Thursday July 21, 2011 Claiborne Thompson

Theme: Smell the Cork - A wine quip puzzle.

17A. Start of a quip : I LIKE TO COOK

25A. Quip, part 2 : WITH WINE,

32A. Quip, part 3 : SOMETIMES

46A. Quip, part 4 : I EVEN PUT

52A. End of quip : IT IN THE FOOD

Hello Everyone. Boomer here, sitting in for Al, who is taking the next few months off due to extra workload.

I understand the quip, my sisters live in the wine country of Northern California. I stayed in the Scandinavian heartland, and no matter how much wine you put on the lutefisk, or drink with the eelpout, you will never improve the taste.

Across:

1. Grafton's "A" : ALIBI - "A" Is for Alibi.

6. Mill fill : GRIST - You can use the grist with Coors Light to make batter for that lutefisk.

11. Witchy woman : HAG - "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!"

14. Aristotle forte : LOGIC

15. Major outlet : AORTA - I think more of an artery. An outlet is a store that sells last year's stuff for half price, or the thing on the kitchen wall into which you plug your toaster.

16. Chemical ending : IDE - Aristotle says this clue is logical

19. Lot : TON -

20. First name in hair products : VIDAL - I first thought of ESTEE. Pass the White Out.

21. Spanish possessive : NUESTRO Never cared much for foreign words in puzzles

23. Like the 4-Down in a 1960 chart-topper : TEENIE - This took a while to get. "One, Two, Three, Four, tell the people what she wore."

26. Bear : BRUIN - Chicago NFLers may not compare to Boston's hockey team.

27. Champagne designation : SEC - Champagne is home to the Fighting Illini. They're in the Big Ten, not the SEC.

28. "them" author : OATES. Joyce Carol Oates.

29. Payoff : SOP - Sorry, I don't get this on at all.

30. Acquire : GET

31. Word in a current account? : AMPERE - Now we're talking electricity, just don't plug it in to your AORTA.

35. Take willingly : ACCEPT

38. Dreyer's partner in ice cream : EDY - They don't make sugar free.

39. River wriggler : EEL - Don't cook them in wine, it won't help

42. Don't just want : CRAVE

43. Top-secret org. : NSA

44. PETCO Park player : PADRE Who was Jack Murphy and what happened to him?

48. Hawks' homes : AERIES - I thought only eagles built aeries. The Hawks home is Atlanta.

49. Outclassed by a large margin, as competitors : DWARFED - "Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to work we go"

50. You are, in Yucatán : ESTAS - Another foreign word - Yuc

51. Mid-seventh-century date : DCL - Anyone this old would not be much of a date.

56. Deborah's "The King and I" costar : YUL - Shaved his head before Michael Jordan made it stylish.

57. Thumbs-up person, perhaps : RATER - Or maybe sizes ripe olives.

58. "Amazing" magician : RANDI - Again I'm lost. David Copperfield nor Criss Angel would fit.

59. Ike's WWII domain : ETO

60. Alex's mom on "Family Ties" : ELYSE - I remember her in "Bridgette Loves Bernie"

61. Words of reassurance : IT'S OK - Thank you

Down:

1. Poetic pugilist : ALI - "The Greatest" self acclaimed

2. Online chuckle : LOL

3. "Tell me already" : I GIVE UP - or "Holler Uncle!!"

4. See 23-Across : BIKINI - I know it was a yellow polka dot one, but I never knew if the polka dots were yellow, or if it was yellow with a different color dots.

5. Stranded in winter, perhaps : ICED-IN - Oh Oh, you may have to get a filet of lutefisk out of the freezer.

6. Reading pen? : GAOL. Reading Gaol, prison in England.

7. Fabled flier : ROC

8. Like many "Twilight Zone" episodes : IRONIC - I thought it might be SciFis.

9. Pub choice : STOUT - Also a college in Menomonie WI.

10. Pay after taxes : TAKE HOME - It keeps getting smaller, and hopefully you still have a home.

11. Member of an ancient Asia Minor empire : HITTITE - I have heard of them, but whenever I see the word in print, I always think of a pitch, High and Tight.

12. Beautifier : ADORNER

13. Columbus, by birth : GENOESE

18. __ Bo : TAE - Could have asked for the initials of the guy who invented uses for 31 Across

22. Exchanges : SWAPS - Also a Kentucky Derby Winner in 1955 under Willie Shoemaker. Held off favorite Nashua at Churchill Downs.

23. "Conan" channel : TBS _ The commercials tell you - "TBS - very funny". Sorry that's an oxymoron. If Conan was funny, he's still be on NBC.

24. Handel cantata "__ e Leandro" : ERO

25. Least arid : WETTEST

27. Go out with : SEE - And have fun, as long as your date isn't 650 years old.

30. It's eight hours later than PST : GMT - Greenwich Mean Time. I always thought mean time was when your alarm clock goes off.

31. Singer Grant : AMY - I first thought of Gogi and her one hit "The Wayward Wind".

32. Cut : SEVER

33. Forest safety concern : OPEN FIRE - Smokey the Bear (or Bruin) is on the lookout. There's a wonderful statue in International Falls, MN.

34. Actress Lupino : IDA - Famous in crosswords as well as movies and TV roles. I remember her mostly with her then husband Howard Duff in a TV show, Mr. Adams and Eve.

35. Wool-coloring agent : ACID DYE Not familiar with this, sounds dangerous. I think I'll keep my sweaters the color that they came in.

36. Close-cropped hair style : CREW CUT - Military hairstyles are making a comeback.

37. Italian horse : CAVALLO - Another one of those foreign words.

39. Inventing family : EDISONS - And here's another tie in to the outlet and ampere.

40. Prior to : ERE

41. French article : LES

43. Feature of one who is barely sleeping? : NUDITY - What can I say, clever clue, got me.

44. "Great" czar : PETER I

45. Former PLO leader : ARAFAT

47. Corolla part : PETAL - If this a Toyota Corolla, then the answer would be PEDAL.

48. Pompeii burier : ASH - This clue threw me. Ash is a common word, I could think of a more common clue. Oh well.

50. French 101 verb : ETRE

53. Nintendo's Super __ : NES - Mario did not fit. NES is an acronym for something

54. Meter lead-in : ODO

55. Hägar creator Browne : DIK - Unusual spelling makes him a favorite of crosswords. He also teamed with Mort Walker on Beetle Bailey - one of my favorites.

Answer grid.

Boomer

Note from C.C.:

Here are two more wonderful "Hard to Believe" photos from another blog regular. Both taken by his father. And the boy is ??? (Answer: Bill G.)

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 Scott Atkinson

Theme: DUCK-LING fling. Five common English words that can serve double duty as either nouns or verbs are adorned with a diminutive LING suffix, yielding another common English language noun, now in an off-beat, humorous diminutive form. Some of them are still verbs, as well.

17A. Very narrow fissure? : CRACKLING. N: 1) As per the clue, 2) A bit of fried pork or goose fat; V: producing a series of snapping noises.

26A. Landfill in a toy city? : DUMPLING. N: 1) As per the clue, 2) A lump of dough cooked in liquid.

38. Minuscule tattoo? : INKLING. N: 1) As per the clue, 2) A hint, 3) A vague notion, 4) (plural) An Oxford University literary discussion group whose members included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien; V: Communicating in an undertone or whisper (obsolete.)

40A. Dollhouse dress adornment? : BOWLING. N: 1) Tiny BOW, as per the clue, 2) A game in which one knocks down wooden objects with a rolled ball. V: Playing that game.

49A. Where to wear a training bra? : BUSTLING. N: Per the clue, A, AA, or AAA miniscule bosom. (Dare I?) V: Moving energetically.

62A. Very young hobo? : TRAMPLING. N: Son of ON THE ROAD, perhaps. V: Treading in a heavy-footed, damaging manner

And the unifier, 67A. Waterfowl whose young inspired this puzzle's theme : DUCKS. Baby DUCKS are DUCKLINGS.

Wow! Six theme entries, plus a unifier, and very complex wordplay, with layered double, and sometimes triple meanings, a rich musical sub-theme, and a bit of DF. I am AGAPE, but will not DUCK out on you. Lets DUCK INTO the puzzle and see what we can find.

Across:

1. Birthday secret : WISH. We make our wishes known. Otherwise, you get what you get.

5. "Back in Black" band : ACDC. Of all the bands that (tried to ) sound like Led Zeppelin, I preferred Led Zeppelin.

9. Visibly amazed : AGAPE. Jaw-droppingly so.

14. __ Domini : ANNO. Latin: In the year of Our Lord.

15. Bodybuilder's supplement : WHEY. Dairy-based protein source.

16. Hand-dyeing craft : BATIK.

19. Vintage violin : AMATI

20. Michael Moore health-care film : SICKO. Unavoidably political, ergo: no comment.

21. Melody : TUNE. We opened the Jazz Fest with this TUNE. Hardest Big Band Chart I've ever played. I have a video posted on Facebook. If you're on and interested, send me an email, and I'll send you a link.

23. Rock 'n' roll middle name : ARON. Alvis ARON Presley

24. Didn't sell : KEPT.

28. CIA part: Abbr. : AGCY. Central intelligence AGENCY.

30. Arthur Fiedler et al. : MAESTRI. Pl. of MEASTRO - orchestra conductors.

32. Hamm of soccer : MIA. From the U.S Gold Cup Championship Team of a few years back.

33. Ryder rentals : VANS. TRUCKS doesn't fit.

34. Where eaglets hatch : AERIE. Alternate spellings of this word always leave me feeling eerily up in the air.

42. Opposite of perfect pitch : NO EAR. OK. But TIN EAR is more idiomatic.

43. Composer __ Carlo Menotti : GIAN. 20th Century Italian-American composer.

44. Transp. group in the Loop : CTA. CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY

45. Pago Pago people : SAMOANS

48. Did a farrier's job : SHOD. Installed horseshoes. A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves. Now you know.

52. Lacking spice : TAME

54. Chain selling stacks : IHOP. International House of Pancakes

55. Clue in a case : LEAD

57. Dip for a chip : SALSA

60. Mila of "Black Swan" : KUNIS

64. "Fear of Flying" author Jong : ERICA

65. Sneaky trick : WILE. In theory, perhaps.

66. Luke's sci-fi sister : LEIA

68. Black stone : ONYX

69. Enjoys a smorgasbord : SUPS

Down:

1. WWII auxiliaries : WACS. Pl of WOMEN'S ARMY CORPS.

2. Calvary inscription : INRI. L. abbrv. "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews." Calvary was the site of the crucifixion.

3. Twinkie or Ding Dong : SNACK CAKE. Empty calories.

4. Game with sticks : HOCKEY.

5. Pointy tool : AWL

6. Slip in a pot : CHIT. Slang for an IOU

7. Strips of leaves : DENUDES. Remember Agent Orange?

8. Swan constellation : CYGNUS. Use your imagination.

9. The N.Y. Nets were its last champion : ABA. American Basketball Association

10. Warren Harding's middle name : GAMALIEL. You all knew that - right?

11. Asteroids maker : ATARI. Ditto.

12. Spike for a mountaineer : PITON. Drive it into a CRACKLING.

13. Squeezing (out) : EKING

18. Keystone character : KOP. BUSTLING Bumbling gendarmes from the silent movie days.

22. Ambulance VIP : EMT. EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN. Note abbrv in cl & ans.

25. Bur. of Prohibition employee : T-MAN. Treasury Department officers out to collect alcohol taxes.

27. Shrimp relative : PRAWN. What's the difference?

28. Key with no sharps or flats: Abbr. : A MIN. Now this is tricky. A MIN is the relative minor of C MAJ - both with four letters, but no sharps or flats.

29. NFL Hall of Famer Marchetti : GINO. Old time Baltimore Colt.

31. Zambia neighbor: Abbr. : ANG. ANGOLA - also a city in Indiana.

33. Like megapopular web videos : VIRAL. Slang term, meaning passed from person to person, like a virus

35. Cardinal who was a foe of the Musketeers : RICHELIEU

36. Wild about : INTO. How long has it been since anyone asked you: "Are you INTO C B?"

37. "Zounds!" : EGAD. Slang from across the pond.

39. Unwanted playground game teammate : LAST PICK. Yes. That would be me.

40. Recycling vessel : BIN

41. Brewer's kiln : OAST. Crossword stalwart.

43. Yuri who was the first to orbit Earth : GAGARIN. Russian Cosmonaut.

46. Wire measure : MIL. Thousandth of an inch.

47. Punch sequence : ONE-TWO. Take that, and that . . .

48. Some tees : SMALLS. T-Shirt sizes.

49. Pedaled : BIKED. This guy gave his girlfriend a bicycle. Then she peddled it all over town.

50. Freedom, in Swahili : UHURU. Didn't we just see her last week?

51. Part of SST : SONIC. Super SONIC Transport

53. "Antony and Cleopatra" killer : ASP. Slithery crossword stalwart.

56. Tyne with a Tony and Emmys : DALY. The name is familiar, but not the face.

58. Salon sound : SNIP. Cutting hair

59. "What __!": "How fun!" : A GAS. Groovy slang, man. Far out!

61. Palindromic airline : SAS. Scandinavian Airlines System International, if you have an INKLING to travel.

63. Tex-__ cuisine : MEX. Burritos, fajitas, chile con carne, etc. OK. Now I'm hungry.

Answer grid.

Fine, intricate puzzle. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I.

Cheers!

JzB

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few more "Hard to Believe" pictures from another blog regular. I'm afraid her captions will give her name away easily. I just adore the third picture. She looks gorgeous!

Curious Conundrums

I'm pleased to introduce a new feature of this blog: Curious Conundrums (to keep with the CC theme).

There is a need for a puzzle outlet that cannot be found in the usual channels of publication. Many constructors, both novice and well-established, have wonderful ideas for puzzles that do not have a market niche. If you'd like to share and get opinions of your puzzles (either new or rejections) and would like to hear feedback on your theme and/or fill and/or clues from our Corner readers, please email me (crosswordc@gmail.com) your puzzle in Crossword Compiler I'll publish a specific post for the puzzle and start a comment thread.

Today I'd like to share a "Carpe Diem" puzzle Don G. and I made. We thought it's perfect for this hot summer's day. It's Don's original idea, and I brought it to life for his birthday. The theme for this puzzle was rejected on a technicality of geographical consistency, but still has a consistent thematic element that is not seen very often. A special "Thank you" to Marti and Barry G for the early grid review, test solving & valuable suggestions.

Don and I look forward to hearing your comments.

Puzzle:

Here is puz file (Across Lite)

Here is PDF.

Spoiler: Here is the answer grid with yellow highlight for the theme gimmick. Here is Argyle's write-up .

C.C.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 Don Gagliardo

Theme: Windmills(2:18) - As the unifier states, there is a synonym for CIRCLE hidden within the themes. If your puzzle has the circles(and they're in the right spots, see here), it makes it a little easier.

17A. St. Patrick's day shout : "ERIN GO BRAGH!"

32A. Business that serves smokers : TOBACCO INDUSTRY

39A. With "leave," settle for the existing situation : WELL ENOUGH ALONE

60A. Privileged group, and an aptly highlighted feature of 17-, 32- and 39-Across : INNER CIRCLE

Argyle here. I'm tempted to comment on the wording of 32-Across but I'll take the advice of 39-Across. Hard G has given us an ambitious Tuesday. There are two spanners and the theme makes a nice diagonal stripe down the face of the grid.

Across:

1. "I'm clueless!" : "GOT ME!". A bad situation for a constructor.

6. Half of Ethiopia's capital : ABABA. Addis Ababa Image.

11. Finger-to-lips syllable : "SHH!"

14. 1994 peace prize sharer Yitzhak : RABIN. Actually, there were three: Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin.

15. C.S. who created Narnia : LEWIS and 52D. Narnia lion : ASLAN. From the fantasy novel, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe".

16. Chinese word of enlightenment : TAO

19. IV administrators : RNs. But don't call them bag ladies!

20. 0, in Spain : CERO. Spanish for "Zero".

21. Linus awaits the Great Pumpkin in one : PATCH

22. Singer's aid : MIKE. We see MIC quite often these days.

23. Unconventional merchandise quantity : ODD LOT

25. "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" singer Neil : SEDAKA. Skip the clip(2:14) if you want, I'll understand.

27. Lewinsky confidante Linda : TRIPP. No image available.

30. Delinquency word more commonly heard in the plural : ARREAR

36. Fifth in NYC, e.g. : AVE.

37. Contraire à la __: illegal, in Lyons : LOI. French

38. Finished first : WON

46. "M*A*S*H" system : TRIAGE. The process of determining the priority of patients' treatments based on the severity of their condition.

47. Drum major's cap : SHAKO. Take one home today.

48. Heat rub product : BENGAY

50. Oysters-on-the-half-shell seller : RAW BAR

54. Menlo Park middle name : ALVA. TAE - Thomas Alva Edison. Haven't heard from Nikola Tesla lately.

55. Somewhat warm : TEPID

58. Wave radio maker : BOSE

59. Work the soil : HOE

62. Bachelor in personals, briefly : SWM. Single white male.

63. Short explosive? : NITRO

64. It's not an express : LOCAL

65. Half and half : ONE. It adds up.

66. Yarn unit : SKEIN. How many yards of yarn? "a hank of yarn," from O.Fr.

67. Buck of country music : OWENS. Skip the clip(2:16) if you want, I'll understand.

Down:

1. Artist El __ : GRECO. He was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" (The Greek) was a nickname, a reference to his Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters.

2. Rowed : OARED. Or sculled.

3. Classic Ford : T-BIRD

4. Company that merged with Konica : MINOLTA. Not just cameras anymore.

5. Stonehenge loc. : ENGland

6. Actress Jessica : ALBA. Nice hair.

7. Lion player Lahr : BERT. Nice hair.

8. Sky surveillance acronym : AWACS. Airborne Warning and Control System

9. Swollen ego : BIG HEAD

10. Smudge on Santa? : ASH

11. Ump's call : "STRIKE TWO!"

12. "Hammerin'" baseballer : HANK AARON. Two baseball clues.

13. Watering aid : HOSE

18. Fiber-__ : OPTIC

22. Fourth planet : MARS. Um-m-m. We've had a Fifth Avenue and now a Mars Bar.

24. Dungeons & Dragons monster : ORC

26. R&B's __ Hill : DRU. All four original members of were natives of Baltimore, Maryland. Formation.

28. Casual shirt : POLO

29. Reverent : PIOUS

31. Sandberg with nine Gold Gloves : RYNE. More baseball.

32. "I __ I taw a puddy ..." : TAWT

33. Excessive : OVERBLOWN

34. "This is no lie" : "BELIEVE ME"

35. Expected soon : NIGH

40. Turner on screen : LANA. She was a Sweater Girl.

41. Poached fare : EGG

42. Slob's opposite : NEATNIK

43. Either of the first two consonants in "coccyx" : HARD C. Don's signature clue/answer.

44. Wanted poster abbr. : AKA. Also Known As.

45. Unintellectual : LOWBROW

49. Broadway matchmaker : YENTE

51. Italian ball game : BOCCE

53. Fishing gear : REELS

54. Facetious "I see" : "AH SO"

56. Prefix with scope : PERI

57. Crease remover : IRON

60. Access points : INS. So egress points are 'outs', right?

61. UN workers' gp. : ILO. International Labour Organization.

Answer grid.

By the way, yesterday's mystery boy is Barry G.

Argyle

Constructor note:

The phrase “inner circle” was the inspiration for this puzzle. I just had one of those moments where I saw the phrase, and naturally thought that it could be the subject of a puzzle. I knew that I wanted a hidden word to reflect a circle. I decided to go with four-letter words, for some reason. My search yielded three candidates. It was not as easy as I thought to find words that can mean circle that are four letters long. But it did give me a break. I am always trying to make puzzles with five or six theme answers.

Monday, July 18, 2011 Robert Fisher

Theme: Look At This - Three long entries that, if you add their first word to the end(or FINISH) of PHOTO, you will get a compound word like the unifier.

17A. Penning ads and such : COPY WRITING. PHOTOCOPY.

26A. Mall habitué's motto : "SHOP TIL YOU DROP". PHOTOSHOP.

42A. Instrument Bob Dylan was once booed for playing : ELECTRIC GUITAR PHOTOELECTRIC.

56A. Race decided by a camera, or what the start of 17-, 26- or 42-Across literally is : PHOTO FINISH

Argyle here. You don't need me today.

Across:

1. Gold medalist's place : FIRST

6. Buddies : CHUMS

11. Use a stun gun on : ZAP

14. Boise's state : IDAHO

15. Saigon's Vietnam War counterpart : HANOI. Map.

16. "__ had it!" : I'VE

19. Wee one : TOT

20. PC key next to the space bar : ALT

21. Buttery and creamy, as pastry : RICH

22. Browsing the Web, say : ON-LINE

24. When doubled, make light of : POOH. "Oh, pooh-pooh!"

25. Church alcove : APSE

32. Ending for micro- or oscillo- : SCOPE

33. Puppy's protest : YELP

34. Big Band __ : ERA

35. Tackle box item : LURE

36. Equine, to a 19-Across : HORSY

38. Odds partner : ENDS

39. Like most codgers : OLD

40. Long-haul rig : SEMI

41. Postal postings : RATES

46. Gold medalist, vis-à-vis competitors : BEST

47. Egyptian snakes : ASPs

48. "Comin' right up" : "IN A SEC"

51. Part of a blind : SLAT

52. "Unbelievable!" : WOW

55. Whopper junior? : FIB

59. Seasonal malady : FLU

60. Crowbar, essentially : LEVER

61. How objects are seen through a mist : DIMLY

62. "Is it soup __?" : YET

63. Skip the announcement, invitations, etc. : ELOPE

64. Old Montreal team : EXPOS. Baseball.

Down:

1. Payroll tax acronym : FICA. Federal Insurance Contributions Act(Social Security).

2. Teen favorite : IDOL

3. Totally absorbed : RAPT

4. Hardly outgoing : SHY

5. Line on a tugboat : TOW ROPE

6. Showy to a fault : CHICHI. French.

7. "What __ God wrought?" : HATH. Samuel Morse sent his first telegraph message: “What hath God wrought.” Why that phrase? It was a biblical quote selected by the daughter of one of Morse’s key financial backers. It is a phrase from the Book of Numbers (Numbers 23:23). "Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!"

8. Prefix with verse : UNI

9. Game with tiny hotels : MONOPOLY

10. Volunteers (for) : SIGNS UP

11. Penne relative : ZITI. Pasta.

12. Skin So Soft maker : AVON

13. Townshend of The Who : PETE. Musician.

18. Mob disorder : RIOT

23. Was in front : LED

24. Benedict I, e.g. : POPE

25. Affirmative votes : AYEs

26. Oar : SCULL

27. Large crowd : HORDE

28. Emotionally expressive, as poetry : LYRIC

29. Avis __ Car : RENT A

30. Tell the waiter what you want : ORDER

31. Avoid flunking : PASS

32. Gin fizz flavoring : SLOE

36. __ Bernardi, who played Tevye on Broadway : HERSCHEL. Image. Some might remember him as Lt. Jacoby on TV's Peter Gunn.

37. Fail to mention : OMIT

38. Diner sign : EATS

40. Church topper : STEEPLE. Stowe, VT.

41. Scary beach current : RIPTIDE

43. TV network with an eye logo : CBS

44. In great numbers : GALORE

45. "Wild Blue Yonder" mil. group : USAF

48. Far from certain : IFFY

49. River through Egypt : NILE

50. Be contiguous with : ABUT

51. Aerobics accessory : STEP

52. Spineless one : WIMP

53. Norway's capital : OSLO

54. __ and wherefores : WHYS

57. Lacto-__ vegetarian : OVO. A vegetarian who does not eat animal flesh of any kind, but is willing to consume dairy and egg.

58. Put the kibosh on : NIX

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Our "Hard to Believe" series continues. Guess who this cute baby this. Here is another one of him and his younger brother. And yes, the boy yesterday is Splynter. (Added later: Today's mystery boy is Barry G.)

Sunday July 17, 2011 John R. Conrad

Theme: Wi-Fi Interference - Wi is replaced by Fi in each familiar phrase.

24A. Angler's daydream? : (W)FISHFUL THINKING

33A. Participate in a food fight? : FLIP ONE'S (W)FIG. The first letter F shouldn't be bothersome, as the theme is Wi to Fi conversion. Same with the extra Fs in 83A and 82D.

51A. Ophthalmologist's diagnosis? : EYE(W)FITNESS NEWS

83A. Auto design now, vis-à-vis the 1950s? : NO - (W)FIN SITUATION

101A. Offshore WBA venue? : ISLE OF (W)FIGHT

111A. Round up a passel of stoolies? : CATCH FORTY (W)FINKS. I like "a passel of" description.

4D. Bulldozer specification? : (W)FILL POWER

82D. Unrestrained Kentucky Derby entrant? : FREE (W)FILLY

Not familiar with John R Conrad. Cruciverb shows he had 2 puzzles with LA Times in 2006. Welcome back!

I like the theme. Grokked the gimmick earlier on. When I read the title, I thought some Fi's will be changed to Wi's, some Wi's will be changed to Fi's. That would be a little chaotic, but more fun. Yes?

Across:

1. Cram : STUFF. First thought: JAM IN

6. "Forget it, I'm just ranting" : IGNORE ME. Didn't come to me readily.

14. Rub : ABRADE

20. Nobelist Curie : MARIE

21. Finely worked fabrics : BROCADES. Like this. Bill G's wife should know something about that fabric.

22. Daytime TV fare : SOAPER

23. Slant : ANGLE

26. Adler of the stage : STELLA. Not familiar with this name. Would be great if it's clued as "A Streetcar Named Desire" related, since we also have 75A. Kowalski portrayer : BRANDO (Marlon) in the grid. Stanley Kowalski.

28. __ Tomé : SAO

29. Rial spender : OMANI

30. Door fastener : HASP

31. N, in many org. names : NATL

39. Ending with switch : EROO. Switcheroo. And 88A. Ranch ending : ERO. Ranchero.

40. Second: Abbr. : ASST

41. Amount to make do with : LESS. Tricky clue.

42. Have a party, say : HOST

43. Implemented, as an idea : RAN WITH

45. Subatomic particle : MUON. This word just looks so wrong.

46. Hot thing on a horse? : TIP. Oh, horse racing.

49. '90s Indian prime minister : RAO. No idea. I do know Rai though, as in the stunning Aishwarya Rai. It seems that Rai, Rao and Raja are all variants of some royal surname.

50. Jawbreaker rock genre : EMO

55. Guru's residence : ASHRAM

58. Dotted line, at times: Abbr. : PERF

59. Delights : ELATES

60. Pacific Coast, e.g.: Abbr. : HWY

61. Whirl : GYRATE

63. How author Charles Reade is named? : APTLY. We've seen this clue before.

65. Cardinal : MAIN. What did you have in mind when reading the clue?

68. Sneak : SIDLE

70. Yeses, to Yves : OUIs.

71. Corporate identifier : LOGO

72. Bête __ : NOIRE

73. Shrek, e.g. : OGRE

74. Vaughan Williams contemporary : HOLST (Gustave). "The Planets" composer. Nailed it, Jayce?

77. Enforcers, with "the" : LAW

78. Amplified : ON MIKE

80. "The X-Files" org. : SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence)

81. Compensate for : OFFSET

87. "__ the fields ..." : O'ER

89. Verb addition? : OSE. Verbose.

90. Salacious stuff : SMUT

91. It's tapped to make syrup : TREE SAP

95. Natural successor : HEIR

97. Go over hastily : SCAN

98. Kick (out) : DRUM

100. Jennifer of "Pride and Prejudice" (1995) : EHLE. Total stranger. How do you pronounce Ehle?

105. Bit : IOTA

106. Minnesota __ : FATS

107. Way through a fence : STILE

108. Apple for the teacher? : MAC. Why? Teachers mostly use Mac?

109. __ training : TOILET

118. Loud noise : BLARE

119. Dance in 3/4 time : MINUET

120. Aromatic : REDOLENT

121. "__ Nothin'": "Oklahoma!" song : ALL ER

122. Main road : ARTERY

123. Evaluated : ASSESSED

124. Twosomes : DYADs

Down:

1. Lollapalooza : SMASHER. Lollapalooza is a strange word.

2. Clarion blast : TANTARA

3. Pushes : URGES ON

5. React emotionally to : FEEL

6. Pugilists' org. : IBF (International Boxing Federation)

7. Mill inputs : GRISTs

8. Dietary restriction : NO SALT

9. Figura de __: Spanish ice-skater's move : OCHO. Figure eight.

10. Churchill's "so few": Abbr. : RAF

11. End of a dean's address : EDU

12. Brooks of "The Producers" : MEL

13. Bars at the bar : ESTOPS. Do you actually use this in your work, Lemonade/Hahtool?

14. Mongolian, e.g. : ASIAN

15. "__ chance, Monsieur!" : BONNE

16. Debonair : RAKISH

17. Bee: Pref. : API

18. Animal house : DEN. I've never seen "Animal House".

19. 0.0000001 joules : ERG. I bet constructor/Rich and his test-solvers had to check twice to make sure they got the right numbers of 0.

25. Med. care provider : HMO

27. Gray area? : ANATOMY

32. __ Wednesday : ASH

33. Lightweight news story, say : FLUFF

34. First of 13 popes : LEO I

35. "__ It Romantic?" : ISN'T

36. Roman war galley features : FORESAILS

37. Witness's words : I SAW. And 47. Words to an old chap : I SAY

38. Classic Pontiacs : GTOs

44. Candidate's concern : IMAGE

45. Least palpable, as a touch : MEREST

46. Expose : TELL ON

48. L.A. hours : PST

51. Shoulder ornament : EPAULET. I can never spell this word correctly.

52. Nepalese legends : YETIs

53. Bottom line : NET GAIN

54. Fictional captain who is the son of a raja : NEMO. Inferable.

55. "Gotcha!" : AH SO

56. Draft : SWIG

57. Swift watercraft : HYDROFOIL New word to me.

62. Novice : ROOKIE

63. Even though : ALBEIT

64. Brazil's __ Alegre : PORTO

66. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE

67. Small salamander : NEWT

69. Director Riefenstahl : LENI. Always associate her with Hitler.

72. Like some credit cards : NO FEE

74. Blow off steam : HISS

76. Unassertive sort : DOORMAT

79. 6 on a handset : MNO

80. Fall on the set, perhaps : STUNT

83. Dr Pepper Snapple Group brand : NEHI

84. Blast furnace input : OREs

85. Its academy is in New London, Conn. : USCG. Good to know.

86. Asian nursemaid : AMAH

91. "Tsk!" : TUT

92. Clinton cabinet member Donna : SHALALA

93. Didn't leave alone : ALTERED

94. Troubles : PESTERS

96. Get out of trouble : RESCUE

97. Communications word after Romeo : SIERRA. NATO alphabet.

98. Sawyer and Keaton : DIANEs

99. Coach of Notre Dame's "Four Horsemen" : ROCKNE (Knute). Knute is a popular Norwegian name.

102. Additional : OTHER

103. Grant's bill : FIFTY. I don't think I've used a fifty-dollar bill.

104. "Alice" waitress : FLO

108. Wire measures : MILs

110. O.T. book after Amos : OBAD. Stumped me. Obadiah.

111. Nashville-based awards org. : CMA

112. Go public with : AIR

113. Big bang cause : TNT

114. French possessive : TES. Your.

115. Cloth meas. : YDs

116. Them, often : FOE

117. Criterion: Abbr. : STD

Answer grid.

Alright, look at these adorable "Hard to Believe" photos. Tell me who that boy is. He looks so pensive on the first picture. (Added later: It's Splynter.)

C.C.

Saturday, July 16, 2011 Tom Heilman

UGH ~!

Sorry, but this offering today had some real cringers in it. First time I have blogged Tom Heilman; the last Saturday from Tom was May 2010, and the results seemed to be on par with this puzzle....

Splynter here, on a DNF Saturday -

Words: 66

Blocks: 27

ACROSS :

1. Public mockery : PASQUINADE - tough start; had I not had the "U" in both the A. and D. clues, the Q would not have been a choice

11. Opening movement of Holst's "The Planets" : MARS - a WAG, but it IS "The Planets"

15. Cleans up : EXPURGATES - Sounds more like making the mess....

16. First Dominican-born Major League Baseball manager : ALOU - a classic CW WAG here

17. Everglades denizens : ALLIGATORS - got it

18. Hoot? : DAMN - I don't give a "hoot" about....

19. Occupation : TRADE

20. "Lady, shall __ in your lap?": Hamlet : I LIE

21. They may be geological : ERAS

22. Direct : BOSS - the verbs, here

23. A plan may be put on it : HOLD

24. Artist son of Andrew Wyeth : JAMIE - Nope, don't know these people; here's some of the art

25. Kyrgyzstan city : OSH

26. Pregnant pause, perhaps : TENSE MOMENT - good clue/answer

28. Surface phenomena affected by magma : GEYSERS - got it - more here

30. Judges : DECIDES

31. Complex design : WEB

32. Fatal opening? : NON - Like in NON-fatal injury...?

33. Statement of equality : ITS A TIE - yeah, but meh

37. Coastal freeze : FAST ICE - I knew it was some sort of __ ice

41. Established favorable conditions (for) : SET THE STAGE - good one I did NOT get

43. Pita look-alike : NAN - nailed it, but a three-letter answer on Sat. doesn't help much....

44. Narrow ridge : ARETE - here

45. Faithful : TRUE

46. Crack agent? : NARC - Crack, the rock cocaine, and the DEA man who busts you for it

47. "Okay then" : I SEE

48. Scented souvenirs : LEIS

49. Chemical prefix? : PETRO - I REFUSED to put this in, even though I had it, since there was NO WAY it could cross with PETR-....and it did....

50. Poet Walter __ Mare : DE LA - Nope, don't know this guy

51. Independent way to live : OFF THE GRID - I guess, but I wouldn't necessarily describe it as independent; more like low key, or on the "lam"

53. Barely better than none? : SLIM when your choices are "slim and none"

54. Railing with molded supports : BALUSTRADE - you know I HAD to get this one; I might have a huge balustrade to build next month

55. Court cry: Var. : OYEs - a variation on OLEs ????

56. Private : ONE-STRIPER - ARGH~! Got me, never thought of the military

DOWN:

1. Moor feature : PEAT BOG - wasn't he the lead singer of some rock group?

2. Frontman on the 1987 debut album "Appetite for Destruction" : AXL ROSE - Guns N Roses; got him, knew him, thought I might have a chance; he's the one in the middle - the guy with the cigarette is my second favorite guitarist, Slash.

3. Flamboyant : SPLASHY - Axl was splashy, not Slash-y

4. Plugs of tobacco : QUIDS - my parents are both British; to me a "quid" is slang for a buck, a pound, a dollar, and not used in the plural

5. Seriously suggest : URGE

6. Supermarket chain with Chicago H.Q. : IGA - quick, name a three-letter food store....there's one WAY out east here on Lon Guyland

7. United __ : NATIONS - see the last clue/answer, 52D.

8. Components of the Maldives : ATOLLS - had islets to start

9. Scoffed at : DERIDED

10. __ est percipi: to be is to be perceived : ESSE - Four years of Latin told me "to be" is ESSE

11. Raked it in : MADE A MINT - had MADE MONEY to start; not a bad WAG

12. Protected, in a way : ALARMED - as in your home, with the "Slomin's shield" or ADT

13. Arugula alternative : ROMAINE

14. Down times? : SUNSETS - good clue/ans. and visual

23. Beetle of note : HERBIE - OH ~! The Volkswagen ~! VERY good ~!

24. Playful : JOCOSE - Bzzz - Denied; didn't get it

26. Use a ring, maybe : TEETHE - had TIE OFF (like drapes) at first; the T_E helped

27. Household : MENAGE - Let's get DF here, and lighten this one up ~!

29. Elite tactical units : SWAT TEAMS - nailed it; today it was YES or NO - I either got it, or I didn't, and had no hope, to boot

33. Discussion-ending words : I SAID SO - I had "THAT'S IT" and couldn't shake it

34. In a word : TERSELY - got it, but spelled it TERSLEY

35. Pinball ball, perhaps : STEELIE - I love pinball, like the "Black Knight" and the Addam's Family", but did not know this term until I started writing today

36. Grammy winner for the 1993 album "Mi Tierra" : ESTEFAN - I thought PUENTE (Tito), but spelled it wrong anyway

37. Thomas Mann's "Doktor __" : FAUSTUS - Um, nope

38. Caught : IN A TRAP - yeah, I guess

39. Four-wheel drive? : CAR RIDE - Really~?!?!?

40. Spy, at times : ENCODER

42. Gimcrack : TRIFLE

46. Pola of the silents : NEGRI - image

48. Western howler : LOBO

49. Stone: Pref. : PETR - not gonna say it again....

52. President when the U.N. was created : HST - I wanted Woodrow Wilson, but he was denied his "League of Nations".

Answer grid.

Oh well, at least I move into my new apartment this weekend - I am off to lick my NON FATAL mental wounds....thanks for listening to me gripe

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few wonderful pictures from another blog regular (and his brothers). Easy to tell who he is, yes? I love the first one.

Friday July 15, 2011 Bruce R. Sutphin

Theme: TAG you are it. Each of the four theme answers are in the language two word phrases which change into completely different and witty new phrases by adding a TAG before the final E in the second word. There is also a unifier, which I found unnecessary, but then this seemed a really easy Friday.

Hey, it is lemonade, and I confess I am unfamiliar with any prior puzzles from Mr. Sutphin. I have seen his name mentioned around the ACPT, but that is all. Maybe he is a lawyer getting ready to retire. Anyway, here we go.

20A. Gnome held against his will?: GARDEN HOSTAGE. GARDEN HOSE, I wonder why people began adding garden to hose; we use the same on to wash the car, or the dog. I do like the visual of the TRAVELOCITY Gnome tied up and held for ransom.

27A. Meteorologist's view?: WEATHER VANTAGE. WEATHER VANE, the twirly on top of your house if you live in New England, and a nice use of VANTAGE as view.

43A. Team equipment manager's snafu?: JERSEY SHORTAGE. I have never watched an episode of JERSEY SHORE, and you will have to provide your own links.

51A. Stamps with nudes?: EROTIC POSTAGE. An EROTIC POSE, does not have to be nude.

66A. Some graffiti signatures (which were used to form this puzzle's four longest answers): TAGS. Of course you should know HOW TO.

Okay on to the rest of the story.

ACROSS:

1. It's covered in silk: CORN. My ex-wife, just would not fit. You think it is HEALTHY ?

5. British bakery buy: SCONE. I may be half French, but I love me a good scone. My youngest bakes great ones.

10. Mass measure: GRAM.

14. Head start?: IDEA. Oh I get it, the idea starts in our head!

15. "Breaking Bad" actor __ Paul: AARON. never heard of this ACTOR, who shares my sons name and my birthday. Anybody watch the show?

16. Result of getting too far behind, briefly: REPO. Nice new way to clue this standard crossword fill.

17. Extends, with "to": ADDS. Like Rory McIlroy at the U. S. Open and his lead.

18. Serious alarm: DREAD. No one is quite sure where this word comes from but it has an almost onomatopoeia like sound about it.

19. Skip and jump lead-in: A HOP. The hop skip and jump is now known as the triple jump. The phrase is still used by some to convey a place being close by; my house is a...

23. Runner on snow: SKI. A literal answer.

25. Drink in a yard: ALE. Our obligatory BEER reference, and a fun GAME ?

26. Math ratios: SINES. Not to be confused with THIS.

32. Faris of "Scary Movie" films et al.: ANNAS. Do you like this ACTRESS? Blonde or brunette?

33. They may shrink if they aren't fed: EGOS. Nice clue, and the Corner can be a place to feed some.

34. Visit: GO TO.

35. Pasty: WAXEN. Hmm, I like the other set, 53D. Whiten: PALE.

37. Light touches: PATS. There my dear, stop crying and I will get you an ice cream cone.

41. Unrivaled: A ONE. Really, numero uno?

42. Debonair neckwear: ASCOT. A formal neck tie, popularized in the 1880's, taking its name from the Royal Ascot race meeting, where all the fine gentleman wore this looser version of the starched cravat.

48. "12 Angry Men" director: LUMET. A wonderful play and movie, you might enjoy his INTERVIEW.

49. "No thanks, I just __" : ATE. gave at the office?

50. Stop up: DAM. I am not one to miss a chance to link to BEAVER.

56. Jackson 5 brother: TITO. The only brother still getting any pub.

57. Coffeehouse order: LATTE. No thanks, I am a straight coffee drinker.

58. Tony relative: EMMY. The name "Emmy" was chosen as a feminization of "immy", a nickname used for the image orthicon tubes which were in early TV cameras. Coincidentally, the prime time nominations were made public yesterday.

61. Doesn't waste: USES.

62. Take in, maybe: ALTER. Like the waist in my pants; oops, no that is let out.

63. Short evening?: NITE. Is this now an acceptable word?

64. Benchmarks: Abbr.: STDS. Standards.

65. Lowly workers: PEONS. A degrading word from the Spanish peón meaning an unskilled laborer, like an indentured servant.

Well we have filled lots of three, four and fives, so let's see what the Downs do.

DOWN:

1. Operation Neptune Spear org.: CIA. I think you can buy a T SHIRT.

2. Curious: ODD. Am I the only one who thought of THIS.

3. Arcturus, for one: RED GIANT. A star classification, we had a nice discussion of these after a Jerome puzzle back on April 23, 2010.

4. Galileo's patron: NASA. A nice deception, not the ancient astronomer, but the exploration program of our SOLAR SYSTEM.

5. It might be Western or English: SADDLE. How many ride? I like it but not many horse live in condos.

6. Professional pursuit: CAREER. I was going to put their secretary, but it would not fit.

7. Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael: OREN. He wrote the RESPONSE to the Obama plan. No politics, but an interesting read.

8. First matchmaker?: NOAH. Well if you are going on a boat and can keep only two, you had better get your kids companions.

9. Prefix with morph: ENDO. The opposite of ECTO.

10. Part of e.g.: GRATIA. Our Latin lesson, exempli gratia. For example.

Comments

• ah thanks! = )
  • Report
  by - AJ - on August 10th, 2007
• 6 years of Latin, at your service! ;-)
  • Report
  by Shopping Sheryl - home from the hospital on August 10th, 2007
• ah good resource!
  • Report
  by - AJ - on August 10th, 2007
• I'll try my best whenever you need some help.
  • Report
  by Shopping Sheryl - home from the hospital on August 10th, 2007

Add a comment...

11. Put back up: REHANG. I guess....45D. Second flip: RETOSS. Fits with REHANG. Icky/

12. Zenith: APOGEE. We just had this discussion.

13. Acts gloomily: MOPES. From Ger. mopen "to sulk."

21. Sounds from stands: RAHS. Rah Rah Ree, kick em in the knee, Rah Rah Rass, kick em in the other knee.

22. Grounded big birds?: SSTS. Supersonic transports.

23. Booty: SWAG. What do you think, Stole Without A Gun?

24. Game with 80 balls: KENO. Las Vegas; original lottery game.

28. "The __ of Steve": 2000 comedy: TAO. An obscure, but critically acclaimed romantic comedy.

29. Bugs: VEXES.

30. Beauty antecedent?: AGE. I always held the door for my two older brothers and always said, "Age before beauty." I was an endearing child.

31. Reims rejection: NON. French lesson Lolita, a toughy" NON = No.

35. Tribulation: WOE. A good guilt word, woe is me.

36. "__ takers?": ANY. I wanted UNDER and feel bad about that thought process.

37. Eureka hrs.: PST. Pacific Standard Time.

38. Dean's domain: ACADEMIA. Sounds so pompous.

39. Draped attire: TOGA. Made more famous by Animal House than anything else.

40. A snifter has a short one: STEM. IMAGE.

41. Piedmont wine region: ASTI.

42. Two-dimensional analogue of volume: AREA. Height time Width, no depth.

43. Legal scholar: JURIST. Yeah, that is me all right.

44. Frustrated the director, perhaps: EMOTED. Hammed it up is the phrase.

46. Expedite: HASTEN. Not Expedia, Travelocity Gnome.

47. Furry frolickers: OTTERS. They love to play.

48. "__ go then, you and I": Eliot : LET US.

"Let us go then, you and I,

When the evening is spread out against the sky

Like a patient etherized upon a table;

Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,

The muttering retreats

Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels

And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:

Streets that follow like a tedious argument

Of insidious intent

To lead you to an overwhelming question ...

Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”

52. Show support: CLAP. Let us give him a great big hand.

54. Comics dog: OTTO. Sgt. Snorkel's dog in Beetle Bailey, who is the younger brother of Lois, from Hi and Lois.

55. Mannerly man: GENT. Okay almost time for this gent to depart.

59. Short session?: MTG. This meeting is nearing an end.

60. Word said with a fist pump: YES. Time for my fist pump, another in the record books. A tough blog, but I did it.

Answer grid.

Happy belated Bastille Day.

Lemonade

Note from C.C.:

Here is another "Hard to Believe" picture, a curious boy with his sisters. Tell me who the boy is. Hint: He is one of the very few regulars who have read every post/comment on this blog.