Saturday, Dec 22nd, 2012, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70

Blocks: 33

  I am guessing Mr. Silk and Mr. Norris were expecting today to arrive after all....or at least hoping so~!!!  I enjoyed working this offering from our regular constructor - most of it did not come easily, but I had the time to ponder, since I am working again today, but not until late AM.  A string of names and places* today, which made it that much harder, but then again, I had heard of them.   Twin 10-letter answers paired in each pinwheel corner, including -

18. Layer on many pies : MOZZARELLA - ah, I got fooled again, for a moment - was thinking "OREO CRUST", and dessert pies, not pizza pies; and with the next across;

21. Frequent flier's distraction, maybe : PUZZLE BOOK - made for a block of ZZZZ, giving us soZZled and piZZa.

47. Rodeo highlight : CALF ROPING - see, now, BULL RIDING fit, too, which perplexed me for the longest time - then the clue for 48D finally hit me, and the V-8 can sailed....

54. Mariana Islands region : MICRONESIA - map; I knew it was in the Pacific....

o-n-w-a-r-d ~!!!

ACROSS:

1. Org. Indonesia left in 2008 : OPEC - yeah, I was gonna fill this in to start, but waited til I had the "-P-C"

5. Lid fastener : HASP - lids on hatches, I am thinking

9. Either of two "Matter of Fact" columnists : ALSOP - Joseph and Stewart.  Before my time, a column from the 40's and 50's; the former would have participated with 52D.

14. Galileo's birthplace : PISA - I knew this, but again didn't hit me til I had "-I-A"

15. Weena's people, in a Wells novel : ELOI - new way to clue our old favorite

16. Dickensian holiday meal : GOOSE - not FEAST, not ROAST

17. Spade et al., briefly : TECS - Detectives, that is -we've seen it before

20. Letters from Athens : ETAs - the Greek alphabet letters

22. Was plucky enough : DARED

24. How workaholics often work : LATE

25. "Hallelujah!" : "PRAISE BE~!"

28. Dutch engineering feat : DIKE

32. Break room postings : MEMORANDA - where I work, the break room has a framed set of pictures of the construction of our UPS facility, which was finished in 1991, I believe, but the pictures look like they were taken with a 60's camera - I was 'shocked' to find out the place was that "new".

34. More balanced : SANER

35. Sweet girl? : ADELINE

36. Close in on the answer : GET WARM - I had the "M" from Erma, and knew that was right, but couldn't think of a word that ended in "M"

38. Closet stuff : LINEN

39. Edward VII's queen : ALEXANDRA - I was curious, went looking

41. Permits : LETS - the verb, as in allows

42. Hot tub site, maybe : SKI LODGE - I threw in BATHROOM, since that's where I want my hot tub to go; I have had the pleasure of sitting in a hot tub at a ski lodge when I was in college - after skiing, we came back to the house, got 7D., and enjoyed the jacuzzi - which was located OUTSIDE on the porch~!

43. 1977 ELO hit : DO YA - cool, a laser show~!!

44. Chef's wear : TOQUE - the hat

53. Bee's address? : AUNT - I tried "HIVE", since it's the bee's home....but this is something else

55. City on the Brazos : WACO

56. Not standard : ADD-ON - like car accessories

57. Upscale : TONY - British, like here

58. __ impasse : AT AN

59. Eponymous trailblazer Chisholm : JESSE - more on the trail here


60. 1961 space chimp : ENOS

 

61. Slangy approvals : YEPS

DOWN:

1. Was decisive : OPTED

2. Artistic representation of the Lamentation of Christ : PIETA

3. Cliff : ESCARPMENT - nice fat word

4. Potluck array : CASSEROLES - 'tis the season

5. Environmentally friendly crop : HEMP - um, yep, the fibers are quite useful (too).

6. Giants manager before Bochy : ALOU - crossword standard, with Saturday cluing

7. More than buzzed : SOZZLED - how many adjectives can you come up with?  Don't ask me, I used ALL of them prior to 8 years ago....

8. Toaster oven treat : PIZZA BAGEL - so good, I wolf them down.  I have even made my own, not the frozen treats you can get. 

9. Line up : AGREE

10. Singer with the children's album "Camp Lisa" : LOEB - She's cute

11. Big moment on stage : SOLO - and its anagram; 12. Kon-Tiki Museum city : OSLO

13. Optimum selling point : PEAK - which creates peak UPS volume....

19*. Der __: Adenauer epithet : ALTE - the "Old Man"

23*. Singer portrayed by Spacey in "Beyond the Sea" : DARIN

26*. "Sweet Tooth" writer McEwan : IAN

27*. Cheap wine : SNEAKY PETE - I have only heard of the cue stick - I have one; for the drink, there's Night Train, Mad Dog 20/20, Thunderbird....

28*. 4 Seasons title line preceding "I'm no good for you" : DAWN GO AWAY - Dawn is my senior supervisor's name

29. Not up to snuff : INADEQUATE - another $5 word in the grid; left us with just the "V" missing for a pangram

30*. LPGA star Cristie : KERR

31*. Humorist Bombeck : ERMA

32. Washington attraction : MALL

33*. Falco of "Nurse Jackie" : EDIE

34*. German town : STADT

37. Skeleton opening : EXO - Exoskeleton; I had to think for a while, because I really, really wanted "KEY"

40. Tryst : LIAISON

42. Delaying tactic word : SOON

43. He bee : DRONE - har-har

45. Open, in a way : UNCAP

46. Waist-length jackets : ETONs

47. Key of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 : C MAJ - fill in the "M" for Major/Minor, and wait....

48. Lieutenant : AIDE - tough cluing, but it makes sense; had to wait until I had -IDE, which made me change my BULL RIDING

49. Some TV screens : LCDs - mine is an HDTV, but not the Liquid Crystal Display type

50. Big dos : 'FROS - "I.M. Fletcher, 6'-5", with the 'Fro 6'-9"...."

51. El __ : NINO - the ocean phenomena

52. Some civil rights activists : GAYS

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Misty! Have a lovely stacation.

Friday, December 21, 2012, Jack McInturff

Theme: Get the "H" out of here!

Each of the 5 theme answers has the last word which is a CH word, recast with NO  H, (as in the hint) to create a new and visually entertaining new phrase. Jack is an old pro whose work I have had the pleasure of blogging before, though this had more than its share of little known proper names. I can hear Kazie groaning out there. There also are so many great clues/fill like SBARRO, BOBSLEDS, EAR TO EAR, BELTS IT OUT, I really enjoyed cracking this code. How many other CH words would work?  Well with no further ado....

18A. Jazz-loving surfer? : ONLINE CHAT.(9).  A 50's reference to when all who loved Jazz were hep cats, taken by removing the H from our modern online dialogue.

20A. Fort Knox transport? : BAR CHART.(7) A simple from of graphing becomes a nice picture of a cart loaded with gold bullion, like in this SCENE. (4:31).

39A. Farm job for Perry Mason? : WILD GOOSE CHASE (13) A book about a man who is arrested for running around and goosing all the women on a farm in Kentucky? Erle Stanley Gardner, who was a real judge and defender of the innocent named each of his Perry Mason books : The Case of..." For our crowd, maybe this case.

58A. USDA inspector, at times? : PORK CHOP.(7) My favorite for all the layers, police as pigs, as well picture of the meat inspectors.

60A. Insignificant woodpile? : MINOR CHORD.(9) A cord being a small amount of wood (relatively speaking, and JzB will explain the major vs. minor chords.

And a last minute hint,

62D. Kabuki native, and a hint to five puns in this puzzle : NOH, parsed NO H, but none of you needed the hint, right?


Across:

1. Ease up : ABATE. A nice A word to start.

6. Culture sites : LABS. Oh, that kind of culture.

10. Method for deciding : FLIP. An accepted brief form of flipping a coin, though you will see the sight gag of someone doing a somersault when challenged to "flip for it."

14. Recognition of achievement : MEDAL. Olympics anyone?

15. "The doctor will be ___ ten" : IN AT.

16. Red inside : RARE. What a nice simple visual clue.

17. Most of its strains are harmless : E. COLI. Interesting FACTS.

22. "Dies ___" : IRAE.

23. Zion Church letters : AME. AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL church. LINK.

24. Alien-seeking gp. : SETI. Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, phone home anyone?

26. Stromboli seller : SBARRO. What a great letter progression; who does not think they screwed up seeing SB start a word.

30. Novi Sad citizen : SERB. Immediately followed by SerB. A pretty obscure clue, though the 2nd largest city there. We have a new attorney in the office who is Serbian. Havla Bogu!

32. "Out Her on My Own" musical : FAME. Classic IRENE CARA.(3:28).

34. "Was ___ I saw yesterday...?" : IT YOU. No, I was not there. I was in Paris getting a drink. Or was it in...

35. Nice quencher : EAU. Do you still forget your French water?

37. Racers on a run : BOBSLEDS. Fine clue, as the place where bobsleds race is called a run.

42. Grin scope : EAR TO EAR.Not to be corny, but I think this is a wonderful clue.

43. Negatives : NOS. Yes, again simple.

44. Like clear winter air : CRISP.

45. Old railway operator's hat : KEPI. Also the French foreign legion, Charles DeGaulle..Not,  59D. "All day soft. All day smooth" lotion : KERI.

47. Labels : TAGS.

51. Like many audits : ON SITE. Generally done by your external auditors, but in truth it is hard to audit other than on site.

53. Lavish affection (on) : DOTE. Okay, I am ready.

55. French vineyard : CRU. The TEST is in the morning. Lots of French today.

56. Limited worker : TEMP.

64. Supervisory serf, in Chaucer : REEVE. A nice oldtimey word for the guy who enforces order among the Anglo-Saxons.

65. Last name of three related All-Stars : ALOU. Felipe, Matty and Jesus.

66. Words spoken before the Senate : ET TU. A brutal way to clue this old saw.

67. Burger and fries, say : ORDER. Often said in line, not on line.

68. 100 satang : BAHT. Wow, we get our Southeast Asian money, as this is from Thailand and next door we have 70A. Cambodian cabbage? : RIELS. Takes about 130 to get a Baht.

69. One-time Sinclair rival : ESSO. The old company with the Dinosaur and Exxon before it grew up.

Down:

1. Simple life forms : AMEBAS. Not only are we missing an H or five, but the O is gone!

2. Morphed into : BECAME. Again. good simple clue.

3. Worshiper : ADORER. A good word for this time of year.

4. Soft rock : TALC. Softest on the MOHS.

5. Walt Disney's father : ELIAS. Obscure dear old DAD.

6. "The River Murders" co-star : LIOTTA. Do not know this movie but love this SCENE. (0:17) Warning do not watch if you are squeamish.

7. Gloucester's cape : ANN.

8. Hope-Crosby road movie : BALI.

9. Affects emotionally : STIRS.

10. Noted dream-ending words : FREE AT LAST.  This DREAM.(2:51).

11. Varnish ingredient : LAC. For REAL.

12. It may be rolled over, briefly : IRA. and its counterpart in the acronym world, 61. Pier gp. : ILA. We get these longshoremen often.

13. Fondle : PET. Be careful, girls do NOT like being fondled like you do your puppy.

19. Snack company with a triangular logo : NABISCO. This clue was as sweet as an Oreo.

21. Wildlife protection area : REFUGE.

25. [Yawn] : I'M BORED. Damn, well better get yourselves up because we have more work to do.

27. Deli supply : RYES. breads, and the home of LSD.

28. Pestered without letup : RODE. The teacher rode Johnny all class.

29. Danger conclusion? : OUS. Dangerous.

31. Sings with gusto : BELTS IT OUT. Who better

33. Aurora's Greek counterpart : EOS. It took a while for this answer to dawn on me.

36. Many a parent : ADOPTER. All perps.

38. Legendary bridge expert Garozzo : BENITO. I remembered the great Italian Blue team, but not one of its MEMBERS.

39. Give notice : WARN.

40. Pupil's place : IRIS. Eye love this clue.

41. Tree with yellow ribbons, in song : OAK.

42. "Foucault's Pendulum" author : ECO. Did not know the book, apparently it is for a different audience than I. LINK.

46. Simon and Garfunkel, e.g. : POP DUO. Duo was easy but the POP was slow; is that good?

48. Submit : ACCEDE.

49. Submit shamelessly : GROVEL.

50. Building managers : SUPERS. They used to be superintendents, but they became just plain super.

52. Host : EMCEE. A variation of MC, Master of Ceremonies.

54. Overthrow, often : ERROR. A baseball clue, not a government coup.

57. Plant holders : POTS.

60. Folklore fairy queen : MAB. I love me a Shakespeare reference, thanks Mercutio.

63. Some are inalienable: Abbr. : RTS. OO, they tell you it is an abbr.  Our constitutional rights. 

Okay class, that is it from Professor Jack and I, have a wonderful holiday and do not get stuck in any chimneys, eat too many cookies or drive after drinking. I want you all back here for next week's final 2012 Friday, if the Mayan calendar is wrong.

Lemonade

Thursday, December 20, 2012 Jeff Stillman

Theme: "Like a Rolling Stone," the final theme entry words get all messed up. Each one is an anagram of "stone."

20A. Reason for detention, perhaps : PASSING NOTES.

36A. Unexpected attack, as of dizziness : SUDDEN ONSET.

43A. Melodious sounds : DULCET TONES.

57. Publication since 1967, and a hint to the end of 20-, 36- and 43-Across : ROLLING STONE.

I found this one to be much easier than last Friday's anagram puzzle. Only eight 3-letter words, so some chances for longer fresh fill. Let's see what's on the plate today.

Across:

1. Canaanite god : BAAL. Deity of agriculture and life.

5. Humiliate : ABASH. I always hesitate between ABASH and "abase."

10. Speed-of-sound ratio : MACH.

14. Play the siren : LURE. Fun clue!  I was in a police car somewhere (figuratively, not literally!)

15. Mombasa's country : KENYA. Its largest city.

16. Flash, perhaps : IDEA. Flash of "inspiration," that is. I had one, once...

17. Red states? : IRES. Another cute clue.

18. Hotel room amenities : IRONS. Wow, they provide golf clubs?!?

19. Convinced : SOLD. OK, I'm sold!

23. Fore-and-aft rigged ship : SLOOP.

24. Samson's betrayer : DELILAH.

28. "I am Fortune's fool" speaker : ROMEO. Act 3, Scene 1. Romeo has just killed Tybalt, and realizes that no matter what he does from now on, he is no longer in charge of his own destiny.

32. Dough : MOOLA.

33. Intel collector : SPY. With the short "intel," I was looking for an abbr. like CIA or FBI...then we have 54-Down. Whom to trust, per a 33-Across : NO ONE.

39. Srs.' income sources : IRAs. Now we get the abbr. in the clue, so Individual Retirement Accounts made sense to me.

41. Pedro's lucky number? : SIETE. The extent of my Spanish is counting from one to ten. Thank goodness they weren't looking for unlucky 13!!

42. Masters champ between Craig and Ben : SEVE. Craig Stadler (1982), Ben Crenshaw (1984) and Seve Ballesteros (1983.) He also won it in 1980.

46. Like Mars, apparently : RED. I dunno, what do you think?

47. Pioneering computer : ENIAC. A team of six women did most of the programming, but their role was historically downplayed.

48. Tennis great with 11 Grand Slam singles titles : NADAL. Did not know this guy. Impressive.

50. Frat party recyclable : BEER CAN. Hesitated between "keg" or CAN...perps to the rescue!

53. ___ code : PENAL.

61. Where to find a hero : DELI. Great clue!

64. Icy cold : GELID.

65. Floor plan division : ROOM.

66. Hubristic : VAIN. From the ancient Greek ύβρις, meaning extreme pride or arrogance.

67. "Hunger Games" battle setting : ARENA. I still haven't seen the movie. Am I the only one?

68. Prefix with European : INDO.

69. Put under : DRUG. Hard to suss this one.

70. Lamb creation : ESSAY. Charles Lamb, best known for his "Essays of Elia."

71. Hammer part : PEEN. More than you ever needed to know...

Down:

1. Control tower spots : BLIPS. "Beyond the Blips" article. Scary!

2. Ear-related : AURAL.

3. Playground retort : ARE SO. Now, now - play nice!

4. Rent collector : LESSOR.

5. Similar : AKIN. Not to be confused with a certain Missouri ex-Representative.

6. Cold water hazard : BERG. Do you remember the difference between a berg and a floe? Yellowrocks can remind you!

7. Before thou know'st : ANON. Cute.

8. Church council : SYNOD.

9. Cause of many a mistake : HASTE...makes waste.

10. Religious enterprises : MISSIONS. What's your position?

11. Busy goings-on : ADO.

12. Disney collectible : CEL. Short for celluloid, and now mostly abandoned as a medium since computer animation has taken over the field.

13. Hornswoggled : HAD. "I been had!"

21. NASDAQ debuts : IPOs. Initial Public Offerings.

22. Saint with a fire : ELMO. How would you like flying in this, Dudley? 0:41

25. Short-straw drawer : LOSER.

26. Anti-inflammatory brand : ALEVE. My go-to drug of choice...

27. Abominable : HATED. Aw, I can't hate this guy!

29. It's not optional : MUST.

30. Polish language : EDIT. Nice misdirection.

31. Ancient Greek theater : ODEON.

33. Hit back? : SIDE B. Nice misdirection.

34. Trim, as a tree : PRUNE. Anyone else want "adorn" at this time of year?

35. Singer in the Whiffenpoofs : YALIE. 2012 version here. 4:05

37. Italian peak : ETNA.

38. Sine qua non : NEED. Literally Latin "without which there"...is nothing.

40. Permanently marking : SCARRING. For life.

44. Danish shoe company : ECCO. This week we had UGG. Now ECCO. But neither one holds a candle to these.

45. Weakens : SAPS.

49. Deliver, as a rant : LET RIP.

51. Aquatic plant life : ALGAE. Like this. 0:31

52. Phils, e.g. : NLERS. Philadelphia Phillies, National Leagu(ers) of baseball.

55. Positive pole, perhaps : ANODE.

56. Fruit high in vitamin C : LEMON.ade, our own Friday blogger!

58. Places in la mer : ILES. French for "The Sea" and "islands." 9:29 and 9:14 (Hey, I try to do equal times here. Debussy and King Crimson.)

59. One of a historic seagoing trio : NINA. Pinta and Santa Maria were the other two ships...

60. Howdy from Adelaide : G'DAY.

61. Pirate's booty? : DVD. Like the spoils of this 92 Y.O. bada**.

62. Teacup handle : EAR. In MA, we have "teacup handle" turns at some traffic lights. You have to go right, in order to turn left. They are also called "Jug handle" turns in NJ and other northeastern states.

63. C.W. Post is its largest campus : LIU. Long Island University. Thursday level clue for early week movie actress Lucy. I believe this campus is close to Splynter.

That's all for this week!

Hugs,
Marti

Wednesday, December 19 2012 Kurt Mengel & Jan-Michele Gianette

Theme:  Meanwhile, back at the ranch  .  .  .   or, Mammas, don't let this happen.  Four long theme answers are common phrases related to a cowboy's typical activities, but with figurative meanings.  Two of these are grid spanning, and the other two only miss by 1 letter, so the themeage is pretty rich.

17A. Lay a trip on, cowboy-style? : SADDLE WITH GUILT.  This one baffled me until I had enough perp help to suss it out.  Pretty clever, now that I get it.  Someone can try to lay a guilt trip on you, the way a cowboy burdens his horse with a saddle.  But, unlike the horse, you don't have to accept it.

 27A. Motivate, cowboy-style? : SPUR INTO ACTION.   This is a pretty literal image, since a cowboy kicks his spurs into the horse to get it going.  A variation on the kick-start idea, maybe.

43A. Control spending, cowboy-style? : REIN IN THE COSTS.  And this is equally and oppositely  literal, since our intrepid western hero pulls on the reins to get his horse to stop running.

 56A. Hang in there, cowboy-style? : RIDE OUT THE STORM.  Cowboy's do ride, but this is the only theme answer that evokes a nautical rather than an old west image.   Does this detract from the coherence of the theme?  I can't decide.  Anyway, for another grid-spanner, it's worth it.

Hi gang, it's jazzbumpa.  C'mon, pards, let's ride on out and see what we can lasso.

Across:

1. "__ Comes Mary": Association hit : ALONG.  They don't write songs like that anymore.

6. Black-clad subculturist : GOTH.  A post-punk splinter group with influence on music and fashion.  Whatever turns you on, I guess.

10. "Famous" snack maker : AMOS.  Famous for his cookies.

14. Fracas : MELEE.  A confused struggle, possibly involving hand to hand combat.  A brawl.

15. Finis : OVER.   Done.  Stick a fork in it.  Like the Lions, frex.

16. Logan of "60 Minutes" : LARA.  This EMMY-winning CBS news correspondent was brutalized by a mob while covering the Egyptian uprising of 2011.

20. Hockey legend : ORR.  Bobby, No. 4 of the Boston Bruins, finished his career with the Chicago Blackhawks.

21. Breezed through : ACED.  Thus spoken of schools exams and unreturnable tennis serves.

22. Tony's cousins : EMMYS.  Television production awards. 

23. Nobelist Hahn et al. : OTTOS.   This German chemist won the  Nobel prize in chemistry for discovering nuclear fission. During WW I he developed poison gas.  I'm speechless.

25. City on the Rhine : BONN.  On a happier German note, they have a monument to Beethoven there.

32. Decathlon gold medalist Ashton __ : EATON.  No clue.

33. Minor quibbles : NITS.  I've had a few.

34. Chest protector : BIB.  Protection from vagrant food residue, worn by babies and lobster eating adults.

36. __ rain : ACID.  Just what is sounds like - rain with a high acid content [low pH.] It can result from natural phenomena such as volcanoes and lightning, or from pollution resulting from human activity.

37. Selassie worshipper : RASTA.  RASTAfarians believe that Ethiopian emperor Haile Sellassie [ruled 1930-74] is the reincarnation of Jesus.

39. One-time teammate of 20-Across, familiarly : ESPO.  Tony ESPOsito had a long and illustrious career playing goalie for the Blackhawks.  But the nick-name refers to his brother Phil, who had a long and illustrious career playing forward for the Blackhawks, Bruins and Rangers.  Tony's first NHL start was a 2-2 tie with the Bruins, in which he made 33 saves and his brother Phil scored both goals on him.

40. Guys : MEN.

41. Actress Skye : IONE. Her film career started in 1986, and in addition to Say Anything and  Wayne's World is a long list of movies I've never heard of.  Anyone here a fan of Girls in Prison or One Night Stand?

42. Winner of 82 PGA Tour tournaments : SNEAD.  Slammin' Sammie.

47. WWII battle site : ST LO. It was almost totally destroyed in WW II during the battle of Normandy.

48. Out of whack : AMISS.  Why is nothing ever in whack when it's going well?

49. Town __ : CRIER.  An official whose duty is to make public announcements.  A bit passé these days, but several municipalities in North America, Australia and New Zealand still have Town CRIERS.  Should I be disturbed that the first answer I thought of was DRUNK?  It fits.

52. Acquisitions in a certain race : ARMS.  Weapons of greater or lesser degrees of destruction.

53. Treat, as a bruise : ICE.  Here, ICE is a verb, meaning to place an ice bag [or equivalent] on the afflicted region.  Actually, a bag of frozen peas works really well.

60. Sheryl Crow's "__ Wanna Do" : ALL I Wanna Do is have a little fun before I die.  Seems like a modest enough goal.

61. Baby's word : MAMA.  Often baby's first word, and sound meaning "mother" in many languages around the world

62. "... but it could be otherwise" : OR NOT.   Only maybe.

63. Swimming contest : MEET.  Or a foot race contest. 

64. Needy : POOR.  Two reasons why we don't need the word "indigent."

65. Carpenters' tools : RASPS.  Rough files used for shaping.  Also great for scraping knuckles.

Down:

1. Playground retort : AM SO.  Are not  .  .  .

2. King with three daughters : LEAR.  It's hard to have much sympathy for a guy who would name his daughter Goneril.  How is she ever going to get a date?

3. Thing to break free of, perhaps : OLD ROUTINE.  If you are in a rut.

4. Folk hero Kelly : NED. Or cold-blooded murderer.  Who you gonna believe? He was an Irish-Australian bushranger, and bankrobber.  Eventually, he was hanged.

5. Glue base : GELATIN.  This is animal protein glue, though I never think of GELATIN in this context.

6. Greeley's advice : GO WEST.  Horace was a newspaper editor, abolitionist, vegetarian, and socialist.  Probably wouldn't do Jello shots.

7. Exiled Roman poet : OVID.  In 8 AD he was exiled by emperor Augustus from Rome to Tomis (now Constanţa, Romania), on the shores of the Black Sea, for reasons unknown.  At that time Tomis was a remote outpost at the edge of civilization, for Siberia had not yet been invented.  Maybe some of his pithy poetry pithed off old Augie.

8. Asian holiday : TET.   "Tết Nguyên Đán" is the Vietnamese New Year.  Why is Viet Nam so often conflated with all of Asia?   Or is this just another NIT?

9. Royal title: Abbr. : HRH.  Her Royal Highness.

10. Grads : ALUMNI.  Originates from the Latin alere, "to nourish or be nourished."

11. Hurt badly : MAIM.  Likely causing permanent damage.

12. Paris airport : ORLY.  Located 8 miles south of Paris, the 2nd busiest airport in France.

13. H.S. hurdles : S.A.T.'S.  Scholastic Assessment Tests. 

18. MBA's course : ECON.  I had Finance and Accounting classes in my MBA program, but no ECONomics. 

19. Classy guys : GENTS.  Abrv. for GENTlemen.

24. Walked : TROD. 

25. Worms, e.g. : BAIT.  For some reason, this was elusive.

26. Prefix with -gon : OCTA.  Could have been POLY, HEXA, DECA  .  .  .

27. Jeans joint : SEAM.  I tried KNEE, then SEAT.  Neither SEAMed quite right.

28. '70s AMC compact : PACER.  A genuinely ugly vehicle, with none of the Edsel's piquant charm.

29. Beginning : ONSET.

30. More than just desires : OBSESSIONS.  I took "desires" to be a verb, and entered LUSTS AFTER.  Hey - it fits, in more ways than one.

31. Try to bite, puppy-style : NIP AT.  Oh, my.

35. Spa displays? : BODS.  BODies, that is.  Could be, I guess.

37. Stir up : ROIL.  Am I stirring things up too much?

38. __ Domini : ANNO.  The year of our Lord, Roman calendar convention.

39. Grandson of Eve : ENOS.  The son of Seth, Adam and Eve's third son. Also a very forgettable Dukes of Hazard spin-off.

41. Brief opening : INTRO.  Brief meaning abrvtd.

42. Cut : SCISSOR.  Here, SCISSOR is a verb. I'm having some problems with parts of speech.

44. Response to "Look!" : I SEE IT.

45. Sarcastic laugh : HAR-HAR.

46. Palindromic fashion model : EMME. A plus size-model, and 22A homophone.

 

49. Squeeze (in) : CRAM.  Just the sound of the word makes it sound like a struggle.

50. Annoy : RILE.  And a near sound-alike to 37A.  Are these fleckos?

51. Vegging out : IDLE. 

52. Sphere starter : ATMO -  Meh!  The layer of air surrounding the earth.

54. Harvesting target : CROP.

55. Paramedics, briefly : E.M.T.'S Emergency Medical Technicians

57. Diamond caller : UMP.  Used to be the UMPire calling balls and strikes incorrectly at the old ball game, but the short form now seems pretty standard.

58. Eastern path : TAO.  The Chinese word for path, route or way.  Laozi's metaphysical concept that is the basis for Confucianism and Zen Buddhism.

59. Song syllable : TRA.  Usually travels with La.

That's it, fellow travelers.  Overall a beefy and enjoyable puzzle, though I did round up a few stray NITS.

Cool regards!

JzB

Note from C.C.:

Here are two great pictures of Jazzbumpa (Ron) at the Schoolcraft Winter Wonders Concert on Dec 17, 2012. Everything seems to be perfectly IN WHACK! Love his festive tie. Nothing is more cool than seeing a trombonist at work.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012 Ki Lee

 Theme: Today - This day of the week is the theme and four words that can precede it.

17A. "Syndrome" that causes smartphone typos : FAT FINGER. "Mardi Gras"

24A. Dorothy clicked their heels to return to Kansas : RUBY SLIPPERS. "Ruby Tuesday"(3:18)

39A. Word that can follow the first words of 17-, 24-, 50- and 62-Across : TUESDAY

50A. Biker jacket material : BLACK LEATHER. "Black Tuesday"

62A. Evil genius's foe : SUPER HERO. "Super Tuesday"

Argyle Tuesday here. What other day of the week could get this treatment, I wonder. We have three actual days and one song as themes but with two great descending fill I can't quibble(especially with my shout out in the corner). In fact, all the fill seems sparkly to me. Ki Lee's two previous puzzles were well received.

Across:

1. Butts (into) : RAMS

5. Zodiac transition point : CUSP. related 60A. First of 12 : ARIES

9. Ambition : DRIVE

14. "On the Waterfront" director Kazan : ELIA

15. "A Death in the Family" author James : AGEE

16. Big name in real estate : RE/MAX. They seem to be nationwide.

19. Dangerous bacteria : E COLI

20. Unbroken : INTACT

21. "What's the __?": "Same thing" : DIF. Shortened form of DIFference.

23. Trying to break an NFL tie : IN OT. (OverTime)

27. "Understood!" : "YES, I SEE!"

30. "Milk's favorite cookie" : OREO

31. Vittles : EATS

32. Setting for many King novels : MAINE. His house in Bangor.

35. Big Pharma regulator : FDA. Pharma is an abbreviation for the pharmaceutical industry/ Food and Drug Administration.

38. Big gun lobby: Abbr. : NRA. (National Rifle Association)

41. Casual greetings : YOs

42. Devious : SLY

43. "Tomorrow" musical : "ANNIE". Broadway biggie opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years.

44. Tries to win : WOOs

45. Math subj. : CALC. (calculus)

47. Temporary visit : SOJOURN. Nice word.

54. Campus military prog. : ROTC

55. PC key : ESC

56. Tyrant : DESPOT

64. Range : SCOPE

65. Boy or girl lead-in : ATTA

66. Agenda unit : ITEM

67. He's coming to town soon : SANTA. Or going to town, depending on your perspective.

68. Four quarters : YEAR

69. Overtake : PASS

Down:

1. Loan adjustment, for short : REFI

2. Arkin of "Argo" : ALAN. Good film?

3. Baseball glove : MITT

4. Jungle adventures : SAFARIs

5. "Impossible!" : "CAN'T BE!"

6. Sheepskin boots trademark : UGG. Still trendy?

7. Garden plantings : SEEDS

8. Danger : PERIL

9. Dr. of rap : DRE. The doctor is back in the house. Haven't seen him in a while.

10. Cooking instructions : RECIPE

11. Politician's "We have the same goals" : "I'M ONE OF YOU". Yeah, no matter who you are.

12. Bravery : VALOR

13. Departures : EXITS

18. Critical hosp. areas : ICU's. (Intensive Care Unit)

22. Apple on iTunes? : FIONA. (singer-songwriter and pianist)

25. Oman neighbor : YEMEN

26. Game to go after : PREY

27. Hankerings : YENS

28. British peer : EARL

29. Time off spent at home : STAYCATION. Great word.

33. "Just __ figured!" : AS I

34. Latin clarifier : ID EST

36. Departure point : DOOR

37. Homeowners' gp., e.g. : ASSN.

39. Discuss it : TALK

40. Mom's brother : UNCLE. or Dad's.

44. Church activity : WORSHIP

46. Receive willingly : ACCEPT

48. "Mercy me!" : "OH DEAR!"

49. Heckle : JEER

50. Military bigwigs : BRASS

51. "Bodas de Sangre" playwright García __ : LORCA. Help!

52. College application part : ESSAY

53. Like some angles : ACUTE

57. Anti-fur org. : PETA. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)

58. Loads from lodes : OREs

59. Alley prowlers : TOMs Cats.

61. The Red or the Black : SEA

63. Mom-and-pop gp. : PTA

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:



Here is a beautiful picture of Kazie and her husband Barry at their wedding 40 years ago. She made her own dress! Love her hair.

Monday, December 17, 2012 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: J.D. - People with those initials.

44A. Law school grads, briefly, and an apt title for this puzzle : JD's (Juris Doctor)

16A. "Shakespeare in Love" Oscar winner : JUDI DENCH

24A. "Pirates of the Caribbean" series star : JOHNNY DEPP

34A. The Yankee Clipper : JOE DIMAGGIO

47A. "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" author : JOAN DIDION

56A. "East of Eden" co-star : JAMES DEAN

Argyle here. I don't feel this was aimed to be a Monday puzzle but here it is. Just Do It. (Four strong corners, which is only fitting for our Crossword Corner maven.)

Across:

1. Mop & __: cleaning brand : GLO

4. "Fiddler on the Roof" dairyman : TEVYE. I prefer him to Andre Rieu.

9. Hannibal crossed them : ALPS

13. Author Fleming : IAN

14. On __: counting calories : A DIET

15. Cathedral topper : SPIRE

18. Ann __, Michigan : ARBOR

19. Sporting site : ARENA

20. "Brian's Song" actor James : CAAN. IMDb. A real tear jerker. (The movie, that is.)

22. Johannesburg's land: Abbr. : RSA. (Republic of South Africa)

23. Part of a bottle : NECK

27. Moose relative : ELK

28. Cousin of edu : .COM

29. Perfectly : TO A TEE

30. Venus, e.g. : PLANET

33. USPS pieces : LTRS. (United States Postal Service/LETTERS)

37. 'Vette roof option : T-TOP

39. Cooks over boiling water : STEAMS

40. Sea west of Greece : IONIAN. Map.

43. Drill insert : BIT to go along with 38D. Gift for a handyman : TOOL SET

50. Song for two : DUET. from the 80's Duets.

51. Final: Abbr. : ULT. (ultimate)

52. Nerve cell part : AXON

53. "It's Not About the Bike" author Armstrong : LANCE. Ironically, so true.

54. Pale : ASHEN

59. "Cool beans!" : "NEATO!"

60. Eye-fooling pictures : OP ART

61. First of a Latin threesome : AMO amas amat

62. Periodic table fig. : AT. NO. (atomic number)

63. Uses a swizzle stick : STIRS. Not for Tinbeni, just a gentle swirl will do.

64. Good times : UPS. A shout out to Splynter?

Down:

1. Demi Moore military movie : "GI JANE". IMDb.

2. Hardy's comedy partner : LAUREL

3. Next to bat : ON DECK

4. "I did it!" : "TADA!"

5. Suffix with stamp : EDE

6. Wine, on le menu : VIN

7. "That's gross!" : "YECCH!"

8. Revolutionary Allen : ETHAN. The Amtrak train, Ethan Allen Express, runs from New York City to Rutland, Vermont, busy with skiers soon.

9. Showery mo. : APR. (April)

10. Opera text : LIBRETTO. The libretto contains all the words and stage directions; helpful when I go to the opera, not!

11. Flourish : PROSPER

12. Colorful shawls : SERAPES. Fun word.

15. Japanese electronics giant : SANYO

17. Squid's squirt : INK

21. Formicarium insect : ANT. A formicarium is a fancy name for an ant farm. Ants are of the family Formicidae.

24. "The Grapes of Wrath" surname : JOAD

25. Old Dodge hatchbacks : OMNIs

26. Works by Salvador : DALÍs

28. Cavs, on scoreboards : CLE. (Cleveland Cavaliers)

30. Drop by : POP IN

31. CPR specialist : EMT

32. Trendy aerobics regimen : TAE BO. Zumba is the hot ticket around here.

34. Satirist Swift : JONATHAN

35. Narrow the gap : GAIN

36. Prime meridian hrs. : GMT. (Greenwich Mean Time)

37. Mexican border city : TIJUANA

41. Hersey's bell town : ADANO. English Book Trailer: "A Bell for Adano"

42. Say no to : NIX

44. U.S. capital nearest the Arctic Circle : JUNEAU. In Alaska, but you knew that, didn't you?

45. Take down the tents and move on : DECAMP. Then an étape and put them up again.

46. Pool workers : STENOS. From the secretarial pool.

48. Judo schools : DOJOs. From Japanese.

49. Not suited : INAPT

50. Youngster's "play catch" partner : DAD. Fresh cluing.

53. D-Day fleet : LST's. (Landing Ship, Tank)

55. Gen. Eisenhower's arena: Abbr. : ETO. (European Theater of Operations)

57. Month after avril : MAI. French

58. Go down the wrong path : ERR

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

This puzzle was inspired by the beautiful grandma of these three cutest kids. Thanks, JD.

Left to right: Grady, Truman & Cameron

Left to right: Cameron, Grady, Truman, Halloween 2012