Sunday February 20, 2011 Peter Wentz

Theme: Find Out - Parse it as "F in/D out" - D is replaced by F in each of the 8 common phrases.

23A. Flight attendant's reminder when serving alcohol? : THIS IS NOT A FRILL. This is not a drill.

32A. Equine exhibition with poor visibility? : FOG AND PONY SHOW. Dog and pony show.

45A. Stick around for sautéing? : HANG OUT TO FRY. Hang out to dry.

64A. Energizing bluegrass instruments? : FUELING BANJOS. Dueling banjos. From "Deliverance". What a scary movie!

75A. Craze for some moms? : STAY-AT-HOME FAD. Stay-at-home Dad.

95A. Pixie dust? : FAIRY PRODUCT. Dairy product.

104A. Written warning about gangster Gotti? : FEAR JOHN LETTER. Dear John Letter. John Gotti. The Teflon Don.

119A. Imposing monetary penalties with a nice Chianti? : WINING AND FINING. Wining and dining.

Clever title, isn't it? I wonder what came to Peter Wentz first, theme or theme title? I suspect the latter. Sometimes a phrase can  inspire a theme. Sunday puzzle is a different animal. Very often constructors have a set of theme answers ready, then work on a fitting title, which has to be pertinent to the theme but can't be too revealing lest it spoil the solve.

Interesting for me to see THE WAY clued as "100D. Tao, literally". Tao actually just means "way", sans "the", since Chinese language has no articles. I often omit "the" when it should be present.

Across:

1. Come again? : REVISIT. Can't fool me.

8. Sampled, with "of" : HAD A BIT. Don't feel "of" is necessary. You?

15. Bright bunch : MENSA. Dennis is one, and he knows how much trouble I have with "the".

20. Anthem with the line "The True North strong and free!" : O CANADA

21. Muscle ache cause : OVERUSE

22. Prestigious octet : IVIES. Ivy League had 8 schools.

25. Mideast peninsula : SINAI

26. Fixed, as a pump : SOLED. Thinking of gas pump, not shoe.

27. Org. with a Double Down sandwich : KFC. No bread. Not real sandwich.

28. Hip-hopper's adjective : LIL. You'd think they want something big, so ego-driven.

29. Crashed, so to speak : SLEPT

30. Up to, in invites : TIL

37. "Conan" airer : TBS

40. __ Equis: Mexican beer : DOS. Two Xs.

42. Dice, e.g. : CUBES

43. Prefix with natal : NEO. Neonatal.

44. Be beholden : OWE

48. Well-mannered manor man : BUTLER. Liked the M alliteration.

50. Fridge problem : ODOR

51. It probably won't keep you up : DECAF. Clever clue.

52. Collectible frame : CEL. Disney cartoon cel.

55. "All yours!" : HERE

56. Sobriety checkpoint target, for short : DWI

57. "Tasty!" : MMM

58. '70s-'80s NHLer known as "Lucky Pierre" : LAROUCHE. First encounter with this guy.

62. Didn't deviate from : KEPT TO

69. U.K. medal : OBE. Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

70. Conservatory subj. : MUS. OK, Music.

72. Decrease : ABATE

73. Subj. for refugees : ESL (English as a Second Language)

74. "Annabel Lee" monogram : EAP (Edgar Allan Poe)

78. Fig. in many churches : ST MARY

80. Bronchitis sufferers' aids : INHALERS

81. Spinning toy : TOP

83. Orthogonal joint : ELL

84. Spill preceder : TRIP. Ah, spill here refers to "fall" then.

87. Conclusion letters : QED

88. "Yippee!" : WAHOO

90. Heads of England? : LOOS. Toilets. JOHN if the clue is singular.

92. Baseball's Matsui : HIDEKI. With the Yankees for a long time. Fun guy, unlike the somewhat aloof Ichiro.

98. Dutch city : EDE. Learned from doing Xword.

99. Iowa hrs. : CST

101. Gathers opinions from : POLLS

102. BART stop : STN

103. Chicken Little's concern : SKY. The sky is falling.

108. Auburn's conf. : SEC (Southeastern Conference)

110. Many a 19th-cen. map : LITHO

111. Fair-hiring abbr. : EOE

112. TV's "Science Guy" : NYE (Bill)

114. Shot with extreme spin : MASSE. Billiards shot.

118. Negative particle : ANION. We see ION so often.

124. Old tablet material : STONE

125. "No surprise" : AS USUAL

126. Holiday burner : YULE LOG. Sweet entry for Argyle.

127. Makes better : HONES

128. Mocha residents : YEMENIS. Mocha the port in Yemen.

129. Tiptoe past : SNEAK BY

Down:

1. Spoils : ROTS

2. Comeback : ECHO

3. Resort WSW of Boulder : VAIL. The Colorado ski resort.

4. Blown-up detail : INSET

5. Took the plunge : SAID "I DO". MARRIED has the same amount of letters.

6. Makes, as a perp : IDs

7. Word with car or top : TANK

8. Ski lodge drink : HOT COCOA

9. Charlton's "Earthquake" co-star : AVA (Gardner)

10. Excellent, in slang : DEF (Definitely)

11. SFO posting : ARR

12. Physiques : BUILDS

13. Long Island town : ISLIP. Not familiar with the town. What's it famous for, Splynter?

14. Rat out : TELL ON

15. Love letter sentiment : MISS YOU. Aww.

16. Pandora's boxful : EVILS. Thought of BANES.

17. Like a quick links round : NINE HOLE. Golf links.

18. 16th-century Spain, for one : SEA POWER

19. So to speak : AS IT WERE. In a way.

24. Wrong : OFF. He's off.

31. Indiscreet type : LOUDMOUTH. Nice answer.

33. Nonsense : GUFF

34. Like some bks. for kids : ABR (Abridged)

35. Napoleon cohort : NEY (Michel). Napoleon called him "bravest of the brave".

36. Big 12 rival of Kan. : NEB. Will become a Big 10 this July. For more info, ask Husker Gary.

37. E'en if : THO

38. Creditor's loss : BAD DEBT

39. Chinese food veggie : SNOW PEA. I like sugar peas more.

41. Flower feature : STEM

46. Sandpaper coarseness measure : GRIT

47. Airer of many old MGM films : TCM

49. After that : THEN

52. Shouted : CRIED

53. Years and years : EON

54. Winter Olympics event : LUGE

58. Thumbs (through) : LEAFS

59. Mont. neighbor : ALTA. Here it's again. Alberta.

60. Masters TV venue since 1956 : CBS SPORTS. Golf again. Masters & US Open are my favorite majors.

61. Word before "Who goes there?" : HALT

62. Fighter's stat : KOs (Knockouts). Boxing.

63. Fed after Capone : T MAN

64. Well-known : FAMED

65. Slangy prefix meaning "super" : UBER

66. Green-eyed : JEALOUS

67. Rowboat device : OARLOCK

68. Mole, perhaps : SPY

71. Oldest active NBAer : SHAQ. Oh, nice to know this trivia. Shaq is now 38 Years old.

76. "Goodness me!" : YIPE

77. Bulls' fans' chant? : OLE. Bullfighting. I was thinking of Chicago Bulls.

79. Pinochle declaration : MELD

81. Quaker possessive : THY

82. "Clumsy me!" : OOPS

84. Speedy superhero : THE FLASH. Was ignorant of this superhero.

85. Arrive at, cowboy-style : RIDE INTO

86. Thought process : IDEATION. We've seen IDEATE before. Weird word.

88. Sag : WILT

89. Clip joints? : ARSENALS. Cartridge clip.

91. Messy room, to mom : STY

93. Former Celtics guard and coach : K C JONES. Hall-of-Famer.

94. Metric lead-in : ISO. Isometric.

95. Hatfield, to a McCoy : FOE

96. PC space bar neighbor : ALT. Keyboard.

97. Four laps, often : ONE MILE. Four laps = 800 meters to me. We had 200 meter track.

101. Full legislative assembly : PLENUM

105. Lake Geneva feeder : RHONE

106. White __ : NOISE

107. Rembrandt van __ : RYN

109. Former capital of Crete : CANEA. No idea. Checked Wiki, then found out its current capital is Heraklion. Let's go back to Canea then.

113. "Grand" brand of ice cream : EDY'S

115. Epitome of smoothness : SILK

116. Stuffed shirt : SNOB

117. Like challah bread : EGGY

120. Sussex verb suffix : ISE. Ours is IZE.

121. Sister : NUN

122. Moo goo __ pan : GAI. Literally "chicken".

123. Good times : FUN

Answer grid.

Happy Birthday to Argyle, our witty and sharp Santa. I'd like to share with you a story. Sometime last year I mentioned to Argyle that it's bothering me that I still had not figured out the theme of a few earliest TMS Daily puzzles I blogged. I was not even sure I got the theme answers correct, as in those days I only wrote a few sparse clue/answer comments and attached no answer grid. Argyle went to his local library and found the exact puzzles for me. Like Dennis, he's done lots of small things for me, on and off the blog. Thanks, Santa, may your birthday be filled with sunshine, love and smiles.

C.C.

Saturday February 19. 2011 Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

Total words: 70

Total blocks: 32

Amazing symmetry in this puzzle: the normal 180-degree rotation; left to right; and top to bottom.

As usual, Bruce likes to have grid-spanning answers anchor his puzzle. Today, we have six:

15A. TV host's segue : BE BACK IN A MINUTE. Reminds me of Don's ABOUT TO GO LIVE answer.

17A. Sources of track reports : STARTER'S PISTOLS. Report = Gunshot sound. Had to ask Dennis for help.

34. Lonely guy in old 60-Down : MAYTAG REPAIRMAN. And ADS ( 60D. Some pitches). Sales pitches.

41A. Fighting words : LET'S STEP OUTSIDE

58A. Creed foe, with "The" : ITALIAN STALLION. Nickname for Rocky. Apollo Creed, an unfamiliar character to me.

63A. Maneuver through a tight opening : THREAD THE NEEDLE

Quite a few abbreviations in this puzzle, the by-product of a very demanding grid structure.

Across:

1. Set off, as an alarm : TRIPPED. Tripped an alarm.

8. Elko native : NEVADAN. We've seen ELKO clued as "Nevada city" a few times.

18. Certain border, to a philatelist : PERF. OK, perforated.

19. Menlo Park wizard, initially : TAE (Thomas Alva Edison)

20. Egyptian fertility deity : ISIS

21. It might be req. for some new furniture : ASSY (Assembly). This abbreviation stumped me also.

24. Eject : SPEW

27. Velvet's older sister in "National Velvet" : EDWINA. Hard for me, since I don't know the crossing 27D & 29D.

30. Sends, in a way : EMAILS. I wanted ELATES.

38. Author Levin : IRA

39. Kind of blouse : PEASANT. Looks pretty on this model.

40. Shade : HUE

44. Impressive property : ESTATE

45. Filled in : TEMPED. Don't know temp can be a verb.

46. Travel about : ROAM

48. Fed. inspection group : USDA. Food inspection.

49. Letter on a sweater : ZETA. Oh, the fraternity letter.

52. Defense gp. formed in Bogotá : OAS (Organization of American States). In 1948.

54. Shortfall : LACK

64. High-powered : INTENSE. I associate "intense" with feelings, not "high-powered" though.

65. Lower : DEGRADE. Verb "lower".

Down:

1. Medicinal amt. : TBSP

2. Anatomical network : RETE. Neural network. Learned from doing Xword.

3. Support beam : I-BAR

4. Layered dessert : PARFAIT. Not to my taste.

5. Election night fig. : PCT (Percent)

6. Just make, with "out" : EKE. This little three word is constructor's best friend, same as OREO.

7. Bad way to play : DIRTY. Play dirty.

8. Collars can hide them : NAPES. Neck backs.

9. Former Radiohead label : EMI. Guessed. English band, what label could it be?

10. As far as the eye can see: Abbr. : VIS. Vision? (Correction: It's visibility.)

11. Dovelike : ANTIWAR

12. Batman and Robin et al. : DUOS

13. King of the Huns, in Norse myth : ATLI. Same as Attila the Hun.

14. Loch seen from Urquhart Castle : NESS. Loch brought me the answer. Don't know the castle.

16. Secretive org. : NSA

22. Shapes up : SNAPS TO. New phrase to me.

23. Smart-sounding brew : SAGE TEA. Have never had this tea.

25. Very little money : PEANUTS. Work for peanuts.

26. Gave off : EMITTED

27. '60s boxing champ Griffith : EMILE. Sigh! I googled this guy before, then promptly forgot all about him.

28. Braves : DARES

29. Peter's "Easy Rider" role : WYATT. Had ??ATT there for some time.

31. "You dig?" response : I'M HIP

32. Cum __ : LAUDE

33. Ed __, runner-up in the first Masters sudden death playoff : SNEED. Not a familiar name to me. 1979 Masters. Lost to Fuzzy Zoeller, according to Wikipedia. Fuzzy is one noisy guy.

35. "The Facts of Life" actress : RAE (Charlotte)

36. Debatable "ability" : ESP

37. Kung __ chicken : PAO

42. Illinois-based food giant : SARA LEE

43. Compressed : SMALLER. Tricky part of speech.

47. __ Cristo: fried sandwich : MONTE. First encounter with this sandwich. Does it taste good, Bill?

48. Peruvian pronoun : USTED. Just "you".

49. Rigatoni relative : ZITI

50. Race: Pref. : ETHN. ETHNO is more common. 

51. Sharp : TART

53. Butt end : ASH. Nice clue.

55. Musical with the song "Radames' Letter" : AIDA. Radames is her love.

56. Under 20, to most : COLD. Was thinking of age, not temperature.

57. Joint for guitarists? : KNEE. Don't get this clue, Al/Splynter!

59. Golfer Woosnam : IAN. Very hot-tempered guy. I used to follow European Tour fervently.

61. Chemical suffix : ANE

62. It may be pulled : LEG. I wanted TAB.

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday, February 18, 2011, Dan Naddor

Theme: It is a Punderful Presidential Friday. Each of the theme answers is a sound alike pun, clued with the continuing clecho of “Presidential” replacing a word or two in a common phrase with the last name of a president, to make for a silly and humorous new phrase. Interestingly, all but Madison were Republican presidents. I guess in honor of the impending President's Day holiday, we have gone from Presidential Pets two days ago, to Presidential Puns; put on your seat belts because here we go.

18A. Presidential putdown? : GRANT SLAM. (Ulysses S. Grant, our 18th) from the baseball term GRAND SLAM, a bases loaded home run.

23A. Presidential advisers?: MADISON CABINET. (James Madison, number 4 and our shortest at 5'4") MEDICINE CABINET.

32A. Presidential ATM sign?: FORD DEPOSIT ONLY. (Gerald Ford, number 38) FOR DEPOSIT ONLY, which is what I put on my checks; I never sign them in case they are lost.

48A. Presidential university?: COOLIDGE CAMPUS. (Calvin Coolidge, number 30) COLLEGE CAMPUS.

53A. Presidential belt-tightening?: NIXON CUTS. (Richard Nixon, number 37) NICKS AND CUTS.

Happy Friday all, Lemonade here, and I WAS RIGHT, a NADDOR for me and a quintessential example of his wit and skill. We have his recognizable humor, heavy themeage, and fixation with deception both in cluing and using multi word fill; look for the number by each example.

Across:

1. Timeworn observation: ADAGE. Direct from the Latin adagium, meaning proverb.

6. "Pronto!": ASAP.

10. Party person: HOST. C.C, is our party person.

14. Paganini's birthplace: GENOA. I wonder if this reference was deliberate, as the pioneer of the modern style of playing the violin, had at one time as his patron, Mary Louise, Bonaparte's second wife. He was very conceited about his music and wrote his compositions to perform himself; I would say he was a ham, but Jerome would probably threaten me with a salami.

15. One of an historic seagoing trio: NINA. Along with the PINTA and the SANTA MARIA.

16. Not deceived by: ON TO. (1)

17. Los __: city near San Jose: ALTOS. Los Altos a city at the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is in Santa Clara County, California.

20. 1926 channel swimmer: EDERLE. GERTRUDE was the first woman to swim the English channel, after only five men had accomplished the feat, and she did it 2 hours faster than any man up to that time.

22. Bernardo's girl in "West Side Story": ANITA. Brilliantly played by RITA MORENO in the movie version.

26. Trademark cousins: PATENTS. Names rather than processes.

27. Trains on supports: ELS. ELevated trains, still popular in Chicago.

28. "Discreet Music" composer: ENO. Brian is my recurring theme this week, as he and his Airport Music were in my recent blog.

29. Movie beekeeper: ULEE. Peter Fonda's gold.

30. People person?: CELEB. Very fun, PEOPLE magazine.

39. "Contact" author: SAGAN. Carl was a very popular scientist who did all he could to bring science to the masses with his books and his Cosmos TV show. He also was involved in SETI. Seeking extra-terrestrial intelligence.

40. "Uh-uh": NOPE.

41. Ex-Saudi ruler __ Saud: IBN. Son of like, Ben.

44. Managed: RAN.

45. Onetime California gubernatorial candidate Huffington: ARIANNA. She is now selling out, by letting AOL purchase her HUFFINGTON POST .

51. Biblical words before and after "for": AN EYE. AN EYE FOR AN EYE, kind of eerie considering my current situation, and the ever present need to atone. (2)

52. Title subject of a G.B. Shaw play: ST JOAN. Jean D'Arc, our favorite military martyr. (3)

56. Blitz attachment: KRIEG. The massive German all out attacks of World War II. Literally lightening war.

59. Prefix with "Language" in a 1993 comedy best-seller: SEIN. Jerry Seinfeld at his best. For example, the number one fear people have is public speaking, with death the number two fear. That means if you are a funeral it is easier to be the corpse than to deliver a eulogy.

60. Gaston's god: DIEU. Oh goody, my French lesson, Mon Dieu, that was easy.

61. Perform penance: ATONE. Man, you think because I get this word every time, a higher power is telling me it is time to admit my sins, and change? Nah.

62. Scraps: ORTS.

63. U. of Maryland athlete: TERP. Short for Terrapin.

64. Streisand title role: YENTL. A rare public performance by Barbara at the Grammy.

Down: Down we go:

1. Turkish honorific: AGA. Not to be confused with the cooker so popular in Europe.

2. Wilmington's st.: DEL. Delaware, the type of Indians near Staten Island, as well.

3. Lover of armies?: ANTEATER. Really fun was to clue the army of ants.

4. Acts of kindness: GOOD DEEDS. (4)

5. Enter cautiously: EASE IN. (5)

6. Americans in Paris, e.g.: ANGLOS. I do not recall hearing this expression from any of my relatives, but hey, maybe because I spoke French with them they were nice.

7. Femme fatale: SIREN. We had SIREN as Vixen recently.

8. Book collector's suffix: ANA. This is used denote a collection of writing by a single author or a single topic, like AMERICANA, or DICKENSIANA. Not a collector like Dennis, but one who puts things together in a single volume.

9. Put down in writing?: PAN. The critics often Pan the blog for too many links.

10. Mubarak of Egypt: HOSNI. Isn’t amazing Dan used fill so current even though this puzzle was written more than one year ago; here is one perception of MUBARAK .

11. Surfing without a board, maybe: ON LINE. Web surfing. (6)

12. New York's __ Island: STATEN. The smallest population of the five boroughs of New York city, this was named Staaten Eylandt (literally "State Island") by Henry Hudson, sailing on behalf of the Dutch government.

13. T in a sandwich: TOMATO. The "T" in BLT.

19. Typewriter feature: TAB SET. (7)

21. Queue after Q: RST. An innovative play on words to spice up the letter string Q R S T.

23. Opposite of bueno: MALO. BUENO=Good, MALO=Bad in Spanish.

24. Psychic couple?: CEES. A new variation, as there are two "C"s in the word Psychic.

25. "That's __ ask": ALL I. Yeah right, beware when anyone ever says this to you. (8)

26. Sta-__: fabric softener: PUF. Have not heard of this brand in awhile. Maybe it will be the new Ipana.

30. Hoodwink: CON. From the CONFIDENCE MEN who gain that from people and then bilk them.

31. Ruling family name in 19th-century Europe: BONAPARTE. If you want more, I provide this LINK .

33. Connecticut coastal town near Stamford: DARIEN. One of the many small town near Manhattan which attracted the successful New Yorkers looking to escape from the city. The opposite end of the state in every sense from where I grew up.

34. "Yikes!": EGAD. Veddy British, in preparation for RAJ, I guess.

35. Qualm: PANG. Pangs of guilt.

36. Like some workers in an open shop: NON UNION. So Wisconsin people, what do you think of the teacher union stuff? (9)

37. HMO employees: LPNS. Licensed Practical Nurses; one level below Registered Nurses. Sort of like an AA degree compared to a BA.

38. Thumbs-up vote: YEA. Or nay.

41. Response to a doubting Thomas: I CAN SO. (10)

42. More scrawny: BONIER. How many of you thought of this SONG .

43. Prohibitive door sign: NO EXIT. (11)

45. Misbehaves: ACTS UP. (12)

46. British rule in India: RAJ. From this period of BRITISH RULE as we can see from the comments of our now anonymous friend Vidwan, there remain bad feelings among Indian and Pakistani citizens. On a happier note, I strongly recommend the book MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND .

47. Post-fall reassurance: I'M OKAY. Not fall autumn, but faw down and go boom fall. (13)

49. Interpol headquarters: LYONS. I was getting psyched for my second French dispute with Dan of the puzzle, when I read the town of LYON (French name, pronounced lee ohn) was anglicized to Lyons. International Police, now with 188 countries signed on.

50. Glyceride, e.g.: ESTER. Organic chemistry was impossible for my limited vision; my professor wrote with one hand and erased with the other.

54. Setting on the Mississippi: Abbr.: CDT. Your clock setting, Central Daylight Time. A toughie in February.

55. A lost driver may hang one, briefly: UIE. We have debated the spelling of a U Turn before.

57. M.D.'s specialty: ENT. No, the Doctors do not work on animated trees from Tolkien, but Ear Nose and Throat.

58. Styling stuff: GEL. Hair styling; I am just too lazy.

Well, it has been an up and down week, but it was great to finish with me and Dan trying to entertain. Have a great weekend, especially those who get Presidents' day off.

Answer grid.

Lemonade

Thursday, Feb 17, 2011 Elizabeth A. Long

Theme: 71, 72, and 73 across: What this puzzle does literally at six different intersections: MAKES ENDS MEET. The word "END" is contained within, and connected to both an across and a down answer, and the placement of all the connections are symmetrical in the grid.

20A. Fancy greens dish: ENDIVE SALAD. Also called Chicory. Grown in the dark to prevent greening, which would make it bitter.

32A. #1 tennis player for much of the '80s: IVAN LENDL.

38A. In reverse position: END FOR END.

50A. Feminist's concern: GENDER GAP.

58A. Bit of modern folklore: URBAN LEGEND. See Snopes.com whenever you hear something that always seems to happen to a friend's friend from work has a relative that heard this story was true. Except it almost never is. Not to be confused with the Darwin Awards, which almost always are true.

1D. Supplementary items: ADDENDA. Added to the END.

26D. Binge: BENDER. Ah, lots of arm curls. College was for far more than just studying.

31D. Corrects, as text: EMENDS. Latin emendare "to free from fault," from ex- "out" + mendum "fault, blemish"

49D. Hanging: PENDENT. As in a cloth banner. Might have been pending as in waiting.

Hi all, Al here.

This is certainly an interesting construction today, but hard to put clearly into words, so a picture may help. Counting the last three across reveals at the END, there are 12 answers that contribute to the theme today. There's nothing that really unifies them other than that in the END, they are merely containers. But you know what they say: the END justifies the means. Unless I counted wrong, there are 63 out of 159 lites, or roughly 40% of the puzzle is theme-related. Solving seemed more like a Tuesday level to me, but that's not to say it wasn't enjoyable.

ACROSS:

1. __ effort: A FOR. I have to believe that this puzzle did take a lot of effort.

5. Without restraint: AMOK. This word has origins in Malay, meaning attacking furiously. Portuguese amuco for "a frenzied Malay".

9. "__ luego": HASTA. Spanish lit. "until soon".

14. Merrill in movies: DINA. Daughter of E.F. Hutton, the founder of Wallstreet. You wouldn't think she'd need to get a job acting...

15. Microwave: NUKE.

16. "__ Smith and Jones": 1970s TV Western: ALIAS. Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, two of the most wanted outlaws in the history of the West, are popular "with everyone except the railroads and the banks", since "in all the trains and banks they robbed, they never shot anyone". They are offered an amnesty on condition that they stay out of trouble for a year and that they don't tell anyone about it. Naturally, the show was about them being coerced into doing certain tasks that were for the greater good, but would land them back in jail if they were caught.

17. List maker: DEAN. The Dean's list is one you should want to be on.

18. Swank's "Amelia" co-star: GERE. Hillary and Richard. Movie about Amelia Earhart.

19. Stealthy Easterner: NINJA.

23. Storm hdg.: NNE.

24. Out of sorts: ILL.

25. Cloud in Orion: NEBULA. Sheer artistry.

30. Spay or neuter: DE-SEX.

35. "I can help": ASK ME.

36. 2012 Ryder Cup captain Davis Love __: III. Golf.

37. News organ?: NOSE. Having a nose for news, perhaps sticking it where it doesn't belong.

42. Cross over: SPAN.

45. Be less than healthy: AIL.

46. Greek with lessons: AESOP. Fabulous.

53. __ myrtle: tree or shrub in the loosestrife family: CRAPE. Also pretty. Is that how Myrtle Beach got its name, I wonder? But purple loosestrife on the other hand, is a non-indigenous weed and will choke out a wetlands area with overgrowth, and should be pulled out and burned if found.

54. Skirmish: TUSSLE. Related to tousle, as with unruly hair.

55. Where Eth. is: AFR. Ethiopia, Africa.

57. Chess pieces: MEN. I'll bet the queen doesn't like being called that, sounds like a gender gap to me.

62. Howled: BAYED.

66. Upscale hotel chain: OMNI. New to me. I don't remember seeing any of these in any of Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Michigan, but then .

67. Without thinking, with "by": ROTE.

68. Tequila plant: AGAVE.

69. It often involves steady losses: DIET. When you lose, you win. I'm on to these kinds of clues now.

70. Privy to: IN ON. Also related to "private", what you do in the privy stays in the privy.

DOWN:

2. He plays Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter films: FIENNES. Sans makeup for the ladies.

3. Where the teacher might casually sit: ON A DESK. Brings back fond memories of typing class in high school. For an elective class, a lot of the boys sure signed up for that one.

4. Rajah's wife: RANI.

5. Guardian, maybe: ANGEL.

6. Vegan's morning meal: MUESLI. Dates, oats, fruit, milk.

7. Cajun staple: OKRA. I think this was photoshopped...

8. Stabilizing part: KEEL.

9. "Water Music" composer: HANDEL. The clip is only 1:21 long. That's about long enough to get the idea, I think.

10. Clay, today: ALI. I remember it being a big deal back when Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammed Ali, but it would still raise eyebrows in certain circles today.

11. Offense: SIN.

12. Atlantic City casino, with "The": TAJ.

13. "__ matter of fact ...": AS A.

21. Sly female: VIXEN. She-fox. Or an 80's big hair band.

22. Musical based on a comic strip: ANNIE.

27. A quarter of cuatro: UNO. More Spanish, four / 4 = one.

28. Mormons, initially: LDS. Latter Day Saints.

29. Bar option: ALE.

33. Instrument in Schubert's "Trout Quintet": VIOLA. Someone likes classical music today, I see.

34. __ conditioning: AIR.

39. Provocative sort: DARER.

40. __ leaf: FIG. The usual image of Adam and 65D. First lady?: EVE being modest.

41. Mother-of-pearl: NACRE.

42. Certain NCO: SGT. Non-commissioned officer, sergeant.

43. Little, in Lille: PEU. un peu de Francais.

44. "Jeopardy!" ques., really: ANS. Make sure your answer is in the form of a question. Gimmicky marketing genius, apparently.

47. Identical item: SAME ONE.

48. Summer shoe style: OPEN TOE.

51. Gets by: ELUDES.

52. Gave one star, say: PANNED. Bad movie or restaurant rating.

56. Moves like a moth: FLITS.

59. Portend: BODE.

60. Exiled African tyrant: AMIN.

61. Dreadful: GRIM.

62. Bit of Lagasse lingo: BAM. Emeril Live and Essence of Emeril on the Food Network.

63. Turkish title: AGA.

64. Asian ox: YAK.

Answer Grid.

Al

Wednesday, Feb 16, 2011, Donna S. Levin

Theme: First Pet. Each answer ends with the name of a Presidential Pet.

17A. Game played on a six-pointed star : CHINESE CHECKERS. Richard Nixon's dog (a cocker spaniel) while vice president, died before Nixon became president - made famous by the 'checkers speech.'

25A. 1964 Beatles hit : AND I LOVE HER. Him and Her, the most well known of the President Johnson's dogs, were registered beagles. Her died at the White House in November 1964 after she swallowed a stone. 

37A. Trendy aerobics regimen : TAEBO. Barack and Michelle Obama promised their daughters, Malia and Sasha, that they would get a pet dog after they moved into the White House. Bo, a Portuguese water dog, was a gift from Senator Edward Kennedy.

44A. Diamond-patterned attire : ARGYLE SOCKS. President Clinton's cat Socks had the run of the White House, until Buddy the labrador retriever showed up in 1997. The two animals didn't get along, and had to be segregated.

57A. Companion at the end of 17-, 25-, 37- and 44-Across : PRESIDENTIAL PET

A fresh, fun theme, with very few pauses. Did not remember Him and Her, in the Johnson years, but knew all the others. Learned that presidential pets also included a pony (Caroline Kennedy's), birds, hamsters, rabbits, a raccoon, a squirrel, a cow, and a flock of sheep.

Across:

1. Classifies, in a way : PEGS. Did anyone else hear the theme song from Frasier?

5. Antony listener : ROMAN

10. Envelope abbr. : ATTN. Attention.

14. Beige-like shade : ECRU. 

15. Representation : IMAGE

16. Dealer's dispenser : SHOE. Can hold multiple decks of cards.

20. Keystone lawman : KOP.  Keystone Kops, featured in silent films about bumbling policemen. 

21. Smart club : MENSA

22. Cry to strike up the band : HIT IT. But it made me think of this.

23. Penne relative : ZITI. Pasta is a lot like women .. so many shapes to appreciate.

24. She played WKRP's Jennifer : LONI. Anderson.

30. Time Warner "Superstation" : TBS

33. Capacious : ROOMY

34. Peddle : VEND

35. The tan in a Black and Tan : ALE

36. One of five states in which same-sex marriage is legal : IOWA

39. Fort with many bars : KNOX. The United States Bullion Depository in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Weight of a standard gold bar: approximately 400 ounces or 27.5 pounds.

40. Apparel retailer Taylor : ANN

41. Legatee : HEIR

42. In abeyance : ON ICE

43. La + la, in Lille : LES. Lille, France. La is French article "the" suggesting singular feminine form "her." Les is plural "the". 

47. Volunteer st. : TENN. Tennessee is known as the "Volunteer State" for the large number of Tennesseans who volunteered for duty in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. 

49. "Let's leave __ that" : IT AT

50. Producer Ponti : CARLO

52. "My Name Is Asher Lev" author Chaim : POTOK. Apparently a well-known book by American author and Rabbi, but i had no idea. Maybe a gimme for Lemonade and Hahtool?

54. Restorative place : SPA. Seems i get this a lot.

60. Jai __ : ALAI

61. Pentium producer : INTEL

62. Brand with a pony in its logo : POLO

63. A few : SOME

64. Seacoast : SHORE. For those of you that enjoy the musical links, a classic. 

65. Stern's counterpart : STEM. From stem to stern.

Down:

1. Chaste kiss : PECK. Yawn.

2. Reverberate : ECHO

3. Stagehand : GRIP. Moves equipment and scenery.

4. Heliocentric universe center : SUN. The conclusion that the earth circles the sun, was reached and publicized by Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and Halley. This is the "heliocentric theory." 

5. __ the occasion : RISE TO. See Dennis's last "did you know" yesterday for a perfect example.

6. 1991 movie sequel subtitled "The Awakening" : OMEN IV. Never saw any of them.

7. Apple products : MACS

8. Turkish honorific : AGHA

9. At birth : NEE

10. Be hospitable to : ASK IN

11. White Star Line's ill-fated steamer : THE TITANIC. April 14/15, 1912, 1,517 passengers perished after hitting an iceberg. The White Star Line's London offices, named Oceanic House, still exist today, and the White Star flag is raised on every 15 April, in memory of the Titanic disaster.

12. Actress Spelling : TORI

13. Place to brood : NEST. Cute.

18. Agent Prentiss on "Criminal Minds" : EMILY. Had to guess.

19. Bit of guitar music : CHORD

23. Coors malt beverage : ZIMA. 

24. His show has a "Jaywalking" segment : LENO. Hard to watch.

25. Serif-free font : ARIAL

26. Nary a soul : NO ONE

27. How things flow : DOWNSTREAM. I think we've all had some experience with this.

28. Each partner : EVERY. "Each and every."

29. Right-to-left lang. : HEB. Hebrew is written from right to left. Arabic, Persian, and Yiddish also.

31. "Old" chip producer? : BLOCK. "A chip off the old block."

32. Proverbial battlers : SEXES

37. Gull relative : TERN

38. 2008 govt. bailout recipient : AIG. Oy.

39. Granny, for one : KNOT. 

41. Red River capital : HANOI

42. Honshu metropolis : OSAKA

45. Roadside trash : LITTER. Despicable how common this is.

46. Twinkler in a Paris sky : ETOILE. French for star.

48. Borden's spokescow : ELSIE. I won't link the 'cows with guns' song. You're welcome.

50. Pros who work on schedules, for short : CPA'S. Certified public accountants.

51. He sang about Alice : ARLO. Guthrie.

52. Phnom __ : PENH. Largest, most populous, and capital city of Cambodia.

53. Suspicious of : ONTO

54. Catch a glimpse of : SPOT

55. Soccer great : PELE

56. Elemental unit : ATOM

58. Put down, slangily : DIS

59. 33 1/3 rpm spinners : LPS. 

Answer grid.

Melissa

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few great pictures from JD & Dick's recent trip. 

Tuesday, February 15, 2011 Jack McInturff

Theme: And the First Shall Be Last - The first word of the first four theme entries can also be last when the unifier is in effect. Not the penultimate meaning of the unifier but, physically, following the word, LAST.

18A. Knock off: CALL IT A DAY. LAST CALL, the announcement made shortly before a bar closes for the night, informing patrons of their last chance to buy alcoholic beverages.

23A. Doomed fairy tale abode: STRAW HOUSE. The first of the three little pigs built his house of straw. The LAST STRAW comes from idiomatic Arabic story, where a camel was loaded with straw until a single straw placed on the rest of the load broke its back. Hence, any event that causes a sudden change.

40A. Stick to formalities: STAND ON CEREMONY. LAST STAND, when retreat or surrender is not an option.

51A. Fast-cook grain product: MINUTE RICE. LAST MINUTE, just prior to the end.

59A. Penultimate, and where you might see the first words of 18-, 23-, 40- and 51-Across: NEXT TO LAST

Argyle here. I think I better explain the theme again. The first word of the first four, when they are next to the word, LAST(and following it), create another idiom. Any better? Similar difficulty to yesterday.

Across:

1. Rope material : HEMP

5. Ready for the picking : RIPE

9. Staff symbol : C CLEF. Middle C. I listen to music; I don't pretend to understand it.

14. Old apple spray : ALAR. "Give me spots on my apples, But leave me the birds and the bees"

15. Like some vaccines : ORAL

16. "The Magic Flute," for one : OPERA. Composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Rock me, Amadeus.

17. Diamond team : NINE. A baseball team, pitchers and catchers are in spring training now. Ahh, Spring!

20. Screwups : GOOFS

22. Capitol worker : AIDE. They work for the 20A on the Hill.

26. Overcharge, in slang : SOAK

30. Max of "The Beverly Hillbillies" : BAER. Son of boxing champion Max Baer.

31. Point a finger at : ACCUSE

33. Satisfied sound : "AAH!"

36. Drink away, as sorrows : DROWN

39. Largest of the Philippines : LUZON. It is home to the capital city, Manila.

43. Reef material : CORAL

44. Milo of "Ulysses" : O'SHEA. Irish actor who was still busy up till a few years ago.

45. Place for buoys and gulls : SEA

46. Gibson of tennis : ALTHEA. She is sometimes referred to as "the Jackie Robinson of tennis" for breaking the color barrier.

48. Let us know, in an invite : RSVP. From the French RSVP, répondez s'il vous plaît, meaning “reply please” or "please respond".

50. __ bargaining : PLEA

57. Meat pkg. letters : USDA. United States Department of Agriculture.

58. It has banks and a mouth : RIVER and 49D. Place up the 58-Across? : PRISON. Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a NYS maximum security prison in the Town of Ossining, NY. It is located approximately 30 mi. north of New York City along the banks of the Hudson River. Prisoners are sent 'up the river'.

65. Ice cream drink : SODA

66. Writer __ Rogers St. Johns : ADELA. She is best remembered for her groundbreaking exploits as a "girl reporter" during the 1920s and 1930s. She told Jack Paar once, "I just want to live long enough to see how it all turns out." She died in Arroyo Grande, CA, in 1988, at the age of 94.

67. Cavern sound : ECHO

68. Metal sources : OREs

69. Veranda : PORCH

70. Gush : SPEW

71. Wall St. market : NYSE. New York Stock Exchange.

Down:

1. Associates (with), slangily : HANGS

2. "The Naming of Cats" poet : ELIOT. T.S. Eliot.

3. Lord's estate : MANOR

4. Ready-made home : PREFAB. Prefabricated, not likely you'll find a Lord living in one.

5. Legendary bird : ROC. Said to be able to fly off with an elephant.

6. Songwriter Gershwin : IRA. Collaborated with his younger brother, composer George.

7. 2005 "Survivor" island : PALAU. It is one of the world's youngest and smallest sovereign states.

8. __ Island, former immigration center : ELLIS. Could be considered an early "Survivor" island.

9. Coop : COTE. Bird cage, for several birds.

10. No.-crunching pro : CPA. Certified Public Accountant.

11. Guided : LED

12. Big Band __ : ERA

13. Wray of "King Kong" : FAY. This Canadian-American actress many consider her as the first "scream queen".

19. It may be half-baked : IDEA

21. Wrap, as an infant : SWADDLE

24. Saver of the day : HERO. Saver of the 'scream queen'?

25. Maine college town : ORONO. Named in honor of Chief Joseph Orono of the Penobscot Nation.

26. Pond problem : SCUM

27. Greek liqueurs : OUZOs. An anise-flavored aperitif.

28. What "two shall be" after the I do's, in song : AS ONE. Written by Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary in the fall of 1969 and first performed at the wedding of Peter Yarrow.

29. Land of Obama's father : KENYA

32. Butcher's tool : CLEAVER

33. Musicians' org. : ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

34. Lagoon border : ATOLL

35. Poker Flat creator : HARTE. Francis Bret Harte (1836–1902) was a author and poet, best remembered for his accounts of pioneering life in California but he was born in Albany, NY.

37. Loos, briefly : WCs. Bathrooms.

38. Big name in Indian politics : NEHRU

41. Okinawa's capital : NAHA. Sounds like it should be 47D.

42. Musical silence : REST

47. Playground retort : "AM SO!"

52. Sits at a light, say : IDLEs

53. Anti-racism gp. since 1909 : NAACP. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

54. Classic Procter & Gamble soap brand : IVORY. It floats!

55. Formally gives up : CEDEs

56. Wipe off the board : ERASE

57. Colorado neighbor : UTAH

59. Short sleep : NAP

60. Tokyo, once : EDO

61. Signer, at times : Xer

62. Jilted lover's need, briefly : TLC. "Tender Loving Care". Somebody didn't get a Valentine's card.

63. Miss identification : SHE

64. Stranded motorist's need : TOW. It's been a good year for tow truck operators, I'll bet.

Answer grid.

I didn't use any links today, do you like it or hate it?

Argyle

Monday, February 14, 2011 Ian Livengood

Theme: XOXOXOX - Happy St. Valentine's Day. The three grid-spanning answers end with a word that, when combined with the unifier, describes many of our couples here on the Corner.

20A. Bounty, to the hunted: PRICE ON ONE'S HEAD

38A. Examine quickly: GIVE THE ONCE OVER

53A. Frolic vigorously: KICK UP ONE'S HEELS

69A. With "in," what can follow the phrase formed by the ends of 20-, 38- and 53-Across: LOVE

Argyle here. Three good in language phrases today. And how about our constructor's name. (Yes, I know I used a sentence fragment.) Good strong blocks all around the sides; a good start to the week.

Across:

1. Hearts, e.g. : GAME. Excellent start for this puzzle.

5. Soft pats : DABS

9. Physicist Enrico : FERMI. Professor Fermi married Laura Capon in 1928. They had one son Giulio and one daughter Nella. His favourite pastimes were walking, mountaineering, and winter sports.

14. Sink cleaner : AJAX

15. Straddling : ATOP

16. Hipbone-related : ILIAC

17. It's quite a story : SAGA

18. Kind of nut : KOLA

19. Bridal path : AISLE

23. "Cheerio!" : "TA TA!". Singular today.

24. 2011 Rose Bowl champs: Abbr. : TCU. Texas Christian University.

25. From A __ : TO Z

28. Fox-sighting cry : "TALLY HO!"

31. Dallas hoopster, for short : MAV. The Dallas Mavericks.

34. "Tosca" or "Pagliacci" : OPERA. Tosca by Puccini, Pagliacci by Leoncavallo.

36. Hawaiian neckwear : LEI

37. Gradually lose color : FADE

42. Strong as __ : AN OX

43. Wall climber : IVY

44. Skating jumps : AXELs

45. One of a D.C. 100 : SEN.

46. Golfer Craig known as "the Walrus" : STADLER. Ya think? Image. I think his wife is Sue but could find very little about her.

49. Once called, in wedding notices : NEE

50. Disco __ of "The Simpsons" : STU. He loves disco, of course.

51. Followers: Suf. : ISTs

61. Being not from 41-Down : ALIEN. 41D. Planet nearest Mars, usually: EARTH

62. Silents actress Negri : POLA. She had some love life.

63. Appeal : PLEA

64. Meas. of the cereal without the box : NET WT. Net Weight.

65. Helen of __ : TROY. Wife of Menelaus but abducted by Paris. Bet she got lots of valentines.

66. Run __: go wild : AMOK

67. Lock of hair : TRESS

68. Cuts, as logs : SAWS

Down:

1. [Heavens!] : [GASP!]. Reaction of husbands and boyfriends everywhere if they forgot what today is.

2. Cracked open : AJAR

3. Nativity trio : MAGI

4. Right on the money : EXACT. 'Exactamundo!' as Disco Stu would say.

5. Former territory where Mount Rushmore is : DAKOTA

6. Lacking a musical key : ATONAL

7. Western necktie : BOLO. One with a heart slide.

8. Time period : SPAN

9. Total flop : FIASCO

10. College benefactor Yale : ELIHU. Interesting read here. He had a brother named Valentine. He also had a wife and two misstresses. He made most of his fortune in the illicit diamond trade. Those diamonds must have come in handy keeping his women happy.

11. Greet the judge : RISE

12. __ fide: in bad faith : MALA. More familiar with bona fide.

13. Topped a cupcake : ICED

21. Really bug : EAT AT

22. Set of moral principles : ETHIC

25. Colosseum garments : TOGAs

26. Think aloud : OPINE

27. "Werewolves of London" singer Warren __ : ZEVON. Aaahoo!.(3:15)

29. Architect Frank __ Wright : LLOYD

30. Itch : YEN

31. Expert : MAVEN

32. Fred's dancing sister : ADELE

33. Limericks and such : VERSE

35. Stout of whodunits : REX

37. Sly critter : FOX

39. Asked boldly, as for money : HIT UP

40. Actress Longoria : EVA. In happier days, image. Not sure what her present status is.

46. Daring feats : STUNTS

47. Stay out of sight : LIE LOW

48. Blue book exams : ESSAYS

50. Depicts unfairly, as data : SKEWS

52. Flower leaf : SEPAL. Image.

53. "Critique of Pure Reason" writer : KANT. He never married.

54. Robert of "The Sopranos" : ILER. Image

55. Refer to : CITE

56. Chooses (to) : OPTS

57. Nick Charles's wife : NORA. The happy couple.

58. Sailor's patron saint : ELMO

59. Pope before Sergius III : LEO V. Okay.

60. "For Pete's __!" : SAKE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

Today marks Dennis' 3rd anniversary with the blog, which wouldn't be where it is today without his nurturing and guidance. Dennis has been very supportive & encouraging of my every little effort, always patient and fast in response to all my questions, from baseball cards to slang/idioms. Always there when needed. Can you believe he even fixed our garbage disposal? Thanks, Dennis, I am glad of all the blogs in the world, you walked into mine.