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

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