Friday. October 19, 2012, Jeff Chen

THEME: Elementary my dear Watson, it goes on the Table, Period.

Wow, another of our many favorite constructors and mentors, who put together an effort filled with so many layers, and no hens in the bunch. For the newbies, here is his INTERVIEW. So the theme has three sets of two natural elements, (two 14 and one 15 letter combination) the atomic symbol for which spells out the first unifier, 39A, FASHION which is then enhanced by 59A, another grid-spanning clue, which clues you to think of the answers to 17A, 22A and 50A as elements. There are some three and four  letter fill to help get the theme going through perps, but all in all another gem. It is hard to believe Jeff has only been doing this for just over three years. For me the puzzle has much of the joy of a Dan Naddor, heavy themeage and lots of tricky word pairs. Some may not enjoy the referential cluing and the proper names, but hey that is what make the world interesting; so let's get to dissecting this one.

17A. Components of 39-across : FLUORINE (symbol F)  ARSENIC (AS). (15)

22A. Components of 39-across : HYDROGEN (H) IODINE.(I). (14)

50A. Components of 39-across : OXYGEN (O) NITROGEN (N). (14)

and the first hint:

39A. Symbolic sum of 17-, 22- and 50-Across : FASHION. (7) Symbolic being your first clue to the periodic table.

followed by:

59A. Classic manual, with "The," and what the starred answers' components are vis-à-vis 39-Across : ELEMENTS OF STYLE. (15). This book was still the BIBLE for authors when I was studying and teaching English at UConn. (Does your paper have the 17A, 22A & 50A starred?)

Across:

1. Kool Moe Dee's genre : RAP. I do not know this early rap ARTIST,(4:17) but I see he was the first to rap at the Grammys.

4. Response to a drought ending : AT LAST. Rain, at last!

10. Spot that many avoid : TV AD. Nice misdirection.

14. Words of attribution : A LA. Our first French of the day, and my recurring clue for three Fridays, though each was different. Literally, from the...

15. Inspiration for jambalaya : PAELLA. When the Spanish came to the new world, they found saffron too rare and too expensive, they used the exciting fruit, the tomato, the rest in gastronomic history.

16. Jaunty greeting : HI HO. A greeting which cannot be used in certain neighborhoods, or you will be beaten.

20. Yao-like : TALL. 7'6" tall, basically a walking tree who played basketball for the Houston Rockets until his body broke down.

21. Gummy : VISCID. from the Latin, like its more popular cousin, viscous; though not to be confused with vicious.

28. Lightsaber wielders : SITH. George Lucas explained to me, this race became so mean because everyone called them SITHIES.

29. Get ready for a drive : TEE UP. (third two word answer).

30. Elem. school staple : PBJ. Peanut Butter & Jelly.

33. Some emoticons : FROWNS. Turn that frown upside down, stand on your head.

37. Barbera d'___: Italian wine : ASTI. A brand new way to avoid Spumante.

38. Sushi topper : ROE. Wants some eggs with your fish?

41. Key for getting out of a jam : ESCape. Nice clue.

42. Humble reply to praise : I TRY. Number 4.

44. Visit : STOP BY. (5)Can people Stop By or do they need to call first?

45. ___ Cabos, Mexico : LOS. The southern most city in the BAJA.

46. Chowderhead : MORON. This is an actual medical term for a level of awareness.

48. Gaseous: Pref. : AERI. Not that kind of gaseous, silly!

56. Signal to try to score : WAVE IN. (6) and the Yankees did not wave in many runs did they. The horse AROD finished last at Belmont yesterday.

57. They're often bruised : EGOS. I also bruise my eggos, but that is just me.

64. Greg's love on "House" : LISA. Mostly known as CUDDY, she left the cast.

65. Hard pieces : ETUDES. I will let our resident maestro JzB discuss this musical concept.

66. Flicks : PIX. Not to be confused with 27D. Books that require a commitment : EPICS.

67. Pup without papers : MUTT. Speaking of which, how did the cat placement go divine miss m? An the semi-clecho 35D. Go after, puppy-style : NIP AT.(8). Not like the 43A. Support for a downward-facing dog : YOGA MAT.(9).

68. Writer de Beauvoir : SIMONE. This unique and powerful woman was the life partner of Jena Paul Sartre, but together they lived a rather debauched LIFE, which you can read about there, or you can consider this LINK. to ponder her contribution to philosophy and feminism.

69. Miss Pym's creator : TEY. Josephine a wonderful mystery and historical mystery author.

Down:

1. Lake floater : RAFT. If you watch CSI, NCIS and BONES you probably thought BODY.

2. Burka wearer's deity : ALLAH. Same one.

3. Comedian Shore : PAULY. Is he FUNNY? (2:03). I really only know him as an early MTV VJ.

4. CPA's busy time : APRil. Tax day the 15th, now. It was March 15 when I first recall my father grumbling.

5. Mai ___ : TAI. The drink.

6. "Dancing With the Stars" judge Goodman : LEN. The dancing prune.

7. Bayer painkiller : ALEVE. If you read the literature, you will never take PILLS.

8. Knocked off : SLAIN. OFF bad, UP bad, on wood, good.

9. Tibia neighbors : TARSI. Speaking of Bones, work your way down.

10. "Why, I never!" : THE IDEA! (7) I can see Aunt Bee, only I think it was always the very idea hmph!

11. "Fast Five" star : VIN DIESEL. Fuel for your tank ladies? Get your motor running?

12. Sushi tuna : AHI, or do you prefer expensive fish?

13. One of a toon septet : DOC. From the Latin for 7, Dwarves of course, or is it Dwarfs?

18. Cutlass maker : OLDS. Not a sword maker but a defunct car manufacturer.

19. Many a St. Andrews golfer : SCOT. They vote next year to be independent of Britain, Steve, Nice Cuppa, anyone?

23. Jazz lick : RIFF.

24. Others, abroad : OTRAS. Our Spanish lesson 1.

25. Spirit : GHOST.

26. Bats : NUTSO. Both colloquial for insane, which is what you have to be to inject your body with 31D. It might make you forget your lines : BOTOX. A portmanteau of Botulinum Toxin, the neurotoxin responsible for many deaths. Worse than taking Aleve. I love the clue, forget your lines...those ones coming from my eyes and my smile and....

30. Tops : PRIMO. From Latin, Italian and  I think Spanish  for "first."

32. Ex-Laker silhouetted in the NBA logo : JERRY WEST. One of the all time great players, with this interesting STORY. The ABA gave us more than the 3 point shot.

34. Detective's pronoun : WHO. From WHO DUNNIT, I guess.

36. Serious : SOBER.

40. "Eli's Coming" songwriter : NYRO. a wonderful SINGER (3:59) song writer who died young of ovarian cancer just like Gilda Radnor. Sad. makes the song more powerful.

47. Campbell of "Wild Things" : NEVE. For those who have not seen the SCENE(1:12), it is very R-rated. Not related to 51D. Tampico tots : NENES, Tampico is also in Mexico, and the NENE is the bebe..

49. "Is this what ___ for...?" : I GET. (10)

52. Gangster Frank : NITTI. I am really enjoying reading Max Allan Collins'  Nate Heller historical mysteries, often featuring Nitti. He was my favorite gangster on the Untouchables.

53. Briefly : IN SUM. (11).

54. Abu Simbel's land : EGYPT. These were dug out by Ramses II's slaves and saved by the Asswan DAM.

55. "Honest!" : NO LIE. (12) Do you ever trust anyone who says this?

58. Steamy : SEXY.

59. Sunblock of a sort : ELM. Under the branches of the old elm tree.

60. Sch. with a Riverhead campus : LIU. Long Island University. LINK.

61. Prefix with meter : ODO. The one that tells yo how many miles you have traveled.

62. Marshland : FEN. A good old English cozy word.

63. Lubbock-to-Laredo dir. : SSE. Well I guess if we are going to go in that direction, I had better get out of here and leave it to you. I love Jeff Chen's work as he always makes me work and think, whether a Monday or a Friday; I hope you had a good time, I know I worked you hard in places as well, so see you next time.

Lemonade

Thursday, October 18, 2012 Rich Mausser

Theme: Going in circles.

Extremely elegant puzzle, but I wonder how many will catch on to the nuances here?

18. Congregational divide : CHURCH AISLE.

24. "Inside the NBA" analyst Barkley, familiarly : SIR CHARLES.

40. Fix-it guide : REPAIR CHECKLIST.

52. Wooly garment : MOHAIR COAT.

And the unifier:

63. Office purchase, and in a way, what can be seen in this puzzle's sequence of circles : SWIVEL CHAIR.

At first, I thought it was just anagrams of the word CHAIR.  "Ah, but look closer Grasshopper, and you will see that the 'chair' swivels one letter at a time":

r - chai

ir - cha

air - ch

hair - c

And did I mention? It is a pangram, to boot! Fantastic execution! And very timely, because I am in the process of re-doing my office, complete with new office chairs...

Marti here, to look at the rest of the entries with you.

Across:

1. Browns' org. : NFL. National Football League. Or "Cle," on scoreboards.

4. Twine material : SISAL

9. Come-ons : LURES

14. SS supplement, for some : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

15. Golfer who was #1 when she retired in 2010 : OCHOA . Mexican-born Lorena OCHOA Reyes, who was the top women's golfer from 2007-2010. She won her first state event at the age of five! (How's that make you feel, HG?)

16. Missouri's ___ Mountains : OZARK . Map.

17. TUMS target : GAS . I wanted "acid," but it wouldn't fit.

20. Modern address starter : HTTP . Hypertext transfer protocol. Who comes up with these names, anyway?

22. Spirited mount : STEED

23. Do a hatchet job : HEW

28. Burning rubber sound : SQUEAL

30. Decorous : PROPER

34. Green hole : CUP . The hole on the green that OCHOA hits more often, with less strokes, than I!

35. Wings it, musically : VAMPS . Trust me, I read more about VAMP than I ever care to remember while looking this one up. So let's just go to an example. 4:21

39. Heavenly bear : URSA. Major or minor?

44. Like many eBay items : USED

45. Tuscany city : SIENA. Another map.

46. Hum attachment? : VEE . This vehicle.

47. Fable messages : MORALS

50. Manually : BY HAND

56. He voiced Elmer : MEL. Blanc. The man of a thousand voices.

59. Sweethearts maker : NECCO . New England Confectionery Company.

60. Leap in a tutu : JETE

67. Fish lacking pelvic fins : EEL. It does, however, have a dorsal fin.

68. Aptly named bug spray : REPEL. Never heard of the brand, so this was a WAG.

69. New product div. : R AND D. Research and Development. Also abbreviated R&D, RND or simply R-D.

70. Holiday tuber : YAM. It's getting to be that time of year.

71. Surrogate : PROXY . This evening, we spotted a small kitten in our yard that had a collar. It ran right up to us and mewled loudly.  Unfortunately, there was no ID tag on the collar, so we took her in, gave her food & water, a litter box, and a pillow for a bed out in the Florida room.  I put up posters with her picture throughout the neighborhood. But I think I have become her surrogate mother. Tomorrow I will call the animal control officer and the local pet shelter to see if anyone has reported a missing cat. Anyone have any other ideas of how I can find her owners?

72. Out of port : AT SEA

73. "Strange Magic" rock gp. : ELO . Electric Light Orchestra.  Here it is. 4:24

Down:

1. Soon to happen : NIGH

2. Its name usually has only two or three letters : FRAT . Alpha Tau Omega, or Delta Phi, for example. Not to be confused with 37 Down. Part of PBK : PHI . Phi Beta Kappa, the honor society.

3. DaVinci masterpiece, with "The" : LAST SUPPER. I used to take my lunch and sit on the bench in front of it when I worked in Milan.

4. Humanities maj. : SOC. Sociology.

5. Einstein's "I" : ICH . German.

6. Complaint about a library volume? : SHUSH . Fun clue. I was thinking in terms of books as volumes, not sound.

7. Primary artery : AORTA

8. One working on a punch, perhaps : LACER . Well I guess if you have to include a word like "lacer", then at least the clue can be fun! It refers to the one with the pint of vodka, spiking the punch at the senior prom.  Sound like anyone you know??

9. Dump truck adjunct : LOADER .  Or the one who gets 11 Down?

10. Israeli arms expert ___ Gal : UZI . Israel...arms...has to be UZI, right?

11. Diaper woe : RASH .

12. Gardner who invented cases : ERLE . We know him from his "Perry Mason" series.

13. Depict unfairly : SKEW . Did I ever tell you about the course I took in college, called "Lying With Statistics"? It gave me a permanently skeptical view of anything published with graphs...

19. Common menu option : HELP

21. À la mode serving : PIE

25. Sitarist Shankar : RAVI

26. Woodwind instr. : CLAR. inet.  I totally missed the abbr. of "instr." and automatically filled in "oboe" at first.

27. Franklin's genre : SOUL. Aretha, not Benjamin!

28. Rugby tussle : SCRUM . Don't ask me how I knew this, but it filled automatically.

29. Mexican cheese : QUESO

31. Magnum, for one : PRIVATE EYE . '80's TV show called "Magnum, P.I."

32. Krupp Works city : ESSEN. Not to be confused with the coffeemaker family "Krups."

33. Did Ebert's job : RATED . Formerly partnered with Siskal, in a show where they reviewed movies and gave them either a thumbs up or a thumbs down. "Two Thumbs Up" would indicate a real "must-see."

36. Roast hosts, for short : MCS . Master of Ceremony(s). Masters of Ceremony. Master of Ceremonies. Let's just go with "emcees," OK?

38. Understand : SEE. See?

41. First family member? : ADAM . (Because Barack, Michelle, Malia or Sasha wouldn't fit.)

42. "Mad Money" channel : CNBC . Never saw it. Know it from crosswords.

43. Put on the canvas : KAYO. K-O, or "knock-out," in boxing.

48. Desolate : LONELY.

49. Poet Silverstein : SHEL. "Uncle Shelby" to his fans. I miss ClearAyes, so here's one of his poems in her memory.

There is a place where the sidewalk ends

And before the street begins,

And there the grass grows soft and white,

And there the sun burns crimson bright,

And there the moon-bird rests from his flight

To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black

And the dark street winds and bends.

Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow

We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

For the children, they mark, and the children, they know

The place where the sidewalk ends.

51. Pilgrimage to Mecca : HAJ

53. Ghana's capital : ACCRA. Another map.

54. Apple messaging tool : iCHAT

55. Horses with interspersed colored and white hairs : ROANS.

56. Amt. you don't expect to pay : MSRP. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.

57. Wide-mouthed pourer : EWER.

58. Slimming choice, briefly : LIPO . I'll go with Windhover's method, thank you.

61. Marsh duck : TEAL . Lovely!

62. Sailor's patron : ELMO . "St. Elmo's Fire" is a weather phenomenon in highly charged atmospheres. It would appear as a luminous glow on the ends of the ship's masts, and was regarded by sailors with religious awe.

64. Plague : VEX

65. Ending with fluor- : IDE

66. Nutritional stat : RDA . Recommended Dietary Allowance replaced the older term "Recommended Daily Allowance."

That's all for now. 'Til next week!

Hugs,

Marti

Late addition: Anyone know whose cat this is?

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 Steve Blais

Theme: Gee! RR! (Or what a Texan says when he unexpectedly comes across a railroad). The five two-word theme answers have first word starting with the first two letters of the reveal, the second word commencing with the third (and final) letter of the reveal.

17A. *One to four inches per day, for bamboo : GROWTH RATE. That's fast - how much do Giant Pandas eat to keep it under control?

28A. *Noted scythe bearer : GRIM REAPER. "I'm bored. I think I'll put on a Grim Reaper costume, stand across the street from the nursing home and wave at the old folks" Anon

35A. *1973 Thomas Pynchon novel : GRAVITY'S RAINBOW. Great example of good crosses helping out here. I maybe might have heard of this novel, but it certainly wasn't a title I knew I knew. I got there letter by letter.

43A. *Wrestling style that forbids holds below the waist : GRECO-ROMAN. A learning moment.

59A. *Pearl Jam genre : GRUNGE ROCK. I thought "SEATTLE GRUNGE" at first and then realized that I was being too specific (and it didn't fit either!)

61A. Canine warning that the answers to starred clues have in common, initially : GRR

  

Happy Wednesday everyone! Steve here with a nice smooth offering from Steve Blais. Some good fun stuff in the theme entries and I had fun with the fill. Let's look at the rest of the puzzle. 

Across

1. Hip-hop fan : B-BOY. I knew this, I just couldn't drag the answer out into the light of day. There were quite a few in this Pacific North-West section that were slow coming and the last area to fill.

5. Les __-Unis : ETATS. The French like to say things like "United States" backwards. They are sometimes accused of doing other things backwards, such as advancing on the enemy.

10. Olympian's goal : GOLD.

14. Smidgen : IOTA

15. Chevy Blazer, now : TAHOE

16. Orchestral wind : OBOE

19. Endorse, in a way : SIGN. I think anyone who wants to endorse a candidate in an electoral race should sign their name on them with a Sharpie.

20. Rice-__ : A-RONI. I'm going to try this stuff one day - it crops up in crosswords so often it must be delicious, right?

21. Toga party costume : BED SHEET. It took me a while to get past wanting "TOGA" here. What else could you wear to a toga party? (TLS (Too Literal Steve) again.

23. Take part in a 1920s fad : POLE-SIT. Odd fad. Some people were dancing the jitterbug, ignoring prohibition and generally whooping it up and other folks were sitting on a pole.

26. Like a prof. emeritus : RET'D.  A learning moment - I didn't know the professor needed to be retired.

27. Big pitcher : EWER. Initial response: Randy Johnson. I guess Randy is Pitcher Emeritus?

33. Lowly laborer : PEON

34. Goody two shoes : PRUDE

41. Concerning the ears : AURAL. I always enjoyed the fact that aural and oral were homophones. I thought it was great that "aural" had a sound-alike.

42. Japanese noodle : UDON

46. First responders, briefly : EMT'S. I was treated by an Emergency Medical Technician when I tripped going down the stairs of a bar after a Christmas party and knocked myself out on the way down. It's embarrassing to wake up in a pub strapped to an EKG machine with someone asking you who the President is.

50. Cyclotron input : ATOM. Atoms in, Particles out. A bit like a coffee grinder on a smaller scale.

51. Meeting : SESSION. You can have a meeting which is in session, but can you have a session which is in meeting?

53. Eleanor Rigby, for one : SPINSTER. Ear worm alert here!

57. Snorer's problem, perhaps : APNEA. A serious problem for both the sufferer (of Apnea) and the sufferer (of the sufferer of Apnea)

58. Hops drier : OAST, Oast houses were quite common in the area of England where I lived for a while - many are now converted to residences, but I've often wondered where you get the curved furniture to fit inside them.

62. Attend to, as a job opening : FILL

63. Come out with : UTTER. You have to be careful if you come out with "utter rubbish" as you might be accused of repeating yourself.

64. Wrath, in a hymn title : IRAE. Wrath of God, Days of Wrath, plenty of wrathful hymns to get you all fired up. Seems odd.

65. "South Park" co-creator Parker : TREY. Where would my avatar be without Trey and Matt Stone?

66. Nonlethal weapon : TASER. It might be non-lethal, but it's certainly not non-painful judging by the many YouTube examples.

67. Recipe amts. : TSP'S. Teaspoons. There are 16 teaspoons in 1/3 of a cup. I'm sure you'll be glad you learned that today.

Down

1. Oaf : BIG APE

2. Take for a time : BORROW

3. "Becket" star : O'TOOLE. Very dapper, was Peter.

4. No page-turner : YAWNER. Hopefully not this blog!

5. Ordinal suffix : ETH. "TH" which we spell "ETH"

6. Roofer's goo : TAR

7. Obsessed fictional captain : AHAB. The skipper of the whaling ship Pequod in Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick. Ahab was obsessed with the eponymous whale, his First Mate Starbuck was obsessed with cappuccino.

8. For the full nine months : TO TERM. Many expectant mothers would prefer they do not have to go the full term.

9. Garden apparatus : SEEDER

10. Dad-blasted : GOSH DARN. Loved this. My dad had two blasters - the first when my mom was in earshot (dagnabbit) and the other for when she wasn't (@#$*&$##@#$#@!!!!!!!)

11. Drama award : OBIE. I didn't know what one looked like, but now I do:

12. Theater section : LOGE

13. It might be pounded out : DENT. TUNE was my first thought here

18. "True dat," quaintly : 'TIS. A contraction of "It Is"

22. Do more than listen : STEP IN. I wasn't a big fan of this one - I can see it, but ....

24. "__ Around": Beach Boys hit : I GET

25. "Iliad" setting : TROY. Home of Helen, her face "launched a thousand ships". We use a bottle of champagne nowadays. Did Helen wear a helmet with a facemask?

29. "Recapping ..." : IN SUM

30. Pint seller : PUB. A couple of these might be the reason for my visit from the EMT in 46A

31. Old Japanese capital : EDO

32. Remote button : REW. This might actually be "old remote button" - don't they all just have "<<" on them now?

33. Test showings : PILOTS. Took me a couple of beats to see that this relates to TV shows, not airplanes.

35. Silence : GAG. A bad gag is received in silence too, and many a stand-up can attest.

36. Robot play : R.U. R. This is one of those words that I just cannot remember. When it comes up I'm always oh - it's ..... um .... GOSH DARN

37. "Now We __ Six": Milne : ARE. A great excuse to post one of E. H. Shepard's wonderful illustrations before Disney made a mess of the whole thing:

38. Thoughtless way to stare : VACANTLY. Took me a while to get off the RUDELY or OGLE track. Nice!

39. Nutritional figs. : RDA'S. One's recommended daily allowances. What's the RDA for PINTS?

40. First-class : A-ONE

44. Lousy liquor : ROT GUT. RDA - zero.

 

45. Mobster's code of silence : OMERTA. I can't tell you how I know this - I'm sworn to secrecy.

46. Lively wit : ESPRIT

47. They may have fake IDs : MINORS.

48. Work boot feature : TOECAP. I wish I was wearing these when I dropped a blender on my foot.

49. Treacherous types : SNAKES. Some creatures get a bad rap - just because Adam couldn't keep his hands of the apples in the Garden of Eden shouldn't reflect on the entire serpent population.

52. Freelancer's encl. : SAE. What happened to the stamp on the Self Addressed Stamped Envelope? Actually, in the UK this is a Stamped, Addressed Envelope. It's assumed that you put your own address on it rather than someone else's.

53. Like fuzzy slippers : SOFT

54. Poker holding : PAIR. Not a particularly good holding, but sometimes it pays off.

55. Cruise destination : ISLE. Now, believe it or not, the Church of Scientology (you see how I got started here) actually has a cruise ship named Freewinds.

56. Wearying routines : RUTS

60. Once known as : NEE

And that's it from me!

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

Meet Avg Joe, who has one of the funniest avatars on the blog. Like Windhover/Spitzboov/PK/Argyle, Joe knows a lot about farming and lives in his own farm (I think). Joe took this picture 2 days ago. Look, he also likes "The Princess Bride".

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: Handicap Zone - Take the last word of the reveal and place it before the first word of the three theme entries.

17A. Ice cream headache : BRAIN FREEZE. LAMEBRAIN - To borrow an automotive phrase: someone not firing on all cylinders.

31A. Written permission to skip school : EXCUSE NOTE. LAME EXCUSE - "The dog ate my homework."

47A. Elmer Fudd, at times : DUCK HUNTER. LAME DUCK - Originally, a British term for one not being able to cover one's financial obligations.

63A. "What a dumb idea!" (or what you might say about the beginning of 17-, 31- or 47-Across) : "THAT'S SO LAME!"

Argyle here. Hey, I get to call this a lame puzzle and not be insulting. The fill is a nice step up from a Monday.

Across:

1. Foursome times two : OCTAD

6. "And there you have it!" : "VOILA!". or "ta-da!"

11. Barnyard bleat : [MAA!]. I'll bet windhover is hearing a few BAAs this week. 23A. Woolly mama : EWE. 11D. Sheep prized for its wool : MERINO

14. Supercharged engine, for short : TURBO. Sorry, not the same although they both result in boosting power.

15. Like much bar beer : ON TAP

16. Foul up : ERR

19. Theology subj. : REL. (religion)

20. Of the state, to Sarkozy : D'ÉTAT. Nicolas Sarkozy is a French politician who served as the 23rd President of the French Republic from 16 May 2007 until 15 May 2012.

21. Fur from a weasel : ERMINE

25. Whistle-blower? : STEAM. Train clip.(0:58)

28. Soon, to Shakespeare : ANON

29. Dieter's progress : LOSS

34. Campbell's line : SOUPS

36. Old Russian leaders : TSARS

37. Support, as a cause : ESPOUSE

40. Response provokers : STIMULI. More than one stimulus.

44. Earthy tone : OCHRE

46. Soothes : EASES

52. Old Nair rival : NEET. (depilatories)

53. Concert reed : OBOE. Double reed.

54. Flight school finals : SOLOs

56. "King Kong" studio : RKO

57. Proficient in : GOOD AT

60. Corn Belt resident : IOWAN

62. Google Earth offering : MAP

68. Put away some groceries? : ATE

69. Holy ark contents : TORAH

70. Citizen under Caesar : ROMAN

71. Cold War state: Abbr. : SSR

72. __Sweet: aspartame : NUTRA. (artificial sweetener)

73. Agriculture giant celebrating its 175th anniversary this year : DEERE. Logo.

Down:

1. Gambling letters : OTB. (Off Track Betting)

2. Unfriendly dog : CUR

3. Swaps for a better model : TRADES UP

4. "__ Baby": "Hair" song : ABIE. Abraham Lincoln, not Abbie Hoffman.

5. No-nos : DONT'S

6. Whirlpool : VORTEX. First thought: appliance.

7. Dollar bill : ONE

8. Suburban suffix : ITE

9. Lounge around : LAZE

10. Simon Says player : APER. Players must copy what "Simon" says.

12. "Am too!" retort : "ARE NOT!"

13. "What's My Line?" panelist Francis : ARLENE. Old TV show.

18. Kismet : FATE

22. Macho guy : MAN'S MAN

23. End of a vague threat : ELSE

24. Goes a-courting : WOOs

26. Pretense : ACT

27. Tousle : MUSS

30. Scared, as horses : SPOOKED

32. Warmed the bench : SAT

33. Albany-to-Buffalo canal : ERIE

35. The like : SUCH

38. Moo __ pork : SHU

39. White-tailed shorebirds : ERNS. The loon may be our crossword bird, visually, but the erne/ern gets more use.

41. Login requirement : USER NAME

42. Onion's cousin : LEEK

43. Comparison words : IS TO. Onion is to leek like potato is to __?

45. DDE's command : ETO. (Dwight D. Eisenhower/European Theater of Operations)

47. Articles of faith : DOGMAs

48. German subs : U-BOATS

49. "The Last of the Mohicans" author : COOPER, James Fenimore.

50. Cuthbert of "24" : ELISHA

51. Aussie bounders : ROOs

55. Weapon used with a shield, maybe : SWORD

58. Memo abbr. : ATTN. (attention)

59. What you used to be? : THOU. Cute.

61. Mother Nature's burn balm : ALOE

64. Getty display : ART. The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

65. Street cover : TAR

66. Deface : MAR

67. U-turn from WSW : ENE

Argyle


Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to our blog treasure CrossEyedDave! Click here for two more pictures of young Dave and his cat PK. He works hard every day to bring us the most entertaining pictures. I propose we all link something funny for him today.

Monday, October 15, 2012 Nancy Kavanaugh

Theme: What to wear - Three different dresses start the three theme entries.

17A. Four-to-midnight production overseer, say : SHIFT SUPERVISOR

26A. Dead battery hookup : JUMPER CABLE

43A. Encased dagger : SHEATH KNIFE Wiki link for definition.

56A. Dry runs, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 26- and 43-Across : DRESS REHEARSALS

Argyle here. Two grid spanners on a Monday is impressive. Easy peasey with some fun clues. Some possible theme related entries I will highlight.

Across:

1. Trot or gallop : PACE

5. Home with a domed roof : IGLOO

10. Stylish : CHIC

14. Earth Day sci. : ECOL. (ecology) and 52D. Earth sci. : GEOL. (geology)

15. Playground chute : SLIDE

16. Avatar of Vishnu : RAMA. Vishnu has many avatars, Rama is one of the main ten (Dashavatara).

20. Bill of Rights amendment count : TEN. Connection?

21. "Les Misérables" author Victor : HUGO

22. Parisian love : AMOUR

23. "What __ the odds?" : ARE

24. In liberal amounts : APLENTY

31. Get hitched in a hurry : ELOPE

32. Without warning : ALL AT ONCE

37. Unload for cash : SELL

38. Colorado ski city : ASPEN

39. Secure in the harbor : MOOR

40. Mind readers : TELEPATHS

42. Luxurious bedding material : SATIN

45. Popular restaurant fish : SEA BASS

49. 18-Down, on a sundial : III. 18-Down. Midafternoon hour : THREE

50. Shoreline feature : INLET

51. Stare at impolitely : OGLE

53. Time Warner "Superstation" : TBS. (Turner Broadcasting System)

60. Clumsy one : LOUT

61. Mail for King Arthur : ARMOR. A type of dress, in the broad sense.

62. Wrinkle remover : IRON. King Arthur would need a hammer to get the wrinkles out of his dress.

63. MDs for otitis sufferers : ENT's. (ear, nose, and throat) Otitis is inflammation of the ear.

64. With tongue in cheek : WRYLY

65. Maddens with reminders : NAGS

Down:

1. Bothersome insect : PEST

2. Exercise woe : ACHE

3. Nickel or dime : COIN

4. Tiny toymaker : ELF. The North Pole is hiring.

5. Periodical publisher : ISSUER

6. Sound from a water cooler : [GLUG]

7. Fat-reducing procedure, briefly : LIPO. (liposuction)

8. Poem of praise : ODE

9. "__ the ramparts ..." : O'ER

10. Punishment's partner : CRIME. "Crime and Punishment" is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published in 1866.

11. Is wearing : HAS ON

12. Poker concession : "I'M OUT". The bettor's money stays in the pot, however.

13. Have in stock : CARRY

19. __ parking : VALET

23. Winesap, e.g. : APPLE. Info

24. Most capable : ABLEST

25. Draw up a schedule for : PLAN

26. Kid around : JEST

27. Oscar-nominated Peter Fonda role : ULEE. "Ulee's Gold" (1997)

28. "__ Flanders": Defoe novel : MOLL. The Fortunes & Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders &c. Who was Born in Newgate, and during a Life of continu'd Variety for Threescore Years, besides her Childhood, was Twelve Year a Whore, five times a Wife (whereof once to her own Brother), Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon in Virginia, at last grew Rich, liv'd Honest, and dies a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums …

29. Social divisions : CASTES

30. Wolf pack leader : ALPHA. I spent time trying to think of the word used for Cub Scout den leader.

33. Muscat resident : OMANI. Muscat is the capital of Oman.

34. "Surely you don't mean me" : "NOT I"

35. Hairdo : COIF

36. Seaside swooper : ERNE. (sea eagle)

38. Contented sounds : AAHs

41. Exams for sophs or jrs. : PSAT's

42. Winter Olympics entrant : SKIER

44. Swank of "Amelia" : HILARY

45. Move furtively : SIDLE

46. Scandalous newsmaker of 2001-'02 : ENRON

47. Alaskan native : ALEUT

48. Outplays : BESTS

51. "Goodness gracious!" : "OH, MY!"

53. O'Hara homestead : TARA. In "Gone with the Wind"

54. Opinion website : BLOG

55. IRS form entries : SSN's

57. Inexperienced, as recruits : RAW

58. Go wrong : ERR

59. Moral wrong : SIN

Argyle


Notes from C.C:
  
Here is a photo of Windhover (Larry) taken on August 15th, 2012 at his 50th high school reunion. He looks so mellowed.

I think this is the picture that made Annette (or is it Hahtool?) want to ride in his bike. Very rugged.

Sunday October 14, 2012 John Lampkin

(If your paper does not carry the puzzle we're blogging on Sundays, click here to solve on line or print out a copy.)

Theme: Location, Location, Location - The first word in each locale contained phrase is replaced by a sound-alike word.

25A. African antelope's haven? : GNU REPUBLIC. New republic the magazine.

27A. Farmer's fields? : FODDER LAND. Fatherland

44A. Roomer's mecca? : BOARDER STATE. Border state.

66A. Ford's legacy? : AUTO-MAN EMPIRE. Ottoman Empire.

85A. Oscar fan's realm? : WILDE KINGDOM. Oscar Wilde. Wild kingdom.

108A. Celebrity chef's turf? : EMERIL CITY. Emeril Lagasse: "Kick it up a notch!". Emerald City.

110A. Bellyacher's bailiwick? : WHINE REGION. Wine region.

42D. Friendly folks' environs? : HI COUNTRY. High country.

50D. Jurist's paradise? : SUE NATION. Sioux Nation.

To me, no one does this type of punny theme better than John Lampkin. Try to clue those theme entries yourself,  you'll realize what imaginative and witty person he is.

Of course, a pangram. Of course, no cheaters. It's a John Lampkin after all. He treats every grid as an art. Plenty of long non-theme entries for a 9-theme entry grid. Only 66 black squares. I'd need 76 to 78.

Across:

1. Nighttime refresher : SLEEP. Lately Boomer (a diabetic) wakes up often because of foot nerve problem. Any advice will be appreciated.

6. Stir : ADO

9. Coffee flavoring : MOCHA

14. Galleon spars : MASTS

19. Roaring Camp chronicler : HARTE (Bret). From the "The Luck of Roaring Camp". Not  familiar to me.

20. Like some cats : HEP. 95D. Cool cat's "Understood" : I'M HIP.

21. Faint : SWOON

22. Britten's "Billy Budd," e.g. : OPERA

23. Command to a soldier : ABOUT FACE

29. Eocene and Miocene : EPOCHS

30. Unappreciative response : ICK. 41. Appreciative responses : AHs

31. Cardinal's resting place : TREE. What a great misleading "Cardinal"!

32. Bid : OFFERED

34. They may be written in tablets : DOSAGES. Great clue also.

36. Down : SAD. Splynter frequently gave shout-outs to Eddy on Saturdays, Eddy always  responded in his terse & droll style.

38. Actress Vardalos : NIA. And 56. Aimée of "La Dolce Vita" : ANOUK. Both should be gimmes for long time solvers.

39. At an earlier time : SOONER

48. It: It. : ESSA. ELLE in Italian.

52. Amp controls : DIALS

54. Shaping devices : DIES. Tricky clue.

55. Galleria display : ARTE
  

57. Highest point : ACME

 

58. Like some memories : FOND. I will remember you, will you remember me?

EddyB Hockey Game

Clear Ayes & Granddaughter Rachael

59. Tints : DYES

60. Rhododendron variety : AZALEA. I planted Burning Bush in our little garden this year. So impressed with their bright color and sturdiness.

61. Route directories : ROAD MAPS

63. Mexican pyramid builder : MAYA. 56D. Mexican pyramid builder : AZTEC

64. Nicklaus rival : WATSON (Tom). Or PALMER. Tom Watson is very nice in person. Some pros can be very cold.

65. Berliner's cont. : EUR

69. Peace, in Mexico : PAZ

71. 1960s-'70s first family : NIXONs. Nixon is very well regarded in China.

73. Queen's subjects : ANTS. John's wits in full display.

74. Acoustical foam pattern : EGG CRATE. I wonder why this shape.

76. Floral fragrances : ATTARS

77. Down : BLUE. "... Where do you go when you're blue..."I love this song so much.

78. Dullsville : BLAH. 89. Dullsville : DRAGGY.

79. Vacation plan : TRIP

80. Modern Persian : IRANI

81. Alligator __ : PEAR. Avocado. On toast with a few red pepper flakes. Heaven!

82. "__ there ..." : BEEN

83. Legally block : ESTOP

84. Feathered mimic : MYNA

88. __-cone : SNO

91. Gram. case : OBJ

92. Sister : NUN

94. Airport security concern : LIQUIDS

97. Round Table figure : GALAHAD. Lancelot's son. 

100. It broke up in 1991: Abbr. : USSR. Where were you in 1991? I was in college, happily dating.

104. __ Darya River : AMU. To the Aral Sea.

105. Come to pass : BEFALL

113. Taught gradually, with "in" : INSTILLED.

114. Gritty intro? : NITTY. Nitty-gritty.

115. Rub out : ERASE

116. U.S. Army E-6, e.g. : NCO

117. Pet annoyance? : PEEVE. Pet peeve. 45D. Gets pets, maybe : ADOPTS

118. "Jes' think ..." : S'POSE. Does "Jes'" stand for Jesus? I've never heard of this phrase before.

119. Site of unplayable organs : TORSO. And 33D. Organ with a drum : EAR

120. JFK, in the '50s : SEN

121. Philly cager : SIXER   

Down:

    

1. Dumbwaiter enclosure : SHAFT

2. Birthday work for mom : LABOR. Fun clue.

3. Destroy over time : ERODE

4. Liszt's "Transcendental __" : ETUDES. John is a pianist.

5. Elliott the Dragon's friend : PETE. From "Pete's Dragon". I definitely googled this before.

6. Time and __ : A HALF

7. Orange-handled pot beverage : DECAF. I don't drink coffee. Have no idea it's in orange-handled pots.

8. Unrestricted, as a discussion : OPEN-ENDED

9. Controversial flavor enhancer : MSG. It's widely used in Chinese dumplings.

10. Dominated : OWNED

11. Clever stroke : COUP

12. Scope opening? : HORO. Horoscope.

13. One may begin "Reminds me of the time ..." : ANECDOTE. I like this clue.

14. Creamy dessert : MOUSSE

15. 911 call follow-up, perhaps : APB

16. Baseball commissioner who helped establish interleague play : SELIG (Bud). Also wild card.

17. Instant : TRICE

18. Quarterback's concerns : SACKS

24. Bilbo's heir : FRODO. "The Lord of the Rings".

26. App-using device : PHONE

28. Helps with the dishes : DRIES
  

35. Some bowls : ARENAS

37. Playing hooky, maybe: Abbr. : ABS

39. Casting site : STREAM. Fishing.

40. They made Trigger happy : OATS. Trigger was Roy Roger's horse.

41. On __: if challenged : A DARE.

 

43. Memorable provider of roadside aid : SAMARITAN

46. Classic laundry soap : RINSO
 

47. Approve : SAY YES

49. Featured chorus lines : SOLO PARTS

51. Alias indicator : AKA
 

53. Showed the way : LED

58. Satyr cousins : FAUNS. Half man, half goat.

 

59. "Inferno" author : DANTE

60. Cry of frustration : AARGH

62. Soprano Kiri Te Kanawa, e.g. : MAORI

63. Soil enricher : MANURE

64. Tobacco industry whistle-blower Jeffrey : WIGAND. Stranger to me.

67. Bug, perhaps : MALADY

68. Pequod part-owner : PELEG. "Moby-Dick".

70. Youngest Marx brother : ZEPPO. Herbert Marx.

72. Kubla Khan's palace : XANADU. It's located in the present day Inner Mongolia, north of Beijing.

75. Amendments 1-10 subj. : RTS (Rights)

76. Intention : AIM

77. Lux. neighbor : BELG (Belgium)

78. Hundred-dollar bills, in slang : BENJAMINs

81. Pickled offering at a deli : PIG'S FEET. Widely consumed in Guangzhou, but never pickled.

82. Authoritative source : BIBLE

83. Avian runner : EMU

85. Spoonbill, for one : WADER
 

86. RV park chain : KOA

87. Vague rumor : ON DIT. Literally "They say" in French.

90. Angus cut : RIB EYE

93. Centers : NUCLEI

94. Homeowners' prides : LAWNS
  

96. Birder's Andean mecca : QUITO. Trust John on this. He's a naturalist.

97. Sheen : GLOSS

98. So : HENCE

99. Bad fire : ARSON

101. Big name in kitchen appliances : SILEX
 

102. Winwood of Traffic : STEVE. Also unknown to me.

103. Cup sought every two years : RYDER. Epic meltdown this year.

106. Farmer's prefix : AGRO

107. "Pants on fire" person : LIAR

109. Bussing needs : LIPS. Yellowrocks had a fun comment on bussing/bussed this past week.

111. Some Windows systems : NTS

112. Romantic beginning : NEO. Noe-Romantic.

I want to thank Seen and Windhover again for checking on Eddy & Clear Ayes last week and all your touching notes. I'm very saddened by the loss of two long-time regulars in a short period of time, but also comforted by the warmth and support shown on the blog. 

Life has been a bit rough lately, thank you for brightening my day with your daily comments and banters.

C.C.