Wednesday, June 6 2012, Janie Smulyan

Theme: DIVERSE DANCE DUDS. when i had can can and cha cha, i expected 20a was going to have the same pattern and the theme would be repeating syllables. wrong again.

20A. Short coat for a Spanish 51-Across : BOLERO JACKET. a short, cropped jacket. i usually see men wearing these, like matadors, but women sometimes wear them, too.

31A. Garment for a French 51-Across : CAN CAN SKIRT

38A. Shoes for a Latin American 51-Across : CHA CHA HEELS

and, without further ado, 51A. "Young and sweet, only seventeen" ABBA title girl : DANCING QUEEN

melissa here. who else loves matt? as of this writing, he is in seattle.

Across:

1. Reason for a flight delay : FOG. nailed it.

4. Part of EST: Abbr. : STD. eastern standard time.

7. Basic ballroom dance : TWO STEP. more dancing.

14. "Give __ whirl" : IT A

15. __ de coeur: pained outburst : CRI. french, literally cry from the heart.

16. Grainy cracker : OATCAKE. a type of cracker or pancake, popular in scotland, ireland, canada and parts of england.

17. Silky-coated dogs : BORZOIS. aka, russian wolfhound. never heard of it. borzois means swift in russian. looks like a long-haired whippet.

19. Served, as ice cream : SCOOPED

22. A-list : ELITE

23. Hydrating cream brand : OLAY

24. Most junk mail : ADS. the usps recently launched a campaign to save itself by increasing junk mail by five times. sigh. nobody asked me.

27. Ten, for openers? : DECA. prefix.

28. Cut of one's jib, so to speak : MIEN. learning moment for me. i've heard 'cut of one's jib,' but mien is new to me, seems kind of obscure. from dictionary.com: "one's general appearance, mien, or manner: I could tell by the cut of his jib that he wasn't the kind of person I'd want to deal with"

29. Very, in music : ASSAI

33. Cheerleader's accessory : POM-POM. also spelled pom-pon.

37. Pain-relieving drug : OPIATE

42. Piebald mount : PINTO. pied, or spotted horse.

43. __ mater : ALMA

44. Wall St. happenings : IPO'S, initial public offerings.

48. Word on a Chicago cap : SOX

49. Pierre's possessive : A TOI. Je suis tout à 'toi'

50. '60s-'70s TV Guide critic : AMORY. cleveland amory, so obscure.

54. Bit of the Big Apple : BOROUGH. map.

57. Supple : ELASTIC. adjective.

58. Shelter denizen, potentially : ADOPTEE

59. Well-used pencil : NUB

60. Ending with chlor- : IDE

61. Showy shower phenomena : METEORS

62. Lapsang souchong, e.g. : TEA

63. Scoundrel : CAD

Down:

1. Was a little false : FIBBED

2. "The Lion in Winter" co-star : O'TOOLE. peter.

3. Appetizing dinnertime smell : GARLIC

4. Make notches in : SCORE. no comment.

5. Quartet with an absentee : TRIO. cute.

6. Prevent the union of : DISJOIN. hmm ... seems like to disjoin is to undo after a union occurred, rather than to prevent it.

7. Region of central Italia : TOSCANA

8. Nutso : WACKY

9. Great Plains tribe : OTOE

10. Many a bagpiper : SCOT

11. Make use of : TAP. would have been nice to see this clued as a type of dance.

12. Barely make, with "out" : EKE

13. Crosswalk user, briefly : PEDestrian.

18. Letter on a sweater : ZETA

21. Novelist Waugh : ALEC. learning moment #2.

24. Giant panda's continent : ASIA

25. It has a sticking point : DART

26. Online destination : SITE

28. Doll's word : MAMA

29. Slithering symbols of the pharaohs : ASPS

30. Manage moguls : SKI

31. West Coast salmon : COHO

32. Superdome home, briefly : NOLA. new orleans, louisiana.

33. HMO doctor designations : PCP'S. primary care physicians.

34. Columbus's home : OHIO

35. Tailless feline : MANX

36. Inc. tax rate, e.g. : PCT. percent.

39. Concocts, as a scheme : HATCHES

40. "The Time Machine" race : ELOI. race of people in h.g. wells's novel.

41. Distinguished : EMINENT

44. Brash radio host : IMUS. i misread this as british radio host, and thought there must be some other IMUS i didn't know about. brash ... oh.

45. Flowery, in a way : POETIC

46. Golden Crinkles maker : ORE-IDA. i learned from michael pollan that industrial potato farmers have to put the potatoes in storage for six months to off gas all the chemical pesticides and fertilizers. no thanks.

47. Matched up, as a laptop and a smartphone : SYNCED. or as fred and ginger.

49. Infuriate : ANGER

50. Jordanian seaport : AQABA. don't have that one memorized.

51. Lowdown : DOPE

52. Geo or Reo : AUTO

53. Krazy __ : GLUE

54. Impact sound : BAM

55. Coleridge wrote one to dejection : ODE. if you're interested.

56. Go bad : ROT

Answer grid.

melissa

Note from C.C.:

Here is a beautiful picture of JD's garden. She said she spends LOTS of time there. I would too. That's orange tree on the right, correct? At first, I thought they were persimmons.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Dyno-MITE! - For those of you that don't get my reference, that was the catch phrase of the TV character, "J. J." Evans. All these creators became famous using just their initials instead of their first names. To further narrow the theme, only ones with "J" initially are used.

17A. Creator of Holden Caulfield : J.D. SALINGER. "The Catcher in the Rye"

24A. Creator of Neverland : J.M. BARRIE. "Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up"

37A. Creator of Hogwarts : J.K. ROWLING. "Harry Potter and ..."

53A. Creator of TV's island that "wasn't just an island" : J.J. ABRAMS. "Lost"

61A. Creator of Bilbo Baggins : J.R.R. TOLKIEN. "The Lord of the Rings"

Argyle here. By the nature of the theme, there aren't any long entries but nice 7 letter blocks in two corners. This is a solo debut from this constructor who also only uses her initials.

Across:

1. Depilatory target : HAIR. A depilatory is capable of removing hair chemically.

5. London rentals : FLATS

10. Planetarium roof : DOME

14. Kick off a poker hand : ANTE leading to 3D. Wagering words : "IT'S A BET" and maybe leading to 59A. Quite a tidy sum : PILE.

15. Bacall's love, informally : BOGIE

16. World's leading saffron-producing nation : IRAN

19. Unlikely party animal : NERD

20. 5-Down employee : AGT. and 5D. Justice Dept. agency : FBI. When a clue is cross-referenced to a clue already indicating an abbreviation, it isn't indicated again.

21. Belt size, essentially : GIRTH

23. Miracle-__ : GRO

27. Live-in nanny : AU PAIR

29. Be that as it may : EVEN SO

30. Lion features : MANEs

31. Mental quickness : WIT

32. Floor space measure : AREA

36. Battery terminal : ANODE

40. Book after Daniel : HOSEA

43. Golfer's pegs : TEEs

44. Fitness class : GYM

47. PC's "Do it" key : ENTER

48. Maze-solving rodent : LAB RAT

51. Vaulted : LEAPED

55. Little devil : IMP

56. Credit card lure : NO FEE

58. Era upon era : EON

65. Out of the wind : ALEE

66. Like Cognac casks : OAKEN

67. Yours, in Cognac : A TOI. French Wine regions map.

68. Schoolroom furniture : DESK

69. Prefix with foam : STYRO

70. Toward the setting sun : WEST

Down:

1. Muslim pilgrimage : HAJ. Just one of several spellings.

2. "Furthermore ..." : "AND ...". Hajj, Hadj.

4. Only U.S. president with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame : REAGAN

6. iPad feature? : LONG "I"

7. Texas A & M athlete : AGGIE. But don't call Irish Miss that.

8. Ballpark level : TIER

9. Sealy rival : SERTA

10. Kipling's "Gunga __" : DIN

11. Pizza flavoring : OREGANO

12. Like most honeymooners : MARRIED. Which is better; the initial honeymoon or the empty nest honeymoon?

13. Sign on the back : ENDORSE

18. Env. inserts : LTR's

22. Like one who errs? : HUMAN

24. Rosh Hashanah observer : JEW. As a noun, Jew is non-offensive but as an adjective or a verb, it is offensive.

25. Twice DIII : MVI. 503 x 2 = 1006

26. Have a good laugh : ROAR

28. Twinge of pain : PANG. Ever laugh so hard that it hurt? Not the same as "It only hurts when I laugh".

33. Balderdash : ROT

34. Female sheep : EWE. How are things down on the farm, Windhover?

35. Brewpub brew : ALE

37. Wrangler maker : JEEP

38. Singer Carpenter : KAREN. Canta.(3:20)

39. Cuba, to Cubans : ISLA

40. Chopper's landing spot : HELIPAD

41. Marker-to-marker highway measurement : ONE MILE

42. "that was easy." company : STAPLES

44. Monument stone : GRANITE. Rock of Ages site, VT.

45. Candied veggie : YAM

46. Atlas high pts. : MT's

49. Cain's next younger brother : ABEL

50. Tom of NBC News : BROKAW

52. Martial arts centers : DOJOs

53. Herky-__: erratic : JERKY

54. Yankee captain since 2003 : JETER. Hm? Trying to say something about Derek with 53D?

57. Campus house : FRAT

60. "It's a mouse!" : "EEK!"

62. Wish Tree artist Yoko : ONO

63. Dawn goddess : EOS

64. Petty peeve : NIT

Answer grid.

Argyle

1) Note from C.C.:

You wouldn't believe it, but I originally sent to Rich this grid with two unchecked squares (highlighted in fuchsia). Luckily he liked the theme and patiently guided me to the second grid you solved today.

2) Here are two lovely photos of JD's grandsons. Brady is a big boy now. Here is what they looked like in July 2010 when Cameron was only 2 weeks old.

Monday, June 4, 2012 Jeff Chen

Theme: 'Ello...and a, e, i, and u - The letter "L" followed by a long vowel (phonetically), progressing from "A" to "U".

17A. "I'm all ears!" : "LAY IT ON ME!"

25A. "The Six Million Dollar Man" actor : LEE MAJORS. Old TV show.

39A. Polygraph procedure : LIE DETECTOR TEST. Grid spanner.

51A. Like cheaply made movies : LOW BUDGET

64A. Babe Ruth teammate : LOU GEHRIG

Argyle and Jeff here, again. Jeff is the clever one on this Monday. Vowel progression, alliterations, a little misdirection, and clecho's all over the place.

Across:

1. Peninsula bordering Southern California : BAJA

5. Triple play trio : OUTS. Rare.

 

9. In __: right away : A JIFF

14. "'Tis a sad day" : ALAS

15. Shot up : GREW

16. "Git along" little critter : DOGIE. Roy explains it all in this video.(1:51)

19. Soothing cream : SALVE

20. Contemplative direction to turn one's thoughts : INWARD

21. Samsung Galaxy, e.g.: Abbr. : PDA. (personal digital assistant)

23. Christmas song : NOEL. Like Up On the House Top.(1:38)

24. Back in the day : AGO

27. "Horsefeathers!" : "BALONEY!"

30. Questionnaire datum : AGE

31. Question : ASK

32. Carpeting calculation : AREA

35. Based on __ story : A TRUE

43. Fathers, to tots : DADAs

44. Japanese noodle : SOBA. (buckwheat)

45. Fourposter, e.g. : BED

46. NBA's __ Ming : YAO. On July 20, 2011, Yao announced he was retiring from the NBA (Sorry for the typo earlier). His left foot turned out to be his Achilles' heel.

48. Pros with bows : ARCHERS

56. Olive of comics : OYL

57. Mideast bigwig : EMIR

58. Lightly apply : DAB

59. Pierce with an arrow : IMPALE.

62. Military trainee : CADET

66. Leading in the game : AHEAD

67. Drawn-out : LONG

68. Austen title character : EMMA. Film, television and stage adaptations. Wikipedia.

69. Captain, colonel, etc. : RANKS

70. No great shakes : OKAY

71. Big Apple enforcement org. : NY PD

Down:

1. "__ Ha'i": "South Pacific" song : BALI. The musical premiered in 1949.

2. Rickman of Harry Potter films : ALAN. That is Professor Snape, as Harry was often reminded.

3. Ignored the light : JAYWALKED

4. Crumbly Italian cheese : ASIAGO. The only "official" Asiago is produced in the alpine area of the town of Asiago, province of Vicenza, in the Veneto region. Map.

5. Psalm words : O, GOD

6. Coffee dispenser : URN

7. Site of Arizona State's main campus : TEMPE

8. Stockholm native : SWEDE

9. Sponsor's spots : ADs

10. "I Love Rock 'n Roll" rocker : JOAN JETT. Clip.(2:57)

11. Arctic abode : IGLOO

12. Half a sawbuck : FIVER

13. Senses with one's hands : FEELS

18. 1982 film set in cyberspace : "TRON". The sequel was "Tron: Legacy" (2010)

22. GP's gp. : AMA. A little extra abbreviation, for effect.

25. Harplike instruments : LYREs. "L" with a long "Y"?

26. Gelling agent : AGAR

27. Hairless : BALD

28. India's continent : ASIA

29. Break bread : EAT

33. Conservation prefix : ECO

34. Awaiting a pitch : AT BAT

36. Insurgent military group : REBEL ARMY

37. One enjoying Wi-Fi : USER

38. SFO postings : ETD's

40. Crack of dawn : DAYBREAK

41. Genesis twin : ESAU

42. Rower's tool : OAR

47. Quirky : ODD

49. Put in an appearance : COME

50. Wi-Fi connection? : HYPHEN. Sure.

51. Aptly named Renault : LE CAR. French.

52. Cornhusker State city : OMAHA. Say hey, Husker.

53. Make broader, as a highway : WIDEN

54. Either California winery brother : GALLO. Ernest or Julio.

55. Purchase for a Kindle : E-BOOK

59. Pop of pop music : IGGY

60. Wilted : LIMP

61. "My word!" : "EGAD!"

63. NFL successes : TD's. (touchdown)

65. A, in Argentina : UNA.(feminine)

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday June 3, 2012 Gail Grabowski

Theme: Letter of Introduction - Each theme entry is a blend of a letter-starting phrase & a common phrase which share the same word with the former.

27A. Packrat's moving need? : LONG U-HAUL. Long haul. U-Haul. (Sorry for the Long U error earlier.)

29A. Scan on a bulb? : X-RAY OF LIGHT. X-ray. Ray of light.

46A. Stripper's scrapbook item? : FIRST G-STRING. First string. G-string.

65A. Topnotch Carnival vessel? : A-ONE LINER. A-One. One-liner.

86A. Spot for digital greeting displays? : E-CARD COUNTER. E-card. Card counter.

106A. Moisture-resistant pullover? : RUBBER V-NECK. Rubberneck. V-neck.

110A. Touchscreen device with a strap? : WRIST iPAD. Wrist pad. iPad.

37D. Profit from a swab? : Q-TIP INCOME. Q-tip. Tip income.

42D. Silly-looking steak? : FUNNY T-BONE. Funny bone. T-bone.

I mentioned last week that Mr. Ed's grid is a good Sunday template for 7-theme entry puzzle. Today we have 9, but none longer than 12-letter. 9/11 or 10/10 for the first two theme entries tend to make gridding easier as you can put them in the same row.

Gail's grid is never fancy. Just super smooth & solver friendly. Like Marti, Gail loves gardening and golfing. I have a feeling that she always shoots straight and seldom finds herself in the rough or downhill lie.

Across:

1. Tip off : TELL

5. Symbols of thinness : DIMES. Thought of RAILS first.

10. Name of four Holy Roman emperors : OTTO. Hi there cat-loving D-Otto!

14. Cost for classified info : AD FEE

19. Rod on a rig : AXLE

20. Tennyson work : IDYLL

21. Club for a chip : IRON. When I first played golf, all the clubs I used were 7 Iron and putter.

22. Back biter? : MOLAR. Nice clue.

23. "Let's leave __ that" : IT AT

24. Olive Oyl's creator : SEGAR. E.C. Segar.

25. Penitent period : LENT

26. Univ. VIPs : BMOCs. BMOC = Big Man on Campus.

31. How Hawaiian shirts are worn : LOOSELY. Sorry, Dennis, the dog is cuter.

32. Wears a long face : POUTS

33. Cartoon dog : REN. Pal of Stimpy's.

34. Multi-vol. references : OEDs

35. Bungles : FLUBS

36. Like Handel's music : BAROQUE

40. Big, in Variety : BOFFO

43. Stretched to the max : TAUT

44. Holiday landing site : HOUSETOP. For Santa.

45. Writer Santha Rama __ : RAU. Indian American. New name to me.

51. Gullible sort : SIMP

52. Annapolis inst. : USNA. So most SEALs don't attend this school, right, Spitzboov/D-Otto/eddyB?

54. It might consist of sandbags : DIKE

55. Cry of exasperation : AARGH

56. Not neg. : POS

57. Uncompromising words : I INSIST. Two consecutive I's look odd in the grid.

59. Jackie's predecessor : MAMIE (Eisenhower)

61. Spicy cuisine : THAI. Steve would have linked you a delicious looking Thai plate. Do you like Thai food, Jayce?

64. Self-titled 1990s band album : 'N SYNC

69. Choreographer de Mille : AGNES. Our Irish Miss' real name.

72. Plays (with) : TOYS

74. Handrail post : NEWEL

75. On the up-and-up : ETHICAL

77. Consumer protection org. : BBB

79. Tavern turmoil : MELEE

81. Half a '50s comedy couple : DESI (Arnaz). "I Love Lucy".

83. __ bene : NOTA

84. Per : A POP

90. Weather report staple : MAP

91. Like many rewards : MONETARY

93. Mysterious character : RUNE. Not a person.

94. Acts as a shill for, say : ABETS

96. Sheer : SEE-THRU. Remember this? Just designs on the back. You can't really see through.


97. "All done" : THERE

99. Darth's daughter : LEIA

101. Poetic preposition : ERE

102. They may need breaking in : SHOES

103. Scholar's pursuit, briefly : POSTDOC

112. Nocturnal disturbance : APNEA. Do you read books before falling asleep? I always listen to Terry Gross's "Fresh Air".

113. Bop on the bean : CONK

114. Rivera of Broadway's "West Side Story" : CHITA

115. Hamlet, for one : DANE

116. Go easy? : COAST

117. Court cover-up : ROBE

118. Comfy-cozy : HOMEY

119. City north of Pittsburgh : ERIE. Abejo grew up there.

120. Works on a muffler : KNITS

121. Legal postponement : STAY

122. Impressionists : APERS

123. Mail-routing abbr. : ATTN

Down:

1. Watch from behind : TAIL. For investigators.

2. Praise highly : EXTOL

3. South American plain : LLANO

4. Release : LET GO OF

5. Served : DISHED

6. Lofty standards : IDEALS

7. 1964 Mary Wells hit : MY GUY. No idea.

8. Mideast airline : EL AL

9. 35mm camera type : SLR

10. Massage option : OIL RUB. Never had an oil rub. I imagine it feels good. What kind of oil do you use, Melissa?

11. Takes care of dinner, say : TREATS

12. Stage awards : TONYs

13. In the know about : ONTO

14. Hurriers they're not : AMBLERS

15. Rectangular game pieces : DOMINOES

16. Thrash : FLOG

17. Pricing word : EACH

18. Formerly, formerly : ERST. Super-friendly letter combo for constructors.

28. Make __: employ : USE OF

29. Deletions : X'OUTS

30. Filled (with) : FRAUGHT

32. Good word : PLUG

35. The way it goes : FATE

36. Dull, ringing sound : BONG

38. Man of Milano : UOMO. Meet Giovanna Battaglia, editor of L'Uomo Vogue. Lovely bag.

39. "House" actor : EPPS (Omar). Who else is a fan of "House" besides Argyle?

40. UCLA athlete : BRUIN

41. Mirage, maybe : OASIS

43. "Naughty!" : TSK

44. New addition : HIREE

47. Cards with pics : IDS

48. '90s U.S. Poet Laureate __ Dove : RITA

49. Sri Lankan language : TAMIL

50. Parade concern : RAIN

53. "This comes __ surprise" : AS NO

58. Needing salt, perhaps : ICY. I was thinking of food.

59. Asked for milk, in a way : MEWED. Fun clue.

60. Yard filler : ALE

62. "Yeah, right!" : HAH

63. Fightin' : AGIN

66. Dental restoration : ONLAY

67. Poet's adverb : NE'ER

68. Put one's feet up : REST. We went to a neighborhood yard sale yesterday. Alas, no bobbleheads.

70. Trouble big-time : EAT AT

71. High-fives, e.g. : SLAPS

73. Nasty campaigner : SMEARER

76. Knot : TIE

77. Loud thuds : BAMS

78. Letters often seen under antlers : BPOE. Hi Abejo again!

80. Neutral tone : ECRU

81. Beachgoer's shield from an offshore breeze : DUNE. Also a perfume name. I like Dune.

82. GPS reading : ENE

85. Ringo Starr predecessor : PETE BEST. Was he forced out?

87. Golf course hazard : CREEK

88. Couple's pronoun : OURS

89. "Luck of the Draw" vocalist : RAITT (Bonnie)

92. They may be idle : THREATS

95. Hardly encouraging words : BAD IDEA! So I was reading "The ? of ?" while taking a hot bath the other day. Bad idea!

97. Hoops gp. : THE NBA

98. Game played with sticks : HOCKEY. Can never understand the beauty of hockey.

99. Hang around : LOITER

100. Think pieces : ESSAYS

102. Supercilious type : SNOOT

103. Heyday : PRIME

104. Illusory display : OP-ART

105. "Zip your lip!" : CAN IT

106. Display aid : RACK

107. Lying atop : UPON

108. __ B'rith : B'NAI

109. Passé TV attachments : VCRs

110. Hit hard : WHOP

111. "Paula's Home Cooking" host : DEEN. Not a fan. I like Ina Garten. Who's your favorite TV chef?

114. Half a dance : CHA

Answer grid.

C.C.