Saturday, Feb 11, 2012, Peter Wentz

Theme: None

Words: 70

Blocks: 29

Yes, I believe this is my first Peter Wentz puzzle, and according to my search, his last Saturday LAT grid was Aug 2009 - before my time. Scrabbly, with just the "X" absent. A nearly perfect spiral of a layout, with a "+" in the middle, only six 3-letter entries, and triple 9/5 and 8/7 stacks going around. Heavy on the music, and sports, too, with;

34A. Five-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner : GRETZKY - Wayne, one of the best forwards to ever play hockey; this is the award for best sportsman - I am not up to speed on my trophies; I know that the best goalie gets the "Vezina" trophy; also 31A. 34-Across's realm : ICE

19A. Hoops legend : DR J - Julius Erving, but I do not care for basketball

39A. Only Dolphin quarterback to win a Super Bowl : GRIESE - Not Marino, this guy

33D. Common Sunday NFL game time : ONE PM

36D. Events after coin tosses : KICKOFFS - and now it's all over, until September

So ONWARD~! to the rest of today's fill~!

ACROSS:

1. 2001 OutKast chart-topper whose title refers to Erykah Badu's mother : MS. JACKSON - I like "Roses" better

10. Dover souls : BRITs - slang for British; Dover is on the channel - has a CASTLE, awesome

15. High seas shout : AHOY THERE

16. __ acid : BORIC - not AMINO, not FOLIC

17. Dogs first bred in Thuringia : DOBERMANS - nice fill; these "1D's"

18. Out of place : QUEER

20. Allow to go after : LET AT

21. It may be fixed : STARE

22. Buckwheat's "You betcha!" : "OTAY~!" - Eddie Murphy did a pretty good Buckwheat

24. Holy orders and extreme unction, e.g. : RITES

27. Ashram leaders : GURUs - some more here about Ashram

29. Geographical name from the Hebrew for "dry" : NEGEV - as in the desert

32. Choke up : CLOG - I don't think sinks "choke up", people do - either crying or batting

36. Original name of Whiskas cat food : KAL-KAN



40. Words after a rhetorical "Is this a good idea?" : I SAY YES

42. "Just the facts" Jack : WEBB

43. Hack : CAB - #3 of the 3-letter words across

44. Reckon : S'POSE - bit of Southern, Redneck speak

46. "Like a Rock" singer : SEGER

50. Tae __ do : KWON

52. "Dude, Where's __?": 2000 film : MY CAR

54. Wander : ROVE

55. Laura's classic cry on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" : "OH ROB~!"

57. Peabrain : MORON

59. Shared ride to wk. : H.O.V. - High-Occupancy Vehicle - a colossal waste here on Long Island; the problem? No Long Islander cares to let someone else drive, and no one is ever going back to "Levittown" the same time as you are....

60. Four-page sheet : FOLIO

61. "I'm serious" : IT'S NO JOKE

63. Instant : FLASH

64. Circus chairperson? : LION TAMER

65. Culvert : SEWER

66. Rapper with the multi-platinum debut album "The College Dropout" : KANYE WEST - not a fan to begin with, and just an ass after his video awards obnoxiousness

DOWN:

1. Rabies victim : MAD DOG - liquor, too, in the same category as "Nighttrain", and "Thunderbird"; while I did drink to get drunk, I never "sank" this low

2. Puzzling sound? : SHORT u - nice mis-direction; the "uh" in pUzzling

3. Chore assignment simplifier : JOB JAR - never heard of it - but a great idea

4. High seas okay : AYE - this is #5 of the three-letter words; two were up top

5. PC key : CTRL

6. Cambodia's official language : KHMER

7. Theater arrangement : SEATING

8. Showy : ORNATE

9. Retirement fund : NEST EGG

10. Smoking parties, briefly? : BBQs - and 26A. Side at 10-Down : SLAW

11. Beats the pants off : ROUTS

12. "It's clear to me ..." : I REALIZE...

13. Closet organizers : TIE RACKS

14. Fastener with a loop : SCREW-EYE - popular on gates; this thingy

23. Gross : YUCKY - I had the "Y", so I tried "YIELD", which works, too, in economic terms

25. Twilled fabric : SERGE

28. More than amuses : SLAYS

30. Hide and seek, e.g. : VERBS

35. Vatican City's river : TIBER

37. Taken together : AS A WHOLE

38. Attorney's specialty : LABOR LAW

41. Coffee additive for vegans : SOY MILK

42. Starts to get to : WEARS ON

45. Nova __ : SCOTIA - Off Canada's East coast - image

47. Yankee follower? : GO HOME - Anti-American; some more here

48. Conjures up : EVOKES

49. Go back : REVERT

51. Electric interference : NOISE

53. Cox of "Deliverance" : RONNY

56. Father or son physics Nobelist : BOHR

58. Quick reminder : NOTE

62. Argue : JAW - and we end on the last of the 3-letter words

Answer grid.

Splynter

Friday, February 10, 2012, Julian Lim

Theme: Halt! You are under arrest as an Accessory after the Pun! All five theme clues are referenced as accessories one might wear to create a new meaning for a two word existing phrase, with the second word the 'accessory." While most men do not worry about accessorizing, Julian picked items we all wear, no frilly boas need apply. The theme came easily, the grid was a nice tight visual with lots of mini-stacks, and few 3 letter words. There were some tough areas, but over all, it is over all. let's take a peek...

17A. Fight fan's accessory?: BOXING RING. The idea is a ring on the fan's finger which shows the interest in the pugilistic art, and is a retooling of the phrase to describe the arena where boxers perform. Convoluted but nice!

25A. Preacher's accessory?: BIBLE BELT. The Bible Belt is the part of the southeastern United States where strict fundamentalist Christianity dominates life, and also what a Parson might use to keep his pants from falling down. Always important to preserve the dignity of the office.

36A. Conductor's accessory?: RAILROAD TIE. These are the boards that hold the tracks, also used as decorations by golf course architects and landscapers, as our rail system disappears. I imagine most conductors wear bow ties.

48A. Donald Trump accessory?: FIRING PIN. The mechanism which makes a gun work, as well as what the Donald wears in his lapel to mark all the people he has fired.

58. Vampire's accessory?: NIGHT WATCH. Not sure if he is referring to the Rembrandt, or the Russian movie, though I did think of the Night's Watch charged with guarding the Wall. Obviously, Vampires only wear theirs at night.

Well time to look at the big picture:

Across:

1. Classic British two-door: MINI. The Morris Mini. LINK. (3:22)

5. "That'll do, thanks": I'M SET. A tricky run of letters to start our day.

10. TiVo products: DVRS. Digital Video Recorders I now watch TV, because I can schedule my time.

14. Had too much, for short: OD'ED. Over-dosed

15. Gulf of Guinea capital: ACCRA. The Capitol of Ghana.

16. "The Caine Mutiny" novelist: WOUK. Herman, who wrote such diverse books as Marjorie Morningstar and the Winds of War. Bogart was great in the Caine Mutiny movie, playing with his balls.

19. Skye writing: ERSE. Skye the North Sea Island where they speak this Gaelic tongue.

20. Where a soldier may be out: COT. Out like a light, sleeping.

21. Do: COIF. A synonym from the old French word for a knitted cap, now a fancy way to say a hairdo.

22. Davis of the silver screen: BETTE. The incomparable actress. Born in Lowell, Mass.

23. Augment: ADD TO. Yes Dennis, a boob job is promoted as breast Augmentation surgery. When you are doing your hands on exams, remember this important medical term.

28. Like preachers: PIOUS. Why they must wear belts, and if they are Catholics, they are chastity belts. Not to be confused with Chastity Bono.

29. Basketball filler: AIR. Really? Too easy to be right.

30. Spot markers? XES. X marks the spot on every treasure map.

31. "Freeze!": STOP. Don't move. A game we played often as children.

32. Checkout device: SCANNER. They read UPC, not much of a plat.

39. How villains act CRUELLY. Like this DEAR. (3:30)

40. Feature of a good essay: FLOW. Or a good river.

43. Texter's "No way!" : OMG. LOL, TMI, BRB.

46. Chemical suffix: ENE.

47. Colleague of Ruth and Antonin: ELENA. Justices of the US Supreme Court, in order Bader-Ginsberg, Scalia and Kagan. An obscure gimme for me.

52. When Peter Pan grew up: NEVER.

53. Love interest: FLAME. These days mostly used along with "Old" indicating the fires have gone out.

54. "Mysterious Island" captain: NEMO. A Jules Verne novel from the 1840's spawned this MOVIE.(2:38)

56. Two-yr. degrees: AAS. Associate of Arts.

57. Input, often: DATA. Always remember, GIGO!

61. Uncommon blood type, briefly: A-NEG. Aren't you glad we had the bloody discussion last week?

62. Squash variety: ACORN. A green skin hides a nice orange yellow middle in this winter squash.

63. Actress Petty: LORI. Known as an offbeat actress; you might recall her in Free Willy.

64. Antiquity: YORE. Ah, the days of yore when Hearti and I were young.

65. Layered skirts: TUTUS. Yes we danced the night away in our tutus. You think this is TOO TOO?

66. Help the chef: PREP. Bring the wine just would not fit.

Take a deep breath, time to go...

Down:

1. Bonnets for Colonial Williamsburg reenactors: MOB CAPS. I am so glad this was filled since never heard the TERM.

2. Skelton catchphrase: I DOOD IT. See it in this MOVIE. (2:12).

3. Across the driveway: NEXT DOOR. The cross with ADD TO made this one hard for me.

4. Forest's Oscar role: IDI. Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland playing AMIN. Do you remember him in Fast Times at Ridgemont High?

5. "Thus do I ever make my fool my purse" speaker: IAGO. Julian knows I love me some Will Shakespeare.

"Thus do I ever make my fool my purse.

For I mine own gained knowledge should profane

If I would time expend with such a snipe

But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor,

And it is thought abroad that ’twixt my sheets

He’s done my office. I know not if ’t be true,

But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,

Will do as if for surety. He holds me well."

6. Golden Arches pork sandwich: MCRIB. Any good?

7. Le Guin genre: SCI FI. Science Fiction. Ursula, according to Amazon her works explore Taoist, anarchist, ethnographic, feminist, queer theory, psychological and sociological themes.

8. Cliff nester: ERN. Not to be confused with a TERN.

9. It may keep you from getting home safely: TAG. baseball reference, tagged out before scoring.

10. One in with the out-crowd: DWEEB. No one knows where this pejorative came from, but it emerged when I was in college, before nerd took over.

11. Spinning mass: VORTEX. From the Latin, meaning whirlpool.

12. Take stock?: RUSTLE. Great clue, cattle rustlers from all the old westerns we all watched.

13. '50s-'60s country singer McDonald: SKEETS. Old time Country MUSIC. (2:25)

18. Boot camp VIPs: NCOS. Non-commissioned officers. I get this fill often.

22. Special Forces hat: BERET. These GUYS.

24. Ill-fated rapper: TUPAC. Shakur, born Lesane Parish Crooks, died when he was 25.

26. Hackneyed: BANAL.

27. Aviation nickname: LINDY. Lucky Lindbergh, who flew solo, lost a child, but fathered many more.

32. Hurled: SLUNG. Baseball pitchers used to be called hurlers. Nothing to do with vomiting.

33. Skulk: CREEP. Creeps often creep.

34. MSN alternative: AOL.

35. Springfield, for one: RIFLE. Most important Civil War weapon. Here is a newer version.

37. Holmes adversary Adler: IRENE. RACHEL MCADAMS

38. It has its ups and downs: ELEVATOR. You all make fun of my jokes.

41. Decent plot: ONE ACRE. Plot of earth, not a book.

42. Armada component WAR SHIP. These were all difficult, which is good, it is Friday.

43. Below-par period: OFF DAY. When you blog once a week, you cannot afford to have one.

44. City west of Venezia: MILANO. Venice and Milan in English, or this COOKIE,

45. Latke maker's need: GRATER. Another gimme for me, as I make potato latkes often, and know you must grate the potatoes not mash them.

47. Adequate, in verse: ENOW. Enough arcane words!

49. Public persona: IMAGE.

50. Pricey bar: INGOT. Gold or silver?

51. India's longest-serving prime minister: NEHRU. First also, and don't you love the jackets.

55. Chain links?: Abbr.: MTNS. Chain of mountains not necklaces.

58. D.C. athlete: NAT. D.C. tells you it is an abbreviation for baseball's Nationals.

59. Hosp. area: ICU. Intensive Care Unit. Also a gimme, for all the wrong reasons.

60. Climber's destination: ALP. Well I am sure many go climbing in the Alps, but as a singular word? Or maybe it is Julian's reminder it is time for me to climb off my stool, and get out of here. We have put another Friday to bed, hope you all are well rested in the morning.

Answer grid.
See you.

Lemonade