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

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