Tuesday, March 22, 2011 Kurt Mengel and Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme: Before and After - Just like on Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy!, with the extra wrinkle that the first phrase leads into a state. If you haven't seen either of these TV game shows, the end of the first word or phrase becomes the start of the second word or phrase. The two words or phrases are unrelated otherwise.

17A. Having a sense of the Prairie State? : FEELING ILLINOIS (feeling ill)

27A. Webster's impression of the Natural State? : NOAH'S ARKANSAS (Noah's ark)

44A. Watch the Evergreen State? : EYE WASHINGTON (eye wash)

59A. Close to the Magnolia State? : NEAR MISSISSIPPI (near miss)

Argyle here. Now this is more like it. Two grid spanners and two near grid spanners. Cute theme. Two long perps crossing three of the themes each.

Across:

1. Crick in the neck, e.g. : SPASM

6. Exec's "I want it now!" : ASAP

10. Sci. class : BIOL. Biology.

14. Foil maker : ALCOA. Did they ever make an épée, I wonder?

15. The Big Easy, briefly : NOLA. New Orleans, Louisiana. Also, one of Chef Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans restaurants. Associated with 47D. Mardi __ : GRAS

16. Golden rule word : UNTO

20. Retreats : EBBS. If you thought, 'noun', you might have put down 'spas'.

21. Pub quaffs : ALES

22. Between then and now : SINCE

23. "V for Vendetta" actor Stephen : REA. He portrayed Fergus in The Crying Game.

24. Mil. morale booster : USO. United Service Organization.

25. Scandinavian capital : OSLO. The capital and largest city in Norway.

33. '50s song, e.g. : OLDIE

35. Fr. holy women : STEs.

36. Not con : PRO

37. Soccer score : GOAL

38. En __: all together : MASSE

40. Like the Reaper : GRIM. Reaper is capitalized to indicate it is the black-cloaked, scythe-wielding personification of death and not one of these reapers.

41. Breakfast food : EGG

42. __ rug: dance : CUT A

43. Skip over : ELIDE

48. One-named Deco designer : ERTE

49. Mine output : ORE

50. Verizon forerunner : GTE

53. Test during pregnancy, briefly : AMNIO. Amniocentesis can give doctors essential information about the health of the fetus.

56. Start of a birth announcement : IT'S A. Hopefully, it's a healthy....

58. Potting soil : LOAM

62. Have to have : NEED

63. Sooner State tribe : OTOE

64. Staggering : AREEL

65. Estimate words : OR SO

66. Political org. until 1991 : USSR

67. Things to solve for, in some equations : X AND Y

Down:

1. Not so dangerous : SAFER

2. West Point rookie : PLEBE. Short for plebeian; I never realized that.

3. Injury treatment brand : ACE BANDAGE

4. Beethoven's fifths? : SOLs. The syllable used for the fifth tone of a diatonic scale.

5. Spring month in Paris : MAI. Our May, when I hope our snow is gone!

6. Latino's white American buddies : ANGLOs

7. Sorbonne silk : SOIE. The French word for silk.

8. What it takes, in an inclusive idiom : ALL SORTS. I tried to fit in "ALL'S FAIR".

9. Buddy : PAL

10. Toe inflammation : BUNION

11. Aware of : IN ON. ON TO is the more common answer for this clue.

12. Suffix with narc : OTIC. Narcotic.

13. Misplace : LOSE

18. Poet Ogden : NASH

19. __ Canarias : ISLAS. Canary Islands.

24. Its cap. is Abu Dhabi : UAE

26. __-Ball: arcade game : SKEE. Image.

28. Olive or peanut product : OIL

29. Very, in music : ASSAI. Italian.

30. Emulate a jack-in-the-box : SPRING OPEN

31. Saharan : ARID

32. Vague number : SOME

33. Architect's S-curve : OGEE

34. Feeling sluggish : LOGY

38. Has to : MUST

39. Nonbelievers : ATHEISTS

40. Mop & __: floor cleaner : GLO

42. Pool shot : CAROM

43. Lyon summer : ETE

45. Nut : WEIRDO

46. More snoopy : NOSIER

51. Recorded, in a way : TAPED

52. Most popular baby girl's name, 1996-2007 : EMILY

53. A.D. part : ANNO

54. The Mediterranean, to Hans : MEER. German for "sea". Here we start a little run of foreign words.

55. Scot's turndowns : NAEs

57. General __ chicken : TSOs

58. Old Italian dough : LIRA. Currency.

60. Debt acknowledgment : IOU

61. Clinton played one : SAX. Please hold any political comments.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, March 21, 2011 David Levinson Wilk

Theme: NMI - Just the first and last, No Middle Initial, is used to link our theme men; each is an R. O. Man.

17A. *"Barry Lyndon" star : RYAN O'NEAL

59A. *Lead singer of The Cars : RIC OCASEK

10. *"Oh, Pretty Woman" singer : ROY ORBISON

30. *Henry Ford contemporary : RANSOM OLDS

40. Caesar, e.g. (or each of the answers to the starred clues?) : ROMAN

Argyle here. Mundane Monday. Many partials. If all four men were in the same field or all were in different fields, it would have been better. Also, entirely too many names.

Across:

1. King, queen or jack : CARD

5. URL starter : HTTP. I've posted before what words the letters stand for, but still have know idea what they really mean.

9. Van Gogh setting : ARLES. The visitor's center in Arles provides a walking tour map of ten reproductions on easels depicting actual places throughout Arles.

14. Alan of "M*A*S*H" : ALDA

15. Davenport's state : IOWA

16. Dracula's title : COUNT

19. Singer Lauper : CYNDI

20. Against : ANTI

21. Used to reach a high shelf : STOOD ON. Clue/answer doesn't feel right.

23. Sodom escapee : LOT. He didn't look back.

26. Armored vehicle : TANK

28. Being off target : ERRING

29. Genesis mountain : ARARAT. Another Biblical reference.

31. Brandy's music genre, briefly : R AND B. Perhaps all the girl singers are to offset the four man theme.

33. Under-the-chin helmet securer : STRAP

34. Saintly circle : HALO

35. Types : ILKS

39. Suffix with tele- : THON

41. It may be reserved : SEAT

42. Heavy drinkers : SOTS

43. Functions : USES

44. Second longest African river : CONGO

45. Deed holder : OWNER

47. Sea between Greece and Italy : IONIAN

48. Start of Juliet's balcony plea : "O ROMEO". Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?

51. Male heirs : SONS

53. Opposite of SSW : NNE

54. Virgin Mary : MADONNA

56. Poet Silverstein : SHEL

58. Like the Leaning Tower : ATILT

64. Mazda rival : HONDA

65. Apple computer since 1998 : iMAC

66. Fairy tale beginning : ONCE

67. Dread : ANGST

68. Turkey meat choice : DARK

69. Fake coin : SLUG

Down

1. Elevator compartment : CAR

2. One of the Khans : ALY. A socialite, racehorse owner and jockey, he was the third husband of actress Rita Hayworth. He was passed over for succession as Aga Khan but served as Pakistan's representative to the United Nations.

3. Nutritional no. : RDA. Recommended Dietary Allowance.

4. "The X-Files" agent Scully : DANA. Partnered with fellow Special Agent Fox Mulder.

5. Suggest : HINT AT

6. Wheel alignment service : TOE IN

7. First coml. airline to show in-flight movies : TWA

8. Friends : PALS

9. Harmony : ACCORD

11. Day before mardi : LUNDI. (Monday) Lundi Gras is a relatively recently popularized name for a series of Shrove Monday events taking place during the New Orleans Mardi Gras.

12. __ a happy note : END ON

13. Attack, bee-style : STING

18. Ready to serve, as beer : ON TAP

22. Mortise insert : TENON. Image.

23. Doesn't fade : LASTS

24. Big name in garden care : ORTHO

25. Medium's card : TAROT

27. Adversaries in a Hoffman/Streep film : KRAMERS. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).

32. "Woe is me!" : "ALAS"

34. Siphoning aid : HOSE

36. Russian Revolution leader : LENIN

37. Elena of the Supreme Court : KAGAN

38. Weapon for David : STONE

40. Sentence that should be two sentences : RUN-ON

44. Trig function : COSEC

46. Charged angrily : WENT AT

47. Like pawned items : IN HOCK

48. Nebraska city : OMAHA

49. Boca __ : RATON

50. Taking too much : ODing

52. Sesame Street grouch : OSCAR

55. Parched : ARID

57. Thailand neighbor : LAOS

60. Britney Spears's "__ Slave 4 U" : I'M A

61. NBC weekend revue : SNL

62. Old French coin : ECU

63. Oktoberfest need : KEG

Answer grid.

Congratulations to Dan Feyer, who won ACPT again this year.

Argyle

Sunday March 20, 2011 Ed Sessa

Theme: New B-ginnings - B is added to the beginning of each two-word common phrase. Spelling change is made in each transformation, sound remaining the same.

24A. Result of a cock's crow? : BROOD AWAKENING. Rude awakening.

38A. "Bungling for Dummies," e.g.? : BONER'S MANUAL. Owner's Manual.

59A. Shindig for Swahili VIPs? : BWANA DANCE. Wanna dance?

83A. Bedbugs on the Orient Express? : BERTH WORMS. Earthworms. OK, this base phrase has only one word.

97A. Bird with a tan? : BROWNED ROBIN. Round robin.

119A. Hibernation luxuries? : BEAR MATTRESSES. Air mattresses.

3D. "$#%^*& geckos!"? : BLEEPING LIZARDS. Leapin' lizards. This clue made me laugh.

47D. Prize for an inn's best guest? : BOARDER OF THE DAY. Order of the day.

Man, can you get a more consistent & entertaining theme set than this?

I just knew I was going to have a fun solving when I downloaded the puzzle and saw Ed Sessa's byline. He always delivers. Very clean grid, no cheater square, only 66 black squares.

Quite a few head-scratching clues, but they gave me "D'oh!" rather than Saturday's "Huh?".

Across:

1. Fly trap : COBWEB. Thought of HONEY first.

7. Like CD-RW discs : ERASABLE. RW=ReWritable. I wanted READ ONLY (ROM). Dumb!

15. Challenge opener : I DARE. I dare you!

20. Dahl of "Here Come the Girls" : ARLENE

21. Viking weapon : BATTLE AX. What's the name of Thor's ax?

22. Salsa queen Cruz : CELIA

23. Knights' chargers : STEEDS. And 72D. Knight wear : ARMOR. Knight clecho.

26. 1958 creature feature originally entitled "The Molten Meteor" : THE BLOB. No idea. Looks scary.

28. WWII GI, e.g. : AMVET (American Veteran)

29. "La Danse" painter : MATISSE (Henri). Here it is. Matisse wouldn't be where he was without Gertrude Stein.

30. Bread, for gravy : SOP

31. Idiom ending? : ATIC. Ending to the word idiomatic.

33. At one time, once : ERST

35. Fastball, in slang : HEATER

36. NYC commuter svc. that includes the Flushing Line : IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit).

42. Whammies : JINXES

45. Colleague of Boris : LON. Lon Chaney & Boris Karloff? Colleague of horror movies? I don't get this clue.

46. "Voice of Israel" author : EBAN (Abba)

47. Shot from an air gun : BBs

50. Humpty Dumpty et al. : EGGS

51. Very spicy fare : EROTICA. Of course I was thinking of spicy food.

55. Compulsive speeder : LEADFOOT

58. G, in the key of C : SOL

61. Sporty Toyota Camry : SOLARA

62. Sch. whose mascot is Rhody the Ram : URI (University of Rhode Island)

63. Name on a cognac bottle : REMY. Not familiar with the Rémy Martin cognac.

64. Hydroplaning results : SKIDS

66. Pulitzer poet Mark Van __ : DOREN. Who?

67. '70s-'90s Angola neighbor : ZAIRE

69. Syrian leader : ASSAD. Been there forever.

71. Beeped : PAGED

73. Toothbrush option : ORAL-B

75. Olympics balance beam gold medalist after Olga : NADIA (Comaneci)

77. Sponge opening : PORE

78. Child expert LeShan : EDA

81. "Post __": Noël Coward play : MORTEM. Easy guess.

86. Toon Chihuahua : REN. Stimpy's pal.

87. Elusive golden city : EL DORADO. Nice entry.

89. Use ignobly : STOOP TO

90. Skedaddle : BOLT

91. Discouraging words : NOs

92. Roman god : DEUS

94. Bounty initials : HMS. HMS Bounty. Mutiny on the Bounty.

95. Drawing room event? : RAFFLE. I wanted PAINT.

102. Map abbreviation : LAT (Latitude)

103. What doers take : ACTION

106. Early seventh-century date : DCII. 602.

107. Emeril's aptly named French Quarter restaurant : NOLA (New Orleans, LA)

109. Gives birth to : HAS. And 48D. Produced, as fruit : BORE.

112. Ancient three-sided harps : TRIGONS. Needed crossing help.

114. Let out, as hogs : UNPEN

117. Hire an assistant, say : GET HELP

122. It's in the groove : NEEDLE. Lovely clue.

123. Trapped, after "up" : A TREE

124. Strains, as a muscle : OVERUSES

125. Knock off the track : DERAIL

126. Double-check : RE-ADD

127. Travel document : PASSPORT

128. "But still ..." : AND YET

Down:

1. Credits lines? : CASTS. Closing credits in movies.

2. Garden products brand : ORTHO

4. Ewbank who coached Namath in Super Bowl III : WEEB. Hall-of-Famer. Unfortunately I have zero interest in football.

5. Run over : END LATE

6. Confuse with booze : BESOT

7. Tidal movement : EBB

8. Avis adjective : RARA. Rara avis.

9. Concern for Edward Teller : ATOM. Man, what would he be thinking today?

10. Candy maker Russell : STOVER. Russell Stover.

11. Catkin bearers : ALDERS

12. "Not a clue!" : BEATS ME. My typical LAT Saturday response.

13. Barrister's bailiwick : LAW. And 14. Bar, in 13-Down : EXAM.

15. It's mixed with lemonade in an Arnold Palmer : ICE TEA. Arnold Palmer the drink, half lemonade + half iced tea. No d here, I know.

16. Negative state : DENIAL

17. Elite company : A-LIST

18. Wash sans soap : RINSE

19. Like some beavers : EAGER. Eager beavers.

25. Maui medicine men : KAHUNAS. Big shots.

27. Red Lobster freebie : BIB

32. Georgia, once : COLONY

34. Shelved : TABLED

37. Dr.'s orders : RXs.

39. "This is __ toy" : NOT A

40. Oklahoma's "Wheat Capital" : ENID. Educated guess.

41. Lassie's refusal : NAE

42. Savior in a Bach work : JESU. German for Jesus?

43. "Young Frankenstein" role : IGOR

44. Culvert : SEWER.

49. Jazzman Getz : STAN

52. Japanese noodles : RAMEN

53. Artist known for her mother-and-child works : CASSATT (Mary). Impressionist. One of Clear Ayes' favorites.

54. "My Way" lyricist : ANKA (Paul)

56. Evasive maneuvers : DODGES

57. Icy mass : FLOE

59. Payola payer : BRIBER

60. Spanish hero El __ : CID. Argyle's nickname also.

65. Good-time Charlie : SPORT. Why?

68. Like some saxes : ALTO

69. Gator follower? : ADE. Gatorade.

70. Dubbing creations : SIRS. He was dubbed a sir. I was thinking of movie dub.

73. Sign of things to come : OMEN

74. Caramel candy brand : ROLO

76. Teem (with) : ABOUND

77. Drops by : POPS IN

79. Farmer's place? : DELL. "The Farmer in the Dell".

80. Pot part : ANTE

82. Self-titled top ten 1983 album : MADONNA. Guessed.

84. Hostess snack : HO HO. Santa's favorite snack?

85. Baby carrier? : WOMB. Cute.

88. Morning moisture : DEW

90. Curator's deg. : BFA

93. Makes fast : SECURES

96. Youth support group : ALATEEN. Stumped me. Al-Anon for teens.

97. Cinnamon gum brand : BIG RED

98. Shared a place (with) : ROOMED

99. Some railroad cars : DINERS

100. Rejects dramatically, as a contract : RIPS UP

101. Frothy seasonal beverage : NOG

103. Like a case being tried : AT BAR

104. Minos' realm : CRETE

105. Bridal accessory : TIARA

108. __ hand: assist : LEND A

110. Jane Curtin title role : ALLIE. "Kate & Allie"

111. Read letters? : SPELT. Oh, read out letter by letter.

113. Bus route component : STOP

115. Canadian gas : ESSO

116. At no time, in verse : NE'ER

118. Head of the ranch? : HERD

120. New Deal dam org. : TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)

121. Past fast flier : SST

Answer grid.

C.C.

PS: Happy Birthday to Spitzboov! Thanks for the knowledge and fun you bring to us every day.

Saturday March 19, 2011 Frederick J. Healy

Theme: None

Total words: 72

Total blocks: 27

This puzzle is anchored by a pair of triple stacks of 10s on the upper right and lower left corners:

5A. 32 ounces at Long John Silver's, e.g. : MEDIUM SIZE. I've never been to the restaurant.

16A. Good time for criticism? : OPEN SEASON. Great clue.

18A. Brains : MASTERMIND

50A. Starts an operation : SETS UP SHOP

54A. One who gives things away : TATTLETALE. Informer.

56A. Half-awake : SLEEPY-EYED

All the above 10s are intersected by four 7s, including a stacked triple column. Lots of 7s in this puzzle.

Some excellent clues today. I really liked the below consecutive clechos:

12D. "Did we get the nod?" : IS IT A GO

13D. Nodding, with "out" : ZONKING

14D. Give the nod : ENDORSE

How was your solving? Tough fight for me. Again, the names gave me trouble.

Across:

1. Jags of the past : XKES. Jaguars sports cars.

17. "__ of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world": Emerson : A RAY. Of no hope to me, this kind of quote clue.

15. Actress Thompson : SADA. Here she is. I wanted EMMA.

19. Merrimack River city : NASHUA. In New Hampshire. Wiki said it's twice named "Best Place to Live in America" in annual surveys by Money magazine. Who knows?

21. __-Z: Camaro model : IROC. I rock. Nailed it.

22. Ref's ruling : TKO (Technical Knock-Out). Boxing ref.

23. "Singin' in the Rain" co-director : DONEN (Stanley). Liked the movie. Never paid attention to who directed it.

24. Caspian country : IRAN

25. Refuge : LAIR

26. "Works for me" : OKEY-DOKEY

28. They may be held up by fans : SIGNS

29. Wkly. message : SER (Sermon)

30. Lea ladies : EWES

31. Easy mark : STOOGE. Patsy.

32. "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" screenwriter : URIS (Leon). "Exodus" & "Trinity" are all I know about him.

33. Kinkajou cousin : COON. Dictionary says Kinkajou is related to raccoon and coati.

34. Color on the Irish flag : ORANGE. A gimme after Sallie's green & orange comment.

37. Group that offers free memberships to spouses : AARP. Unaware of this fact.

38. Mauna __ : LOA

41. Baccarat call : BANCO. I've never played Baccarat.

42. Trying to be quiet : TIPTOEING

44. Dominates : OWNS

45. Villain named Julius : DR NO. Title character from the first James Bond movie. I only know him as Dr. No.

46. Bubblegum pioneer : FLEER. Known for its baseball cards. Went bankrupt a few years ago.

47. Chemical ending : IDE. As in chloride.

48. San Francisco's __ Tower : COIT. Wiki said it's "a monument to the firefighters of San Francisco". Paid by a guy named Coit, "a wealthy socialite who loved to chase fires in the early days of the city's history". Oddball.

49. Eminent : OF NOTE

53. Jazz singer Anderson : IVIE. No idea. She sang with Duke Ellington's orchestra. Died in 1949.

55. Marlin's lost son : NEMO. In "Finding Nemo".

57. Opera conductor Daniel : OREN. Who?

Down:

1. Romantic writing? : X'S AND O'S. Oh, romantic letters.

2. Bar staple : KARAOKE

3. He won comedy and drama Emmys for the same role : ED ASNER. As Lou Grant, I presume.

4. Nickname for an athletic "kid" : SAY HEY. Willie Mays. Cold guy.

5. Home of A. Warhol's "Campbell's Soup Cans" : MoMA

6. 1972 DDT banner : EPA

7. They may be fond : DESIRES. I only know fond memory.

8. Work basket : IN TRAY

9. Apply to : USE ON

10. Cougar, e.g., for short : MERC. Car again. Mercury Cougar.

11. Rick's pianist : SAM. "Casablanca". "Play it again, Sam".

20. Have : UNDERGO

24. Clanton and a "South Park" sibling : IKES. Wiki said Ike Clanton was a pivotal player in "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral". Completely stranger to me.

25. Royal Arms of England symbol : LION

27. Scrape, to a tot : OWIE

28. Rest, as at an inn : STOP OFF

31. Database command : SORT

32. Family nicknames : UNCs

33. Pitching device? : CAPO. I only know it's a guitar gadget. No idea on its pitch-adjusting function.

34. Some winds : OBOISTS

35. Unfair treatment : RAW DEAL. Opened 6 boxes of Heritage baseball cards so far, no autograph. Unfair!

36. Warren's "Bugsy" co-star : ANNETTE (Bening)

37. Bears no resemblance to peanuts? : AIN'T HAY. Slang. That ain't hay.

38. Be postponed : LIE OVER

39. Previous : ONE TIME

40. Get together about : AGREE ON

42. Sad, on the Seine : TRISTE. Je suis triste. I'm sad.

43. Current event around Christmas? : EL NINO. D'oh, ocean current.

45. Stupid : DOPEY

48. Star of TV's "Trackdown" : CULP (Robert). Stumped me last time. Again today.

49. Personal column? : OP ED

51. Abbr. in Québec place names : STE

52. Triumphant cry : OLE

Answer grid.

Happy 51st Wedding anniversary to Jeannie's parents! And a belated Happy Birthday to Warren!

C.C.

Friday, March 18, 2011 Dan Naddor

Theme: Out, out damn ING. The “ING” ending to the last word of a familiar phrase are removed to reveal a new, and quite amusing phrase.

17A. Lodging surplus?: EXTRA INNS. EXTRA INN[ING]S, when a baseball game is tied after nine innings. The only plural answer.

20A. Versace creation?: ITALIAN DRESS. ITALIAN DRESS[ING], on your healthy salad, Gianni Versace was a famous designer killed by a random gay lover right here in beautiful Miami. His sister has carried on the company.

37A. Misplaced Yogi and Smokey?: LOST ONE'S BEARS. LOST ONE'S BEAR[INGS], losing your way, and my favorite because I can picture Yogi and Smokey doing some serious woodsy stuff.

58A. Plant at Sotheby's?: BRITISH SHILL. BRITISH SHILL[ING]. The now DEFUNCT British coin which was the equivalent of our nickel (20 to the pound); replaced by the five pence piece. Sotheby's is the famous British auction house, and a shill is put in the audience to bid up items to get the crowd to pay more.

62A. Investment in fine fabric?: SILK STOCK. SILK STOCK [ING], the wonderful casing that makes a gam shine like the stars. You do not see SILK used much anymore for leggings. Sad.

And the hint to the theme,

48D. Pleasure trip, and a hint to this puzzle's theme: OUTING. Not to be confused with any gender issues.

Wow, Lemonade here and I am amazed. I better understand the pressure on Argyle and C.C. doing back to back blogging. I feel like Curt Schill[ing] (BTW, shilling comes from schilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times when it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere) must have, as he was all battered, and prepared to take on the Yankees in the 2004 AL championship playoff. Having just blogged a John Lampkin, and now being handed the ball to take on a Dan Naddor, is a thrill, a challenge and a nice balm for other disappointments. In the world of blogg[ing] it does not get any better. The theme jumped out to me after the first fill, and they each were funny, set out in a 9,12,13,12,9 symmetry. Well lets look at what is likely one of the last of his efforts.

Across:

1. Hardly a walk in the park: TREK. STAR TREK?

5. "American __": IDOL. STAR maker? Do you watch the new incarnation?

9. Provoke: ROIL. I think of the sea roiling, but I guess bad habits can begin to roil me.

13. Russo of "Tin Cup": RENE. Best known for her work in the Lethal Weapon movies, she is Pretty.

14. Heavyweight fight?: SUMO.

15. Snoring cause, perhaps: APNEA. Sleep Apnea, where you actually pause in your breathing, has become a treatable condition.

19. Settles in: NESTS. Not my first thought.

22. Blotter letters: AKA. Also Known As; big in the police blotter world.

25. However, contracted: THO. Actually, Although.

26. Bygone Chrysler: LEBARON. The Lebaron, which in recent years was a mid-priced member of Chrysler’s fleet, began as the IMPERIAL LEBARON in the 30’s, their luxury car. It was designed by the Lebaron company, which was from Bridgeport, Connecticut, which was doing car bodies for many companies.

27. Target of a military press: DELT. The Deltoid Muscle is the round top part of your shoulder.

29. Animal rights org.: PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an American animal rights that uses some very odd images to promote their cause IMAGE .

31. Penn et al.: Abbr.: STNS. Stations, in this case railroad, a Manhattan reference.

32. Backed up, in a way: ON DISC.

35. Quad building: DORM.

42. Limo occasion: PROM. Yes, you must have a limo because they all drink.

43. Maker of pianos and bikes: YAMAHA. And much more; the company began when the eponymous founder began making organs.

45. Pacific salmon: COHO.

49. Scholarship drive donor: GRAD. You wonder how much all those schools spend on postage sending out their requests for money.

51. Carnival starting point?: PIER. The cruise line.

52. Blood specification: ONE UNIT.

54. "Gotcha!": AHA. See, I say I am not an O HO, and I get my A HA.

57. Hydroelectric structure: DAM. But we try not to swear, or make Coulee jokes.

61. Busted: RAN IN. Dan's multi word way to say arrested; and a mini-theme, along with 40D. Bust: RAID. Like Elliot Ness in the old days; not like Dolly Parton. And, 47D. Duff: HEINIE. Not old time actor Howard, but the one you sit on.

66. __ acid: AMINO. The body's building blocks.

67. "Night" author Wiesel: ELIE.

68. Way-back-when time: YORE. Days of yore, when men were men.

69. Coat rack items: PEGS.

70. Just slightly: A TAD. Probably a derivative of TADPOLE.

71. Classic theater name: ROXY. Old movie houses, and I will finish part one, with this SONG .

Down:

1. What's a little past due?: TRE. Oh, you multilingual devil Dan. Uno, Due, Tre; one two three in Eye-talian. What a tricky way to start us on our ride down.

2. Name fit for a king?: REX. Latin for King.

3. Tonsillitis M.D.: ENT. Ear, Nose and Throat.

4. "Felicity" star Russell: KERI. One of many from the Disney machine, she started out as a MOUSKETEER .

5. Thomas of the NBA: ISIAH. Detroit Piston star, terrible Knick coach, and now coaching Florida International right nearby me in Miami.

6. Maker of tires and tennis balls: DUNLOP. You ask what do those have in common, the answer RUBBER .

7. Present opening?: OMNI. Opening for the word omnipresent.

8. Silicon Valley city: LOS ALTOS. Puzzles are funny, there are many New York centric questions which are easy for we east coast residents, and I am sure this was a gimme for our left coaster, but for me it was a bit obscure. While the town is rich, it is small.

9. Grammy category: R AND B. Another of Dan's patented use of multiples to confuse, as RAND is a word.

10. Met expectations?: OPERAS. The Metropolitan Opera House in Manhattan, which we had recently.

11. Supplement: INSERT. The noun, like the newspaper inserts.

12. Reveals: LETS ON. Dan back to multi word answers.

16. Clubs: Abbr.: ASSNS. Associations, I am suing a number of Condominium Associations this month.

18. One of two authorized U.S. iPhone carriers: ATT.

21. Close at hand: NEARBY. Oops, I used that word in my write up.

22. Flap: ADO. My solitary chance to plug Shakespeare today.

23. __ Ration: KEN-L. I guess ALPO was too much like 24. Designer Gucci: ALDO.

28. "My country __ ...": TIS of thee. Sweet Land of Liberty.

30. Swelling: EDEMA. Not from Latin, but from the Greek οἴδημα,

33. Additive sold at Pep Boys: STP. Andy Granatelli's "Racer's Edge." Not this STP .

34. Pembroke or Cardigan dogs: CORGIS. My oldest brother has two; I also loved the cross of this clue, with BRITISH SHILL, as a tribute to the dog loving QUEEN ELIZABETH II . Can you believe there is a WIKI FIDO?

36. Start of an apology: MEA. CULPA, from Latin. The modern version which our group does not like, is "My bad."

38. View from Edinburgh: NORTH SEA.

39. Band aid?: AMP.

41. 2000 World Series stadium: SHEA. Another MET reference, and more New York.

44. Ready for battle: ARM.

45. Army attack helicopter: COBRA. For those who did not get enough violence yesterday ATTACK .

46. Cloverleaf component: ON RAMP.

50. Flowering plant used for food by the Aztecs: DAHLIA.

53. Yucatán youngsters: NINOS. Spanish.

55. Hoofed it: HIKED.

56. Roker and Rosen: ALs. What an odd couple he picked.

59. Bank deposit?: SILT. Finishing strong with a classic misdirection, the river bank.

60. About 10 trillion kil.: LTYR. Light Year.

63. Valentine symbols: OOO. XXX to you all.

64. '80s-'90s Honda model: CRX. These are very popular as race cars.

65. Critical: KEY. We have reached the critical point in the write up, where I must turn the key and shut off the motor and bid you all farewell, not to be back in the blogging seat for a while. Thank you Dan for another fun ride. Be careful, like Arnold, I will be back.

Answer grid.

Lemonade

Thursday, March 17, 2011, Bruce Venzke

Theme: Air-raising. All four theme answers are in turn clue definitions for the (same) answer to 53 Down: Clue for 17-, 26-, 45- and 60-Across: LIFT.

17A. BRITISH ELEVATOR.

26A. FOOTWEAR INSERT.

45A. BOOST IN SPIRITS.

60A. HITCHHIKERS RIDE.

Hi all, Al here. I guess this makes it as a Thursday crossword because it contains a second, third, and fourth meaning of a word, which you usually see late in the week as a clue, one where you can't just pop in the first answer that comes to mind. I started writing this explanation and struggled with it to the point where I started confusing myself in the attempt to be clear. Let's hope I got this right:

HOMONYMS sound alike, spelling may be either the same or different.

HOMOGRAPHS are spelled alike, sound may be either the same or different.

HOMOPHONES sound alike but have different spellings.

HETERONYMS are spelled alike but sound different.

So, In the theme today for all four cases, LIFT is both a homonym and a homograph, but not a homophone, nor a heteronym. As a side note, heist is related to hoist, because both are the action of something being LIFTed.

ACROSS:

1. Bingo call: B-TEN. Typically there are 75 numbers in play so, "under the B" could be 1-15. However there is a 90 number variant that would make it be between 1-18.

5. Gordon __: Michael Douglas's "Wall Street" role: GEKKO. 1987 Best Actor Oscar.

10. One may require stitches: GASH.

14. German import: AUDI.

15. Slangy negative: IXNAY. Pig Latin for NIX.

16. Control: RULE. The measuring stick is the source for the verb in the sense of to "guide on the straight correct path", with "rule of thumb" appearing somewhere along the way.

20. Fairy tale ender: AFTER. As in "and they all lived happily ever after."

21. Amazement: AWE. From Old Norse agi "fright".

22. Early surgery aid: ETHER. But highly flammable, and with side effects such as nausea and vomiting.

23. Talking with one's hands?: Abbr.: ASL. American Sign Language. Those with delicate sensibilities about language should not click this link, but it is quite well done, with over 1.5 million views and only 207 dislikes.

25. Ante-: PRE. A prefix for a prefix, for example: antecedent (to go before).

34. Washington's Grand __ Dam: COULEE.  Here's a crossword staple, Arlo Guthrie.

35. Fierce anger: RAGE.

36. Carnival city: RIO. I'll spare you from linking to Duran Duran...

37. Old, in Oberhausen: ALTE. German.

38. "Good heavens!": EGADS. and 51D. "Gadzooks!": YIPE. Gad being a euphemism for God.

40. Humdinger: LULU.

41. Relieve (of): RID.

42. Pencil remnant: STUB.

43. Legal-sized fish: KEEPER. Take your pick.

48. Neighbor of Nev.: ORE. Nevada, Oregon. Pronounced like "Or-ee-gn", and the locals appear to get a bit territorial if you pronounce it like the ending of a geometric shape.

49. Reggae singer Kamoze: INI. New to me...

50. Big name in food service: SYSCO. Restaraunt supplier.

53. Brine-cured delicacy: LOX. Smoked salmon.

55. Remove forcibly: EXPEL. Related: repel, dispel, propel, from latin pellere "drive".

63. Andy Taylor's son: OPIE. Little Ronnie Howard from Mayberry, RFD.

64. Submit taxes, nowadays: E-FILE.

65. Kong's kin: APES.

66. Guam, for one: Abbr.: TERRitory. Today's geography lesson.  Very close to the center of the map, you can see the Caroline Islands.  Guam is just above that.

67. 50s experiment, briefly: H-TEST. Off to the right on the same map as Guam are the Marshall Islands.  Look just above that to see Bikini.  The Bikini Atoll is where the test was detonated.

68. Longings: YENS.

DOWN:.

1. Cake with a kick: BABA. au Rhum.

2. Horse racing surface: TURF.

3. Cut, perhaps: EDIT.

4. Nick at __: NITE. "Family" cable channel, reruns and sitcoms.

5. Dogfaces, briefly: GIS. Usually only infantrymen were called that.  Slept in pup tents, stayed in foxholes, wore dog tags, ordered around like a dog.

6. Yoga instruction: EXHALE.

7. Had no doubts about: KNEW.

8. Leafy vegetable: KALE.

9. Santana's "__ Como Va": OYE.

10. Irritates, with "on": GRATES.

11. One may have an agt.: AUTHor.

12. Fruit used to flavor gin: SLOE.

13. Bavarian mister: HERR.

18. Really peeved: IRATE.

19. Fogg's creator: VERNE. Phileas Fogg, Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne.

24. Honeybunch: SWEETIE. What my wife calls me when she is not happy.

25. What might be used when a bomb is hurled on a field?: PIGSKIN. A long pass in football, or a scene from The Mouse That Roared.

26. Port closing?: FOLIO. All your personal investments summarized in a portfolio.

27. Show up: OUT-DO.

28. Flamenco exclamation: OLE. Bravo.

29. Bedouins, e.g.: ARABS. Arabic badawin "desert-dwellers," an already pluralized form of badawi. Silly to pluralize it again, but that's English for you.

30. "Really cool!": RAD. Shortening of "radical".

31. Break out, as violence: ERUPT.

32. Ticks off: RILES.

33. Organized string of gigs: TOUR.

34. Atkins diet taboo: CARB. So close, but too far in the wrong direction with meat. Excess protein is broken down into sugar and urea, which places stress on the kidneys and doesn't really solve the stored fat problem long term.

39. Pistol: GUN. and 50D. Used a 39-Down: SHOT.

40. Island welcome: LEI.

42. Old Detroit brewery name: STROH.  Bottoms up on St. Paddy's Day. (Link wasn't working, so I replaced it. And yes, I know the new one isn't Stroh's)

44. Lakeshore natives: ERIES.

46. World Cup sport: SOCCER.

47. Digital dots: PIXELS. Individual component makeup of pictures, shortened to pics, then pix, a Variety magazine word.

52. Swizzle: STIR. Swizzle of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of switchel "a drink of molasses and water" (often mixed with rum.)

54. Haggard's "__ from Muskogee": OKIE. Even back when times were simpler, people were still resisting change.

56. See-through, in comics: X-RAY. An old advertisement for the unwary, whose money would soon be departed.

57. Meerschaum or brier: PIPE.

58. Genesis locale: EDEN.

59. Subtraction word: LESS.

61. Half a devious laugh: HEH.

62. Living in Ariz., maybe: RETired.

Answer Grid.

Al

Wednesday, March 16, 2011, John Lampkin

Theme: I am Positive this Puzzle is a Plus: Each of Five theme answers are words which when paired with the unifier POSITIVE, which is also presented symbolically by the PLUS sign in the middle of the grid, portray a very upbeat approach to life. Based on his conversations here, I would guess this puzzle presents JL's philosophy.

17A. *Survey response: FEEDBACK. POSITIVE FEEDBACK, the pat on the back children and workers are always seeking.

21A. *Trying to remember: THINKING. POSITIVE THINKING means Norman Vincent Peale to me.

26A. *Prospects: OUTLOOK. POSITIVE OUTLOOK is what public companies and political spin masters are peddling.

48A. *Disposition: MINDSET. POSITIVE MINDSET is a way to get yourself ready for a difficult task, allowing you to use the full power of your mind. I read the works of Jose Silva.

55A. *Cocky manner: ATTITUDE. POSITIVE ATTITUDE is difficult to achieve as a teenager, and must not be confused with arrogance.

And the unifier,

63A. Word (suggested by the black shape in this grid's center) that can precede the answers to starred clues: POSITIVE. The black shape being a Plus Sign, also used as symbol for POSITIVE in chemistry, on batteries etc.

Happy day all, your pseudo-guest blogger Lemonade here,(?)once again amazed by Mr. Lampkin's mind. His originality and creativity is not limited to the cluing or the theme, but to the visual aspect of the puzzle, where like Don G's L-BAR puzzle, he creates a grid which itself is a clue. He includes his humor, his music and delivers another wonderful time had by all. On to the specifics....

Across:

1. Inedible Swiss cheese part?: HOLE. A simple but witty visual clue to begin.

5. Sched. uncertainty letters: TBA. To Be Announced, what shows up on your cable tv guide when the power goes off.

8. Greets the bad guy: HISSES. A shout out to our friend Snidely Whiplash?

14. Bard's black: EBON. Sing a long now? SONG 1.

15. "__ Latest Flame": Presley hit: HIS. Or sing later SONG 2; when I first heard the Beatles and Elvis, I was not impressed, proving my total lack of musical knowledge.

16. Bird that hangs its nest from a branch: ORIOLE. I grew up admiring this BIRD.

19. Rang: TOLLED. "Ask not for whom the bell tolled..."

20. Juliet's volatile cousin: TYBALT. We have seen this recently, but I love how John worked 68A. Oppressive boss: TYRANT into the grid.

23. Suffer defeat: LOSE OUT.

25. Cubic roller: DIE. Nice visual again, 1 DIE, 2 DICE.

29. Cartoon skunk Le Pew: PEPE. He's back.

32. Mideast political gp.: PLO.Palestine Liberation Organization.

33. UPS delivery: PKG. Package.

34. Know-it-all: SMARTIE. I don't see the normal continuation, "PANTS"

38. "Tomorrow" musical: ANNIE. Does anybody recall Sarah Jessica Parker as Annie on Broadway?

40. Push-up sound, perhaps: GRUNT. While not a simple clecho, I love the added 46A. Push-up garment: BRA, which emphasizes how tricky our language is, and therefore our puzzles. A twisted clecho master.

41. Longtime Dodgers manager: LASORDA. Tommy who said he bled Dodger blue.

44. Org. with shrinks: APA. American Psychological Association.

47. Software buyer: USER.

50. Chinese menu general: TSO. Chicken anyone?

53. Beethoven's only opera: FIDELIO. I am not familiar with this OPERA but I knew we would have some of John's music knowledge, and this and 30D. 19th-century Italian violin virtuoso: PAGANINI did not disappoint. Also, 49D. Like staccato notes: DOTTED. I no longer remember musical notation, but I am sure our resident composer does, as well as JzB.

58. Draw into wrongdoing: ENTRAP. A very complicated issue, and John's shout out to an old criminal defense lawyer?

62. __ Tomatoes: film review website: ROTTEN. Initially an irreverent little site, but now the most mainstream central location for movie critiques. Anyone ever throw a rotten tomato at a performer?

65. "Wait!": ONE SEC. Literally man!

66. Calendar col.: THU. COL. abbreviation for COLUMN, eh.

67. Weighty production: EPIC.

69. Short flight: HOP. I guess because you go up and down so quickly; quiet LOIS!

70. Cubicle furnishing: DESK. Dilbert lovers unite.

Okay a short nap, and moving on.

Down:

1. Test the weight of: HEFT. Not a good idea when wooing a new girl friend.

2. Carry out: OBEY. Not a good idea when wooing a new girl friend.

3. Leopold's co-defendant: LOEB. A most horrendous CRIME .

4. Ultimate goal: END ALL. That is the BE ALL and END ALL.

5. "Not to worry": THAT'S OK.

6. Cristal maker: BIC. I could not fit Louis Roederer in three spaces, so it had to be the see through PEN which was the object of my earliest memories, and which betrayed me.

7. Mail an invitation for, as a wedding: ASK TO. I am going to one on the 26th, my ex-anniversary?

8. Best-seller: HOT ITEM.

9. Age opening?: IRON. Right after Bronze in your history books.

10. Hairlike corn feature: SILK. None better than our own BARRY.

11. Like a rock: SOLID.

12. Nicholas Gage memoir: ELENI. Do not confuse him with NICHOLAS CAGE.

13. Rushlike plant: SEDGE. This includes the water chestnut plant.

18. "SportsCenter's Not Top Plays" videos, e.g.: BLOOPERS.

22. Marching syllables: HUPS. And a quick salute to Dennis and our other veterans!

24. Pre-op test: EKG.

26. Play-of-color gem: OPAL. Nice phrase, again very visual, you picture how the light changes color when you move an opal around.

27. Forearm bone: ULNA. Not very HUMERUS anymore.

28. Lots: TONS.

31. Commit 18-Down: ERR. It is after all human.

35. Old boats: TUBS. I think this comes from the boats they used to teach people to row, but I cannot confirm.

36. Memo "apropos of": IN RE. A semi-legal term for me!

37. Pierre's state: ETAT. Our French lesson, Jeannie; we see État often, it just means "STATE" like I live in Florida, and as Kazie explained many moons ago, the English word is the French word where the accent became an "S"

39. Paper in a pot: IOU. Not rolling papers, but in a gambling pot.

42. Gone: DEFUNCT. Like the Studebaker and the DeSoto.

43. Bone-dry: ARID. And a fine deodorant, which really do not de-odor, but mask our smells?

44. Pierre's soul: AME. More French; do you all have "l'âme soeur?"

45. More than fills the inbox: PILES UP. A clue that is only visual.

50. Medium's medium: TAROT. Nice internal clue.

51. Expressionless: STONY.

52. Playful swimmer: OTTER.

54. Diver's concern: DEPTH. Be careful before you dive in strange waters.

56. "__ girl!": ITS A. No, not many in my family, though we do have little Amelia (Mia).

57. Former girls' magazine: TEEN.Aha, the real theme, girls!

59. Ready to eat: RIPE. Not like I am now, but the Orange in the kitchen.

60. Brutus' bird: AVIS. Followed immediately by 61D. Eat like a bird: PECK. Another theme, because we had Oriole above!

64. "Now I get it!":O HO. I am more of an A HA man myself. Now I have done it.

Answer grid.

A treat to solve and blog with the greatest visuals in the grid and the clues; John also sent us some beautiful pictures from his many adventures. Where did ewe hide the LAMB reference Mr. Lampkin?

Until next time, see you soon (hopefully, eye doctor today).

Lemonade

Note from C.C.: Lemonade won't be available next week, so he's blogging twice this week.