Friday, April 20, 2012, Marti Duguay-Carpenter

Theme: Play Ball! 5 Puns, many hits and no errors. Or as Ernie Banks would say let's play two! Play is the operative word for this latest Friday offering from our relentless own HeartRx, as each clue is a baseball term and each fill is a play on words presenting a completely non-baseball answer. Ms. H's mind has some twists and turns, but this baseball homage to C.C. from a non-baseball fan is precious, no screwballs but plenty of curve balls. For you theme deprived, this is a classic pattern of the first theme answer in 17A and a grid spanner in the middle, with other symmetrical fill.

Let the game begin:

17A. Starting pitcher? : TUNING FORK (10) Musical clue, and a pun for pitcher as the tuning fork's main use is as a standard of pitch to tune musical instruments. Wicked clue.

23A. Strike zone? : BOWLING ALLEY (12). More sports, with the pun here strike as in knocking them all down in Bowling (Hey Boomer) and strike in baseball.

39A. Short stop? : HIGHWAY REST AREA.(15) Here the entire clue is a pun, with making a short stop on the road, and the player in baseball positioned between second and third base, the shortstop.

48A. Left field? : LIBERAL SLATE(12). Here both words are involved but separately, as the Liberal, the left wing party field being a group or slate of candidates, while one outfielder plays left field. Hope that explanation did not leave you out in LF. The terms Left and Right were coined during the French Revolution (1789-1799), referring to the seating arrangement in the Estates General; those who sat on the left generally supported the radical changes of the revolution, including the creation of a republic and secularization. Per wiki. I am not getting drawn into political foo foo.

61A. Batter? : PANCAKE MIX.(10) This one is straight batter being what you make pancakes from and batter the guy who tries to hit the ball, the batter.

whew!

Across:

1. Hidden drawback : CATCH. There is always a catch, which also gives us a hint right away of our subliminal baseball them.

6. "Hold your horses!" : WAIT. Why horses?

10. Clean, as erasers : CLAP. Ah, so many clues for this fill, some even usable.

14. Like Cirque du Soleil performers : AGILE. And flexible.

15. Takes outside : AIRS. Differences?

16. First name in country : REBA. her second name is McEntire, spelt her own way.

19. "___ Almighty": Steve Carell sequel : EVAN, This MOVIE (1:53) came after Jim Carrey's Bruce Almighty.


20. Clothes line : SEAM. A nice misdirection, not to hang clothes, but a line on clothes.

21. CIO partner : AFL. Not the American Football League, but labor's American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. Love them initalisms.

22. Antioxidant-rich veggies : BEETS. A good beet borscht with a boiled potato is yum.

27. ___ Schwarz : FAO. A fun toy store in Manhattan, and the focal point in many Big MOVIES.

30. Wahine's strings : UKElele. Hi Hawaii!

31. Ballot abbr. : INDependent.

32. Dispense in shares : ALLOT.

34. Like some brides : BLUSHING. From the days of sweet innocence.

42. Line through the middle : DIAMETER. Of a circle.

43. Matter makers : ATOMS. Does matter matter, we must assess the gravity of the situation.

44. NL East city, on scoreboards : ATLanta Braves. Another baseball reference.

45. New Deal fig. : FDR. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, more attempts to get me into a political comment, HUH!

47. Eastern theater genre : NOH. Oddly, like early European theater, this Japanese dance theater featured masked performers. LINK

54. Crammer's concerns : EXAMS.

55. Over there, quaintly : YON. An accepted form, but I like " But soft, what light through yonder window breaks."

56. Chianti, in Chianti : VINO. Both Italian and Latin for wino. In vino veritas, brother!

60. Year in Trajan's reign? : ANNO. More Latin and the A in AD (Anno Domini, not after death).

64. Go off : RANT. We have not many here in a long time.

65. Fanny ___ : PACK. This is an x-rated LINK. (2:59) Buyer beware. Dont listen, I liked the pics..

66. Worth of the theater : IRENE. Not familiar with this actress.

67. CNBC topic : NYSE New York Stock Exchange.

68. Easter celebration : MASS. Also where HR and many others of us live.

69. When brunch may begin : AT TEN. Or eleven; did you salute?

Down:

1. Musical with Mungojerrie : CATS. Based on TSE's work. Mungojerrie and his partner in crime, Rumpelteazer, specialize in petty theft and mischief. I loved the play and even fed Junior Mints to the actors at the beginning of Act Two.

2. Flue symptom : AGUE.

3. "Bossypants" writer Fey : TINA. SNL alumna and star of 30 Rock which she also created.

4. Move up : CLIMB. Like they sing LINK (2:14)
.
5. Mother ___ : HEN. None of my other thoughts fit.

6. Shilly-shally : WAFFLE. Didn't we just waver of this?

7. Garlicky mayo : AIOLI. Not to be confused with Japanese golfer Isao Aoki.

8. Like the vb. "go", e.g. : IRRegular.

9. Cluck of reproach : TSK. TSK, need more than one.

10. Fish hamper : CREEL. Rhymes with REEL, great for fishing poetry.

11. Rank : LEVEL. Not smelling band, but like in the service.

12. Peter out : ABATE. Wow all kinds of questions about Peter, is he a master?

13. Cultivated violet : PANSY. I know I have to avoid my PC comments...ao you all do not...

18. Goggle : GAWK.

22. Getting up on the wrong side of bed, say : BAD START.

24. Lasts longer than : OUT WEARS. Not the opposite of In Wears.

25. Lake Nasser feeder : NILE. Flows south to north like the_______river in Florida.

26. Migratory antelopes : GNUS. A crossword oldie.

27. Saudi royal name : FAHD. Tricky HD word. King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (1921 – 2005), King of Saudi Arabia from 1982 until his death in 2005.

28. Et ___ : and others : ALII. Harder to get than ALIA.

29. Gold medalist Korbut : OLGA. 40 YEARS AGO. Reminds me of Usain Bolt's victory pose.

33. Omega, to a physicist : OHM. Because of its shape Ω, it is not confused with 0 the way the letter O is.

34. "I'm c-c-cold!" : BRR. So go put on more CLOTHES.

35. Noodle topper? : HAT. I got this one using my...oh never mind.

36. Monopoly token : IRON. Better than the shoe?

37. Sought-after clownfish : NEMO.

38. Nasty cut : GASH.

40. "___ girl!" : ATTA. The pc version of atta boy.

41. Use one's outside voice : YELL.

45. Rushes (to) : FLOCKS.

46. Delany of "China Beach" : DANA. Like Marj, she now has her own CSI type show, but rememeber when they were YOUNG.(1:51)

48. Get the hang of : LEARN.

49. "Negatory!" : IXNAY. is the Illfay.

50. Premarital posting : BANNS. The HISTORY.

51. Hog the spotlight : EMOTE. Not to be confused with email or ezine.

52. Does a film editing job : SYNCS. Synchronizes, make sure the picture and sound work in unison.

53. Six-time U.S. Open winner : EVERT. First saw her play in Gainesville in 1971 when she was in high school, impressive even then. This came later. CLIP.(9:48)

57. "How __ Your Mother": CBS sitcom : I MET.An updated Friends with more annoying people.

58. Half a round : NINE holes of golf.

59. The yoke's on them : OXEN. Another pun from our mistress of mirth marti.

61. EPA measure : PPM. Parts Per Million. In my world, Private Placement Memorandum

62. Top bond rating : AAA.

63. Optima maker : KIA.

Answer grid.

Well I am out of time and out of steam, another lovely romp with my now regular Gal Friday, hope you enjoyed and here are her words. Thanks from the lemon patch.

Constructor's Notes:

I have solved so many puzzles with clues like
"All-star starting pitcher..."
"Number one batter..."
"A.L. shortstop..."

...and I always draw a blank! So, I decided to try my own version of a "baseball themed" puzzle. I am sure that C.C. would not approve, but here it is, for better or worse!

Notes from C.C.:

1) Of course I love the theme, Marti, you always make things light and fun. "Strike zone?" & BOWLING ALLEY is a home run. As Lemonade said earlier "Or as Ernie Banks would say let's play two!"

2) I want to re-link this wonderful poem CrossEyedDave brought to us yesterday. Thanks for touching my soul!

Thursday, April 19, 2012 Victor Barocas

Theme: What is the plural of deer?

You want more than one theme entry? This puzzle has many, (count them: SIX, with four in the vertical position!) which use a plural phrase without an "s". In fact, there is no other plural in the puzzle. Just ask any constructor, how difficult this is to achieve! (I just re-wrote this paragraph to get rid of four of them. Can you guess what my original note was?)

And here is the full list:

20A. Phenoms : WUNDER KINDER. Literally, German for "Phenoms" or child prodigies. Shall we start off with eine kleine Mozart? 9:00 (Just let it play in the background, while you read the rest...)

55A. Trochee and iamb : METRICAL FEET. Trochee is a stressed syllable, followed by an unstressed one. One of my favorites is from Macbeth:
Double, double, toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

An Iamb is the opposite: it consists of an unaccented syllable, followed by an accented one. Iambic tetrameter has four of these per line, as in Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening":

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

3D. Some living legends : GRAND OLD MEN. Not to be confused with "Grumpy Old Men". 1:16

5D. Exemplars of poverty : CHURCH MICE. Attributed to Lewis Carrol, but there are no quotes in his writing that mention them!

26D. Some molars : WISDOM TEETH. Is the plural of Kissing Booth - "beeth"?

32D. Museums for astronomy buffs : PLANETARIA. Ahhh...pure Latin 101. Neuter nouns ending in -um are pluralized by ending them in -a.

And the reveal:

59D. Last letter in most plurals (but not in this puzzle's six longest answers, which are the only plurals in this grid) : ESS

Marti here, to unravel this WUNDER-ful puzzle for you. I blogged his last LAT puzzle in January, which I thought was a masterpiece. He always goes for unusual themes, and this one is no exception.

Across:

1. Historical novel, usually : SAGA. "Forsythe Saga" comes to mind.

5. CCCII x III : CMVI. Do the math!

9. Digital camera option : ZOOM. Or, half a Mazda commercial. 0:29

13. Show signs of age, as wallpaper : CURL. I live in an 1890 Victorian. CURLing wallpaper is the least of my problems!

14. Gray with age : HOARY. OK, I am feeling my age now...

16. Ohio tribe : ERIE

17. Ventura County city : OJAI. Oh, hi!

18. Prepare to transplant, as to the garden : UNPOT. I am re-potting all my plants right now...so this one was a write-over!

19. Swig : BELT. Tinbeni, I bet you never BELT down your avatar!

23. Trip letters : LSD. Lysergic Acid Diethylamide. Tim Leary's drug of choice.

24. Breezed through : ACED.

25. Cut : SAWED.

29. "Death, that hath suck'd the honey ___ breath": Shak. : OF THY. "...hath no power yet upon thy beauty..." Death scene in "Romeo and Juliet"

31. Fitting : APT

33. 10-Down suffix : ITE. and 10-D. Raw mineral : ORE. Ores: Bauxite, graphite, pyrite and onyx...(oops - that last one was just too scrabbly to leave out!)

34. Peace in the Middle East : SALAAM

36. Ginormous : COLOSSAL. Fun clue!

38. Env. info : ADDR.ess on an envelope

39. Sardegna o Sicilia : ISOLA. Italian for "Island". Geography lessons! #1 Sardinia. #2 Sicily.

41. Mine entrance : ADIT. Hello, crossword friend!

42. A little too clever : GIMMICKY

44. Physicist Tesla : NIKOLA. Another old friend is back!

46. 64-Across spec : EEE. A size for Daisy Duck? and 64A. Nine West product: SHOE. Popular women's brand.

47. Shell game need : PEA.

48. Durable cloth: DENIM

49. Africa's northernmost capital : TUNIS. Another geography lesson.

51. Suffragette who co-founded Swarthmore : MOTT. Lucretia Coffin Mott. What a name! She was a Quaker minister and a major figure in the reform movements of the 19th century.

52. "Conan" airer : TBS. Turner Broadcasting System.

59. Tombstone lawman : EARP. Shootout at the OK corral.

62. Fishing boot : WADER. Usually seen in the plural, but this puzzle won't allow that! My dad used these all the time. He was a great fly fisherman, and taught me when I was 6. I still love it!

63. Private jet maker : LEAR. Dudley, have you ever flown one?

65. Muscat native : OMANI. The capital of Oman is Muscat. Geography lesson # 4 today.

66. Periodic table fig. : AT. NO. Atomic Number "o"?. (Why is the abbr. of number "NO"? There is NO "O" in number!)

67. It may be rigged : SAIL

68. "After the Thin Man" dog : ASTA

69. Oft-misused pronoun : WHOM. For who the bell tolls?

Down:

1. Tough guy's expression : SCOWL. "Make my day..."

2. How roast beef may be served : AU JUS.

4. "Put ___ on it!" : A LID

6. Capuchin, e.g. : MONKEY. Or just monk...

7. Lacking sharpness : VAPID.

8. Waffle maker : IRON. I peeked at this perp for the across clue, and mistakenly filled in "I-Hop". Bad girl!

9. Last critter in an ABC book : ZEBRA

11. Fry cook's supply : OIL. EVOO, anyone?

12. Bumped into : MET. No baseball ref?

15. Abbr. in a CFO's report : YTD. Chief Financial Officer. Year to date.

21. "Do I dare to ___ peach?": Prufrock musing : EAT A.

"Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each..."

22. This, in Tijuana : ESTO

27. Cybercommerce : E-TAIL. And some web dating sites...

28. Sedimentary formation : DELTA

30. "Charlotte's Web" setting : FARM

31. Chat room inits. : AOL. Is there anyone online in America who does not know this "initialism"?

34. "Full House" actor : SAGET. Later reduced to host of AFV. Combined.

35. "Farewell, chérie" : ADIEU

36. Coquettish : COY

37. Munro's pen name : SAKI. The pen name may be a reference to the cupbearer in the Rubáiyát by Omar Khayyam.

40. Reggae relative : SKA. Yay! Another music link. Very interesting history of the genre. 6:18

43. ___ dixit: unproven claim : IPSE. Latin for "He himself said it".

45. IOC part: Abbr. : INT'L. International Olympic Committee. (Triple double letters in "committee". Cool word)

48. Museum guide : DOCENT

50. Drive forward : IMPEL

51. Cursed alchemist : MIDAS. Yeah, I should be so cursed...

53. Lotto variant : BEANO

54. Pol Thurmond : STROM. South Carolina senator from 1954-2003.

56. Couple : TWO

57. Avatar of Vishnu : RAMA. In this case, avatar means "manifestation", not that little picture on your blog entry.

58. Weak spot : FLAW

60. Word of discovery : AHA

61. Palais resident : ROI. French "palace" in the clue, and French answer for "king". I bet you got that one, Abejo. Right?

Answer grid.

That's all until next week!

Hugs,
Marti

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 Norm Guggenbiller

Theme: RHYME TIME IS NO CRIME - IT'S SUBLIME. Unless I'm missing something else, the longest across and down answers are all two or more words, and they all rhyme. But wait - there's more! Each rhyming finale is spelt differently. Oh, the vagaries of the English language!

17A. "Doesn't bother me!" : SEE IF I CARE. Contempt or sarcasm. Do I care which? Does it matter?

35A. After "on," relying mostly on hope in desperate circumstances : A WING AND A PRAYER. This invites an obvious hockey reference, but it's too sad to explore in more depth. I'll just say A PRAYER is all the WINGS have at this point. (sigh!)

57A. "Shake!" : PUT IT THERE. An invitation to the hand shake.

10D. Chick flick subject : LOVE AFFAIR. This is said to be what makes the world go 'round. Or maybe it's just angular momentum.

25D. Schoolyard handshake : PINKY SWEAR. More than just PUT IT THERE; the PINKY SWEAR is a solemn promise "that cannot be broken or counteracted by the crossing of fingers or other such trickery." So there! (from Wikipedia.)

Hi, gang, it's JazzBumpa. I SWEAR, the view from my chair is of five fresh theme answers, four of them at ten letters, and one of them grid spanning, all in perfect symmetry. Very impressive use of language and geometry. Let's check out the rest of the grid.

Across:

1. As yet : TO NOW. Shouldn't this include, "with up?"

6. "Atlas Shrugged" writer Ayn : RAND. Terrible writer and sociopath, but who am I to judge?

10. WWII carriers : LST'S. Landing Ship Tanks. These vessels were involved in U.S. military operations in France and the Mediterranean region in WW II.

15. Sautéing acronym, à la Rachael Ray : EVOO. Somebody is going to have to help me with this one. Rachel is cute, fer sure, but I have no clue. (From C.C.: EVOO = Extra-Virgin Olive Oil)

16. Ear-related : OTIC. Is this an OTIC worm?

19. "__ Zapata!": Brando film : VIVA. Here is Marlon with Jean Peters in the 1952 Elia Kazan production.

20. Harbinger of lower temperatures : COLD FRONT. Today was about 15 degrees colder than yesterday, despite all the bright sunshine

21. Man on a misión : SENOR. OK - SENOR (with a tilde) is "Mr." in Spanish, but why is he on a misión? Lucina?

22. Biblical mount : ASS. Did you want Sinai, Horeb, or Ararat? Sorry, they don't fit. And this is a mount that you ride.

23. More than hesitant : LOATH. Reluctant; disinclined; averse.

24. Sign of puppy love? : WAG. A bit misleading, and very cutsey. Who knew it could be competitive?

25. Ben & Jerry's purchase : PINT. I wanted CONE. Either way - YUM! Pick your favorite flavor.

26. Spice gathered by hand from crocus flowers : SAFFRON. I did not know that.

30. Leave no escape route for : HEM IN. That about sews it up.

33. Aquamarine, e.g. : GEM. I wanted a color

34. Carol syllables : FA LA. FA LA or LA LA, needed perp help. No room for a TRA.

39. Stinky : RANK. Which RANK smells the worst: Sergeant, Captain, Private?

40. Floor cleaner : MOP. Swab the deck.

41. __ fit: tantrum : HISSY. The Urban Dictionary says this phrase was originally from the American South, evidently derived from "hysterical." Hey - I'm just the messenger. Don't throw one at me.

42. "500" race-sanctioning group : INDY CAR. I had no idea that was the official name.

44. Boxer Max : BAER. I always thought he played the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk, but it was his brother, Buddy. Another childhood memory smashed.

46. Fed. property agency : G. S. A. The General Services Administration handles all kinds of properties, not just real estate.

47. Prefix suggesting savings : ECONO- ECONO-Whatever, cheap and worth every penny.

49. Sox, on scoreboards : CHI. Lucky guess. Could have been BOS. Either way it's baseball! Tigers won again tonight.

52. Creep : CRAWL. A verb, not a noun

54. Deli sandwich : TUNA SALAD. I'll have a pastrami on rye.

56. Brit of Fox News : HUME.

58. Most draftable : ONE-A. Most eligible for the long-defunct military draft.

59. Fortitude : GRIT.

60. Cardiologist's concern : AORTA. The main supply-line from the heart. In an adult, it's about the size of your thumb. In a new-born, it's about the size of a pencil lead.

61. Cold War initials : USSR. IIRC, they were the bad guys.

62. Year, on monuments : ANNO. That was the year that was.

63. Small fry : TYKES. Little kiddies, riders of trikes.

Down

1. Puccini opera : TOSCA. The big OTIC event in an opera is an aria - a crossword evergreen. Here is one from TOSCA.

2. Butterlike products : OLEOS. Ersatz?

3. Bohr of the Manhattan Project : NIELS. Also a Nobel Prize winner, and father of a Nobel Prize winner. That's some family tree!

4. Ancient Roman poet : OVID. Chick flick appropriate quotes (from brainyquote.com): "Ah me! love can not be cured by herbs." But -- "All love is vanquished by a succeeding love."

5. Hemming and hawing : WAFFLING. The condition of being torn between two loves, maybe. Let's ask OVID.

6. Apply more varnish to : RECOAT. Straightforward.

7. __-garde : AVANT. Literally, advance guard; refers to experimental or innovative ideas in art, culture and politics.

8. Waters between Great Britain and Europe : NORTH SEA. English Channel wouldn't fit

9. Fawn's mom : DOE. A deer, a female deer. (I hate that song.)

11. Dangerous bottom feeders : STING RAYS. Bottom feeders. Not bottom feeders.

12. DVR pioneer : TIVO.

13. Battle reminder : SCAR. You win some, you lose some.

18. Wrinkle remover : IRON. Not recommended for facial wrinkles.

21. Personal ad abbr. : SWF. Single White Female. Also, a scary movie.

27. Sound system part : AMP.

28. Cheers for a torero : OLES. Looks odd in the plural.

29. Not a one : NARY. Countrified slang.

30. Mata __ : HARI. Margaretha Geertruida "Margreet" Zelle (7 August 1876 - 15 October 1917) was a Dutch woman who became a mail-order bride, circus performer, exotic dancer and courtesan; was later accused of spying for the Germans in WW I, and executed by firing squad in France. (more Wikipedia)

31. Obi-Wan portrayer : EWAN (McGregor). Could have been ALEC.

32. Psychological tricks : MIND GAMES. As in SWF, the movie.

33. Econ. yardstick : GDP. Gross Domestic Product. Something I think about a lot. Really.

36. Org. with a much-quoted journal : A. M. A. American Medical Association. Is there a doctor in the house?

37. Like beer cans before recycling : NO RETURN. Remember disposables? My lovely wife dislikes dealing with returnables, but I don't mind.

38. Dimming gadget : RHEOSTAT. A variable resister that can raise or lower the amount of current flowing to a device, such as a lamp.

43. Lo-__: lite : CAL. The ECONO- of the culinary world.

44. Mackerel-like fish : BONITO. The Spanish word for "pretty." Eye of the beholder, I guess.

45. Pre-med subj. : ANAT. Astronomy is the study of heavenly bodies. ANATomy is the study of earthly bodies.

48. Replace a dancer, perhaps : CUT IN. This one had me stumped for a while. Anyway, it doesn't always work.

49. Paper-pusher : CLERK

50. Gold rush storyteller Bret : HARTE

51. "Don't get any __" : IDEAS. Did your parents even give you this warning?

52. Dynasty during Confucius' time : CHOU. I believe it's pronounced "Joe." Anyway, it was long ago. (From C.C.: CHOU = Zhou in Mandarin, and Zhou indeed has the same pronunciation as Joe.)

53. Legs it : RUNS. As to first base.

55. Hail in a harbor : AHOY. Aquatic "yoohoo," not frozen rain.

57. Sports tour organizer, for short : PGA. Profesional Golf Association.

Answer grid.

Even with 13 3-letter entries, this puzzle has an above average word length for a Wednesday, thanks to 15 entries with 7 or more letters. Lots of freshness in the fill, too. Overall, an enjoyable outing. Hope you liked it as much as I did.

Cheers!

JzB

Tuesday, April 17, 2012 Gareth Bain

Theme: Swing! - The unifier may be hit by first word in the themed entries.

18A. *Hangman drawing : STICK FIGURE

24A. *Layered lunch : CLUB SANDWICH

40A. *Actor's prompt : CUE CARD

51A. *Colleague of Wyatt Earp : BAT MASTERSON

61A. *Feature of Fulton's Clermont : PADDLE WHEEL

57D. Object that may be struck by the starts of the answers to starred clues : BALL

Argyle here. Very similar to yesterday's. We had a visit from Gareth this past Friday and here he is again, proving he's good on any day of the week. And before anybody says anything about not swinging a cue, think about all those bar room brawls you've seen on TV and in the movies.

Across:

1. Doctrine suffix : ISM

4. Predatory cat : LION

8. Swiss bread? : FRANC

13. ABBA's home country: Abbr. : SWE. (Sweden)

14. Sewing cases : ETUIs

16. Defamatory text : LIBEL

17. Live __: 1985 charity concert : AID. Abba didn't perform at "Live Aid" so can't link them. Some of you are probably glad of that. (You know who you are.)

20. Pisces follower : ARIES

22. Centuries on end : AEON

23. Excessively : TOO

28. Cabbage : MOOLA

29. Resident of a city at nearly 12,000 feet : LHASAN. Geography lesson. Map.

33. Chance in a game : TURN

35. "__-dokey!" : OKEY

38. Overplay a part : EMOTE

39. Words with price or premium : AT A

42. Endearing tattoo word : MOM

43. Slowly, in scores : LARGO. What is the difference between LENTO and LARGO? (breit und langsam, in German notation) LENTO and LARGO have the same BPM but LENTO means slowly and LARGO means broadly, an indication to play with a very slow, wide tempo; to play slowly with broad, stretched out beats; “slow and dignified”.

I have little idea about what I just wrote; can I get a little help here?

45. "Dumb" girl of old comics : DORA. Drawn by Chic Young, Dora "wasn't as dumb as she looked", à la Gracie Allen. He went on to create "Blondie".

46. Message from the boss : MEMO

47. Inferior and inexpensive : CHEAPO

49. Deduce : INFER

56. Karate belt : OBI. Much narrower than the traditional sash.

59. Inside info : POOP

60. Rental agreement : LEASE

65. Strings in Hawaii : UKE

66. École enrollee : ÉLÈVE. French.

67. Baker's device : SIEVE

68. Address at a Scottish pub : LAD. Aye, but what's a laddie doing in a pub?

69. First American Red Cross president Barton : CLARA

70. Venison source : DEER

71. Effort : TRY

Down:

1. "I, Robot" author Asimov : ISAAC

2. Artistic ice cream blend : SWIRL. Variegated, in ice cream jargon.

3. Filet mignon order : MEDIUM RARE

4. Not as much : LESS SO

5. Derby-sporting Addams : ITT. Cousin but on whose side?

6. "Yes, mon ami" : "OUI"

7. Rechargeable battery : NICAD

8. Shrank in fear : FLINCHED. Remember we had QUAILED awhile back; much the same meaning.

9. Oil-drilling equipment : RIG

10. Be up against : ABUT

11. "Quo Vadis" emperor : NERO. "Quo Vadis" A novel that tells of a love that develops between a young Christian woman, Ligia (or Lygia), and Marcus Vinicius, a Roman patrician. It takes place in the city of Rome under the rule of emperor Nero around AD 64. per Wiki.

12. Mark's love, casually : CLEO. Antony and Cleopatra.

15. Distort, as facts : SKEW

19. Microwave no-no : FOIL

21. Black, to Blake : EBON. William Blake (1757–1827), British poet, painter, and printmaker.

25. Six-time baseball All-Star Moises : ALOU

26. Like a newborn : NAKED

27. Holiday entrée : HAM

30. Trampoline maneuver : SOMERSAULT

31. Physics particle : ATOM

32. Jules Verne captain : NEMO

33. Powder on a puff : TALC

34. Sundance Film Festival state : UTAH

36. Green prefix : ECO

37. Toyota subcompact : YARIS. Debut in 1991. The name,"Yaris", is loosely derived from the name of the Greek goddess of grace, Charis.

40. Compromise with the district attorney : COP A PLEA

41. Tirade : RANT

44. Chew the fat : GAB

46. For a __ pittance : MERE

48. Plains native : OTOE

50. Gal's guy : FELLER. Was Paul Bunyan a feller?

52. Trims the lawn : MOWS

53. Green-bellied sap sucker : APHID

54. Schindler of "Schindler's List" : OSKAR

55. Clingy, in a way : NEEDY

56. Oil acronym : OPEC

58. Thought : IDEA

62. TiVo, for one : DVR

63. Wide shoe letters : EEE

64. Morn's opposite : EVE

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, April 16, 2012 Jennifer Nutt

Theme: Black Clouds - The first word of the themed entries can follow, i.e. chase, the first word of the unifier.

17A. Dish that's thrown together? : TOSSED SALAD. "Like a STORM_TOSSED ship upon the sea."

30A. Where 6-Across often are when performing : CENTER STAGE. (6A is DIVA) STORM CENTER can mean the eye of the storm or this.

39A. Protective feature of most power strips : SURGE SUPPRESSOR. STORM SURGE definition from NOAA.

46A. Wall protector near a room entrance : DOOR STOPPER. This is the odd man out, STORM DOOR. The other three are meteorological phenomena.

62A. One who follows tornadoes ... or an apt description of the starts of 17-, 30-, 39- and 46-Across : STORM CHASER. "Even storm chasers have agents." (at the end of the clip)

Argyle here and if I may, I will quote myself from my write-up of Jennifer's last puzzle, "Jennifer is proficient in this format. Always a pleasure." I'm not sure I would have gotten the connection without the unifier.

Across:

1. Puts behind bars : JAILS

6. Opera headliners : DIVAs

11. Dairy creature : COW

14. Stan's sidekick, in old comedy : OLLIE. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy

15. Call forth : EVOKE

16. Hubbub : ADO

19. Fix a button, say : SEW

20. PDQ, in the ICU : STAT

21. "__ I a stinker?": Bugs Bunny : AIN'T. 8 second clip.

22. Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa : ALPS. Mel Blanc was the voice of Bugs Bunny.

24. Belted out : SANG

26. __ B'rith: Jewish org. : B'NAI

27. Phone bk. info : NO's. #

35. Most of 34-Down's surface : OCEAN. 34D. Fifth-largest planet : EARTH

37. Sugar suffix : OSE

38. Visiting Hollywood, say : IN L.A.

43. Ticklish Muppet : ELMO

44. Bearded grassland grazer : GNU

45. Rib cage locale : CHEST

50. Campfire residue : ASH

51. Catches some Z's : NAPS

52. Musical work : OPUS

54. Traveler's entry document : VISA

55. Woman's sleeveless undergarment, for short : CAMI. camisole

57. Watchman's order : HALT

61. Tasseled headgear : FEZ

65. Get along in years : AGE

66. "Casablanca," for one : MOVIE. 3D. "Casablanca" heroine : ILSA

67. Protein-building acid : AMINO

68. Low-quality : BAD

69. Make off with : STEAL

70. Liberal voter, slangily : LEFTY. And now a musical interlude. Saginaw, Michigan(3:38) - Lefty Frizzell (1963)

Down:

1. Scribbles (down) : JOTS

2. "That's __ of hooey!" : A LOT

4. Leans to port or to starboard : LISTS

5. "Get it?" : "SEE?". 13D. "Holy guacamole!" : "WOW!". 58D. "In your dreams!" : "AS IF!". 61D. "Marvy!" : "FAB!".( like, for sure.)

6. Draw up plans for : DESIGN

7. "Fathers and Sons" novelist Turgenev : IVAN. Fathers and Sons is an 1862 novel. A show of hands for those of you that have read it.

8. Chevy's plug-in hybrid : VOLT

9. Rap sheet abbr. : AKA

10. Some Avis rentals : SEDANS. Volt is available at participating locations in CA, TX, MI, NY, NJ, CT and DC.

11. The Volga River flows into it : CASPIAN SEA. Today's geography lesson. Map.

12. Dedicated poetry : ODES

18. Copenhagen native : DANE. Denmark

23. Not quite timely : LATISH

25. Skin breakout : ACNE

26. Uncle Remus title : BR'ER

27. Hard-__: very strict : NOSED

28. Eye-related prefix : OCULO

29. Spoke from the pulpit : SERMONIZED

31. Refresh, as a cup of coffee : TOP UP. Is this regional? We TOP OFF around here.

32. Psychic hotline "skill," briefly : ESP

33. Shine : GLOSS

36. Old Greek markets : AGORAs. (agorae)

40. Capt. saluters : SGT's

41. "__ momento!" : UNO. Italian; "un momento" - Spanish; "um momento" - Portuguese.

42. Neutral shade : ECRU

47. Cricks and tics : SPASMS. Cute clue.

48. Saddle knob : POMMEL

49. Sweeping in scope : EPIC

53. Disgrace : SHAME

54. Folk singer Suzanne : VEGA. Caution: earwig (3:39)

55. Sheltered inlet : COVE

56. "The Marriage of Figaro" highlight : ARIA

59. Pre-Easter time : LENT

60. City tricked by a wooden horse : TROY. Hello, Irish Miss.

63. Trike rider : TOT

64. Actor Holbrook : HAL. Clip from "Barney Miller" ending with a trumpet player using a mute.(6:30)

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy 84th Birthday to dear Dot! And a belated Happy 98th Birthday to her husband Irv, the oldest LAT solver that I know.

Sunday, Apr 15th, 2012,Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: The world's most beautiful mountain - or repeated K's splitting the a phrase or name - K2

Hello everyone - Steve here with a Sunday stunner. Goodness gracious - was it just me or was this a three-coffee puzzle? I went back to brew another pot of Peet's French Roast twice over! Don and C.C. had me reeling, it seemed that every clue was a challenge. Thank heavens for "One K = Two K's" otherwise I'd still be scratching my head!

Two K's in each theme answer means a tough task to come up with the crosses - there's a good reason why a K rates 5 points in Scrabble, it's not easy to use! Kudos (10 points!) to Don and C.C. for being able to make this one work.

So let's look at the theme answers first:

23A. Geisha wear : SILK KIMONO. My Japanese girlfriend would wonder if there was any other material!

35A. Oven seen at Colonial Williamsburg : BRICK KILN. Jefferson's house at Monticello was built from Williamsburg bricks.

43A. Be complimentary (of) : SPEAK KINDLY. As all of us would regarding Don and C.C.'s puzzle!

72A. Form of bank fraud : CHECK KITING. I hope anyone who wrote a check to the IRS today isn't planning on doing this with it.

92A. Warehouse worker : STOCK KEEPER. I worked in a warehouse when I was going through college. I'm not sure that "keeper" accurately describes the relationship of the workers to the stock *ahem*

105A. Friendly greeting : CHEEK KISS. So European. Learn to say "mwah mwah" whilst air-cheek-kissing in Italy or France and all vocabulary and pronunciation sins are forgiven!

119A. Prepare a seder, say : COOK KOSHER. Food!

14D. Football surprise : QUICK KICK. Probably a surprise to Coach too. Kicking is not something to be taken lightly.

80D. He debuted in Action Comics in 1938 : CLARK KENT. Super! Such a nice man.

Across:

1. C-section docs : OBS

4. Carrying on : WAGING

10. See 88-Down : BEST

14. Al Jazeera's country : QATAR. I'm never sure if you're allowed to play this in Scrabble, but it's a great Q-with-no-U word!

19. Top of some suits : BRA. This one made me laugh out loud. After a week of terribly proper business meetings, suits to the fore, the thought of someone wearing a bra to match an ultra-conservative bottom would have livened things up immensely.

20. Where Excalibur was forged : AVALON. King Arthur's sword. It was returned to the Lady of the Lake when Arthur died.

21. Terrier of mystery films : ASTA

22. One-time TV medical expert Art : ULENE

25. Hollywood Walk of Fame feature : STAR. You should be able to earn one for crossword construction - I'd camp out all night for Don and C.C.'s unveiling!

26. Intestinal : ILEAC

27. Attorney general before Dick Thornburgh : ED MEESE

28. Minor key of Beethoven's "Moonlight" : C SHARP. Music is a closed book to me. I thought this had to be "something-FLAT".

30. Hornswoggle : CON. This is why I love the English language. I have never seen the word "hornswoggle" before, and I'm only repeating it because I've never typed it before either.

31. Memorial __-Kettering: NYC hospital : SLOAN

32. Almost win : PLACE. Or, as I heard in a NASCAR preview today, "Second is first of the losers". That's harsh.

39A. Gmail outbox folder : SENT

40. Cuthbert of "24" : ELISHA

41. Shatner's "__War" : TEK. Short-lived series "officially" co-authored by William and writer Ron Goulart

42. "And how!" : DO I

48. Ventilate : AIR OUT

50. Corp. symbols : TMS. Registered Trade Marks. The red triangle™ on a bottle of British Bass Ale was the world's first trade mark!

53. Youngest Brontë : ANNE. And least well-known?

54. Diamond head? : DEE

55. Chews out : SCOLDS

56. Become useless, as a well : RUN DRY

58. Places to perch : ROOSTS

61. Cold War prez : IKE

62. __ Mountains: Missouri range : OZARK. Thank goodness for a band named the Ozark Mountain Daredevils who I saw on tour in England 1n 1978, otherwise I'd be looking at a blank section of the puzzle right here!

63. Stick a fork in : SPEAR

65. "This __ emergency!" : IS AN

67. Cheeky : BOLD

71. "Scarlett" setting : TARA. Funny, I was there this week - the Turner HQ in Atlanta is built to look like the Tara plantation house.

74. Password creator : USER. Password forgetter, in my case. I'm also pretty terrible at remembering the answers to the "unlock" questions!

75. Surfboard fin : SKEG

76. Jocular "Gotcha" : AH SO!

77. __ Birds: cellphone game : ANGRY

78. The "a" sound in "afire" : SCHWA. Is is only me that wonders why an "a" sound is described mainly with a SHHHHWWWW noise?

79. ATM maker : NCR. I'm a "PIN pattern" guy - I remember my PIN not by the digits, but by where it is on the keyboard. This worked fine until I went to Hong Kong, and found that the ATM keypads are "upside down" with the high digits at the top.

81. Seek advice from : TURN TO

83. "This is yours now!" : TAKE IT

84. Presses on : IMPELS

87. Lennon's lady : ONO

88. Droids, e.g. : PDA'S A Personal Digital Assistant sounds very old-school nowadays, but it was awesome back then when they came with little plastic pencils to write with!

90. Mule's parent : ASS

91. Umbrella-garnished drink : MAI TAI

97. African snake : ASP. Oh hey - here's our Nile Biter! Thank you all for not using that clue.

98. Kick and Zero colas : RCS. I have no idea about this one. Help, please?

100. Joins forces : UNITES

101. They may be rolled over, for short : IRAS

109. Outcast : LEPER

110. Extremely thin : GAUNT. 109A's are usually this, right?

111. Terr. that's now two states : DAK. Wow, now that is one obscure clue!

112. Have a go at : TACKLE

114. Deals with : SELLS TO

116. Big name in china : SPODE. Bone china from England, to be precise. You were either a Wedgwood or a Spode family.

118. Dip in "Swan Lake"? : PLIÉ. A ballet move - you must have the E-acute accent for the full effect!

122. "Whether __ or lose ..." : WE WIN

123. Mary Kay rival : AVON. "Ding-Dong - Avon Calling"

124. Hilltop homes : AERIES

125. Cold-climate seabird : AUK. I'd never thought of this before, but does Auckland, New Zealand have anything to do with the seabird?

126. Painter of café scenes : MANET. I always have to wait for the cross to decide between Monet and Manet.

127. Scads : TONS

128. Egyptian currency : POUNDS

129. Decorates mischievously, for short : TP'S. I think this is unique to the USA? I'd never seen a yard festooned with toilet paper before I moved here.

Down:

1. Haunt : OBSESS.

2. It has a bit part : BRIDLE. Mean, tough clue. I loved this one!

3. Sockeye, e.g. : SALMON

4. Arouse from sleep : WAKEN. Hmmm. I would have rather seen either "Awaken" for "Arouse", or "Waken" for "Rouse". Not a fan of this clue/answer.

5. Car rental company founder Warren : AVIS

6. Locker room strategy : GAME PLAN

7. U.N. workers' gp. : ILO. The International Labor Organization. Or the International Labour Organisation, your choice.

8. Persona __ grata : NON

9. Italian dumplings : GNOCCHI. Sage, butter, Parmesan. Food!

10. Party to remember : BASH

11. Abbr. on a cornerstone : ESTAB. I recently found my grandfather's name on the cornerstone of a hospital in Warrington, England, established in 1903.

12. Beatles drummer after 10-Across : STARR. Richard Starkey, following in the footsteps of Pete Best.

13. La Brea attraction : TAR PIT

15. Perfectly fine : ALL OK

16. Justin Bieber, e.g. : TEEN IDOL

17. Gasteyer of "SNL" : ANA

18. DVR button : REC

24. "Endymion" poet : KEATS. The poem is a thing of beauty, a joy forever.

29. Penn of "Milk" : SEAN

33. Take a shine to : LIKE

34. Set a price of : ASK

36. Discontinuing : CEASING

37. Hard on the eyes, in a way : LOUD

38. Minor quibbles : NITS

40. Counting-rhyme starter : EENY

44. It may have a theme : PARK

45. Bridge installer's deg. : DDS Department of Driver Services? This would work for installing bridges, but no - we're looking for Doctor of Dental Surgery here.

46. "Get over yourself!" : LET IT GO

47. Private aye : YESSIR! All one word, too!

49. Sears associate : ROEBUCK

50. Harness racing events : TROTS

51. Mall melodies : MUZAK

52. Simple trap : SNARE. I'd rate a 52D as cunning, a 57D as simple ...

57. "The facts, ma'am" series : DRAGNET

58. Runner-up's demand : RECOUNT

59. Former acorn : OAK. You could look at this another way and say an oak is an acorn's precursor.

60. Language in which "Shazbot!" is a profanity : ORKAN. Nanu, Nanu!

63. "Zip it!" : SHH

64. Basil-based sauces : PESTOS. I'm not entirely sure that pesto has a plural.

66. Whichever : ANY

68. Milo of film and stage : O'SHEA. I always assumed that Milo and Tessie were siblings, but no. Milo was Irish and Tessie was Welsh, so now I know.

69. Comedian Black : LEWIS

70. Cries of annoyance : DRATS

72. Turning green in the backseat, say : CAR SICK. That was me. Sorry, Dad

73. One may be returned for a TD : INT. Also called a "pick six" - an interception to pick off the pass, run the ball back for a touchdown and six points.

78. Encl. with an autograph request : SASE I can never remember if it's a Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope or a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope. In England it's a SAE (stamped, addressed envelope). The English don't care if you address it to yourself or the Queen as long as it's got a stamp on it!

82. Kanga's little one : ROO

83. GI's lullaby? : TAPS. The most haunting few bars of music.

84. All-in-one Apple : iMAC

85. Beer-brewing mixture : MASH. My local pub in England was called the "Mash Tun". It was a perfect crossword pub!

86. "Zip it!" : PIPE DOWN

88. With 10-Across, Beatles drummer before 12-Down : PETE

89. Moccasin material : DEER SKIN. Is a moose a deer's kin?

93. Gather discriminately : CULL

94. Patella : KNEECAP

95. Nap, in British slang : KIP

96. Iranian money : RIALS. Pounds and Rials today - Capital!

99. Stick to policy : SIT PAT, Why do you Stand Pat in Poker, but Sit Pat in business?

102. Charge : RUSH AT

103. Get in the game : ANTE UP. You can 99D after you do this

104. Long-legged waders : STORKS

106. "Embraced by the Light" author Betty : EADIE

107. Round of shots : SALVO

108. Boxy Toyota : SCION

110. Explain away, with "over" : GLOSS

113. Griffey and Griffey Jr. : KENS

115. Squeezed (out) : EKED

116. Seeker in personals, briefly : SWM. This Single White Male filled this in without a pause.

117. Stew veggie : PEA. I had peas for dinner tonight, but not in a stew.

120. LBJ's antipoverty agcy. : OEO. Lyndon Johnson's Office of Economic Opportunity.

121. Sch. named for an evangelist : ORU. Oral Roberts University, a basketball powerhouse in Tulsa, OK

Answer grid.

Wow. That's all from me - hats off to Don and C.C. for a real challenge today!

Saturday, Apr 14th, 2012, Mark Bickham

Theme: None (Egypt~?)

Words: 70

Blocks: 28

This is my first blogging of Mr. Bickham, and it may be Mark's first LAT Saturday (indeed anywhere, since I don't follow any other crossword blogs), and his last appearances here were a Wednesday in March with "Body Types", and the "hidden trees" puzzle from Sunday, Feb 5th. Lots of blank boxes after my first pass, but with a few minor changes and re-fill, I was able to get on his wavelength. Two spanners, and one climber;

34A. Start-up processes : INITIALIZATIONS

41A. 1991 film in which both lead actresses got Oscar nominations (neither of them won) : THELMA AND LOUISE - did not see the movie; actresses Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis lost to Jodie Foster for her role in "Silence of the Lambs"; I do know that Brad Pitt got his 'break' here - he was paid $6000 for the role.

8D. View opposed by the intelligent design movement : DARWINIAN THEORY - I am not going to start a religious debate; Darwin's Theory is that of natural selection in evolution - and leave it at that....

And ON WARD ~!

ACROSS:

1. Campy dance gesture : JAZZ HANDS - never heard this "move" called as such- Image

10. Puts up : HANGS

15. Like capybaras and piranhas : AMAZONIAN

16. Exercise output : SWEAT

17. Caution to one who overlooks you? : DON'T STARE

18. Button material : NACRE

19. Tom, Dick or Harry : ANYONE

20. Twisted, as a grin : WRY - ah, not SLY

22. "Get a __!" : GRIP - ah, not "Life"

23. Wall map insert : PIN - ah, not "KEY"

24. "Like __ not ..." : IT OR - hey, this one was right the first time ~!

26. CIA progenitor : O.S.S. - "53A", I had OAS - the Wiki

27. __-to : HOW - ah, not "SET"

30. One of the Poor Clares : NUN

32. Oracle city : DELPHI - "53A", I goofed trying to fit "Adelphi" (University here on LI)

38. Minute groove : STRIA

39. Highland turndown : NAE

40. Fill again, as a flat : RE-LET - I was really, really hoping this was not going to be "Re-Air", as in filling a "flat" tire.....

44. Lab verification : RE-TEST

45. "Four Quartets" poet's monogram : TSE - This guy

46. Abbr. on old maps : SSR - Soviet Socialist Republic

47. Stevedores' org. : ILA - International Longshoreman's Assoc.

48. Promise : OATH

50. Friend of Pepé Le Pew : AMI

53. "My bad!" : OOPS

55. Directly : DUE - as in "due North"

56. Classic theater name : PALACE

60. Something often intended? : NO PUN

62. Semimonthly period, roughly : FORTNIGHT - Two weeks - I know this because both my parents are British, and used this phrase often

64. Grenoble's river : ISERE

65. U.S. official whose office has been vacant for more than nine of the last 50 years : TREASURER - I did not know that; I can think of some "other" offices that seem to be "vacant", too....

66. Gives up : CEDES

67. Bring order to : SYSTEMIZE

DOWN:

1. "Ali" actress __ Pinkett Smith : JADA - Wife of Will Smith, whose MIB³ comes out next month

2. Main Theban deity : AMON - various spellings, but basically, Egyptian

3. Buffoon : ZANY

4. "Afterburner" band : ZZ TOP - The follow-up to "Eliminator", with all their pop hits, I love this one from Afterburner

5. Egypt's Mubarak : HOSNI -more Egypt

6. WiFi necessity : ANTENNA - usually built-in

7. Actress Vardalos : NIA



9. Kvack's housemate : SNERT - ah, Hägar the Horrible

10. TV mall, basically : HSN - Home Shopping Network

11. Like tongues in a gabfest : AWAG - Did not need a "WAG" to get this one (but it did change my "life" to grip")

12. Giza attraction including the Great Pyramids : NECROPOLIS - literally, "death city" - more Egypt

13. Flash : GARISHNESS

14. Folk tale meany : STEP-SISTER

21. "Judge me by my size, do you?" speaker : YODA

25. Back in : RETRO

27. Melodramatic : HISTRIONIC

28. Running amok : ON THE LOOSE

29. Bugged : WIRE-TAPPED

31. Wrist-to-elbow bone : ULNA

33. Substitute word : LIEU

35. Cedar shake alternative : TILE

36. Insistent retort : I AM SO

37. Puzzle pieces, in Sydney? : ZEDS - "Zee" tiles in Scrabble; I watch the UK version of Top Gear; they use Zed, too, and the word coupé - with the "E" pronounced; makes a slick car like the "280ZX" sound awkward.... (Added later: There are two Z's in Puzzle.

42. Not very much : A TAD

43. Really went for : LEAPT AT

49. Massachusetts university : TUFTS - hey - it's an .edu site~!

51. Parsonage : MANSE

52. Largest pelvic bone : ILIUM

54. Guaranteed : SURE

57. Business head? : AGRI -business

58. Bistro awning word : CHEZ

59. Peut-__: French "maybe" : ETRE

61. Video game letters : NES - Nintendo Entertainment System

63. Hi-__ graphics : RES - no Hi-Res graphics on your NES; but they were for its time

Answer grid.

Splynter

Notes from C.C.:

1) Today's constructor Mark Bickham is Placematfan on the blog.

2) I got this email from Norma Rosenfield of Marbles: The Brain Store

CROSSWORD TOURNAMENT NEWS

What: Marbles: The Brain Store’s Fourth Annual Crossword Tournament featuring unpublished NYT crosswords by Will Shortz

Who: Marbles: The Brain Store – www.marblesthebrainstore.com

When: Saturday, April 28, 2012

Where: FOUR LOCATIONS

• Mall of America in Bloomington, MN
• Mall in Columbia, MD
• Philadelphia/King of Prussia Mall
• Downtown Chicago, IL at 55 East Grand Ave.
  

Complete details here: http://www.marblesthebrainstore.com/crossword-tournament-2012/