Monday, August 22, 2011 Kelly Clark

Theme: Look! Up in the sky... - it' a bird. And bird related things start our theme entries.

1A. Sound from a tree : CHIRP. It's short and there is no symmetrical entry so we'll consider this a bonus.

20A. *Resolve once and for all : LAY TO REST

38A. *Savings for later in life : NEST EGG. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

56A. Lyric in a Porter song that ends "Let's fall in love," and a hint to the starts of the starred answers (and 1-Across) : BIRDS DO IT. "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" is a popular song(3:01) written in 1928 by Cole Porter. It was introduced in Porter's first Broadway success, the musical "Paris" (1928).

11D. *Like unreliable short-term businesses : FLY BY NIGHT. Don't put any of these eggs in yor basket.

27D. *Do some scheming : HATCH A PLOT

Argyle here. I hope you had your stars but they weren't really necessary. The unifier was pretty clear. It is similar to Kelly's puzzle , back in June. The grid even resembles a nest, especially if you highlight the theme entries. I picture CHIRP as the mama bird sitting on the edge of the nest.

Across:

6. Range between soprano and tenor : ALTO

10. Cpls.' underlings : PFCs

14. Flamboyant evangelist __ Semple McPherson : AIMEE. Clip(1:23) from an upcoming show at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle.

15. Boston Bruins or Chicago Bears, e.g. : TEAM

16. Inter __: among others : ALIA

17. Baseball's Nolan and actress Meg : RYANs

18. Bath towel word : HERS

19. Natasha's no : "NYET!"

22. Many an October baby, astrologically : LIBRA

23. A __ alfa : AS IN. Phonetic alphabet spelling of Alpha.

24. Nairobi native : KENYAN. Map.

25. Satirical Mort : SAHL

28. Arrive after a tough trip : MAKE IT IN. Thru Kenya?

31. Schoolroom group : CLASS

33. Travelers' lodgings : INNS

34. Hypotheticals : IFS. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

37. PC key : ALT

41. Miracle-__: garden brand : GRO

42. B'way setting : NYC

43. Slender woodwind : OBOE

44. Reacted to fireworks : OOHED

46. The Beatles' George : HARRISON

50. Salt Lake City college team, aptly : UTES

51. "Happy I can oblige" : GLAD TO

53. Cop's route : BEAT

55. Lassos : ROPES

61. "__ well that ends ..." : ALL'S. Shakespearean play.

62. Rani's garment : SARI

63. Cease-fire : TRUCE

64. Coagulate, as blood : CLOT

65. Treater's words : "ON ME"

66. Levels, as a building : RAZES

67. Italian noble family : ESTE

68. Fava or lima : BEAN

69. Illegally off-base GIs : AWOLs

Down:

1. Poet Sandburg : CARL

2. Breezy greeting : "HI YA"

3. "__ be wrong, but ..." : I MAY

4. Avis offerings : RENTALS

5. Cuban cash : PESOs

6. Zeus' daughter : ATHENA

7. Popular jeans : LEEs

8. Small fruit pie : TART

9. Mantric syllables : OMs. Ommm... Ommmm...

10. Italian sandwich : PANINI

12. Olds Cutlass model : CIERA

13. The devil : SATAN

21. Canyon edge : RIM

22. "Come on, we're late" : "LET'S GO"

24. Goal in checkers : KING

25. Read, as a bar code : SCAN

26. Treaty partner : ALLY

29. Flying toys : KITES

30. U-turn from WSW : ENE

32. Stable sounds : SNORTS. Pigs, horses...Farmer John up in the haymow.

35. Available for a date : FREE

36. Puts in a lawn the fast way : SODS

39. River of Spain : EBRO. OMG, it's a gimmee for me now. Map.

40. "... or __ thought" : SO I

45. Beat in a Western showdown : OUTDRAW

47. "__ Fideles": carol : ADESTE

48. Conan of "Conan" : O'BRIEN

49. Simpsons neighbor Flanders : NED

51. Pre-meal blessing : GRACE

52. Lounges around : LOLLS

54. Stars, in Latin : ASTRA. ASTRO is the common prefix.

56. Undoing : BANE

57. Cookbook writer Rombauer : IRMA. Her book.

58. Greek liqueur : OUZO. Better know what you're doing if you drink this stuff.

59. Its cap. is Reykjavik : ICEL.and

60. Tracy's Trueheart : TESS. Comic's Dick Tracy.

62. Cry out loud : SOB

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday August 21, 2011 Pamela Amick Klawitter

Theme: Scrambled Signals - The first word of each common phrase is an anagram indicator. The last word is an anagram of another word referenced in the clue.

24A. 91-Across? : GARBLED SPEECH. And 91A. Aviary sounds : CHEEPS. SPEECH and CHEEPS anagram. GARBED is the anagram signal.

49A. 1-Down? : ALTERED STATES. And 1D. Tries : TASTES. STATES & TASTES anagram.
ALTERED is the signal.

92A. 111-Down? : SHIFTING GEARS. And 111D. Barracks bigwig : SARGE. GEARS & SARGE anagram. SHIFTING is the signal.

121A. 58-Across? : MIXED BLESSING. And 58A. Lack of sincerity : GLIBNESS. BLESSING & GLIBNESS anagram. MIXED is the signal.

3D. 129-Across? : TWISTED SISTER. 129A. Put up a fight : RESIST. SISTER & RESIST anagram. TWISTED is the signal.

61D. 79-Across? : CHANGE OF HEART. The only three-word theme entry. 79A. Milky Way planet : EARTH. HEART & EARTH anagram. CHANGE/CHANGE OF is the signal.

All the long theme entries are symmetrical, the short ones are not. Too impossible a task.

Just a great theme! Pamela is one of few constructors who consistently give us creative puzzles. Her grid is never boring. Always challenging though. This theme has a bit of Dan Finan flavor, another innovative constructor.

Across:

1. Popular tank fillers : TETRAS. Fish tank.

7. First word in many addresses : LADIES

13. Aurora borealis region : ARCTIC

19. If all goes wrong : AT WORST

21. Venue for newsgroups : USENET. Sounds so old.

22. Slain Tejano singer : SELENA. J-Lo played her in the movie "Selena".

23. Chills : SHIVERS

26. Immobilizes, as a perp : TASES

27. She played Dottie in "A League of Their Own" : GEENA. Not a fan.

29. Florentine evening : SERA

30. Where to see the Kon-Tiki : OSLO

31. Sinusitis doc : ENT

32. Give the go-ahead : OKAY

34. One with "Esq." on the door : ATT (Attorney).

36. Xing people? : PEDS. Ped Xing. In Chinese, Xing means "doable". Xin means "new". So, Xin Nian = New Year.

38. "Woo-__!" : HOO

39. Flow slowly : SEEP

41. Utah city on I-15 : OREM

43. Hi, in Honduras : HOLA. Chickie's signature greeting.

45. "__ Peculiar Man": Paul Simon song : A MOST

47. React to humidity, in a way : DROOP. Does this refer to flowers or people?

53. __ Friday : CASUAL

55. Stir up : AROUSE

56. Gave a whirl : SPUN

57. Actresses Gray and Moran : ERINs

60. With a cast of thousands : EPICAL. Always thought the adjective is still EPIC.

64. Japanese-American : NISEI. Ni = Two. Sei = Birth. Literally "second birth/generation".

65. Sharp dresser's standard? : NINES. Dressed to the nines.

66. Directional finish : ERN. Western, for example.

68. "I get it," humorously : AH SO

69. Grounded flier : SST

70. Three sheets to the wind : SAUCED. Drunk.

72. Beethoven's "Pathétique," e.g. : SONATA

75. Both of racing's Unsers : ALS

76. Seine summers : ETES. And 126A. Hot months in Chile : ENEROS. Hot!

78. Colour suffix : ISE. Colourise. British spelling. Not fond of this clue.

80. Things of passing interest? : LANES. Nice clue.

82. "Do I __ eat a peach?": Eliot : DARE TO. Definitely a "Yes" from Argyle. He even dared to link this clip. You wanna give it a go?

84. StubHub competition : SCALPERS

87. Wistful remark : OH GEE

88. Thing to play : ROLE

90. Colored ring : AREOLA. Splynter already gave you the correct link yesterday.

96. White Owl alternative : TE-AMO. Both cigar brands.

97. Future, for one : TENSE

98. Has second thoughts about : RUES

99. Members of the flock : EWES

101. Bay Area blues, briefly : SFPD

104. NYSE figure : ARB (Arbitrager)

105. Parking area : SPOT

107. Spinning toon : TAZ. Tasmanian Devil.

110. Beaux-__: architectural style : ARTS

112. __ polloi : HOI

113. No longer worth discussing : MOOT

115. Some tabernacle singers : ALTI. OK, plural for alto.

117. Lacking integrity : LOOSE

119. 1990s-2000s Irish leader : AHERN (Bertie). Unknown to me. Here, the guy on the right.

124. Arranged in sequence : SERIATE. This is a word?

127. "Stand By Me" director : REINER (Rob)

128. Largest African country : ALGERIA

130. Pull out : SECEDE

131. Rice creation : LESTAT. the vampire. Anne Rice.

Down:

2. Fuel gas : ETHANE

4. Drift : ROVE

5. Sandbox comeback : ARE SO

6. Abbr. on outdated maps : SSR

7. Vehicle for supine sledders : LUGE

8. Hatha yoga posture : ASANA

9. Clear of vermin : DERAT. Spell checker doesn't like it either.

10. Having five sharps, musically : IN B. Whatever.

11. Skinny swimmers : EELS. Yum!

12. Skyline highlight : STEEPLE

13. Big name in Syrian politics : ASSAD. His days are numbered, it seems.

14. Gym unit : REP

15. Geppetto's goldfish : CLEO. Do you all know this?

16. Opening stroke : TEE SHOT. "Fore!" I could picture Husker Gary shouting.

17. How a macro lens is used : IN CLOSE

18. (In) partnership : CAHOOTS

20. Fictional author of "The World According to Bensenhaver" : T S GARP

25. Hates the thought of : DREADS

28. Private __ : EYE

33. __-Aid : KOOL

35. This and that : THESE

37. Suddenly paid attention : SAT UP

40. Danish fruit? : PRUNE. Danish rolls have prune filing. Tricky clue.

42. Iwo Jima figure : MARINE. Our Marine is frolicking in Boca.

44. Unrefined finds : ORES

46. Craze : MANIA

48. Welcome desert sight : OASIS

50. Like lungs : LOBED

51. Winery casks : TUNS

52. Out of gas : SPENT

53. Perfumed, as a chancel : CENSED

54. Label founded in 1975 by Clive Davis : ARISTA

55. Eatery "just a half a mile from the railroad track" : ALICE'S. "Alice's Restaurant".

58. Serengeti roamers : GNUS

59. Popular Nissan : SENTRA

62. Dead to the world : ASLEEP

63. Red ink entries : LOSSES

67. Three cheers, maybe : RAHS

71. Garlicky spread : AIOLI

72. Palate stimulus : SAPOR. Sure looks bland.

73. "... otherwise, you'll be sorry!" : OR ELSE

74. Wailuku welcome : ALOHA

77. Feudal laborers : SERFS

79. Ancient home of Parmenides : ELEA. I only know it's "Zeno's home". Don't know Parmenides.

81. Reminders to conversation monopolizers : AHEMS

83. Rainy day brand : TOTES. Umbrella brand.

85. Exercise wheel site : CAGE. Oh for pets.

86. "Give it __!" : A REST

89. Join the club : ENROLL

91. "__ Magnifique": Porter tune : C'EST

92. Barely get the words out : STAMMER

93. TV's Buffy, e.g. : HEROINE

94. Where work piles up : IN BOXES. I have TO-DO folder for those piled-up work.

95. Alley boundaries : GUTTERS

96. Saint of Ávila : TERESA

100. Isn't anymore : WAS

102. Shylock's adversary : PORTIA

103. Give business to, as a café : DINE AT

106. Longtime beer experiencing a 2000s resurgence : PABST. Why the resurgence, Windhover?

108. Dress with a flare : A-LINE

109. Divided into districts : ZONED

114. Actress Garr : TERI

116. Words with a nod : I SEE

118. Grimm heavy : OGRE

120. Makes tracks : HIES

122. Bob and flip : DOS. I like this clue.

123. [Not my mistake] : SIC

125. Allen wrench shape : ELL

Answer grid.

C.C.

Saturday, Aug 20, 2011, Doug Peterson

Theme: None

Words: 72

Blocks: 30

Hello, gang ~! I was fooled into thinking this was a "walk in the park" but I simply could not WAG my way through the NE corner, despite having a pretty good foot-hold. I blogged Doug's last offering just over a month ago, and did well on that one - I must have made him mad....

Onward ~!

ACROSS:

1. They're dirty pool : CHEAP SHOTS - reminds me of this Addams Family scene

11. WNBA positions : CTRs - not fooled by the "W", but still a WAG, since basketball is not my thing

15. Muse of sacred music : POLYHYMNIA - I got it, even with "HY_N" to start; a little background

16. Brest milk : LAIT - LOTS of great, subtle DF cluing today, a play on breast - or is it just me?

17. Does a bit of informal polling : ASKS AROUND

18. Paquin of "True Blood" : ANNA - so not into the latest Vampire thing - I was happy with "Underworld" and Kate Beckinsale

19. Note : SEE

20. Puzzle (out) : SUSS - Clued exclusively for us "Corner" types

21. Model born Lesley Hornby : TWIGGY - Did not know this; I know of her, but not part of my world

23. Equinox mo. : SEPtember - closing in on hockey season ~!

24. Accepted : NORMAL

25. "GoodFellas" Oscar winner : PESCI - this one was a real gimme; I was just watching "My Cousin Vinny" and they mentioned this in the commercial break

28. Reckon, in the boonies : SPOSE - as in "I s'pose y'all city folk?"

30. OR abbr. : NEG - wha? I thought it was EKG; I mean, I get it, but does the Operating Room doc say "NEG"? And blood (type) isn't ONLY in the OR....meh

32. One who's done stretches? : EX-CON - nailed it

33. Texas Rangers CEO : NOLAN RYAN - did not know this, knew him only as a pitcher

35. Leap on blades : AXEL

36. Story writer/poet Grace who studied with Auden : PALEY - her

37. Classic Leontyne Price role : AIDA - here

38. Honey Ryder and Xenia Onatopp, e.g. : BOND GIRLS - "Bond, James Bond" - my top three Bond Girls; (1) - (2) - (3) - what's yours? Sorry ladies....

40. Out of line : ASKEW

41. Inseparable : ONE

42. Some rectangular bars : OLEOS - a little ruse here, oleo the fake butter bar in the fridge

43. Feinting spells? : SPARS - meh, I get it, but I think of feinting as part of fencing

44. Ore.'s highest point : Mt. HOOD

46. Broker's advice : BUY - I use Scottrade

47. Any regular on "The View" : CO-HOST - too much estrogen for me

48. Numbers for closers : ERAs - Earned Run Average, a number for Nolan

50. Cone head? : SNO - oh, very good, Sno-Cone - I was not on this wavelength to start

53. __ Bacon: "East of Eden" character : ABRA

54. Got at : INSINUATED

57. Structure on piles : PIER

58. "When pigs fly!" : NOT ON A DARE

59. More than asked : PLED

60. Safari sights : GRASSLANDS - ah - not Gorillllas, Gazelllles, Giraffffes,...

DOWN:

1. They're no. experts : CPAs - Certified Public Accountants - I caught the "." after "no"

2. It may wind up around the house : HOSE - we have two hose bibs, so we do not have to wrap the house, but I have seen this

3. Paul's "The Prize" co-star : ELKE - Paul Newman, Elke Sommer in this movie

4. Bard's interjections : AYs

5. Introduce by degrees : PHASE IN

6. Stack sweetener : SYRUP - pancake stack

7. GP gps. : HMOs

8. Weight : ONUS

9. Can across the pond : TIN - a tin of tobacco, in England and other places on the other side of the Atlantic, affectionately known as the "pond"

10. "I'm afraid the news is not good ..." : SAD TO SAY

11. One may be filed : CLAIM

12. It merged with Zanzibar in 1964 : TANGANYIKA - man, I thought I knew this, but it totally eluded me; map - the Lake is now on the left, Zanzibar to the right

13. Gangbuster's target : RINGLEADER - Rum-runner, etc., but I couldn't "suss" it out

14. Inn time : STAY - Argh~! - Trying too hard on this one

22. Singer of complex songs : WREN - not a DIVA

23. Baste : SCOLD - completely filled in via Perps - otherwise, I might have screwed this one up

24. Phrase of emphasis : NO LESS

25. R&B singer Bryson : PEABO

26. Dow 30 company : EXXON-MOBIL

27. When, in Act Two of "Macbeth," the Porter knocks at the gate : SCENE THREE

28. Caught : SNARED

29. Taquería meat : POLLO - Chicken

31. Irritates, with "at" : GNAWS

34. Far from mellifluous : RASPY - Sassy, no, Rusty, no, Risky, no....

36. At the helm of : PILOTING

39. Nursery sounds : GOOs

40. Like much business? : AS USUAL - Men at Work and a little ditty for you

45. Put away : HOARD

46. Wedding announcement : BANNS - new one for me; and intended notice of marriage

47. Stupefyin' Jones creator : CAPP - Al Capp, Li'l Abner - Wiki

48. First-year Spanish verb : ESTA

49. Mexican waterways : RIOs

50. Persian for "place of" : STAN

51. One needing social work? : NERD

52. Confucius's "Book of __" : ODES

55. Bergen's home: Abbr. : NORway - Second largest city

56. Org. working on bridges : ADA - The fake teeth bridges of the American Dental Association - got it

Answer grid.

Splynter

Friday, August 19, 2011, Jeff Louie

Theme: CG the old fashioned way; not Computer Graphics, just C and G. Food phrases with the first letter of the first word beginning with "G" have the first word replaced with a sound a like word starting with "C," resulting in a new and colorful phrase. This may be the debut puzzle of another blogger gone bad, I mean gone to creating puzzles; I have seen comments from Mr. Louie on other blog sites and solving results. His effort is very theme heavy, with some cute fill, but overall a relative speed run for a Friday. In any event, welcome Jeff, I am Lemonade and I will lead our group through your paces, while we fill in the spaces.

16A. Dairy food for a haunted house?: CREAK YOGURT. GREEK YOGURT, the new favorite of health conscious eaters.

23A. Boxed Brie?: CRATED CHEESE. GRATED CHEESE. This is the only one where the spelling does not change, just the G to C.

38A. With 41-Across, pancake-flavored drink?: CREPE. 41A. See 38-Across: JUICE. GRAPE JUICE. A most unusual central theme answer, actually divided by another fill, and not a perfect sound alike.

50A. Snacks for an all-nighter?: CRAM CRACKERS. GRAHAM CRACKERS.

62A. Dinner dish decorated for a king?: CROWNED BEEF. GROUND BEEF.

Now on to the rest....

Across:

1. Espresso concoction: LATTE. I am just a coffee drinker, no frothy milk for me.

6. Pile: HEAP. We had this clued as a junk car earlier this week

10. With 13-Across, coming-out phrase?: IT'S. and 13. See 10-Across: A GIRL. I liked this combo clue, because it fooled me a little, as I was thinking of DEBUTANTES.

14. Surprisingly, the Rays don't play there: TAMPA. They play at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.

15. Something to pick: NIT. Oh goody, a shout out to Marti, a fellow butterfly form the caterpillar world of blogging and constructing.

18. "CSI" proof:: DNA.

19. Campfire whopper: YARN. He has lots of double words, like this and 17D. Be homesick (for): YEARN, which always brings this Song to mind.

20. Mer flow: EAU. French again; not only our Crepe, but MER = Sea and EAU = Water.

21. More revolting: ICKIER. Probably a derivative of sicky-poo, when little ones were nauseous.

26. Shower head, maybe: METEOR. Meteor shower, a nice clue.

29. Georgetown athlete: HOYA. An old Greek word meaning What or that, which somehow got combined with Latin SAXA meaning rocks, as all college student used to study Greek and Latin, what rocks became Georgetown's rallying song.

30. Outlet store abbr.: IRR. Irregular, i think get this in 1/2 the puzzles i write up.

31. Thwart the re-election bid of: UNSEAT. No politics, but it comes from the literal taking away of the seat in congress.

34. Sask. neighbor: N DAK. Saskatchewan is just north of North Dakota.

40. Priest's vestment : ALB. This is the long white gown like vestment worn by priests and other clergy usually adorned with a colorful sash. From the Latin meaning white, the same root word for albino.

42. Drifting, maybe: ASEA. My mandatory A word.

43. Pedicure stone: PUMICE. The result of volcanic eruption, the bubbles help this rock to be an excellent exfoliant for all the metrosexuals in the audience, especially on those nasty heel calluses.

45. Parliament vote: NAY.

46. Literary __: LION. I like alliteration as much as the next guy, but I am never going to use this phrase to describe a famous person.

48. Runs the show: REIGNS. From the king ruling.

55. Goldbricks: DOGS IT. Like Beetle Bailey who is often accused of being a gold brick or dogging it by Sgt Snorkel. I guess because gold bricks don't do anything but sit and look pretty and dogs do eat often.

56. App with a Buddy List: AIM. AOL Instant Messenger.

57. __ vez: Spaniard's "again": OTRA. Literally "another time."

61. Flee: RUN.

65. Sugar suffix: OSE. Lactose, sucrose, dextrose...

66. Filled a hold with: LADED. In shipping, hence the manifest being the bill of lading.

67. Western: OATER. For the horsies to eat, silly.

68. Kitten's cry: MEW.

69. Checked out: EYED. See, we made it again.

70. Set of principles: CREDO. From the Latin meaning to believe, and I do believe we have made it to the turn..

Down:

1. Like some lingerie: LACY. Your Vote?

2. Uttar Pradesh tourist city: AGRA. The Upper Provinces in India, more details from our friends?

3. Stratum: TIER.

4. Medium state?: TRANCE. I like this one as it also took me a moment to suss the idea.

5. Bugler with horns: ELK. this also reminds me of 33D. Popular street name: ELM.

6. With "The," city with a lake called the Hofvijver at its center: HAGUE.

7. It has six toes: EMU. Why, I wonder?

8. Fuzzy fruit: APRICOT. My first thought was Boy George, but it did not fit.

9. Weather forecast word: PATCHY. Patchy clouds, patchy fog, you name it they have it.

10. Sundance entry, usually: INDIE. Short for Independent Film, meaning not commissioned by a studio, and looking for distribution.

11. Pitchfork parts: TINES. Also known as a PRONG.

12. Gape: STARE. Please do not just sit there staring.

14. Perfectly: TO A T. An old favorite that can distress when you do not take the letters apart.

22. Name that means "cool breeze" in Hawaiian: KEANU. I wonder what happened to all of our Hawaiian contributors?

24. Casanova: ROUE. A dissolute dedicated to only sensual pleasure; the word comes from the French (yes, dammit French again) ROUER meaning to "break on the wheel" that wonderful medieval torture device used to dispel sexual ardor, of those who were to easy to 51D. Stir: ROUSE.

25. Abu __: DHABI. Father of the Gazelle, and the site of the government of the UAE.

26. Flaky mineral: MICA. Not to be confused with the cheap imitation FORMICA.

27. Boots an easy grounder: ERRS. ESPN's not top ten.

28. Arbor Day planting: TREE. Abror is the Latin word for tree, and this celebration began in Nebraska started by J. Stirling Morton, so thanks HG and others.

32. Spa offering: SAUNA. Dry heat from Scandinavia, rather than Steam heat.

35. "Correct answer" sound: DING. Ding Ding Ding for all of you, as this puzzle unfolded.

36. "... Prince Albert in __?": A CAN. As a child, I really did call Gagne's (pronounced GAHN YAY's) drug store and ask the question, and then start giggling, "Well you should let him out."

37. Ring jinglers: KEYS. Some people can be really annoying.

39. Conceals sneakily: PALMS, in case you want to learn.

41. Boo bird's call: JEER.

43. Depict: PORTRAY.

44. Cupcake filling: CREME. If cream filling is not classy enough for you.

47. Emotionally unavailable type: ICICLE. I always thought they were cold fish.

49. Weather map line: ISOBAR. Not a place where you drink ISO, but the lines of consistent pressure used by weathermen to predict weather.

50. Drive insert: CD-ROM.

52. One of Nixon's vices?: AGNEW. Love this clue, but not this man.

53. Made like a crow: CAWED. Why do we do that?

54. Good-hearted: KIND.

58. Spot for un chapeau: TETE. More French, chapeau = hat, tete = head.

59. Lou of The Velvet Underground: REED. Melrose Plant's favorite singer, right WM?

60. __-Cuban music: AFRO. My WAG of the day, and the music to get ready to say we are done.

63. William Browne's "Awake, faire Muse," e.g.: ODE. All yours CA.

64. Sawbones: DOC. What's up, time to go, another Friday and another fun ride; be careful, school and school buses and kids are coming to highway near you.

Answer grid.

Lemonade

P.S. For my fellow New Englanders it is the 56th Anniversary of the Flood of 1955 when hurricanes Connie and Diane hit 6 days apart. A time I will never forget.

Thursday August 18, 2011 Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: It all ADDS UP (to a sinister riddle)!! The first three letters of the theme entries are synonyms for "add". But, Don G. and C.C. have taken it a step further by using words that change the pronunciation of the "add" synonyms. I have provided links to the theme entries, so you can hear the difference. Just click the speaker next to the entry, and you will hear the correct pronunciation. C.C and Don G. have also provided us with a nice visual, in the form of "plus" signs within the grid. I noticed those immediately when I opened the puzzle, did you?

16A. Rikishi's contest : SUMO MATCH. Did you learn to do "sum" math in grammar school? A "rikishi" is the Japanese word for a professional sumo wrestler. It is also the ring name for professional wrestler Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. I watch him all the time...(not ! - see 62A)

28A. City known as the political capital of Africa : ADDIS ABABA. After your ABC's, I bet you learned how to add two and two! Addis Ababa is located in central Ethiopia.

43A. Pacific Northwest cedar monuments : TOTEM POLES. To "tot" up figures sounds like an old-fashioned phrase. Because of the moist climate in the pacific northwest, few examples of totem poles carved before 1900 exist today.

And, (wait for it!!...) the unifier:

55A. The three in this grid are a hint to the starts of 16-, 28- and 43-Across : PLUS SIGNS

Marti here, and I am delighted to blog another one of our dynamic duo's offerings!

Across:

1. Altar constellation : ARA. I hate it when the lead-in fill is something I don't know (or forgot 2 seconds after I had it in the last puzzle...) So we are going to have a little astronomy lesson right off the bat: Ara is latin for "altar". And it kind of looks like one, don't you think?

4. Picked locks? : AFRO. Great misdirection. These "dos" sometimes still have the "pick" stuck in them!

8. Where to see Goyas : PRADO. Museo Nacional del Prado, in Madrid.

13. Translating computer program : COMPILER

15. Had pizza delivered, say : ATE IN. Got indigestion...

18. Vice __ : VERSA.

19. DFW airport home : TEX. Dallas - Fort Worth, Texas.

20. Lei presenter : WAHINE. The Hawaiian word for "woman". Can also mean a surfer girl.

22. Bit for the dog bowl : ORT. Why do they always get the orts?

23. Tapped-out character : DIT.

24. Popping up all over : RIFE. From old English rīfe; related to Old Norse rīfr generous, Middle Dutch rīve. Who knew???

25. Plaintive wind, perhaps : OBOE. The oboe does sound sad, especially when used to portray the poor duck in "Peter and the Wolf". Interesting narration by David Bowie.

26. First-year law student : ONE-L. Scott Turow's book One L says it all.

30. Battlefield display : HEROICS. Billy, don't be a hero...

32. King's problem in "The King's Speech" : STUTTER. Wonderful movie! Have you all seen it?

33. Polo Grounds #4 : OTT. Dang! Why can I never remember my baseball facts? I knew Mel Ott from, oh, about a thousand crossword puzzles. But "Polo Grounds" threw me for a while. Remember? That was the name of four different stadiums in upper Manhattan, used by the New York Metropolitans, Giants, Yankees and Mets...

34. Place to see bull horns : LEA. They share the lea with the sheep, you know.

35. Reorganize, and then some : SHAKE UP. Great fill.

39. Thrill : DELIGHT

45. NYC neighborhood : NOHO. Short for "North of Houston". I have heard some New Yorkers pronounce this as "how-sten". Is that a local thing?

46. Make __ dash : A MAD. What is everyone so mad about?

47. Scandinavian saint : OLAF. Also a college in Northfield, MN. You can get tickets to listen to Garrison Keeler's "Prairie Home Companion" live broadcast from there on November 19.

48. Rascal : IMP

49. Like Gen. McChrystal : RET. An outspoken and sometimes controversial four-star general, he RETired in July of 2010.

50. Quite soon : ANY DAY. Yep, "Any day now, I'll get to those weeds in the garden..."

52. Bearded beast : GNU. Who gnu?

53. What a case may go to : TRIAL. Yeah, but we have Lemonade and Hahtool on our side!!

58. Gravy no-no : LUMPS. I always leave a few lumps in my gravy, just so everyone knows I made it from scratch, and not from a can...

59. Billie Holiday's real first name : ELEANORA. I forgive you guys! My oldest sister's name was Eleanor (R.I.P.)

60. El primer mes : ENERO. "The first month", in Spanish: January.

61. Houston MLBer : STRO. I guess this is short for "Astro"? And Major League Baseball?

62. "Just kidding!" : NOT.

OK, time for a sip of wine, and then lets continue to

Down:

1. Rm. coolers : ACs. Abbr. and plural in the clue lets us know it's not "fan".

2. Stand-up performance : ROUTINE.

3. Current contraption : AMMETER. This one gave me fits, as I was thinking of "ohmmete..." but I ran out of spaces.

4. Align the cross hairs : AIM

5. Fly in the ointment : FLAW.

6. Slows : RETARDS. Phew! This one could have been a very un-PC clue.

7. Prom corsage : ORCHID. Does anyone grow orchids besides Vidwan and me?

8. Work on the street : PAVE. Heh, heh..I had a totally different kind of work in mind...

9. MapQuest output: Abbr. : RTE. Route.

10. Pilot in a show : AEROBAT. Another one that gave me fits. I wanted "aeronau..." Dang! Ran out of spaces again! But, it's a real word - aerobatics are performed by - what else? - Aerobats!

11. Prepare for the hot tub : DISROBE. OK, I will refrain...

12. Painting the town red : ON A TEAR. "On a spre...". OK, I'm just going to have to stretch this grid out a little bit, to fit in all my answers.

14. "A __ upon thee!" : POX. Who said that?

17. Oldies players : HI-FIs. Oldies? OLDIES? Who you callin' "old", Miss C.C.?? My Hi-Fi was the latest thing in H.S. !!

21. Gets cozy : NESTLES. Every morning, I like to nestle into the crook of DH's arm when I wake up. My favorite part of the day!

23. [Facepalm!] : D'OH. The Urban Dictionary defines "facepalm" as "The act of dropping one's face / forehead into one's hand. Usually accompanied by a "thunk" or a cry of "D'oh!" " We here on the blog just use a V8 can...

25. Lay one's hands on : OBTAIN

27. Undid the blindfold : LOOKED. No fair peeking!

28. Do more than just consider : ACT UPON

29. "The Clan of the Cave Bear" writer : AUEL. I have her latest, The Land of the Painted Caves, on my iPad, waiting to be read. (It's #11 on the list...).

31. Tabloid pair : ITEM

35. Scare : STARTLE

36. Jeter's 3,000th hit, e.g. : HOME RUN. Derek, if memory serves me...

37. Unit by unit, in succession : AT A TIME. One at a time...

38. Coral component : POLYP

39. Foreclosure cause : DEFAULT. Oops!

40. In progress : GOING ON

41. Author better known as Saki : H.H. MUNRO. "Saki" is a reference to the cup-bearer in the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám.

42. Word with seed or banana : TOP

44. Tureen utensils : LADLES

50. Besides : ALSO. And furthermore...

51. Strategic WWI river : YSER. Through France and Belgium.

52. Gibson need : GIN. Marti's need, at this point...

54. Spring mo. : APR. Let me check my calendar...

56. Common word on Brazilian maps : SAO. (Forgive the lack of punctuation accents): Sao Paolo, Sao Luis, Sao Jose de Ribamar, Sao Lourenco de Mata, Sao Goncalo do Amarente, Sao Cristovao, Sao Mateus... you get the idea!

57. Watched the kids : SAT. While they were studying for their college admission tests...

Answer grid.

Whew! That was fun, and I'll see y'all again real soon!

Marti

Note from C.C. and Don:

Don cooked up this idea. We wanted to see if we could use plus signs in the grid to convey meaning in a phrase. Since plus signs are addition, we thought the theme phrases could begin with words that mean "add". We kept it to three letter words, and noticed that the pronunciation in one of the theme phrases was different than the "add" word. We liked that idea, and followed it through for the other two theme answers. The real challenge, though, was trying to get three plus signs into the grid. Hence, we ended up with ELEANORA in 59-Across, if you will forgive us. Does this puzzle remind any of you Don's L-BARS grid image?

Wednesday, August 17 2010, Jack McInturff

Theme: LADYLIKE - the first three theme answers begin with a word that, when preceded with the word lady, forms a common phrase. the fourth theme answer is the unifier.

17a. Gourmet treat sold in gold boxes : GODIVA CHOCOLATE. lady godiva. gimme. i pictured the box immediately. wikipedia: "according to legend, lady godiva rode naked through the streets of coventry, in england, in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants." it would be more entertaining if the tea partiers took this approach. she has inspired at least two movies, a painting, and a statue.

25a. Backdrop for tangerine trees, in a Beatles classic : MARMALADE SKIES. lady marmalade. another gimme. lyrics from lucy in the sky with diamonds. interesting information about the lyrics. the song lady marmalade was originally made famous by patti labelle, and more recently by christina aguilera, lil' kim, mya, and pink in the soundtrack to the movie moulin rouge.

41a. Enduring fortune, ethnically speaking : LUCK OF THE IRISH. lady luck. needed a few perps to get this one.

54a. 1978 #1 hit for the Commodores (and this puzzle's title) : THREE TIMES A LADY.

i thought of BIRDS OF A FEATHER (ladybird). ladyfinger and ladybug also come to mind. can you think of a 14- or 15- letter phrase beginning with finger, or bug?

easy solve with very few unknowns. grokked the theme early. felt a little more like a tuesday level.

across

1. Crime writer Paretsky : SARA. didn't know her.

5. Name on an NYU arts building : TISCH. another unknown. ny school of the arts was renamed the tisch school of the arts after a donation in 1982 from laurence a. and preston robert tisch.

10. Goes (for) : OPTS. hello again.

14. Declare openly : AVER. hello again.

15. Toaster, at times : EMCEE. hello again.

16. Bucket of bolts : HEAP. slang for a clunker of a car.

20. USN rank : ENS. stands for ensign, a junior officer.

21. Bow-wielding god : EROS and 50d. 21-Across, in Rome : AMOR

22. Edd's "77 Sunset Strip" role : KOOKIE. before my time.

23. Approximation phrase : OR SO.

24. Brand served on the floor : ALPO. dog food.

31. Thief : BANDIT

32. Cabbage roll? : WAD. slang, wad of cash.

33. L.A.-to-Bakersfield heading : NNW

34. Follow, as a tip : ACT ON

35. Bit of a pickle : JAM. like this clue.

36. Yes-man's phrase : SO DO I. reminds me of larry tate from bewitched.

38. Hawaiian tuna : AHI. mmm.

39. Ballot markings : X'ES. or kisses.

40. Take off : DEDUCT

45. "Law & Order" figures: Abbr. : ADAS. assistant district attorneys.

46. Swedish explorer Hedin : SVEN. not familiar to me. he made many discoveries during four expeditions to central china. died in 1952.

47. Former "Today" co-anchor : COURIC. katie. recently left cbs evening news.

50. D-delta connection : AS IN. d as in delta.

51. Fashion bottom line? : HEM. clever.

57. Gentle slope : RISE

58. Maine campus town : ORONO

59. Godmother, often : AUNT

60. Good earth : LOAM. liked this.

61. Harder to find : RARER

62. Ho-hum : BLAH

Down

1. Guru : SAGE

2. Royal Shakespeare Theatre river : AVON

3. Primary colors : REDS

4. Ex-press secretary Fleischer : ARI

5. Excitedly removes, as wrapping : TEARS AT. sounds so uncivilized.

6. "Works for me" : I'M COOL

7. UCLA and USC : SCHS. i guess this is just abbreviation for schools. looks funny.

8. Boardroom VIP : CEO. chief executive officer.

9. Harassed from the peanut gallery : HECKLED.

10. "You have to see this!" : OH LOOK. with all the recent teacher discussion, you have to see this. (language warning)

11. Heyday : PEAK

12. Jacques of "Mon Oncle" : TATI. french filmmaker. another unknown.

13. WWI admiral Maximilian von ___ : SPEE. perps to the rescue.

18. Rats and such : VERMIN

19. Cry over spilled milk? : OOPS

23. Great Seal word : ORDO. lifted from c.c.'s blog of the 11/26/10: See here. "Novus ordo seclorum" = "New order of the ages". Novus = New. Ordo = Order. Seclorum = Age.

24. Sandler of "Spanglish" : ADAM. liked the movie.

25. Peru's __ Picchu : MACHU

26. Playful prank : ANTIC

27. Up to one's neck (in) : AWASH

28. Pakistani river : INDUS

29. Tennyson's "__ Arden" : ENOCH. poem published in 1864. calling clear ayes.

30. She played Houlihan on "M*A*S*H" : SWIT. loretta. great tv show, great character.

31. False god : BAAL

35. Airbus products : JETS

36. Williams of tennis : SERENA

37. Viking war god : ODIN

39. Hard-to-define element : X-FACTOR

40. b, in a ÷ b : DIVISOR

42. Laker teammate of Magic : KAREEM. abdul-jabbar.

43. "Garfield" drooler : ODIE. big-tongued dog.

44. Reputed Dead Sea Scrolls writer : ESSENE. jewish sect. story of the discovery of the dead sea scrolls is fascinating.

47. Laptop key : CTRL

48. Taft's birth state : OHIO

49. Minor start? : URSA. ursa minor, meaning "smaller bear." constellation.

51. Do a trucker's job : HAUL

52. Novelist Ferber : EDNA. hello again.

53. Urban legend, e.g. : MYTH

55. Rollover subj. : IRA

56. Scientist's milieu : LAB

Answer grid.

melissa

Note from C.C.:

This is a fun picture from Kazie, who visited Miller Park for the first time on August 15, 2011. She said: "Here is a picture of (L to R) me with husband Barry and son David at the Brewers Game Monday night taken with the "racing sausages".

It really was the first time I've ever gone to a real ball game of any sort, other than school events I had to attend. So quite an experience for me at age 65!"

Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Alex Boisvert

Theme: Modified - The end word, with an added letter or two and a long E sound in different spelling, is placed in front of itself as a modifier AND the modifier has a different etymology. There are three in the rows and two in the columns.

17A. Meat used in place of a puck? : HOCKEY HOCK. HOCKEY, the game, from the "hook" like nature of the sticks. HOCK, Old English hohsinu (literally, heel). Not much meat there. Image.

39A. Surcharge for a cab ride? : TAXI TAX. TAXI, 1907, shortening of taximeter cab (introduced in London in March 1907), from taximeter "automatic meter to record the distance and fare". TAX, from L. taxare "evaluate, estimate, assess, handle".

61A. Davy Jones at an abbey? : MONKEE MONK. Davy Jones was with the musical group, The Monkees. MONK ; Greek monachós hermit.

11D. Intimidator on the bovine playground? : BULLY BULL. BULLY originally had a positive sense of the word, "sweetheart", uncertain origin (cf. Ger. buhle "lover"). BULL came from O.E. bula "a bull, a steer".

35D. Short-term Arizona State employee? : TEMPE TEMP. The original campus was in TEMPE, The sports teams are the Arizona State Sun Devils. TEMP is short for temporary, a worker hired for a short period of time.

Argyle here. At first glance, I thought 'meh' but as I had to parse it, I discovered it was much more complex than I thought. Finding a modifier that is based on a different word but still uses the same letters? Well.... Still a good share of names but a bit more common. Some good stuff you might care to comment on.

Across:

1. Big Harley, in slang : HAWG

5. "Marching Along" autobiographer : SOUSA. The March King.

10. "Mamma Mia!" group : ABBA

14. Soap Box Derby state : OHIO

15. Hearth debris : ASHES

16. Off-peak period : LULL

19. Untidy type : SLOB

20. John Williams quintet? : OSCARS. A prolific composer. Link to his nominations and wins.

21. Fridge sound : HUM. "Hummm" as I stand with the door open deciding what I want to eat.

22. '70s Olympics name : OLGA. Korbut.

23. Fab Four member : STARR. Ringo.

24. Prepare beans, Mexican-style : REFRY

26. Scary fly : TSE-TSE

30. Place for care instructions : LABEL

33. Mouse catchers : CATS

36. Expected : DUE

37. Professor's goal : TENURE

38. Corrida cry : ¡OLÉ!

41. English __ : LITerature

42. Drum heard in Westerns : TOM-TOM

44. Actress Basinger : KIM. Image.

45. Bar brews : ALES

46. Mar. parade celeb : ST. PAT

47. Presario PC brand : COMPAQ. Can you believe I messed this one up and I'm sitting in front of a COMPAQ!

49. Significant period : EPOCH

51. Comfortably rewarding : CUSHY

55. Dinner and a movie, say : DATE

57. D-backs, on scoreboards : ARI. More Arizona.

59. Gillette razor named for its blade count : TRAC II

60. One with a password : USER

63. Gimlet garnish : LIME. "gin, a spot of lime, and soda"

64. Game show host : EMCEE

65. Throw in a chip : ANTE

66. SoCal force : LA PD

67. Country singer Rimes : LEANN

68. Tabloid loch : NESS. Monster or misunderstood?

Down:

1. Hostess snack cakes : HO HOs. Ho, Ho, Ho! One for the ladies. Image.

2. "__ of golden daffodils": Wordsworth : A HOST. "Daffodils" (1804). I wander'd lonely as a cloud. That floats on high o'er vales and hills,. When all at once I saw a crowd,. A host, of golden daffodils; ...

3. Neopagan religion : WICCA

4. Some Soap Box Derby entrants : GO-KARTS

5. Articulates : SAYS

6. __Kosh B'Gosh : OSH. The children's apparel company founded in Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1895.

7. "Rats!" : "UH OH!"

8. Out of harm's way : SECURE

9. Invitation on a rep's button : ASK ME

10. Losing candidate : ALSO RAN

12. Online journal : BLOG

13. Jessica of "Sin City" : ALBA. Another for the boys. Image.

18. Slips up : ERRS

25. Show off one's muscles : FLEX. And another for the girls. Image. Are you keeping score?

27. Dutch cheese : EDAM

28. Prom duds : TUX

29. Bulova competitor : SEIKO

31. 14-Across's Great Lake : ERIE

32. Tennis net grazers : LETS

33. Summer cabin beds : COTS

34. Boatloads : A LOT

37. Pack (down) : TAMP

39. Four-legged Oz visitor : TOTO

40. Comical Conway : TIM

43. Like a pencil point : TAPERED

45. Sea-dwelling superhero : AQUAMAN. Sending out a message.

47. Car trim : CHROME

48. Farmland division : ACRE

50. Skating maneuver : CAMEL. Camel spin.(0:18)

52. Teatime snack : SCONE. No dunking today.

53. Help for the clueless : HINTS

54. "Omigosh!" : "YIKES!"

55. Boring : DULL

56. Where most people live : ASIA

58. Bygone Peruvian : INCA

59. Not-so-little kid : TEEN

62. Barbie's guy : KEN

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

A belated "Happy Birthday" to dear Chickie.

Monday, August 15, 2011 Jeff Chen

Theme: Ghoul Rhymes - As per the store displays, it's time to get ready for Halloween and so here are four theme entries that end with a rhyme for GHOUL, in case you want to write some poems.

17A. 1956 #1 hit for Elvis Presley : "DON'T BE CRUEL". Clip.(2:04) A couple of things; it wasn't lip-synced and there is some German narration(Perhaps we could get a translation?).

27A. Mr. T catch phrase : "I PITY THE FOOL....". He played B.A. Baracus on TV's The A-Team.

47A. Cornerstone principle of democracy : MAJORITY RULE

61A. Eight-time Best Actor nominee who never won : PETER O'TOOLE. Wikipedia article.

Argyle here. I don't think CRUEL is a perfect rhyme but we'll give it poetic(or constructor) license. The spelling is different for each word. There are some names that might cause some trouble but smooth sailing, for the most part. It's what I expect from a Jeff Chen puzzle.

Across:

1. Shish __ : KABOB

6. 2008 "Yes We Can" sloganeer : OBAMA

11. ACLU concerns : RTs. Rights, to the extreme sometimes.

14. Prefix with -clast : ICONO. One who attacks cherished beliefs.

15. Group of secret schemers : CABAL. From Latin [kuh-bal].

16. Neighbor of Wash. : ORE.

19. Cartoon collectible : CEL

20. De Matteo of "The Sopranos" : DREA. Image.

21. Fat-based bird feed : SUET. There have been some cases of it being bear feed, too, this year.

22. '80s-'90s "Did I do that?" TV nerd : URKEL. Image from Family Matters.

24. Having one's day in court? : ON TRIAL

26. "Revenge is __ best served cold" : A DISH. "Old Klingon Proverb"

31. Choir section : ALTOs

34. Cold War country, briefly : USA

35. Chimney passage : FLUE

36. Scratch or scuff : MAR

37. Ostracized one : OUTCAST

41. Prefix with metric : ISO

42. Recipient of a princess's kiss : FROG

44. Suffix for no-good : NIK. A pair of them.

45. Like days gone by : OLDEN

51. Henry __ Lodge: WWI senator : CABOT. (from Boston, Massachusetts.)

52. Final stage of a chess match : END GAME. When only a few pieces are left on the board.

56. "Sesame Street" resident : ERNIE

57. "Get lost, kitty!" : "SCAT!"

59. Adorn, as a birthday gift : WRAP

60. Below-the-belt : LOW

64. Musician's deg. : MFA. Master of Fine Arts.

65. Dodge, as the press : EVADE

66. Address the crowd : ORATE

67. Cellos' sect. : STR. Strings.

68. Flew off the handle : RAGED

69. Gumbo vegetables : OKRAs

Down:

1. Friendly term of address : KIDDO

2. Oak tree-to-be : ACORN

3. Lisa of "The Cosby Show" : BONET. Image.

4. Easternmost Great Lake : ONTARIO

5. Reggae's Marley : BOB. Jammin'.(2:56)

6. Supernatural : OCCULT

7. Au naturel : BARE

8. Stand next to : ABUT

9. West of the silver screen : MAE

10. Refer (to) : ALLUDE

11. Dependable beyond doubt : ROCK SOLID

12. Kids' secret club meeting place : TREE HOUSE

13. Dispose of via eBay : SELL

18. Morales of "La Bamba" : ESAI. Also, Lt. Tony Rodriguez on NYPD Blue.

23. Jazz motif : RIFF

25. __ facto : IPSO. "by the fact itself"

26. Cries of triumph : A-HAs

28. Totally gross : YUCKY

29. Luggage-screening org. : TSA. Transportation Security Administration.

30. "Exodus" author Uris : LEON

31. Car radio button : AM/FM

32. "Tomb Raider" role for Angelina Jolie : LARA CROFT. From the game.

33. Conflict involving a fake horse : TROJAN WAR

38. Workbook chapter : UNIT

39. __ for tat : TIT. Image.

40. Sang like a canary, so to speak : TOLD

43. Mongolian desert : GOBI

46. Out-of-the-office detective duty : LEG WORK

48. Ebert's partner after Siskel : ROEPER. Image.

49. Parented : REARED

50. "Do __ others ..." : UNTO

53. Bustling with noise : AROAR

54. Island nation near Sicily : MALTA. Map.

55. Fencing swords : EPEEs

56. Shade trees : ELMS

57. Just for guys : STAG

58. Formally relinquish : CEDE

62. Perón of Argentina : EVA

63. As well : TOO

Answer grid.

Argyle