Saturday, Dec 24th, 2011 Jack McInturff

Theme: None

Words: 72

Blocks: 33

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all ~!! This is not Jack FROST nipping at your nose, but Jack McInturff nipping at your noggin - or is that egg-nog doing that???

I just checked to see when we last saw Jack McInturff, and he gave us our Thanksgiving Eve puzzle, too - now he is here with our Christmas Eve puzzle, and I do believe it is his first Saturday puzzle, tho he has given us Sundays before. I have to admit, this was the first time I went to Google to find an answer because I got stuck in the NE corner, and it was due to my mistake of thinking SGTS was the E-7 rank; more at 10D....

Anyway, this one was tough, and I cheated, but what can I say....triple 9's and 8's in a pinwheel fashion, with those frustrating one word clues, and some deception as well. I do like the early morning brain battle.

Onward ~!

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen ~!

Comet, Cupid, Donder, and Blitzen ~!

ACROSS:

1. Totally : STONE COLD

10. Rigs on the road : SEMIs

15. Annual All-American Soap Box Derby site : AKRON, OHIO - I knew this answer, but couldn't recall the city, so I put in OHIO, and waited....

16. Old French capital? : FRANC - how funny is this??? I was stuck on SOU and ECU for so long from doing crosswords, that FRANC totally eluded me until I changed my 10D answer

17. One may be marching : BRASS BAND

18. Keyboardist who founded Return to Forever : COREA - did not know this; I am sure JazzB was "HIP" to him; a little clip for you

19. Rembrandt van __ : RYN - I WAGed at RIN, should have known it was a "Y"; also 32A. Rug with a long pile : RYA - standard in crosswordese

20. Certain protests : SIT-INs - or bed-ins, as done by our last clue/answer

22. "Friends" actress, familiarly : JENnifer Aniston, my personal fave from a show I did NOT watch

23. Spread __ : EAGLE

26. Pmt.-lowering option : RE-FInance

27. Lacking a partner : ODD - as in socks, not people....ah.

28. Blessed event? : SNEEZE - by not reading this as Bless -ED, I was able to nail it

30. Italy's Como, per esempio : LAGO - Italian for Lake

33. Fancy layer : GILT - UGH ~! This one stumped me, and had to go letter cycling before the "G" made sense in both across and down....

35. "__ out!" : YER - not GET, which also has the central "E"

36. Giant in a 2000 merger : AOL - America On Line, did not know this (From C.C.: The AOL./Time Warner merge. Debacle.)

37. 1980s Screen Actors Guild president : ED ASNER - boy this guy gets around in crosswords, doesn't he!?!? Such user/solver-friendly letters, and his 'full' name

40. "The Complaint of Peace" essayist, 1521 : ERASMUS

42. Eastern Med. country : LEBanon

43. Ophelia's niece, in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" : EVA

44. TV Stone Age pet : DINO - the Flintstones "dog", so to speak

45. Court figs. : D.A.s - District Attorneys, part of the LAW side of LAW & ORDER, a favorite TV show of mine

46. Lacking : SANS - French, 'without'

48. Town across the Connecticut River from Springfield, Mass. : AGAWAM - map

52. Ring support : OLE - AH ~!! The cry from the crowd ~!! The ring being the bullfight

53. Baker's meas. : TSPs

55. Puck's eatery : SPAGO - not in my wheelhouse - this place

56. Veep before LBJ : RMN - A WAG, tho I knew he was in politics for a long time, Richard Milhous Nixon

57. Candy heart phrase : BE MINE - I tried being cute with "I LOVE U"

59. Gnarly : RAD - Helps to have a teenager in one's life for this kind of language - in my case it was my generation that typically found "cool" things to be Gnarly, and RAD - but I never said either word unless I was trying to be sarcastic - think Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

60. Big name in insurance : AETNA

62. One of two in a historic 1869 Utah meeting : IRON HORSE - Dah ~!!! I knew it was the two trains meeting at Promontory Summit, but STEAM TRAIN didn't fit, nor LOCOMOTIVE

65. "Sharky's Machine" author : DIEHL - this guy; WAGed the "H"

66. Classroom concern : TARDINESS

67. Wee hr. : ONE A.M. - I am DONE at UPS as of 9am this morning - spent all week getting up at 12 midnight for a ONE A.M. shift, getting out at 9-10am. How about you Dennis? Are you 0 & 1 w/u now?

68. Deliberate : SLEEP ON IT - De-li-BER-ate, as in a jury, not De-LIB'rate, as in an intentional act

DOWN:

1. Buffalo skaters : SABRES - Hockey Hockey Hockey ~!! My Rangers beat their Winter Classic rivals the Philadelphia Flyers, once again, this time 4-2. The outdoor game is a week from Monday, and New Year's Eve is an alumni (there's some CW for you) game of the retired types - should be a lot of fun, yes eddyB ~?

2. "Tumbleweeds" cartoonist : T.K. RYAN - good way to get a four-consonant word in the grid, with T-K-R-Y - this guy and his strip

3. Fruit in a knock-knock joke : ORANGE - OK, OK, I wanted Banana, and you get 'em both~!

4. Negatives : Nos

5. Cannes duo : ENS - ah, not the French number, but the two "N"s in the word caNNes

6. Picnic trash : COBS - Corn centers, leftover

7. 2011 Canadian Open champ Sean : O'HAIR - golf, this guy

8. Architectural support : LINTEL - A steel L-bar that spans a masonry opening over a window or door, e.g., and carries the weight of the load above; also decorative, as in this instance

9. "Chariots of Fire" executive producer : DODI FAYED - more famous for his romantic link and death with Princess Diana

10. E-7 Army personnel : SFCs - the killer for me, a Sergeant First Class - my friend Jim is in the Army, has about 6 years left, and the last I heard, he was an E-6, and deployed to Afghanistan; I wonder if he got holiday leave....

11. Ranch closing? : ERO - Ranchero

12. Mint family herb : MARJORAM

13. "Help me" : I NEED YOU - too long to fit on a candy heart ???

14. Checkout counter newspaper fodder : SCANDALS - Aww, I wanted UFO IS GOD, or something much more investigative - I was looking for that scene from MiB where they "check the hot sheets", the supermarket tabloids

21. Gulf of Guinea country : NIGERIA

24. Staying power : LEGS - ah, yes to say "it has legs" means it (or they) will last - all I want for Christmas is these two hot legs

25. Web issues : EZINES - hey, I don't mind the E- or A- words, but I am getting tired of all the I- things you can buy these days; I am getting rid of my i P.O.S. for Christmas

29. Raise : ELEVATE

31. Asian swingers : ORANGs - Primates, but I thought they didn't do much in the trees

34. Sends : TRANSMITS

37. Poe poem written at the time of the California Gold Rush : EL DORADO - here

38. Cardplayer's request : DEAL ME IN

39. Type of ballot : ABSENTEE

41. Suds source : SOAP - not FOAM, and not BEER

47. Cochlea shape : SPIRAL

49. Underground home : WARREN


50. Two-time U.S. Open champ : AGASSI - tennis

51. Unassuming : MODEST

54. Nighttime disturbance, at times : SNORE

57. Healer : BALM

58. Cologne conclusion : ENDE - more French, I believe (C.C.: German for "end".)

61. New Deal home loan gp. : NHA - Here's a great site that lists all of them, I think

63. Trendy : HIP

64. "Double Fantasy" artist : ONO - not a fan

Answer grid.

I have one last 2-hour shift at UPS at 7am today, sorting overnight Air packages, and then I am back to my regular schedule on Tuesday

- yea ~~!!!!

Splynter

Friday, December 23, 2011, Mike Peluso

Theme: No F words here! The letter F is taken from the end of the second word of a common phrase and is replaced with either a sound alike or the word without the F to create a new and witty phrase. This is my second Mike Peluso puzzle to write up, and like the other it has many 3 and 4 letter words, which should be easy, but they are not. It also has lots of themeage, so let us see what we have to work with today.

18A. Answered on "Name That Fabric"?: CRIED WOOL. Cried wolf. My favorite, and seeing the theme really helped.

20A. Just the binding?: BOOK SHELL. Book shelf. Here the F leaves but an added L comes in to play.

36A. Scale model of an ancient rival of Rome: MINIATURE GAUL. Miniature golf. Here we lose the F sound and have a sound alike. As Julius Caesar said, "Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres."

54A. Burger queen?: GROUND BEE. Ground Beef. The F is gone, no sound alike. Queen Bee, a convoluted pun with Burger King as well. A shout out to our amazing BEES.

57A. Non-contraband cheese?: LEGAL BRIE. Legal Brief. This one also just has the F removed. Brie the french soft cheese.

The unifier: 65A. Disappearing sound, and a hint to this puzzle's theme: PFFT. Not much help, but I had the theme long before I git here.

Time for the rest of the story.

Across:

1. Tic, for one: SPASM. Like that of Inspector Dreyfus.

6. Arcade trademark word: SKEE. Skee Ball, the first game where we teach kids to gamble to win prizes.

10. Its website has a "Rodents 101" section: DCON. Gotta love em, CLIP (0:18).

14. "__ Go Again": Whitesnake #1 song : HERE I. CLIP.(4:33).

15. Brand at Petco: IAMS. The founder of the company was Paul Iams.

16. Pats on a buffet: OLEO. No, not on the waitresses' bottom.

17. '30s-'40s Kildare portrayer : AYRES. Lew, who ironically studied to be a doctor at the University of Arizona.

22. Pocatello sch : ISU. Idaho State University.

23. Texter's "Oh, before I forget ..." : BTW. By the Way.

24. Pah lead-in: OOM. Is this too close to 40A. Oomph: ZING?

25. Car radio selection: PRESET.

28. Hedger's OK: YES, BUT...what if? See below?

30. Land measurement ACRE.

32. "Discreet Music" composer: ENO. Sounds better than elevator music.

33. Surrealist Jean: ARP. A regular in our world.

34. On the __ vive: alert: QUI. From French, who lives, being the inquiry of the guard of the gate.

35. City south of Fort Worth: WACO. I guess forever linked to David Koresh, the wacko from Waco.

41. DOD arm: NSA. Department of Defense. National Security Agency.

42. Aus. currency : DOL. Austrailian Dollar.

43. Seasonal helper: ELF.How many liked the Will Farrell movie?

44. Olds 442 rivals: GTOS. My brother has a 1967.

45. Honolulu's __ Palace: IOLANI. The only real PALACE in the US.

49. Mouth formations: DELTAS. Mouths of rivers, my favorite was Miss Florida.

51. H.S. dropout's exam: GED. General Educational Development are the tests not the diploma.

52. Author Yutang: LIN. Out of my knowledge base, perhaps other can give some history. (From C.C.: Lin Yutang was a giant in Chinese literature, known for his beautiful prose.)

53. High dudgeon: IRE. An odd word never used by itself, and with no known origin like its cousins BLUDGEON and CURMUDGEON.

60. Rock's Burdon et al : ERICS. and the Animals.

61. He lowered the New York Times' price from 3¢ to 1¢: OCHS. And raised circulation from 7,000 to 900,000. Interesting MAN.

62. Doofuses : OAFS.

63. Reds, maybe: WINES.

64. Clothes alterer of a kind: MOTH. Cute, but I do not see many moths here.

66. Tex's "What if ...": S'POSE. This one fooled me for a while even after I filled in all the letters, I suppose I just did not see it.

Down:

1. Ramshackle: SHABBY. I started with SHANTY, thinking of an old house.

2. Native American hallucinogen: PEYOTE. When I was in college lots of people wanted to be indigenous Americans so they could experience the ritual of mescaline, the hallucinogen in Peyote.

3. Pointers: ARROWS.

4. Tuner option: SEEK. Being from New England I like my TUNER to be Albacore. Also and Anagram for SKEE, and the derivation of SIC.

5. Where Clark met Lewis in 1804: MISSOURI. The state or the river?

6. "Attack!": SIC EM. likely from "seek them."

7. Jazz great Malone: KARL. This was so cool, not the music, but the NBA team.

8. Oscar winner Jannings : EMIL. A silent film star who won the first best Actor award in 1929; he later became a Nazi propagandist, and his Hollywood career was over.

9. Toledo-to-Akron dir : ESE.

10. Not spare the rod?: DOWSE. The art of finding water with a stick, not to be confused with DICKY the STICK promoted by Johnny Carson.

11. Sellers role: CLOUSEAU. Truly in a class by himself with his tormentor/tormentee 57D. Herbert who played 11-Down's nemesis Inspector Dreyfus: LOM. A perfect FOIL for Seller's silliness.

12. Antipoverty agcy: OEO. Office of Economic Opportunity.

13. Exiled Cambodian Lon __ NOL. My favorite palindromic leader.

19. Like some consequences: DIRE.

21. Revealing '60s-'70s fad: HOT PANTS. I remember Goldie Hawn.

25. Literally, "pray G-d : PRIE DIEU. Where people kneel to pray.

26. SASE, e.g.: ENCL. Enclosure.

27. Overly: TOO. Like SOFIA sometimes?

29. Slam: BANG. Thank you ma'am.

30. Blue hues: AQUAS. Very big here in Florida.

31. Heel : CUR. An old fashioned word.

35. Medieval fortification: WALL. Anyone watching the mini-series made from Pillars of Earth?

36. Sports Authority Field altitude: MILE. The only stadium anyone cares about altitude is in Denver, home of the Broncos and now Tim Tebow, a Gator.

37. Like some movies: IN FLIGHT. This was really hard for me to parse. The perps finally filled, but this was a struggle.

38. Chicken general?: TSO. A staple both in the restaurant and the puzzle.

39. It may be a relief: GOOD NEWS. Very obscure clue.

40. Last of 26, in Chelsea: ZED. The British way to designate the letter "z."

44. Erse speaker, perhaps: GAEL. Gaels, the Celtic peoples of Scotland, Ireland. Erse became Irish.

46. White rat, e.g.: ALBINO. Or my favorite...

47. Reunion attendees: NIECES.

48. Actually existing: IN ESSE. Literal Latin.

50. Contentious talk: TRASH. The language of the NBA and NFL.

51. "Whither thou __ ...": Ruth: GOEST. "whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people..."

54. Five-time U.S. Open champ: GRAF. Wife of Andre Agassi; you think their children will pay?

55. Jazz phrase: RIFF. Riffs are found primarily in rock music, Latin, funk and jazz, classical music is also sometimes based on a simple riff, such as Ravel's Boléro.

56. Coffee choice: DRIP. I much prefer having my coffee with an interesting person.

58. Green prefix: ECO. Ecology and all that.

59. Gillespie's genre: BOP. John Birks 'Dizzie' Gillespie was a major figure in both bebop and JAZZ. (3:47) Listen and enjoy as he ends my return to the saddle. JzB, cheeky bastard wasn't he.

Answer grid.

Thanks and it is good to be back, if still a bit out of shape. Have a very happy holiday week all.

Lemonade

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to our Capricorn Misty! Found the Capri pants yet?

Thursday, December 22, 2011 John Lampkin

Theme: Who Wears the Pants in the Family? Different kinds of pants are hidden in this puzzle's theme entries.

17A. *Neat, practical types, so it's said : CAPRICORNS. CAPRIS are pants named for the Isle of Capri in Italy. They were popularized by Grace Kelly, who often wore them while visiting the island.

58A. *Easter Bunny's delivery : JELLY BEANS. The now ubiquitous JEANS were originally the working man's pants, until they were popularized among teens in the '50s when James Dean sported them in "Rebel Without a Cause".

10D. *Ceremonial flag carriers : COLOR GUARDS. CORDS, or corduroy pants were never popularized. They do, however, have their own "Appreciation Day" on 1/11 and 11/11 each year. 11/11/11 was considered the holiest of corduroy appreciation days...

24D. *Arch supports, e.g. : SHOE INSERTS. SHORTS come in many styles, including cargo shorts, bermuda shorts, cut-offs and boxer shorts, among others. But I'll just link a picture that includes one popular style.

And the amusing unifier:

38A. Different kinds of them are split (but not in an embarrassing way) in the four starred answers : PANTS.

Marti here, happy to be blogging this delightful offering from John Lampkin. I like the fact that all four theme entries are plural. Having them in a pinwheel pattern adds to the visual effect of splitting, don't you think?

Across:

1. Popped (out) : FLIED. I was thinking "appeared", as out of nowhere. But of course, a baseball term referring to a high flying ball would throw me off!

6.Pet welfare org. : SPCA. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. My pets have them on speed dial, because they always feel like I am starving them to death...

10.Swear : CUSS. Anyone else have "avow"?

14.One drawing a bead : AIMER

15. Feeds, as cattle : HAYS. We had the discussion of straw Vs. hay yesterday. I will call on those same experts to let me know if this is the term commonly used when feeding cattle?

16.Kevin's "A Fish Called Wanda" role : OTTO. Kevin Kline. Funny movie.

19.Father of Cordelia : LEAR. The king. Shakespeare.

20.Slip : ERR

21.Swore : VOWED. Not enough letters for "cussed"...

22.Piano's opposite, in a score : FORTE. "Piano" meaning "soft", not to be confused with 25. Keys for a music room? : IVORIES.

23.Rhone feeder : ISERE. Seine, Loire, Saone...how many five letter rivers can you name?

27.Department store employees : CASHIERS

30.Dog days mo. : AUG

31.Sing like Michael Bublé : CROON. I guess this guy is a little more modern than Big Crosby.

32.Is leery of : MISTRUSTS

37.Kin of -ess : ENNE

39.Make __ with: impress : A HIT

40.Radiation detection device : DOSIMETER

42.Inclined (to) : PRONE

43.Here-there link : NOR. Yes, but that's neither here nor there...

44.Invaded, with "on" : WAGED WAR

46.Epitome of thickness : PEA SOUP. No, the epitome of thickness is me at 11:00 at night, trying to figure out a crossword puzzle...

50.Clutch : GRASP

51.Insect-trapping resin : AMBER. This would creep me out if I had to wear it around my neck...

52.Man of many words : ROGET. Thesaurus man.

54.Le Mans law : LOI. Abejo, another French word for you to learn!

57.Kind of miss : NEAR.

60.Bar peel : ZEST. Like the zest of a lemon or lime, not the bar of soap!

61.Pulitzer-winning author James : AGEE. "A Death in the Family" (autobiography).

62.As if it were scripted : ON CUE

63.Mars, to the Greeks : ARES

64.Lout : BOOR

65.Ninnies : GEESE

Down:

1.Deal with : FACE

2.Whopper creator : LIAR. I was trying to think of the name of the Burger King owner. But Kramer and Burns wouldn't fit.

3.Puts away : IMPRISONS. I was still off on that Burger King tangent, and wanted "wolfs down".

4.It's always in Shakespeare : E'ER. Clever clue for the poetic "always".

5.Big screen locale : DRIVE-IN

6.Slip preventer : SHOWER MAT

7.Peel : PARE. Not to be confused with zest.

8.Singer Lauper : CYNDI. I'll let her fan link a song.

9.Beast of burden : ASS

11.Wombs : UTERI

12.Country : STATE. "Sovereign state".

13.Abrasions : SORES

18.Innermost part : CORE. Not to be confused with peel...

22.Final complement, perhaps : FOUR. ??As in, final four teams competing for the play-offs?? I had trouble with this clue. (From C.C.: NCAA's Final Four. Elite Eight. Sweet Sixteen.)

26.Relatives of drums : VATS. Lots of tricky clues today. In this case, "drums" refer to metal containers (like oil drums), not the things you play.

27.Emailed a dupe to : CC'ED. And a hat tip to our fearless leader.

28.Cartoonist Peter : ARNO. Now deceased, his political cartoons once appeared regularly in "The New Yorker".

29.Resilient strength : SINEW. Again, a tricky meaning for the word.

33.Poky follower : STRAGGLER. I was thinking "MON?", until I realized that poky was being used as an adjective here. Anyway, it's Pokémon, not Pokymon.

34.Hearst Castle, for one : SHOWPLACE. Has anyone else been there? No argument from me about it being a showplace!

35.Brown of publishing : TINA. I think she is still editor of "Newsweek" and "The Newsweek Daily Beast" (its joint venture)?

36.Dump closing? : STER. Dumpster.

38.Chincha Islands country : PERU. I tried to get you a map, but the islands are so small, even google maps can't see them...

41.Marshy wasteland : MOOR. Anyone else think of Heathcliff? And then there is the clecho with: 42.Marshy fuel source : PEAT BOG.

45.Neutral shade in London : GREY. As opposed to "gray" spelling, in New York.

46.Quixote's squire Sancho : PANZA

47.Arab chieftain : EMEER

48.Demean : ABASE

49.Barilla rival : PREGO. I use Barilla pasta, but always make my own sauce.

53.Butter alternative : OLEO.

55.Albatross : ONUS. Like an albatross around your neck...

56."Got it" : I SEE.

58.Punch that might make you reel : JAB. HaHa, I wanted to somehow fit "spiked eggnog" in there.

59.Yachtsman's course: Abbr. : ENE. Now I'm off to set my course for bed!

Answer grid.

Hugs,

Marti

Notes from C.C.:

1) Welcome back, Jeanie! I miss your presence and the warmth you always bring to the blog.

2) Here is a beautiful photo from John Lampkin, taken in October. He said "This is a cloud of Queen butterflies taken at Falcon Dam, near Roma Texas. A group of volunteers maintain a natural garden there packed with native butterfly-friendly plants. As a result, it's a mecca for butterflies and butterfly enthusiasts of which there are many. At times it's like walking through a fairyland."

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Je suis chaude* aka FEVER, aka "I got the hots!"

17A. Crisp cylindrical appetizer : SPRING ROLL. Translation from the Chinese, 春卷 (Thank you Wikipedia.) A rolled, filled appetizer common in Asian cuisine, with lots of local variation in wrapper, filling and nomenclature. SPRING FEVER: an ill-defined feeling of restlessness, excitement or laziness, brought about the onset of Spring.

27A. Tango necessity : DANCE PARTNER. One with whom you dance, natch. Example. DANCE FEVER: a disco-era TV variety show featuring couples in dance-off competitions.

38A. Jaunt that might get straw in your hair : HAY RIDE. I'll let Windhover riff on the differences between HAY and straw. (Sorry for the omission earlier.)

46A. Pleasure craft : CABIN CRUISER. A power boat with inside accommodations for passengers and crew. Pick the one you like. CABIN FEVER. A feeling of claustrophobia, restlessness, boredom and/or depression resulting from being confined for an extended period with little or nothing to do.

And the unifier: 63A. State of excitement (generated by the starts of 17-, 27-, 38- and 46-Across?) : FEVER PITCH. This also implies energetic or frenzied activity. Origin is not well known, but feverish can relate to an over-wrought or delirious state, so there might be that kind of connection.

* We recently had a discussion about how one must be careful in translating "I am hot," into German, with obvious opportunities for unintended misunderstanding. I believe the same hazards exist with translating into French, but will defer to the resident expert on such matters. Kazie?

Hi, gang. JazzBumpa here. Let's try not to get too overheated as we explore today's entry.

Across:

1. Powder for Junior : TALC. Talcum powder, sure. I don't like this kind of imprecise clue. How about for sis, or mom -- or dad, for that matter?

5. Cyberzines : E-MAGS. For virtual reading.

10. Sudden show of energy : BANG. "Sudden" is a bit of understatement for something explosive.

14. Ho-hum : BLAH. Bored with the banality. I can't remember the last time I was unbusy enough to feel that kind of blah.

15. Prepare for a road trip : GAS UP. Fuel for the auto.

16. Barbra's "Funny Girl" co-star : OMAR Sharif, aka Michael Demitri Shalhoub, an Egyptian actor best known for playing the part of a Russian. Funny how these things work out.

19. Iditarod destination : NOME. End point for the famous Alaskan dog sled race. Also the capital of Nome Man's land.

20. Brazil discoverer Cabral : PEDRO. Will anybody remember this historical fact the next time it comes up?

21. Season to be jolly : YULE. The Winter solstice, back in the day; now Christmas, etc. Be jolly, or YULE be sorry!

22. At liberty : FREE.

23. Founding father? : ADAM. Leading man from the Book of Genesis. Unlike Rhett, ADAM did give A DAMN. Especially after the encounter with that DAMN COBRA.

25. Superlatively spooky : EERIEST. Not to be confused with EYRIEST, superlatively like an Eagle's nest, or ERIEST, superlatively like that lake by Put-In Bay.

31. Collegiate climber : IVY. There has to be a great poem about those IVY covered walls. C.A,?

32. Fury : IRE. White hot anger. Can sometimes be seen at a FEVER PITCH.

33. Country with a five-sided flag : NEPAL. A small South-Asian country high in the Himalayan Mountains between China and India. The five-sided flag.

37. Strive : VIE. Not exactly. One may strive - that is, make great goal-directed effort totally alone, and disconnected from anything else. To VIE indicates competition for something. Per Mirriam-Webster on line, derivation is via Anglo-French envier to invite, call on, challenge.

41. Samuel Adams Summer __ : ALE. Now this is a popular topic at the corner. I've recently discovered Detroit Lager, and recommend it highly (so to speak.)

42. Words on a fictional cake : EAT ME. Alice in Wonderland.

44. Article in Le Monde? : UNE. More French.

45. 1988 Ryan/Quaid remake : D.O.A. Quaid plays Dexter Cornell, an English Professor who finds people around him dying, - well, murdered actually - and also gets comfort from Sydney Fuller, one of his students, played by Meg Ryan. I do find the thought of 1988 vintage (pre-technical augmentation) Meg Ryan to be rather comforting.

51. Collapsed : CAVED IN. Apt description.

54. Not domestic, as a flight: Abbr. : INTL. International

55. Available, as a job : OPEN. Not nearly enough of them these days.

56. Give __: okay : A NOD. A NOD of the head signals assent. A shake of the head - well . . . no.

58. Keebler staff : ELVES. Since all the ELVES went over to Keebler, Santa has had to hire a legion of replacement workers. He calls them subordinate Clauses.

62. Suds, so to speak : BEER. Do I detect a sub-theme - or a suds theme?

65. Auctioned auto : REPO. Short for repossessed. Not to be confused with the kind of person who needs a second exorcism.

66. Prepare for more printing : RE-INK. Ink fuels the printing press. In the future, it will be re-pixelate.

67. Radar's favorite pop : NEHI. Radar O'Reilly On M*A*S*H. One would assume it goes well with a Hungarian Hot Dog.

68. Vaulted recess : APSE. In a house of ill repute, such a niche is known as a sin APSE.

69. Supplement : ADD TO. Nothing more to say about this.

70. Privy to : IN ON.

Down:

1. 1/2 fl. oz. : TBSP. Tablespoon. Note Abrv. in Cl. & ans.

2. Mont Blanc, par exemple : ALPE. I'm guessing White Mountain in the French Alps. Can any of our world travelers verify?

3. Pie baker's shortening : LARD. As I understand it, the heavier the shortening, the lighter and flakier the crust. Jeannie?

4. Sarkozy's predecessor : CHIRAC. Jacques Chirac should be the start of a nursery rhyme, like Jack Spratt. At least he was actually French. Sarkozy's father was nagybócsai Sárközy Pál, a thoroughly obnoxious Hungarian aristocrat.

5. Food in a shell : EGG. What - no pistachios?

6. Echoic nursery rhyme opening : MARY MARY, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With Spratty Jack and Jacques Chirac and Sárközy in a row.

7. Not worth __: valueless : A SOU. An erstwhile French coin of little value. I wanted A FIG.

8. Esophagus : GULLET. Esophagus sounds more sophisticated, but less Anglo-Saxon. Either way, you swallow through it.

9. It might be vented : SPLEEN. Vent one's SPLEEN. This colorful phrase goes back to medieval times, when the SPLEEN was thought to be the source of melancholy. By the 16th century it had been reassigned to rage and ill-temper. Venting, of course is letting it all out, possibly at a FEVER PITCH.

10. Homecoming tradition : BONFIRE. College homecoming tradition, not arriving home from work.

11. Love, in Livorno : AMORE. That should be Napoli. Take it away Dino.

12. Proper nouns : NAMES. Frex: nagybócsai Sárközy Pál

13. Welcome : GREET. Hey, how a' ya, Aloha, good buddy.

18. Junction point : NODE. I assume you all knowed that.

24. Samoa's largest city : APIA. I'm guessing this has nothing to do with bees. Check it out. Sometimes I imagine the LW is Polynesian. Whenever she kisses me, I want Samoa.

26. Philosopher Descartes : RENE. Also Jacques Chirac's middle name.

27. Greasy spoon : DIVE. I will defer to Guy Fieri. (If you're at work, turn off your speaker.)

28. Nike rival : AVIA. Comfortable foot wear.

29. Russian refusal : NYET. I'll be you all no'ed that one, too.

30. Summer tube fare : RE RUN. Oh. TV tube. D'OH! My mind was running to tube floating and tube tops. Is that fare?

34. Paw bottoms : PADS. The bottoms of dog's dogs.

35. Soothing succulent : ALOE. The best herbal discovery ever, for cross word constructors.

36. Shakespearean father of three : LEAR. The King had three daughters: Goneril, which sounds like a disease; Regan, which sounds like a B-movie actor; and Cordelia, which sounds like a Secretary of State.

38. Leader : HEAD. Could be a president, like Chirac.

39. Occurrence : INCIDENT. It might involve a DAMN COBRA.

40. Hollywood's Laura or Bruce : DERN. Actors.

43. Bad boy of 1970s-'80s tennis : McENROE. John, famous for his FEVER PITCHED SPLEEN ventings.

47. 1960s African famine site : BIAFRA. A region of southern Nigeria, a make-believe country and part of the detritus of the crumbled British Empire. The Igbo people of Biafra had little in common with the more northern Nigerians, and seceded in 1967. War ensued. The wages of war is famine. Thus has it ever been.

48. Lacking : IN NEED. No need to riff on this idea.

49. Sch. near the Rio Grande : UTEP. University of Texas at El Paso. I think they might have a basketball team.

50. "Fighting" Big Ten team : ILLINI. Nickname for the teams from the University of Illinois.

51. Lethal snake : COBRA. I wanted VIPER.

52. "Not __ out of you!": "Shh!" : A PEEP. This is what Little Bo said to quiet her sheep.

53. Senate tie breakers, briefly : VEEPS. The Vice President (VEEP) of the U.S. is the President of the Senate, and only casts a vote to break a tie.

57. "Metamorphoses" poet : OVID. Got the V from the perp and took a swag.

59. Former Formula One car engine : V-TEN. I do believe the VIPER still has it.

60. Reverberate : ECHO. I've heard that before.

61. Commonly bruised bone : SHIN. Down in the ankle region there isn't much meat between skin and bone.

64. "Citizen Kane" studio : RKO. Radio-Keith-Orpheum Pictures, from the 30's and 40's. Their roster of stars included Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Katherine Hepburn, Robert Mitchum and Cary Grant. How's that for a list of proper nouns?

Answer grid.

Very clean and solid puzzle, and just about right for a Wednesday. Just what we'd expect from Donna. Now it's time for me to cool down and HEAD for bed.

Cheers!

JzB

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 Steven J. St. John

Theme: A Winning Hand - Most of the time, four kings will take the pot.

20A. 33/63-Across, in golf : ARNOLD PALMER

28A. 33/63-Across, in stock car racing : RICHARD PETTY

45A. 33/63-Across, in swing music : BENNY GOODMAN

54A. 33/63-Across, in rock 'n' roll : ELVIS PRESLEY

33A/63A. With 63-Across, nickname for four immortals in this puzzle : THE and 63-Across. See 33-Across : KING

Argyle here, among the royalty. Our second puzzle from Steven and he's come through again. (His first one). Amazing all four names had the same numbers of letters. A pangram, too!

Across:

1. Indian royals : RAJAs

6. Pulitzer-winning columnist Maureen : DOWD. Columnist on The New York Times.

10. Popular British brew : BASS

14. Kuwaiti neighbor : IRAQI

15. Albany-to-Buffalo canal : ERIE

16. Game point, in tennis : AD IN

17. Make a case : ARGUE

18. Actor Kilmer et al. : VALs

19. Not common : RARE

23. Kirby Puckett and Mickey Mantle, by pos. : CFs. Centerfielders.

26. Tech sch. near Albany : RPI. Across the Hudson in Troy. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

27. Withered with age : WIZENED

31. See 7-Down : EXAM 7-Down. With 31-Across, postgraduate test : ORAL

32. Words with a nod : "I SEE"

36. Mark replacements : EUROS

38. Ran into : MET

39. West Indies native : CARIB. They are an Amerindian people whose origins lie in the southern West Indies and the northern coast of South America.

41. Secretly watch, with "on" : SPY

42. Holler's partner : HOOT

44. 2011 Libyan arms embargo enforcement gp. : NATO

49. Climbed on : BOARDED

52. Imperfect, as mdse. : IRR.

53. Hog's home : STY

57. Family group : CLAN

58. Suffix for the wealthy : AIRE. (millionaire)

59. Protect : GUARD

64. "Top Chef" judge Simmons : GAIL. Chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges on the cable television network Bravo. Gail Simmons was born in Toronto, Canada, and has been a judge on the show from the start.

65. Like mentors vis-à-vis mentees, usually : OLDER

66. Complete collections : SETS

67. Differ ender : ENCE. (Difference)

68. High-maintenance : NEEDY

Down:

1. Estuary : RIA. That part of the mouth a river in which the river's current meets the sea's tide.

2. LAX touchdown : ARR. (Arrival)

3. Drinking binge : JAG

4. Color similar to turquoise : AQUA

5. __ Nevada mountain range : SIERRA

6. Bereft (of) : DEVOID

8. Setting for saloons and shootouts : WILD WEST

9. Regardless of : DESPITE

10. Beer grain : BARLEY

11. Rhett Butler's final words : A DAMN. Everyone should have it this time,

12. Yes-Bob connection : SIREE

13. Wooden Mortimer : SNERD. Mortimer Snerd was the secondary dummy of Edgar Bergen, and appeared with Bergen and Charlie McCarthy.

21. "All Things Considered" airer : NPR. National Public Radio.

22. Templo Mayor worshiper : AZTEC. The Templo Mayor was one of the main temples of the Aztecs in their capital city of Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City.

23. Alberta natives : CREEs

24. Renovate : FIX UP

25. Frightening : SCARY

29. Health care gp. : HMO

30. Devoutness : PIETY

33. Mine transports : TRAMS

34. Attempt to strike : HIT AT

35. Black wood : EBONY

37. Loses, as winter fur : SHEDS

38. Dutch artist Piet : MONDRIAN. Not my cup of tea but here is a Google's worth of his art.

40. Also : AND

43. Résumé length, often : ONE PAGE

45. Raises, as a subject, with "in" : BRINGS

46. Brazilian supermodel Bündchen : GISELE. Nice image.

47. The Magic of the NBA : ORL. The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida.

48. Washington rival, in college sports : OREGON. The states.

49. Bremen brew : BECKS

50. Stan's sidekick : OLLIE. Laurel and Hardy

51. __-garde : AVANT

55. Old Norse mariner : ERIC the Red.

56. Eggnog season : YULE

60. Suffix with Gator : ADE

61. Wine choice : RED

62. Wine choice : DRY. Shiraz, just love the name.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, December 19, 2011 Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Naval Assent - Three entries use a modified "Aye, aye" to start their phrase.

17A. Service available at hotspots : WI-FI ACCESS

39A. Place to see droids or tribbles : SCI-FI CONVENTION

64A. Home theater component : HI-FI SYSTEM

Argyle here with latest offering from the Crusiverbic Duo. Constructor's comments at the bottom.

Across:

1. English or French instrument : HORN. English, French.

5. Phi Beta __ : KAPPA

10. Unit in a plan : STEP

14. Cookie since 1912 : OREO

15. Just picked from the tree : FRESH

16. Schoolbook : TEXT

19. "Phooey!" : "RATS!"

20. Goes bad, as milk : SOURS

21. Sax register : ALTO

22. Pub order : ALE

23. PC key on either side of the space bar : ALT

24. Josh : KID

26. "Laughing" critter : HYENA

28. Does and bucks : DEER

30. Performer's song assortment : MEDLEY

34. Some ER cases : ODs

35. Historical period : ERA

37. Aches and pains : AILMENTS

43. Jet-setter's document : PASSPORT

44. Gen. Lee's side : CSA

45. Oils and such : ART

46. Optimistic : UPBEAT

48. Hitchhiker's ride : LIFT

52. "The Sound of Music" family name : TRAPP

54. Chi follower : PSI. (Greek)

56. Morse T : DAH. (code)

57. "__ pig's eye!" : IN A

58. Trade : SWAP

61. "Time in a Bottle" singer Jim : CROCE. Clip.(2:25)

63. 44-Across soldiers : REBS

66. Very dry, as Champagne : BRUT

67. Daytime talk star : OPRAH

68. Yea or nay : VOTE

69. __ of Man : ISLE. Crossword staple.

70. China's unofficial national flower : PEONY

71. Blog entry : POST

Down:

1. "What a pity!" : "HOW SAD!"

2. Baltimore baseballer : ORIOLE

3. Disprove : REFUTE

4. Pinot __: red wine : NOIR

5. Col. Sanders's company : KFC

6. Gaming area : ARCADE

7. Spa treatment : PEEL

8. Sibilant "Over here!" : "PSST!"

9. Facetious "I get it now" : "AH, SO"

10. Alley cat, e.g. : STRAY

11. "Tower Heist" actress : TEA LEONI. Poster for the movie.

12. Reach as far as, as property vis-à-vis its boundary : EXTEND TO

13. NBA stats : PTs. Points, further broken down into 3-pointers, field goals and foul shots.

18. "If you don't know, __" : ASK

25. Original "Dragnet" words after "My name is Friday" : "I'M A COP"

26. Mass songs : HYMNS

27. Part of PGA: Abbr. : ASSN.

29. Whistle blowers : REFs

31. "Inferno" author : DANTE

32. Actress Tyler : LIV. Picture with short hair.

33. Puts in office : ELECTS

36. Tear to pieces : RIP UP

38. List-ending abbr. : ET AL.

39. Lovers' quarrel : SPAT

40. Transportation companies : CARRIERS

41. Turkey's largest city : ISTANBUL

42. Globe : ORB

47. Rome's __ Way : APPIAN. Map.

49. "Ditto" : "I DO, TOO"

50. Diamond surfaces : FACETS

51. Lincoln Center opera setting, familiarly : THE MET

53. Partner of cut, in editing : PASTE

55. Emotionally distant : ICY

58. Barber's workplace : SHOP

59. Sponge (off) : WIPE

60. Fluffed-up hairdo : AFRO

62. Answer an invite : RSVP

63. Batter's stat : RBI

65. Like a wallflower : SHY

Answer grid.

Argyle

Constructor note:

Don came up with this theme. We searched for all the *I FI * phrases with rhyming Long I pattern and settled for the current set. With only 3 theme entries, we tried our best filling in as many long & Monday-friendly answers as we can.