick joke : ONE-LINER. See above.

39. Biblical mount : ASS. Not mountain.

40. Foreign Legion cap : KEPI

41. Hose filler? : LEG

44. Giant's first word : FEE. Jack and the Beanstalk.

45. Arched foot part : INSTEP

47. __ Nevada mountain range : SIERRA

49. Made a basket, say : SCORED. Basketball again.

51. Old German money, for short : D-MARK. Deutschmark.

52. Wickerwork willow : OSIER. For making baskets but not for basketball.

53. Antes precede them : DEALS. Poker, you have to pay to play.

57. On the sheltered side : ALEE

59. Vim : PEP

61. Shaggy Scandinavian rug : RYA. Wednesday word.

62. Sci-fi invaders, for short : ETs

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here is a beautiful photo of HeartRx and her husband taken on their last evening as "singles", going out to a New Years eve gala. They were married the following day on January 1, 2009.

Monday, January 24, 2011 John Lampkin

Theme: Love Ole Lampkin - Four phrases based on what is probably the first internet shorthand we learned, boxing the unifier in the middle.

20A. Comfortable situation to live in, with "the": LAP OF LUXURY

41A. Cyberchuckle, and a hint to this puzzle's four longest answers: LOL

56A. Low-paying but rewarding project: LABOR OF LOVE

11D. Minnesota-based dairy cooperative: LAND O'LAKES

29D. "Like that's going to work!": "LOTS OF LUCK!"

Argyle here. Laugh Out Loud, if you like but I want a show of hands for people who first thought LOL stood for Lots Of Love. I'll start by raising my hand.

Across:

1. Where many knots are tied : ALTAR. [insert smart remark here]

6. Tabula __: blank slate : RASA. Comes from the Roman tabula or wax tablet, used for notes, which was blanked by heating the wax and then smoothing it to give a tabula rasa. Rasa meant scraped, leading to erase.

10. Elmer's product : GLUE. This Elmer and not this Elmer.

14. Ballerina's rail : BARRE. Image.

15. In __: stuck : A JAM

16. Bear with too-hot porridge : PAPA

17. Twisty-horned antelope : ELAND

18. Powerful wind : GALE. The National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots (63–87 km/h, or 39–54 miles/hour) of sustained surface winds.

19. Tiny army marchers : ANTS

23. Anonymous Jane : DOE

24. Research facility : LAB

25. Songwriter Neil : DIAMOND. And singer. Cracklin' Rosie(3:01). The story behind the song, per Wikipedia, is worth a quick read.

27. A deuce used as an ace, say : WILD CARD

32. Store, as a hose : COIL

33. "Much __ About Nothing" : ADO. Shakespearean comedy.

34. Beethoven's Third : EROICA. A symphony completed in August 1804, and first performed April 7, 1805.

36. Li'l Abner's creator Al : CAPP

39. Went to the polls : VOTED

42. Cake maker : BAKER

43. "Born Free" lioness : ELSA. She was an orphaned lion cub raised to adulthood, and released into the wilds of Kenya. Subject of book, movie, and song.

44. "Romeo and Juliet" city : VERONA. And now this Italian town is a tourist mecca for romantics.

46. Before, to Shakespeare : ERE. Our third Shakespeare reference.

47. "Free Willy" critter : ORCA. Misnamed the killer whale, it belongs to the oceanic dolphin family.

49. Turns on, as an engine : STARTS UP

51. What mirrors do : REFLECT

54. Golfer's support : TEE

55. Dot-com's address : URL

62. Very dry, as Champagne : BRUT

64. Musical quality : TONE

65. __ but wiser : OLDER

66. Nuts : LOCO. And 70A. Nut, e.g. : SEED

67. Ending for exist : ENCE

68. Leaves out : OMITS

69. Actress Sommer : ELKE

71. Past or present : TENSE

Down:

1. Adam's second son : ABEL

2. Refrain syllables : LA LA. Reminds me of this Jan and Dean song(2:35).

3. Mouse catcher : TRAP

4. Golfer Palmer : ARNOLD

5. Showing shame : RED-FACED

6. Brand over spaghetti : RAGU

7. Brand under the sink : AJAX. That clue just sorta lays there.

8. Spanish toast : "¡SALUD!"

9. Part of USA : AMERICA

10. 4.0, for one: Abbr. : GPA. Grade Point Average.

12. Pulitzer author Sinclair : UPTON

13. Relaxed : EASED

21. Angle iron : L-BAR. Add a letter, L-BEAM. Add another letter, L-BRACE.

22. NBA's __ Ming : YAO. Basketball Player Yao Ming, 7' 6"

26. Glittery mineral : MICA. Remember the isinglass discussion?

27. Breaker at the shore : WAVE

28. People magazine focus : IDOL

30. Romeo or Juliet, e.g. : ROLE. Shakespeare even down here.

31. Christian's dresses? : DIORS. Christian Dior launched his haute couture empire in 1946.

35. Coagulate, as blood : CLOT

37. Lima's country : PERU

38. Get ready, briefly : PREP

40. British peer : EARL

42. Like a stroller at the shore, shoewise : BAREFOOT. Or in the park.

44. Moves out : VACATES

45. Peacekeeping gp. since 1949 : NATO. North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

48. Animation collectible : CEL. From before they became digital cartoons.

50. "Out with it!" : "TELL ME!"

51. Moscow money : RUBLE

52. Filmdom's Flynn : ERROL

53. Steakhouse steak : T-BONE

57. Grimm beginning : ONCE. upon a time.

58. Oboe or bassoon : REED

59. Chief Norse god : ODIN

60. Docs for doggies and dogies : VETS

61. Gaelic language : ERSE

63. Stubbed digit : TOE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

A belated "Happy Birthday" to our talented constructor John Lampkin, who turned 65 on January 22 Saturday.

Sunday January 23, 2011 Gail Grabowski

Theme: Get In - GET spans each two-word common phrase.

23A. Compelling read : PAGE TURNER

28A. Oberlin, e.g. : COLLEGE TOWN. Oberlin College, the first co-ed college in the US.

43A. Spa fixture : MASSAGE TABLE. Sweet entry for our beautiful Melissa Bee.

66A. Refinery sight : STORAGE TANK

90A. Landscaping tool : HEDGE TRIMMER. Gail loves gardening.

106A. Travel agency offering : PACKAGE TOUR

115A. Airport freebie : LUGGAGE TAG

31D. Site of some trash talk : GARBAGE TRUCK. Fun clue.

39D. Dairy Queen option : FUDGE TOPPING. Can you believe I've never been to a Dairy Queen?

The title gives away the gimmick, yes? This word splitting concept doesn't lend itself to tricky titling, esp if the word itself has only 3 letters.

Very enjoyable puzzle, super smooth and silky, Gail's hallmark. Hard to keep one or two obscure names/words out of a 21*21 grid. Gail always manages to do so.  She's a real pro.

Across:

1. Heist, say : CAPER

6. Pooch without papers : MUTT. Nice clue.

10. "Beowulf," for one : EPIC

14. Nuance : TINGE

19. Full of energy : ALIVE

20. U.S. Open stadium : ASHE. Who is your favorite all- time tennis player?

21. "__ chance!" : NOT A

22. It's west of Daytona Beach : OCALA. Well, 7-letter city in Florida has to be Ocala.

25. Go here and there : ROAM

26. Opera hero, often : TENOR

27. Common starting hr. : NINE AM. Mine is much earlier.

30. Ancient market : AGORA. The old Greek mall.

32. Mark of distinction : A PLUS. Was thinking of FELT, Mark Felt.

34. Respond to an alarm : RISE

35. Exchange worker : TRADER. Stock exchange.

36. "But __ a man in Reno": Johnny Cash lyric : I SHOT. Not familiar with the song. Johnny Cash's voice feels shaky to me.

37. Damage : MAR

38. Way out there : AFAR

42. Short talk : WORD. I'd like a word with you.

47. Colorful card game : UNO. Three-letter card game, UNO it is.

48. Colt 45 brewer : PABST. And 75. Former Colt .45 : ASTRO. Might be tough for non-baseball fans. Also, 6D. Colt carrier : MARE. Great clechos (clue echos).

50. __ Cong : VIET

51. Santa __ winds : ANA

52. Digital interpreter : MODEM

54. Toledo title: Abbr. : SRA

55. Sch. whose mascot is Sam the Minuteman : U MASS. Nice to meet you, Sam.

57. Top in the 'hood : DO-RAG

59. Molten rock : MAGMA

60. Mockery : GIBES. I always confuse this word with JIBES.

62. Succubus : DEMON. Succubus is a new word to me. Demon in female form, said to have sex with men in their sleep.

63. Had leftovers, say : ATE IN

64. Lose locks : SHED. Oh, hair. Funny for me to see Boomer uses Volumizer shampoo now.

71. LAX postings : ETAS

72. Tribal symbol : TOTEM

74. Arabic holy book : KORAN

77. Tropical eel : MORAY. Then we also have 122. Freshwater eel, at sushi bars : UNAGI. Nothing beats the aroma of unagi.

78. Keys : ISLES

79. Magical start : HOCUS. Hocus-pocus.

81. Org. with much swinging : PGA. Golf swing.

84. Stallion, for one : ADULT. Creature loves horses.

85. Up to, briefly : TIL

86. Former "Last Comic Standing" host Jay : MOHR. Here he is, with his wife.

87. Resort east of Grand Junction : ASPEN. Not familiar with Grand Junction, largest city in western Colorado, a la Wikipedia.

89. Mythical flier : ROC

95. Subtle help : HINT

96. Team neckwear : YOKE. Ah, farm oxen team.

98. Fathers and grandfathers : MEN

99. CSA leader : R.E. LEE

100. Seven-time Grammy winner Morissette : ALANIS. She's engaged to Ryan Reynolds once.

102. Exchange : SWAP

104. Tons : LOADS

105. Twilled fabric : SERGE. Still waiting for the Serge Gainsbourg clue.

110. Line dance step : TOE TAP

113. Peaks : ACMES

114. Pen or pencil, e.g. : NOUN. Easier for constructors to get creative with NOUN clue. Tough to play with OREO.

119. In need of dough : SHORT

120. Record : DISC

121. Like hands co-opted by the Devil? : IDLE. The devil finds work for idle hands.

123. Wound up : TENSE

124. Roy Rogers's birth name : SLYE. Leonard Slye. I forgot. Hope Barry G did not.

125. Beautician, at times : DYER

126. They may be rough : EDGES. Rough edges.

Down:

1. Tube top : CAP

2. Menu catchphrase : A LA

3. Greedy sort : PIG

4. Toss-up ratio : EVEN ODDS. Nice entry.

5. Hit the hay : RETIRE. Oh, I forgot. I ate it.

7. Annapolis inst. : USNA

8. They have fewer privileges : THE MASSES

9. Thrice, in Rx's : TER. Hi, HeartRx!

10. Neither here nor there : EN ROUTE

11. Resort attractions : POOLS. And something else for Dennis.

12. Tilted type: Abbr. : ITAL

13. Canon holder : CAMERA BAG. Didn't think of Canon camera first.

14. Carries : TOTES

15. Party pitcherful : ICE TEA. Let's just move on with the D-less.

16. Shuffle cousin : NANO. iPod line.

17. Flush : GLOW

18. Come by honestly : EARN

24. Take some heat from? : UNARM. Nailed it.

28. Plumbing problem : CLOG

29. Woman of the future? : GIRL

30. Clamoring en masse : AROAR. I am not bothered by the a* word as Bill G does.

33. Excellent, slangily : PHAT

35. Local govt. units : TWPS. Townships.

36. Fertility goddess : ISIS. The horned Egyptian goddess.

37. Demain, across the Pyrenees : MANANA. Demain is French for "tomorrow". A demain = See you tomorrow.

40. Lack of vigor : ANEMIA

41. Many Shakespearean characters : ROMANS

44. Sailor's "Stop!" : AVAST

45. Futurist's tool : TAROT

46. __ Lee Bunton, a.k.a. Baby Spice : EMMA. The girl in black, with blunt bangs.

49. Shoddy ship : TUB. Got me.

53. Movie with a posse : OATER

56. Año part : MES. Month.

57. "Ballet Rehearsal" artist : DEGAS (Edgar). He liked to paint ballerinas.

58. Broken mirror, to some : OMEN. Are you superstitious?

61. Without a flaw : IDEAL

62. Show some spunk : DARE

64. Cath. church eponym : ST. MARY

65. Jinx : HOODOO

67. Silent approval : OK SIGN

68. "Good Times" actress : ROLLE (Esther). First encounter with this lady.

69. Iridescent shell layer : NACRE

70. Manhattan sch. : KSU (Kansas State University). Manhattan, Kansas.

73. Sasquatch, for instance : MYTH

76. Airport screening gp. : TSA

78. "Maybe, maybe not" : IT DEPENDS. Great entry too.

79. Computerized course, e.g. : HOME STUDY

80. Woeful cry : OH ME

82. Spirit in a bottle : GENIE

83. Social crawlers : ANTS. Ants are social insects.

86. Not so hot : MILD

88. It's opposite the eye : SHARP END. I don't get this clue.

91. Hi-tech read : E-MAG

92. Rout : TROUNCE

93. Keister : REAR

94. One with ropelike tresses : RASTA. I often wonder how they wash their hair.

97. Parts of Alaska's Denali Highway are built on them : ESKERS. Needed crossing help. Spitzboov knows so much about geology.

101. Alliance : LEAGUE

103. Refuse : WASTE

104. Crummy : LOUSY

106. It's history : PAST. Indeed.

107. Feel the pain : ACHE

108. "You're not serious!" : C'MON

109. Plug away : TOIL

111. Eye with ideas : OGLE

112. Hungarian castle city : EGER. Spa town. River name also.

115. Box top : LID

116. Diamond putout : TAG. Baseball "Diamond'.

117. Chronology datum : AGE

118. PX patrons : GIs.

Answer grid. (Sorry for the error earlier.)

C.C.

Saturday January 22, 2011 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Total words: 72

Total blocks: 28

Themeless puzzles often feature triple stacks, today we have four triple stacks of 10s in each quadrants:

1A. Vacation destination : RESORT AREA

15. Like some avian plumage : IRIDESCENT. What's this bird? Such brilliant colors.

17. Almighty : OMNIPOTENT

63A. Special treatments : RED CARPETS. Like what Hu Jintao got during his State visit. J, X, Z are quite common in Chinese names.

69A. Urban runoff cause : STORM WATER. And RAIN (38. 69-Across source).

67A. Voters : ELECTORATE

12D. It helps maintain posture : MUSCLE TONE

13D. Silk Road component : TRADE ROUTE. Silk Road is the most well-known trading route in Ancient China.

14D. Like some fast planes : SUPERSONIC

28D. Point maker : SCRATCH AWL. Gimme for Splynter/Jerome.

29D. "That's news to me!" : I HAD NO IDEA. Loved the answer. I say it so often.

30D. Existing at the beginning : PRIMORDIAL

Also a couple of symmetrically placed 9s:

34A. Three-time Grammy Award winner for comedy : CHRIS ROCK. Always confuse him with Chris Tucker.

44A. Michigan city where the first Domino's Pizza opened : YPSILANTI. Jazzbumpa mentioned this city once. Wikipedia says it's named after a Greek hero named Ypsilanti.

Quite a few cross-references in the grid, a hallmark of Barry's themeless.

Across:

11. Invoice nos. : AMTs

16. Sikh leader : GURU. Guru Nanak was the founder of Sihkism.

18. Rush order : ASAP

19. Café container : TASSE. French for "cup" . And 55. 19-Across prefix : DEMI. Demitasse. "Half cup".

20. Union requirement : DUES. Was thinking of marriage union and I DOs.

22. Letter run : CDE. No help from the clue. So many choices.

23. Aid for making columns : TABS

26. Flu treatment, at times : INHALER

28. Sample, in a way : SIP

31. Flights : LAMS. Lots of groans last time when lam appeared as a verb.

33. Challengers : DARERS

37. "Same here" : ME TOO

39. Popular toast : SKOAL. Scandinavian toast. Gan Bei in Chinese.

41. Morning or evening, e.g. : NOUN. Nice clue.

42. Let in : ADMIT

46. One- to ten-yr. investments : T-NOTES

48. First name in architecture : EERO (Saarinen). Architect of the Gateway Arch.

49. Org. that included the Benelux countries : EEC (European Economic Community). No idea. Is this a forerunner to EU?

50. Waist management items : CORSETS. Ha ha, I actually read it as "waste management".

52. Big mouths : MAWS

54. Covered up : HID

57. Holly portrayer : BUSEY (Gary). "The Buddy Holly Story" is pretty good.

61. Court edge : AD IN (Advantage In). Tennis court.

66. Sport : WEAR

68. Singing syllables : LA LA

Down:

1. With 7-Down, something read during a lecture? : RIOT. 7. See 1-Down : ACT.. Riot act.

2. First name in humor : ERMA (Bombeck)

3. Some are deadly : SINS. Deadly sins.

4. Lyric poet : ODIST

5. Nullifies : REPEALS

6. General on a menu : TSO. General Tso's Chicken. The pronunciation of TSO is very similar to the Cantonese F word.

8. Marsh stalk : REED

9. Lecture reaction, perhaps : ENNUI. Could picture a smiling Husker Gary.

10. Be present : ATTEND

11. Turkish bigwig : AGA

21. Bedroom accessory : SHAM

24. They need tending : BARS. Tending bars. And 25. Like some 24-Down : SMOKY. State-wide smoking ban here.

27. Play area : ARENA

32. Reach : SCOPE. Noun "Reach".

35. FDR, HST, etc. : INITS

36. 1985 National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame inductee : KASEM (Casey)

40. Former Maltese currency : LIRA. Unknown to me. Wikipedia says they started using Euro in 2008.

43. Miffed, with "off" : TEED

45. Uncultivated : LOWBROW

47. Roughly 35-cubic-foot measures : STERES. Classic crosswordese.

51. Silvery food fish : SMELT

53. Old Toyota : SUPRA. Interesting for Japanese to use a Latin-rooted name.

56. Logical beginning? : IDEO. Ideological.

58. Pants part : SEAT

59. Usher ending, once : ETTE. Usherette. Un-PC now I suppose.

60. River of Flanders : YSER. Flow to North Sea.

62. Gp. with many pieces : NRA. Why are guns called pieces?

64. "Lookin' Out My Back Door" band, briefly : CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival). Got via crosses.

65. Bill source : ATM

Answer grid.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned on the blog that Lemonade was compiling a list of his favorite LAT puzzles/clues for 2010. Unfortunately his computer crashed and his extensive notes can't be recovered. Below is a short list of my favorites:

Rhyme Time: April 27, 2010 by Pete Muller and Sue Keefer. Rhyming two-word common expressions that contain a body part. Excellent set of 8 theme entries.

The First Thirteen: July 4, 2010 by John Lampkin. Resonated with me due to my American citizenship exam & the subsequent swear-in ceremony. Timeless theme. High educational value. Intricate grid design.

OFF TO A FAST START: July 21, 2010 by Dan Naddor. Theme entries start with a synonym of FAST. Not a standard punny Naddor, but I loved the unifier and had fun with the puzzle.

DC COMICS: October 12, 2010 by Meredith Ito (I'm the editor", Rich Norris): DC are the initials of the four comics in the grid. Just an outstanding unifier.

ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT: November 25, 2010 by Don "hard G" Gagliardo. All the edge answers can follow "ELECTRIC". Unusual, original concept, like most of Don's themes. Who can forget his L-BARs?

EYE OPENER: Dec 29, 2010 by Gary Cee. Gorgeously designed grid with intersecting theme entries. A beauty.

I'd love to hear which ones impressed you the most.

C.C.

Friday January 21, 2011 Kelsey Blakley

Theme: I’m from Boston, and er, ah, you like how I pahk my cah? You take a phrase in the language and change the ER ending into A so it might sound like said by a Bostonian, but transforming the answer into a new and witty sound alike. Wicked cool. As a born and bred New Englandah, I enjoyed the theme, though I struggled with the first entry.

20A. Heavy metal mimic?: HARD ROCK MYNA, anyone ready to hear my story about the bird who sang like Pavorotti again? Did you know MYNAS (or MYNAHS) are members of the starling family? There really is a type of mining done by a HARD ROCK MINERS which I did not know.

28A. Nickname for a pharmaceuticals czar?: PILL PAPA. Sadly, we probably all know a PILL POPPER.

37A. Surfing-induced torpor?: BEACH COMA. Torpor is a nice word, and BEACHCOMBER is a single word which changes into a phrase.

49A. Sailor's pocket bread?: SALT PITA. Lots going on here, SALT as a sailor and bread as , well bread. When I was away at boarding school, the baker told me they really put SALTPETER in the food at our school. It does yield the interesting word anaphrodisiac.

56A. Heavenly food on the nightstand?: BEDSIDE MANNA. My uncle was a doctor, and the patients loved his BEDSIDE MANNER.

Heigh ho all, it is once again Freighday, and for the whole bunch of us with ties the northeast this was a really fun puzzle. In addition to the 5 theme answers, we had another twelve words ending in “A.” So let’s go…

Across:

1. Cape Cod feature: GABLE. Continuing with the New England theme, I grew up in this type HOUSE with the shed dormers.

6. Valentine trim: LACE. We are starting early with our frilly clues.

10. Embezzle: SKIM. I am not sure, but I imagine this comes from the cream rising to the top of milk, and someone stealing the best part.

14. Medicinal plants: ALOES. Our crosswordese of the day.

15. Comet competitor: AJAX. Cleaners, not things in the sky. I had a fish named AJAX, he was a red betta, named after the redheaded giant warrior in the Aeneid.

16. Plantation near Twelve Oaks: TARA. Looks like Gone With the Wind will follow me for a while.

17. Like ESP?: SIXTH. SENSE I enjoyed the movie; it had an unrelated Osmond as well.

18. __ avis: RARA. This rare bird is pretty common in puzzles.

19. Prince William's alma mater: ETON. Their major rival is HARROW, don’t ask me why.

23. Exotic guided tour: SAFARI. Oh my, back to planning a honeymoon.

26. Subway co. in a 1959 song: MTA. Of course the M is for Massachusetts, (Transit Authority) so it fits our puzzle, as well as giving us the KINGSTON TRIO .

27. Flop: DOG. This was my difficult corner, and frankly Scarlett, I do not get the clue. Oh, I just got it, the play was a flop, a dog, a bomb; okay.

31. Aim high: ASPIRE. Dream big.

33. Commotion: ADO. Much of it can become a play.

34. Chapeau's perch: TETE. The mandatory French lesson from my write ups, Chapeau being a HAT and TETE is head.

36. One bearing down: EIDER. Really cute use of language, and play on bearing down.

40. Williams of ''Happy Days'': ANSON. Potsie, who became a director.

43. Peevish, as a puss: SOUR. We all know some, but I will stop there to prevent getting in trouble.

44. One shooting the bull?: VET. Nice misdirection again, inoculating by a veterinarian, not telling stories or killing anything.

47. Sharp Italian cheese: ROMANO. Or annoying TV comedian.

52. 11th-century date: MVI. Oh no, the dread roman numeral clue!

53. Mantel piece: URN. I once made the mistake of picking up one on the mantelpiece when I was picking up a woman foe a date, only to learn I had just met her first husband.

55. Crankcase reservoir: OIL PAN. This should have been next to Gasoline Alley.

60. Bit of plankton: ALGA. While a whale may go through tons, a human cannot digest most plankton.

61. C-3PO worshiper: EWOK. Gotta love a robot with a British accent.

62. Where to see government programs: CSPAN. CABLE SATELLITE PUBLIC AFFAIRS NETWORK.

66. Nat or Card: NLER.I like baseball, but if I do not see and NLER or an ALER anytime soon I will be happy.

67. Sparkling wine city: ASTI. Don’t call it champagne.

68. Elicit a :-) from: AMUSE. Now even puzzles speak in emoticons. LMAO.

69. Dismally damp: DANK. I do loves me a good alliteration and this carries through the clue and answer.

70. "Lolita" star Sue: LYON. I am not sure what happened to this YOUNG LADY but I do know she dated Donovan Leitch; does that help?

71. Pram occupant's wear: NAPPY. A touch of old England to go along with our puzzle, with PRAM being what they call a baby carriage, and NAPPY is a diaper. NC, your thoughts? You can change your mind.

Okay, take a break, have another sip of coffee, and then…

DOWN:

1. State of matter: GAS. Boom, a quick clecho with 51D. State of matter: PLASMA. When was a kid in school when we spoke of STATE OF MATTER we had only gas, liquid and solid; then again the periodic table had only 4 elements, FIRE, WATER, AIR and BILE.

2. Fighter who was a dove: ALI. Muhammed who would not go to VietNam but did 3D. Emulate 2-Down: BOX.

4. Ruinous: LETHAL. I do not think of these as synonymous, but that is just me.

5. F equivalent: ESHARP. JzB, I defer to you on all musical stuff.

6. Blubber: LARD. Man all of a sudden I am the synonym police, while both of these relate to fat, I do not see them as the same thing.

7. Slightly gapped: AJAR. When is a door not a door?

8. Ricochet: CAROM. We had pool table when I was young, so I learned all about ANGLES .

9. Long-odds track wager: EXACTA. Actually a PICK SIX or even a TRIFECTA is harder.

10. Stalk: STEM. For some reason, my first thought was of stalkers.

11. Insect that can mimic a leaf: KATYDID. We had lots of these BUGS when I was growing up in Connecticut, they are kind cool.

12. Cargo on the Edmund Fitzgerald when it sank in Lake Superior: IRON ORE. I did not know that fact, is it mentioned in the SONG ?

13. Recipient of an annual baseball award since 1983: MANAGER. Did not know this easier and that corner was my only slow spot.

21. Rodeo prop: RIATA. ALI pioneered the ROPE A DOPE for his fight against George Foreman.

22. "Casey's Top 40" host: KASEM. He has a 6’ tall wife, Jean who was born in New Hampshire, and was very funny as the second Mrs. Tortelli on Cheers which was set in Boston.

23. Bad Ems attraction: SPA. In case you did not know it, this is a town in the Rhineland, now part of Germany, which I know was part of the Roman incursion into the area. Helps to have a son who studies this stuff.

24. Give a leg up: AID.

25. Showman Ziegfeld: FLO. He was a German immigrant and did great things for American MUSICAL THEATER .

29. Chest muscles, briefly: PECS. No more today girls.

30. Oldest musketeer: ATHOS. I did not ever think about which among this group was the oldest.

32. Zadora of "Hairspray": PIA. Like Sue Lyon, her early film role was in Butterfly as the object of affection of an older man, only Pia did one better, as her lover was her father. In real life she married a 54 year old man when she was 23, but he was rich, and she has had a nice life.

35. OAS member: ECUA. Once again and Ecuador reference, I hope one day to tell great Ecuador stories; I already can tell you about the cocal leaf teas they gave my business partner, but that isn’t very interesting.

37. Zookeeper's main squeeze?: BOA. Oh how cute, a nice change from our ASP.

38. Lassitude: ENNUI. Well here is the ultimate cracked clecho, because this also mean BOREDOM, which could be BOADOM, id from Bahston.

39. DuPont's Fiber A, now: ORLON. Why orlon or nylon or rayon?

40. Worn symbol of support: ARM BAND. Sadly the best know being those of Nazi Germany.

41. "Billy Budd," e.g.: NOVELLA. A controversial little novel, with homosexual undertones.

42. Wee bit: SMIDGEN.

44. Certain lounge frequenter: VIP. They exist in other places than strip clubs guys.

45. SFO listing: ETA. SFO is the code for San Francisco airport.

46. Soak up some rays: TAN. It was 81 today.

48. Tough test: ORDEAL. Related to ORLON?

50. Object of a kicking game: TIN CAN. Ah yes, when we were young and poor, we played kick the can.

54. Like a thorough update: NEWSY. Meh.

57. Cutty __: historic clipper ship: SARK. This is an interesting CLIPPER SHIP and malt whiskey.

58. Agent inspired by Chan: MOTO. Another inscrutable Asian detective, played by Peter Lorre in the movies.

59. Like, with "to": AKIN.

63. Minor crying wolf?: PUP. Yes, wolf babies are pups also.

64. Egyptian viper: ASP. Oh no, the damn ASP was here after all!

65. Napoleonic Wars marshal: NEY. He is becoming a pretty common visitor.

Answer grid.

Wow, I felt like a kid again, thanks for having me in your homes; until next time be sure and use a good hand sanitizer like GermX, and be kind.

Lemonade

Note from C.C.:

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of this blog. I want to thank everyone, esp my dedicated blogging crew and regular commenters for making this a fun adventure.

Thursday, January 20, 2011 Mark Bickham

Theme: Add a silent K. Rather than giving you a long explanation, I'll let Marina Orlova explain it.

17A. Tough handicap to overcome in a joust?: KNIGHT BLINDNESS. Nyctalopia may exist from birth, or be caused by injury or malnutrition, for example, a lack of vitamin A. The opposite is hemeralopia.

22A. Hoopster featured in a news magazine?: KNICK OF TIME. Possibly from an old custom of recording time as it passed by making notches on a tally stick.

39A. What "purls of wisdom" is an example of?: KNITWIT. Nit, from nix, a variant of nichts (German for nothing).

51A. Was familiar with Britain?: KNEW ENGLAND. Not in the biblical sense, I hope...

59A. Bow tied by mortal hands?: KNOT OF THIS WORLD. The nautical unit of measure is from the practice of attaching knotted string to the log line. The ship's speed can be measured by the number of knots that play out while the sand glass is running. The distance between knots is 1/120 of a mile.

Hi all, Al here. If it's Thursday, it must be obfuscated clue day, and there sure were plenty that took a second or third thought.

ACROSS:

1. Volkswagen model since 1979: JETTA.

6. Stare: GAWK. Here you go, ladies.

10. Charm: MOJO.

14. Unit of capacitance: FARAD. Named for Michael Faraday. A capacitor that can store one FARAD would have to be somewhere between the size of a tuna can up to a one liter soda bottle. To store the total energy that a single AA battery can deliver, a capacitor would have to be of over 10,000 times larger than that.

15. "Would __?": I LIE.

16. Baseball's Moises: ALOU. Son of Felipe, also associated with baseball. You could see either name for this bit of crosswordese.

20. Words after post or suffer: A LOSS.

21. Beginning: ONSET.

26. Leo, for one: SIGN. All the focus on Astrology lately, but the dates aren't going to be changed.

27. Manhattan neighborhood acronym: NOHO. NOrth of HOuston St.

28. Ready to serve: DONE.

32. Uncertain concurrence: I GUESS.

35. Gave a buzz: RANG. Telephone.

37. Snaps: PIX.

38. Mineo of "Rebel Without a Cause": SAL.

41. HBO competitor: TMC. Home Box Office, The Movie Channel. For once it wasn't SHOwtime, but same difference, really.

42. __ king: ALA. Cooked in a cream sauce with green pepper or pimiento and mushrooms.

43. Hokkaido native: AINU. Indigenous people of Japan, conceptually like Native Americans here, the Maori of New Zealand, or Australian Aboriginal people.

44. Shoot for, with "to": ASPIRE. Associated with the concept of excitement, heavy breathing (inspiration, expiration), not the spire of a tall building.

46. Old Italian bread: LIRA. This bread/money misdirection shouldn't catch you off guard late in the week.

48. Puts on: DONS. Contraction of "do on", the original sense of "do" was "put". Contrast with doff, as with removing your hat in the presence of a lady.

50. Biol. branch: ECOL. Living organisms (biology) being optimized to suit their environment (ecology).

55. Unlikely lint-gatherer: OUTIE. This article about a collector is probably: 61D. "I didn't need to know that!": TMI.

58. Without delay: APACE.

65. Pinup Hayworth: RITA. Margarita Carmen Cansino. Died of Alzheimer's. Her case, and Ronald Reagan's years later, were instrumental in bringing this problem to light, not just to hide it away.

66. Pianist Gilels: EMIL. Rachmaninoff. Not a lot of other music references today, an unknown for me. Lots of youtube vids though.

67. Church parts: NAVES. Winchester Cathedral. (note, C.C. reported that link not working for her, even though it does for me. So here's a new one: Naves)

68. They have heads and handles: AXES.

69. Mug imperfections: ZITS. Facial acne. Again, probably TMI.

70. Symbol of strength: STEEL. Superman.

DOWN:

1. LaGuardia alternative, familiarly: JFK. Yesterday's Google banner paid tribute to Kennedy's inaugural speech. "Ask not..."

2. Suffix with Caesar: EAN. There are etymology stories that attribute naming of c-sections to his birth, but this is unlikely because his mother lived to see his triumphs, and those would have been fatal in that day and age. More likely the name comes directly from Latin caesus past participle of caedere "to cut."

3. Like jibs: TRIANGULAR. Sails.

4. Movie poster words: TAGLINE. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.

5. For a specific purpose: AD HOC. This clue is as direct of a translation from Latin as they come.

6. Big name in guitars: GIBSON. Also MARTIN, TAYLOR, FENDER, IBANEZ, SUZUKI... There are a lot of six letter guitar manufacturer names is what I'm saying. I only have two of those, neither of which is today's puzzle answer.

7. Pledge of Allegiance ender: ALL. Congress recently read the constitution out loud. If that wasn't just a stunt, they should pay equal attention to the words in the pledge, too. "Indivisible"? Not for lack of trying.

8. November 2006 Nintendo release: WII. The two lower case letter "i"s in Wii symbolize two people standing together playing. Pronounced "we".

9. Barbie's beau: KEN. According to Mattel, they broke up in February of 2004, but in 2006 a "new" Ken came along and now they are reunited.

10. Took one's place at, as a post: MANNED.

11. Cries following charges: OLES. I say we make Merill Lynch clean up all their "bullish".

12. __ Cuervo tequila: JOSE.

13. Remove from office: OUST.

18. Sound of reproach: TSK.

19. End for free: DOM. Freedom.

22. Capital of Rwanda: KIGALI. Geography lesson of the day.

23. Cookie information, perhaps: FORTUNE. Oh, the archaic kind of cookie, not something that your web browser saves your ADDRESS in... Speaking of which, if you are concerned about privacy, you might want to visit this site and opt out of letting them show (and sell) your personal information.

24. Relax, as tense relations: THAW.

25. Ancient Aegean region: IONIA.

26. Cordage fiber: SISAL. Rugs, mats, dartboards. Versatile.

29. Retina-brain link: OPTIC NERVE.

30. Jerk: NIMROD. A word that has flipped it's original meaning. Originally "great hunter" (Biblical reference to the son of Cush). Speculation (lets leave it at that) on the reason for the reversal has Bugs Bunny ironically referring to Elmer Fudd as a poor little nimrod. It may be that over the course of history among "manly" hunters, it started to be used in a sarcastically mocking fashion, and the popularity of Bugs gave it an extra boost, but I wouldn't go so far as to claim that to be the true etymology. Makes for a good story, though.

31. Stand out: EXCEL. Or a Microsoft spreadsheet program.

33. Calypso offshoot: SKA. Reggae relation.

34. Like ugly remarks: SNIDE.

36. Fast sports cars: GTS. Gran turismo, Grand tourer.

40. "__ pronounce you ...": I NOW.

45. Naval attire: PEACOAT. Originated from the Dutch or West Frisian word pijjekker, in which pij referred to the type of material used, a coarse kind of twilled blue cloth with a nap on one side.

47. Loyal Japanese dogs: AKITAS.

49. Sluggards: SNAILS. As in "sluggish", I guess.

52. "The Matrix" hero: NEO. Whoa! Keanu Reeves.

53. Modern dash-mounted device: Abbr.: GPS. Global Positioning System.

54. Croquet venues: LAWNS.

55. Creole vegetable: OKRA.

56. Windows alternative: UNIX. Unless you want to play a few certain specific games with certain video cards, that is. With Ubuntu you can do just about everything else.

57. Handy bag: TOTE.

60. Casbah headgear: FEZ. Also, the 11th Doctor (Who) thinks they're cool.

62. Best seller: HIT.

63. General at Antietam: LEE.

64. Step up from dial-up: DSL. Digital Subscriber Line. Cable is faster still.

Answer Grid.

Al