Wednesday, April 13 2011, Michael Blake

Theme: Pay the Piper. each theme answer is a phrase beginning with a synonym for bill.

20A. Unable to reach a human, no matter which buttons one presses : IN VOICE MAIL JAIL.  anymore, that describes pretty much every call to any business. when i have to call my son's school it takes several minutes just to get to the part where i can push a button. if i need to actually talk to someone at the bank ... i need to take the afternoon off.

25A. Word processor setting : TAB ALIGNMENT. remember physically setting the sliding tabs on ibm typewriters?

42A. 1791 legislation : BILL OF RIGHTS. first ten amendments of the us constitution.

48A. Verify ahead of time, and a hint to what 20-, 25- and 42-Across have in common : CHECK BEFOREHAND. beforehand = in advance. i wonder why no one says afterhand? 

fun, just-right wednesday level puzzle, with two grid-spanning theme answers, and some fresh and fun clueing. we've seen michael blake twice before here at the corner. he had a perfect score at the 2008 silicon valley puzzle day.  i found this article, and this image.

melissa blogging.

Across:

1. Explorer Vasco da __ : GAMA. Had no clue (yuk yuk). Portuguese navigator who led an expedition at the end of the 15th century that opened the sea route to India by way of the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa.

5. Political channel : C-SPAN

10. Blabbers : GABS. too short to be a plural noun, had to be a verb.

14. Actor Sharif : OMAR. holds a degree in mathematics and physics from cairo university. best known for playing sherif ali in lawrence of arabia (1962) and the title role in doctor zhivago. 

15. Broom rider of comics : HILDA. coincidentally, blake used this same clue/answer in one of his two previous puzzles blogged here (by c.c.). in the comic, broom hilda is atilla the hun's ex-wife.  kazie commented before: an obvious play on the name Brunhilde from the legend on which Wagner based his "Der Ring des Nibelungen" opera, and provided this link.

16. Brother of Daniel, William and Stephen : ALEC

17. Titanic bane : BERG. images of the actual iceberg that sunk the titanic. roughly only 8%-11% of an iceberg is visible above the surface of the ocean - thus the phrase 'tip of the iceberg.'

18. Alaskan native : INUIT

19. "Battle for __": Peter Yates WWII book : ST. LO

23. Highest ordinal number? : NTH

24. Changed course : VEERED

31. Ryder rival : U-HAUL.  i just drove a 14-foot one in february. 350 miles. in the snow. little scary.

32. Screech owls don't make them : HOOTS. cute.

33. 'Hood pal : BRO

36. It may be put in a washer : BOLT

37. Bingo relative : LOTTO

38. Pet plaint : MEOW

39. Observe : EYE

40. First of 12 popes : PIUS I. don't know my popes.

41. Bed that can be stored during the day : FUTON. 

44. Prison in 1971 headlines : ATTICA. new york. riot based in part upon prisoners' demands for better living conditions.

47. Some pop-ups : ADS. some are not ad-related ...

55. Skye of film : IONE

56. Mythical weeper : NIOBE. queen of thebes, one of the more tragic figures of greek mythology. after her husband and 14 children were slain she turned to stone, and a stream (the Achelous) formed from her ceaseless tears. She became the symbol of eternal mourning.

57. Baking soda target : ODOR

58. Let go : DROP

59. Swashbuckling Flynn : ERROL

60. Mosaic piece : TILE

61. Without : SANS

62. Type in again : RE-KEY

63. White man's makeup? : SNOW. snowman.

Down:

1. Mongolian desert : GOBI

2. Congregational yes : AMEN

3. Wonderful, in slang : MARV. marvelous.

4. Mythical sailor : ARGONAUT

5. Affectedly elegant : CHI-CHI. hm. i'm guessing this is pronounced "shee-shee," perhaps based on chic. i work at a chi-chi-foo-foo spa. pronounced a different way, it means something entirely different.

6. Trig function : SINE

7. Fellow suspect of Mustard : PLUM. from the board game clue.

8. 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit : ADIA

9. Hailing from : NATIVE TO

10. Stove nozzle : GAS JET

11. Hitching post? : ALTAR. great clue.

12. Prove false : BELIE

13. Bawl out : SCOLD

21. "__ have to do" : IT'LL. what'll i do?

22. Camera eye : LENS

25. Poster mailer : TUBE

26. Greeting from a deck : AHOY

27. Hayride seat : BALE. who's been on a hayride?

28. Grave robber : GHOUL

29. False : NOT SO

30. Theme : MOTIF

33. Sister of Meg, Jo and Amy : BETH. little women.

34. Carrot or cassava : ROOT

35. Has title to : OWNS

37. Tiny Yokum's big brother : LI'L ABNER

38. Pictures of perps : MUG SHOTS. 

40. Elect : PICK

41. Bona __ : FIDE. latin. "in good faith."

42. Curl beneficiary : BICEPS. cute.

43. Hardly ever : RARELY

44. Etching supplies : ACIDS

45. Birch of "American Beauty" : THORA

46. Mortise's mate : TENON

49. Galway's land : EIRE. in my high-tech days we had a site in galway - always liked working with them just to hear the accent.

50. Driver's decision point : FORK. pssst - take the one less traveled by.

51. Bassoon kin : OBOE

52. Server's edge, in tennis : AD IN

53. Court plea, for short : NOLO. nolo contendere. lemonade and/or hahtool can expain better than i.

54. Depicted : DREW

Answer grid. 

melissa

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: No Middle Ground - The unifier (37Across) says ON and OFF can be placed in front of each of the other two-word entries. This will take some explaining.

17A. Where sea meets sand : SHORELINE. Not necessarily sand, NH has only 14 miles. Onshore: either a wind blowing towards the shore or something already on the shore. Offshore: the opposite except things offshore be much farther away. On-line and off-line are usually thought of these days as Internet connections.

25A. Behind-the-scenes worker : STAGEHAND. Workers associated with a stage, roadies are also behind the stage workers but not in one spot. Onstage and offstage are just that. On hand and offhand are not just opposites. Onhand means in one's possession, while offhand means in an informal or casual manner.

37A. Light controller—either of its first two words can precede either part of 17-, 25-, 51- and 61-Across : ON/OFF SWITCH

51A. Distract : SIDETRACK. Originally referred to trains. For the most part, onside and offside are sports-related terms. On track is keeping to a schedule and off track is more like something that isn't directly associated with the matter at hand.

61A. Sentry's job : GUARD DUTY. To many these days, Guard duty involves being shipped overseas. Being on guard will prevent you from being caught off guard. On duty and off duty are just that.

Argyle here. It seems funny to have a Jerome puzzle without puns. Well, I may have wasted too much time on the theme; I better get busy on the rest of it.

Across:

1. Poker Flat chronicler Harte : BRET, His short story, "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" was first published in January 1869 in the magazine Overland Monthly

5. Syrup brand : KARO. Light corn syrup.

9. Scatter : STREW

14. Plane opening? : AERO. Aeroplane.

15. Farsi-speaking republic : IRAN. Farsi 1878, modern Persian language, the usual Iranian word for it, from Fars, Arabic name for region of Pars (no "p" in Arabic) in Iran.

16. Sports venue : ARENA

19. Like most attics : DUSTY

20. Mob enforcer : HITMAN

21. Gp. concerned with fluoride safety : ADA. American Dental Association.

23. Links elevator? : TEE. Golf.

24. Old Great Lakes natives : ERIEs

28. Christmas mo. : DEC.

29. Water temperature gauge? : TOE

31. Pro vote : YEA

32. USPS carrier's assignment : RTE.

33. Words of sympathy : "I CARE"

35. Potato cutter : RICER. Has anyone bought one since the last time we had this item.

40. Flora eaters, perhaps : FAUNA. Occasionally, it works the other way. Venus Flytrap.

42. Brief and forceful : PITHY

43. Pilot's no. : ALT. Altitude.

44. Toothed tool : SAW

47. Unused : NEW

48. Rock guitarist's aid : AMP

54. Spring time : APRIL

56. Place for a pint : BAR

57. Place for a cup : BRA. (hee, hee, hee)

58. Anatomical ring : AREOLA. (hee, hee, hee)

59. Steppes native : TATAR. Good map of the steppes

63. Carrying a lot of weight : OBESE. One of the nicer ways to say 'fat'.

64. Cold capital? : OSLO. Norway.

65. Largest continent : ASIA

66. Used hip boots : WADED

67. Feat : DEED

68. Winemaking waste : LEES. The dregs.

Down:

1. Lambasted : BASHED

2. Put to work again : REHIRE

3. Titillating : EROTIC

4. Singer with the Mel-Tones : TORMÉ. Some good info with this mellow number. Willow Road(3:01) from 1946.

5. Brick baker : KILN

6. George W.'s first press secretary : ARI. Ari Fleischer.

7. Attacked with clubs and such : RAN AT

8. In the future : ONE DAY

9. Glum : SAD

10. Liar's undoing : TRUTH

11. Fact-finding process : RESEARCH

12. Understanding between nations : ENTENTE. From French, as you might expect.

13. Method : WAY

18. It stretches from Maine to Florida : EAST COAST

22. Make better, as cheddar : AGE

25. Lord's laborer : SERF. Lord of the manor, that is.

26. Falling object's direction : EARTHWARD

27. __ Spiegel: German magazine : DER. Europe's leading news magazine.

30. Stumblebum : OAF

33. Roadside rest stop : INN

34. Clairvoyance, briefly : ESP

36. Like many a slick road : ICY

37. Passé : OUTDATED

38. Lash flash? : WINK. Good one.

39. Suffix with cord : ITE. A smokeless explosive powder consisting of nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, and petrolatum that has been dissolved in acetone, dried, and extruded in cords.

40. Scale fourths : FAs. JzB?

41. Fictional Arabic woodcutter : ALI BABA

45. Wall St. hedger : ARB.. Arbitrageur.

46. Ares or Mars : WAR GOD. Greek or Roman.

48. Stimulate : AROUSE

49. Uncle __: Berle nickname : MILTIE

50. Western dry lakes : PLAYAs. Pictures.

52. How to turn something into nothing? : ERASE

53. Effect's partner : CAUSE

55. Go by bike : PEDAL

58. Youngest to reach 500 HRs : A-ROD. Third baseman for the New York Yankees.

59. Auto club offering : TOW

60. What mad people see? : RED

62. Pint contents : ALE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, April 11, 2011 Gareth Bain

Theme: Address - The first word of the theme entries are the labels on the lines of most forms we have to fill out.

18A. "I'll pay whatever you're asking" : "NAME A PRICE"

30A. Cost to the customer, as of illicit drugs : STREET VALUE

36A. Smooth urbanite : CITY SLICKER

44A. Subject of a highly classified file : STATE SECRET

59A. "Not another word!" : "ZIP YOUR LIP!"

Argyle here, not really awake but can't get to sleep either. I'm blaming it on the warm weather; I don't know how to handle it anymore.

So about today's puzzle, is it fresh or mundane? It may just be I've been filling out too many forms for taxes that it seems old but I can't say I've ever seen it done before. All in all, a good job.

Across:

1. Dance move : STEP

5. Give a free ticket to : COMP. Shortened form of 'complimentary' and can be a noun, meaning things like tickets given without extra charge, or the act of giving these items, a verb. Can also be an adjective.

9. __-Abyssinian War: 1936 Mussolini triumph : ITALO. The Second Italo–Abyssinian War (also referred to as the Second Italo-Ethiopian War) was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy (Regno d'Italia) and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire (also known as Abyssinia). per Wiki. Map. After 1936, Mussolini's official title was "His Excellency Benito Mussolini, Head of Government, Duce of Fascism, and Founder of the Empire".

14. Task list heading : TO DO

15. Foot's curve : ARCH

16. Grinding tooth : MOLAR

17. Bird sacred to Tut : IBIS. King Tut, that is.

20. Doves' homes : COTEs

22. Holy smoke : INCENSE

23. "Rock and Roll, Hoochie __": 1974 hit : KOO. "Lordy mama, light my fuse"(3:48)

24. Sportage automaker : KIA. Compact SUV, from South Korea's second largest automobile manufacturer.

27. As __ as Methuselah : OLD. Methuselah is the oldest person whose age is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.

28. "... three men in a __" : TUB. Nursery rhyme.

33. Toon storekeeper from India : APU. TV's The Simpsons.

34. Problem for Pauline : PERIL. The Perils of Pauline is a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments. There were also movies, as late as 1967.

35. Brake component : DISC

40. Campus VIP : BMOC. Big Man On Campus.

42. Double-reed winds : OBOEs

43. "She Done __ Wrong": Mae West film : HIM

50. Small bill : ONE

51. Mustard's rank: Abbr. : COL. Colonel Mustard, from the board game, Clue( also known as Cluedo.)

52. Audible dance style : TAP

53. Pub purchase : ALE

54. Homemade shorts : CUT-OFFS

57. Lazy __: revolving tray : SUSAN

62. Use UPS : SHIP

63. Sound that might accompany 37-Down : SNORT

64. French franc successor : EURO

65. "The __ Love": Gershwin song : MAN I. Clip.(3:07)  Originally part of a 1924 score but dropped, it became more famous as an independent popular song than as one from a Broadway musical.

66. Moorehead of "Bewitched" : AGNES. She was Endora, Samantha's mother.

67. Chess standoff : DRAW

68. Yemen city on its own gulf : ADEN

Down:

1. Pick-up __: toy : STICKS. I think last time we has this clue, many people hadn't heard of the game. Image.

2. Also : TO BOOT

3. Newspaper bigwig : EDITOR

4. Model's stance : POSE

5. Is able to : CAN

6. "... man __ mouse?" : OR A

7. Early 20th-century year : MCMI. 1901

8. Early antiseptic compound : PHENOL. It was widely used as an antispetic, which seems much safer.

9. Get in the way of : IMPEDE

10. In a dilemma : TORN

11. "The Guns of Navarone" author MacLean : ALISTAIR. A Scottish novelist who died in 1987.

12. Hiking boots, e.g. : LACE-UPS

13. Galena or hematite : ORE

19. Civil rights gp. : ACLU

21. Trapshooting : SKEET

25. "Lord knows __!" : I TRY

26. Rent-a-car option : AVIS

29. Tampa NFLer : BUC, Buccaneers.

31. "Beowulf," e.g. : EPIC

32. Dole out : ALLOT

35. Genealogy abbr. : DESC. Descendants

36. Discover fortuitously : COME UPON

37. Scoffer's words : "I BET"

38. __ Nostra : COSA

39. Hangs on to : KEEPS

40. Pres. after GWB : BHO. Barack Hussein Obama.

41. Chopping, as garlic : MINCING

44. Runs fast : SCOOTS

45. Vegan staple : TOFU

46. Director Hitchcock : ALFRED

47. "Cosby" actress Phylicia : RASHĀD. She was married to football player, Ahmad Rashād. He proposed to her during a Thanksgiving pregame show in 1985.

48. Jerry's female friend, on "Seinfeld" : ELAINE

49. Part of a daunting split, in bowling : TEN PIN

55. Rugby radial : TYRE. Rugby the town in England.

56. Cast aspersions on : SLUR

58. West Point inits. : USMA. United States Military Academy.

59. When doubled, a Gabor : ZSA

60. Savings vehicle for later yrs. : IRA

61. Comics punch sound : POW

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday April 10, 2011 Susan Miskimin

Theme: Heavy Duty - Tax can precede each part of the theme answer. "Heavy duty" indeed!

22A. *Memorabilia at a reunion : YEARBOOKS. Tax year. Tax book.

33A. *Venus's undoing, perhaps : SERVICE BREAK. Tax service. Tax break. Venus Williams.

41A. *Reason to agree to a pact : TREATY BENEFIT. Tax treaty. Tax benefit.

68A. *Political platform buzzword : PRO-LIFE. Tax pro. What is "tax life"?

89A. *One profiting from bad debts : BILL COLLECTOR. Tax bill. Tax collector.

98A. *Frequent health care event : RATE INCREASE. Tax rate. Tax increase.

113A. *Contract seeker : FREE AGENT. Tax-free. Tax agent.

25D. *Sales promotion component : REBATE FORM. Tax rebate. Tax form.

60D. *Many a bank record : CREDIT FILE. Tax credit. Tax file.

1D. With 115-Down, make a required contribution : PAY

115. See 1-Down, and word that can precede both parts of the answers to starred clues : TAX

We also have:

74. 1040 ID : SSN

87. 1040, line 32 deduction : IRA

Timely theme. The rich ore of "tax" words made it possible for the constructor to pick up common words/phrases instead of making up wacky phrases for the double "precede" gimmick.

Quite a few sailing terms:

31A. Harbor-at-dawn skyline highlights : MASTS

97A. Sailing teams : CREWS

5D. Sailor's array : KNOTS

81D. Stem : PROW. New word to me. Ship's front.

82D. Tools for 97-Across : OARS

112D. Nautical rope : TYE. New word to me also.

Maybe the constructor loves sailing.

Total 84 black squares in the grid, more than our normal offering. Could be the result of the theme entry intersection.

Across:

1. Shut (in) : PEN. Pigs might nail this answer. Not me. Actually I'm a pig.

4. It may have rollers : SKATE

9. Jilt : SPURN. Jilted lover.

14. Health care reform lobbying group : AARP

18. Affirmative often repeated : AYE

19. About to undergo : IN FOR

20. Simplifies : EASES

21. Sand's "which" : QUEL. French for "which". George Sand was a French writer. Chopin's lover. Great clue!

24. Santa kisser of song : MOMMY. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus".

25. Cardinal manager Tony La __ : RUSSA

26. VW antecedents? : STU. Alphabet.

27. Dance step : TOE TAP. And 100A. Line dance : CONGA &  23D. Latin dance : RUMBA. Dance clechos.

29. Preserve, in a way : CAN. Put in ICE first.

30. All gone : EATEN

36. Carping comments : BARBS

39. Gussy up : PREEN

40. Peter, Paul and Mary : SAINTS. Not the trio.

46. Ones with "Esq." on the door : ATTs

47. Ballpark figure : UMP. Not EST.

48. Italian fashion giant : ARMANI. So are Gucci, Prada & Versace.

49. Boonies pests : SKEETERS. Mosquitoes.

53. GPS part: Abbr. : SYST

55. Vientiane's land : LAOS. Has anyone tried Bánh mì? Bill G might have.

56. Opinion : BELIEF

58. Long. partner : LAT

59. Chills : ICEs

61. Carnegie __ University : MELLON

63. Cheri of "SNL" : OTERI. Very crossword-friendly name.

65. Indiana cagers : PACERS

70. Lost parcel inquiry : TRACER

71. Skyline highlight : SPIRE

72. '50s-'60s teen idol Frankie : AVALON. Now it's all about that kid Justin Bieber.

73. Caper : ROMP

75. Not solid, linewise : DOTTED

77. Representation : ICON

79. Dog food brand : ALPO

83. Sunrise liquors : TEQUILAS. Tequila Sunrise.

85. Cooking oil seed : CANOLA. From the unpleasant-sounding rapeseed. I wanted SESAME.

88. Accident investigation agcy. : NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board)

93. Nancy Reagan designer : ADOLFO (Domínguez). Not familiar with the name.

96. Piano part : PEDAL

103. It might be civil or criminal : TRIAL

104. Part of a self-satisfied laugh : HEH. Heh Heh!

105. Dog asleep on a roof : SNOOPY. "Peanuts".

107. Tina's ex : IKE (Turner)

110. Wash away slowly : ERODE

111. Last Supper query : IS IT I

116. Forfeit : LOSE

117. "Fiddler on the Roof" dairyman : TEVYE. Tradition! Tradition! Tradition!

118. Bliss in Texas et al. : FORTS. Fort Bliss. Named after a soldier with a surname Bliss.

119. 1959 Kingston Trio hit : MTA

120. Scand. land : SWED

121. Beef source : STEER

122. Narc's discovery : STASH

123. "A __ of this gout!": "King Henry IV, Part 2" : POX

Down:

2. Watchers : EYES

3. Shipshape : NEAT

4. Sis or bro : SIB

6. Happening : AFOOT

7. Puffs of grass? : TOKES. Marijuana.

8. Before, before : ERST

9. Gyrene's motto : SEMPER FI. First encounter with gyrene, an alteration of GI + (ma)rine. We also have USMC VET (11. John P. Sousa, e.g.). Both Dennis & Argyle are.

10. Kung __ chicken : PAO

12. Sit tight : REMAIN

13. Justin Timberlake's former band : 'N SYNC

14. Fish keeper : AQUARIST

15. "Emma" novelist : AUSTEN

16. Move, as a restaurant patron : RESEAT

17. Political objectives : PLANKS. 

28. Quaker at a ski resort? : ASPEN. Tree.

32. Caracas hrs. : AST

34. Portuguese king : REI. Rey in Spanish.

35. Big name in cosmetics : ESTEE

36. A/C units : BTUs

37. Military force : ARMY. My Dad served in the Chinese army.

38. Gym count : REPs (Repetitions)

42. Certain locks : YALES

43. Support providers : BRAs

44. Rock genre that evolved from punk : EMO

45. "If I Ruled the World" rapper : NAS

46. Similar : AKIN

49. Gin fizz flavoring : SLOE

50. Like some heat: Abbr. : ELEC

51. More red than pink : RARE. Meat.

52. Foment, with "up" : STIR

54. Level : TIER

56. Russian pancake : BLIN. Plural is blini.

57. Little helper : ELF

61. Shape : MOLD

62. "Evil Woman" gp. : ELO

64. Cantina appetizer : TAPA. Always in plural form, no?

65. Surreptitious signal : PSST

66. Basilica area : APSE

67. Six preceder : CINQ. French for "five". Six is just six. Two French for Splynter!

68. Ryan and Benjamin: Abbr. : PVTs (Privates)

69. "Norma __" : RAE

70. Harmonic : TONAL

72. Words after run or split : A TAB

73. Vegas toss : ROLL

76. "Come on down!" announcer : OLSON (Johnny)

77. "Monsters, __" : INC

78. Doves do it : COO. So do lovers.

80. Not as rich, commercially : LITE

84. Decaf, facetiously : UNLEADED

85. More chic : CLASSIER

86. Wrench name : ALLEN

89. Center of activity : BEEHIVE

90. Mont. neighbor : IDA

91. Lines from the heart, briefly : ECG. EKG too.

92. Online guy with a list : CRAIG. Cragslist.

93. Soviet cooperatives : ARTELS. Learned from doing Xword.

94. Scopes Trial attorney : DARROW(Clarence). Monkey Trial.

95. Futile : OTIOSE. Man, it's a real word. Listed in the dictionary.

96. Modern oven option : PRESET

99. Vouchers : CHITS

100. Barbizon school artist : COROT. Wiki said he's the leading painter of the Barbizon School of France in the mid-nineteenth century. Landscape painter.

101. It may be comic : OPERA

102. Novgorod negatives : NYETs. I was ignorant of the Russian city Novgorod.

106. Does away with : OFFs

108. Dole running mate : KEMP (Jack)

109. Within: Pref. : ENTO. Opposite of exo.

114. Hardwood tree : ASH

Answer grid.

Do come back next Sunday for Dan Naddor's final puzzle.

C.C.

Saturday, April 9th, 2011 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Total Words: 70

Total Blocks: 26

This is Barry Silk Saturday #2 - I figure C.C. knows this, and so I am here to "pinch hit".  Lots of sports and foreign words, but no French ( OK, we had MER, but I know that one ). Daunting at first, but a few "A-ha's", and I was able to do it in the usual "allotted" [personal choice] time.

And away we GO ~!

ACROSS:

1. Site of many a wet bar : BACHELOR PAD - I thought maybe Mr. Silk was shooting for some gym apparatus, like a BAG _ _ _, as I had GRASPED, not CLASPED - something with a sweat covered bar...

12. Long-eared critter : ASS

15. 1962 Brenda Lee hit : ALL ALONE AM I - not familiar with this.

16. __ Fáil: Irish coronation stone : LIA - Did not know this, either

17. Protected company asset : TRADE SECRET

18. Pres. Obama received an honorary one from Notre Dame : LLD - Doctorate of Legal Letters - I think Lemonade could say more.

19. Sine's reciprocal, in trig : COSECant - forgive me for not remembering who added the trig link about a week ago....

20. Petitions : SUES

21. Observed : SEEN - several Clechos;  23A. Look : MIEN;   53A. View : EYE

22. Egyptian hazards : ASPS - venomous snakes

24. 2003 Cy Young Award-winning reliever Eric : GAGNE - Me, I am hockey ( F@#$%g NY Rangers), but here is what I found

25. Flight formation : VEE

26. It holds the line : ROD - Uh, I would think it's the REEL, actually - fishing reference

27. Vacation souvenirs : T-SHIRTS - I like them as souvenirs

29. There are 300 feet between them : END ZONES - nice semi-mis-direction; football field, typically referred to as 100 yards, + 10yards per END ZONE

32. Bike power sources : PEDALS

33. Novelist, e.g. : WORDSMITH - good word

35. Nunavut native, formerly : ESKIMO - Most of northern Northern Canada

38. Spanish for "little cake" : TORTILLA - ugh, shoulda got this

42. Cockapoo pop, perhaps : SPANIEL - Cocker Spaniel and Poodle mix, Awww

44. Asian "path" : TAO

45. 39-Down article : EIN - ACH ~! It is German today ~!

46. Early transport : TRIKE - maybe an abbr.?....

47. Riskily off base : AWOL - and again~? - Absent Without Leave

49. Hindu "Destroyer" : SIVA -  I WAGed VEDA, not up on my Indian Gods/Goddesses

50. Like some breezes : EASY

51. Frost : HOAR - this, or RIME, and I had the latter to start, of course...

52. Wide zoot suit feature : LAPEL - had pants first, thought shoulders

54. Washington attraction : NATIONAL ZOO

56. Côte d'Azur view : MER - no comment....

57. Home of Spartan Stadium : EAST LANSING - Michigan

58. Old leftist gp. revived in 2006 : SDS - common in crosswords; here's the Wiki on it

59. Very long time : AGES AND AGES

DOWN:

1. It's under Wayne Manor : BATCAVE - nice, loved BATMAN BEGINS

2. 1953 A.L. MVP : AL ROSEN  - baseball #2 today; funny, but the clue is abbr., and the answer is not

3. Held tight : CLASPED - yeah, I had GRasped to start

4. It's guarded by the three-headed dog Cerberus : HADES - Just watched "Clash of the Titans", the re-release - not bad - I am a BACHELOR, and now a REDBOX junkie: here's Cerberus { also seen in Harry Potter as "Fluffy" }

5. Util. bill item : ELECtricity - out here, it's LIPA - the Long Island Power Authority

6. California's __ Gatos : LOS

7. Biased : ONE-SIDED

8. Give another memory jog to : RE-CUE

9. Rear : PARENT

10. Double agent Aldrich : AMES - Did not know this; very interesting

11. Code sound : DIT  and DAH, we had not long ago

12. Hay fever treatment brand : ALLEGRA

13. Chalk feature? : SILENT 'L' - I saw "TL" at the end, and stayed with it - well done, Mr Silk. L is silent in Chalk.

14. Gloom : SADNESS

21. Greeted, with "to" : SAID HI

23. Last president to wear a powdered wig : MONROE

24. Renewal target : GHETTO

26. College cohort : ROOMIE - just had this, too would this be a "doopzle"? That is, a duplicate puzzle answer in the same week?

28. Nice pass : SPIRAL - football again

30. Customizable online avatar : ZWINKY - here's where you can make your OWN ~! ( might be harmful to your computer)

31. Bygone flier : SST  Supersonic Transport

34. Droid maker : MOTOROLA - Droid, the cellular phone, which is associated with "Droid", the word George Lucas is credited with for "robot" - short for ANDROID

35. Treasures : ESTEEMS

36. Dealt with bugs, in a way : SPRAYED - this seemed to "EASY"

37. German leaders : KAISERS - Der German achgain

39. Home of the Bach-Archiv : LEIPZIG - drei German [ dont know 'third' ]

40. Con man's dream : LIVE ONE - sarcasm for a 'mark', the person about to be "taken"

41. Parallels : ANALOGS

43. Philosopher associated with 44-Across : LAO-TSE

48. Serves, with "on" : WAITS

49. Lively Cuban dance : SALSA

51. Den __, Nederland : HAAG - ich bi German achgain ( meh, Dutch?, same thing )

52. Touch down : LAND

54. PBS supporter : NEA not sure if this is the Nat'l endowment for the arts, or the education association....maybe both

55. Asian flatbread : NAN

Answer grid.

Thanks to all ~!

Enjoy

Splynter

Friday, April 8, 2011 Scott Atkinson

Theme: Lost in the City or the Country. Each of the six theme answers is capital of a country, with a single letter taken from the name of the country to create a new and wacky phrase. You can perhaps propose a better theme, but the concept is simple, though unstructured. The letter can be a consonant or vowel; it can be first or last or in the middle and the letters taken out WAONIQ, make only NO IQ, AW!

Hello, Lemonade riding the Friday express, and expressing my admiration for this puzzle; so let's do the theme entries.

16A. Celtic quaffs?: CARDIFF ALES. CARDIFF, WALES. Supposedly quite depressing, near the North Sea. Martha Grimes place one of her Richard Jury books there. You do need to know a Quaff is a libation.

30A. Caribbean baby animal?: HAVANA CUB. HAVANA, CUBA.

38A. Arabian guy?: MUSCAT MAN. MUSCAT, OMAN. We see this combination often, as clue or fill.

52A. East Asian "pet"?: BEIJING CHIA. BEIJING, CHINA. The amazingly long lasting CHIA PETS. This leads into a subtheme, with 12D. Capital ENE of Khatmandu: LHASA. This is NOT THE DOG . 24D. Some Chinese restaurant decor: GONGS. 48D. Contemporary of Mao: ZHOU. This LEADER and a clear shout out to our leader.

11D. Iberian bridge?: MADRID SPAN. MADRID SPAIN, which gives us two Spanish speaking countries.

26D. Mesopotamian savings plan?: BAGHDAD IRA. BAGHDAD IRAQ. My favorite, liking the concept of the war torn land setting up savings accounts, when they may be dead by bombing the next day.

This is from the constructor who gave us the RINKY DINKY puzzle last month, and has show some creativity. Lots of intricacies and interactions. So what do you all think? I had lots of fun. Oh let us solve it first.

Across:

1. Chuck E. Cheese's order: PIZZA. Wow, a puzzle starting with two Zs; this offering has the highest scrabble score of any I recall, though a K and X short of a Pangram. Couldn't he work a bowl of KIX in somewhere?

6. Disaster response gp.: EVAC. An EVACuation ambulance, which can be by sea, air or land. Hmmm, foreshadowing? We also have, 41A. 911 response initials: EMS. Emergency Medical System, manned by EMT's.

10. Eric the Red's birth year, roughly: CML, 950. This shout out for our Norwegian contingent, was born Erik Thorvaldsson (Old Norse: Eirīkr Þōrvaldsson; 950 – c. 1003 a.d), and was kicked out of Norway for manslaughter. He went to Iceland where he murdered at least three people. He continued his murderous ways until he set out and helped colonize Greenland. His son was Leif Ericcson, the first European to make it to the Americas.

13. Lets go: FREES.

14. Conscious: AWARE.

15. "A likely story!": HAH.

18. Old cereal box letters: RDA. Recommended daily allowance.

19. __-Caps: SNO, the movie theater version of the nonpareils (semi-sweet chocolate with dots of sugar) which we loved as children.

20. Anderson of Jethro Tull: IAN. Okay, though the name sounds Norse, he is a Scottish musician who brought the flute to rock and roll. Is their most famous song AQUALUNG ?

21. Pyle portrayer: NABORS. Jim Nabors, Gomer Pyle, USMC; I guess a shout out to Dennis. While Nabors was a very talented singer he was also the long time partner of Rock Hudson, which shocked the crap out of me.

23. Composer Stravinsky: IGOR; another sighting of this name, spelled with an I.

25. Words of affection from Luigi: CARA MIA, my dear in Italian. Am I the only one who thinks of GOMEZ; whenever I hear this phrase?

26. Club ingredient: BACON, Club Sandwich, not a club you use to hit, or go to get sozzled.

28. Astronaut Grissom: GUS. Gus Grissom, was part of the very first class of astronauts and had been chosen to command the first Apollo mission, when he and Roger Chafee and Ed White died in a fire while training. I was 18 and remember hearing about it like it was yesterday. Gus would have been 85 on April 3.

29. Seed alternative: SOD. Good thing we are not in an earlier puzzle, or I would not know sod all.

32. Impudent: SASSY. I cannot think of a better word to describe our corner ladies.

34. Senescent: AGING. I cannot think of a better word to describe... oops, I mean our first word from classic Latin, from SEN, meaning old (like SENILE, SENIOR) and ESCENT meaning becoming, like ADOLESCENT, ACQUIESCENT, TUMESCENT.

35. Refinery input: ORE. Tricky for me because I thought of OIL.

36. Escape to Vegas, maybe: ELOPE.

37. "__ life!": THAT'S. Let's SING ALONG.

40. Withdrawal concern: DTS. Delerium Tremens, the shakes one gets from alcohol withdrawal. My 10th grad math teacher Mr. Henderson, he would arrive with his coffee and his shaking would make us all nervous.

42. Hardly local: ALIEN, phone home Tinbeni.

43. '70s TV cop played by Robert Blake: BARETTA. Did you watch his murder trial, or his show which had a nice THEME SONG done by Sammy Davis, Jr.

45. Assorted: Abbr.: MISC. Ellaneous. My fourth grade teacher.

46. Farewells overseas: ADIEUS, a weak plural, but our French lesson, Jeannie; farewell, not goodbye.

47. Dinghy thingy: OAR. Bore. Rhyme time.

48. Electrical sound: ZAP. Love those bug zappers, fry you flying fiends!

51. Lighting brand: BIC. They won't let me forget my Cristal Bic story will they?

56. "__ you nuts?": ARE.

57. Matching: EQUAL. No longer the leading sweetener.

58. Agony and ecstasy: MOODS, also a fine book and movie about Michelangelo.

59. Dorm agts.: RAS. Resident Advisers.

60. 640 acres: Abbr.: SQ MI, yes the letter combination looks weird but they tell you it is an abbr, for Square Mile.

61. Opposite of lanky: SQUAT.

Made it halfway, lots of short words, so now the rest.

Down:

1. Cpl.'s subordinates: PFCS. Private First Class.

2. "__ (So Far Away)": 1982 hit for A Flock of Seagulls: I RAN, we could have had another country, instead we get this TUNE.

3. Reset: ZERO. Like your combination lock.

4. Letter from London: ZED, how they say ZEE in Merry Olde.

5. "__ was saying ...": AS I.

6. McGregor of "The Men Who Stare at Goats": EWAN. Another entertainer from Scotland, who has done many diverse movies from Moulin Rouge to Star Wars. An actual actor who plays parts, not himself.

7. Feb. sentiment: VAL, Valentine's Day. Sentiment?

8. Circus sites: ARENAS, Circus Maximus in ancient Rome.

9. French Oscar: CESAR. Did you ever wonder about the FRENCH movies? I love Catherine Deneuve.

10. Y for men only?: CHROMOSOME. I like this word, well done.

14. Way out yonder: AFAR.

17. Shrek's love: FIONA. Also a wonderful character on the Showtime series, SHAMELESS. For mature, open minded audiences only.

22. Like much Hawaiian lava: BASALTIC. You want Lave, I will give you stinking LAVA .

23. Complaint while groping: I CAN'T SEE . Well two things, an obvious shout out to me for my eye problems, just slightly sadistic; but let's face it, when I am groping someone, not being able to see does not matter. It is all in the hands.

25. Dice and ice, often: CUBES. Another rhyming clue.

27. Earhart et al.: AVIATRICES. Flying ladies, did anyone watch the movie?

28. Spiritual leaders: GURUS.

30. It may be tipped: HAT.

31. One commonly follows "said": COMMA. Have you ever had a comma happy boss? What, a, pain.

32. Naval acronym: SEALS. SEA, AIR and LAND.

33. Japanese dough: YEN.

39. Stone monument: CAIRN. These are basically ROCK PILES . Also, a Terrier, like Toto in the Wizard of Oz.

41. And those following, in footnotes: ET SEQQ; this one combines my law and Latin backgrounds, as we use this abbreviation whenever we want the reader to read a section of law and those sections which follow. The Latin is literally "and following." The two Qs are the plural.

43. King with a trunk: BABAR. I learned to read with the adventures of this ELEPHANT , and still collect Elephants.

44. Old TV parts: TUBES. my high school roommate had taken a course in TV repair; he taught me that they do not blow up, they implode. Fun.

45. Knight's protection: MAIL. Chain mail, as opposed to chain letters.

47. Ventura County resort: OJAI, a California gimme for our left coasters, and the direction the golf ball breaks on the greens out there.

49. Operatic slave: AIDA.

50. It's behind us: PAST.

53. Elemental suffix: IUM. So many, LITHIUM, SODIUM, HELIUM as well the magnetic metals.

54. MLB execs: GMS. General Managers. As opposed to field managers.

55. Chantilly crower: COQ. Chicken in French, au vin anyone? Trying to get me in trouble at the very end.

Answer grid.

Well, I am struggling to get done, so it is time to say sayonora. Until next time

Lemonade