Thursday, November 22, 2012 Don Gagliardo and C.C. Burnikel

Theme:

Walking around the perimeter of the grid are various types of cats. Let's go clock-wise:

1-Across. Float on a wave : BOB. Bobcats are native to North America.

4-Across. Provide with shelter : HOUSE. House cats allow people to live in their house.

9-Across. Child seat? : LAP. Lap cats lap up a lot of milk.

11-Down. Valuable carpet : PERSIAN. My first cat was a white Persian cat.

51-Down. Passageway : ALLEY. Alley cat - subject of my July 10th puzzle  (^0^)

65-Across. Wander off course : STRAY. Anony-Mouse has adopted a DFAC (Darn Feral Attack Cat.) And now another one has joined in on the fun, named "Clooney." I wonder if they will be feasting on turkey today?

64-Across. Pitcher Seaver : TOM. I bet this was C.C.'s clue! (From C.C.: This is Rich's clue.)

63-Across. Pool : KITTY. I named one of my cats KC for "Kitty Cat."

48-Down. Coffee preference : BLACK. Why yes, I do drink my coffee black. How did you know?

1-Down. Language spoken in Yangon : BURMESE. Not to be confused with the "Sacred Cat of Burma."

And the unifier:

38. Fashion runway, or, in a way, what this puzzle's 10 perimeter answers comprise : CATWALK.

Typical of Don G.-C.C. offerings, this one is packed with theme entries. A total of fifty-five theme letters, which must have made this one a real bear to construct. Each one is a literal type of cat, with no figurative entries like "hep cat," "cool cat" or "fat cat." In addition to that, the grid itself is unique.  It has left-to-right symmetry, but not top-to-bottom.  If you squint, can you see the cat in the grid, with his arms outstretched?

Marti here, blogging before I start cooking my favorite meal of the year. But let's dig in to this feast first.

Across:

12. Colorful card game : UNO.

13. Sales tools : SAMPLES.

15. Ginger ___ : ALE.

16. Early initials in American cars : REO. REO Speedwagon band took their name from the automobile designed by Ransom Eli Olds.

17. Longtime pop group with mostly self-named albums : CHICAGO. 19 of their 22 studio albums have "Chicago" in the title. I always associate them with this song. 3:50

18. La Méditerranée, e.g. : MER. French clue "The Mediterranean" for "sea" in French.

19. El cheapo : MISER.

21. Med. amount : TSP. Just a teaspoon of sugar helps the medicine go down.

22. NV might be one : REBUS. I stared at this answer for the longest time, before I realized that it was not talking about the abbreviation for Nevada, but the word "envy." I love rebus license plates like "AU H20" for Goldwater.  Anyone else have some good ones?

24. Lure into lawbreaking : ENTRAP.

26. Rich ice creams : GELATI. Italian word for "ice creams." Update: The singular would be GELATO.

27. Make foggy : STEAM UP.

29. North African country : TUNISIA. Map.

30. Plural suffix with slogan : EERS. Sloganeers. They are the ones who bring us phrases like "Finger lickin' good," "Think outside the bun" and "Melts in your mouth, not in your hands."

31. Classification between family and species : GENUS.

33. "South Park" kid : STAN. This weird looking kid.

34. Tiny amt. of time : NSEC. Nano-second. A billionth of a second.

36. Heir, often : SON.

37. In the public eye : SEEN. And a shout-out to one of our regulars.

41. "Holberg Suite" composer : GRIEG. Nailed it. Here is the prelude (2:57), in keeping with 62-Across. Prelude or étude : PIECE.

44. Deep bell tones : BONGS. HaHa, I bet some of our regulars weren't thinking of bells when this answer appeared...

48. Like some whiskey : BLENDED. and crossing it at 39-Down. Like some whiskey : AGED. Tinbeni can fill us all in.

50. Sun porches : SOLARIA. Husker Gary, did you nail it?

52. Blockheads : LUGS. That's the way I felt yesterday when I had a DNF.  Fermatprime, this one was right up my alley, so it was a speed run for a Thursday. I feel vindicated!

53. Some garage-made CDs : DEMOS.

55. Hood's honey : MOLL.

56. Brought something home, perhaps : ATE IN. I was off on the "income" tangent.

58. eBay action : BID.

59. Someone not to deal with : DEVIL.

60. Perfume with myrrh, say : CENSE.

61. Canteen gp. : USO. United Service Organizations. CBS launched a weekly radio show called "Stage Door Canteen" shortly after the beginning of WWII.  The following year, a film by the same name was released, and was a "reality" type movie about the USO.

Down:

2. Not much of a chance : ONE IN TEN.

3. Second shots : BOOSTERS. Like tetanus shots, not Jello shots!

4. "Told ya!" : HAH.

5. Forget to say : OMIT.

6. Bars on many bottles : UPCS. Universal Product Codes.

7. High-five, e.g. : SLAP.

8. Neurologist's printout, briefly : EEG. Electroencephalogram.

9. Excoriate : LAMBASTE.

10. Like Attu or Unalaska : ALEUTIAN. Both part of the Aleutian Island chain. Map.

13. "Buzz off!" : SCRAM. What you might say to a 28-Down. Nuisance : PEST.

14. Deep thinker Kierkegaard : SOREN. "People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use."

20. Remove evidence : ERASE. Like certain presidential tapes?

23. Dedicatee of Beethoven's "Bagatelle in A Minor" : ELISE. Nailed it! 3:35.

25. Wrinkly faced canine : PUG.

26. Gloomy fellow : GUS.

29. Fish in a can : TUNA. A mouth-watering entry for all our feline friends in this puzzle!

32. Demanding word : NOW. "Do it, NOW!"

35. Used an email option : CC'ED. Carbon Copied.  When I copy C.C. on an email, I C.C. C.C!

37. Vodka brand : SKOL. Hands up for all those who tried SKyy vodka first?

40. Wall St. deals : LBOS. Leveraged buyouts. "Leveraged" because they are debt-heavy acquisitions.

41. Seat cushions? : GLUTEI. Plural of gluteus. Check out these glutei...

42. University officer : REGENT.

43. Demand : INSIST.

45. "Whatever you want" : NAME IT.

46. President between Chester and Benjamin : GROVER. I did not know that fact.  He was a president?

47. Glassmaker's material : SILICA.

49. Coming-out : DEBUT.

50. City destroyed by fire and brimstone : SODOM. Forever linked to Gomorrah as a symbol of impenitent sin.

54. Soybean soup : MISO. I just had MISO last week. (In the puzzle, not for lunch.)

57. Napoleonic Wars marshal : NEY. His troops called him "Le Rougeaud" (Ruddy-faced one), and Napoleon called him "le Brave des Braves" (the Bravest of the Brave.)

59. Unassisted MLB coups : DPS. Double Plays. Needed every perp for this one, but at least I knew what it meant when it appeared, for once!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I do hope all our regulars and Anons who follow this blog will drop by today to thank C.C. for creating this wonderful community for cruciverbalists!

Marti

Notes from C.C.:

1) When I first proposed "Catwalk" to Don, the word CAT simply moves from left to right. Don elevated into an art. If you black out square 13 & 14, you'll see the original grid design Don had in mind. Thank you, Don, for teaching me by example on how to make a good crossword.

Don & his wife Barbara, Summer 2009

 

2) I also want to thank LA Times editor Rich Norris, his assistant Patti Varol, his test solvers and all LA Times constructors for giving us the top-notch puzzle every day.

Rich Norris & his wife Kim, ACPT, 2008

 3) And special thanks to my dedicated blogging team. The workhorse Argyle, always the first person I turn to whenever I experience a blog glitch.

Baby Argyle  (Scott) & His Four Sisters

The beautiful Melissa, who never fails to bring us the delightful wrap-up despite busy school life & unstable internet connection.

The avid Fighting Irish fan Steve, who knows everything about food, the really good food.

The super intelligent and cool guy Jazzbumpa (Ron), whose knowledge range & interests often astonish me.

The always cheerful and witty Marti, who brightens my every Thursday morning.

Marti & Pickles, Austria, 2011

The passionate & humorous Lemonade, who brings so much warmth and spot-on puzzle analysis to us every Friday.

Proud Grandpa Lemonade & Granddaughter Charlotte, Nov 21, 2012

The cool & hard-working Splynter, who has never missed a Saturday write-up since May 21, 2011.

Baby Splynter, So Curious

And the irreplaceable Dennis, who has been bombarded by me in the past few years with daily questions like "Does this theme work for you?" "Can I put this word on a Monday grid?" He's always been patient and always gives me the brutally honest answers.

Dennis the Altar Boy

4) I also want to thank those who donated, commented and wrote us emails. I really appreciate your kindness and generosity.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012 Gary Cee

Theme:

A jolly good morning to you all. Steve here filing this dispatch from the other side of the pond in old Blighty. I can hear Big Ben chiming each quarter-hour, so I couldn't be much more central in Central London. Unfortunately I'm not going to make it back for Thanksgiving - can one of you save me some turkey?

 A smooth Wednesday from Gary Cee today. The reveal helped me with 42A when the "connection" between the theme entries became apparent.

Let's dig a little deeper.

20A. Cartoon quitting-time shout : YABBA DABBA DOO! We can all relate at some time or other to Fred Flintstone's trademark yell.

35A. Fins wearer : SCUBA DIVER. One of the best acronyms ever, and invented by a Frenchman too - wonders will never cease.

42A. Bookmarked link, say : WEB ADDRESS. I need bookmarks for bookmarks I've got so many. 

And the reveal:

57A. Phone line difficulty ... and what literally appears four times in 20-, 35- and 42-Across : BAD CONNECTION. Hello? Hello? What? You're breaking up - I'll call you back! Comes in very handy sometimes, I do confess.

Across:

1. Unit price word : EACH

5. Gets ready to travel : PACKS

10. Game where 3-Down are used : GOLF

14. Org. concerned with privacy laws : A.C.L.U. The American Civil Liberties Union.

15. Pasta product suffix : -ARONI. Quibble Alert - it's Rice-a-Roni and Pasta Roni, so I think we're irons here.

16. Aroma : ODOR.

17. Ticket remnant : STUB. Or many torn shreds like so much confetti when it's a parking ticket you discover on your windshield.

18. Speed __ : DEMON

19. H-hour relative : D-DAY

23. Lay into : ASSAIL

24. Group of four : TETRAD. A learning moment for me today. I know I must have seen this in crosswords before, but it's never stuck. Hopefully now it will.

27. "__ Misérables" : LES.

29. "Odds __ ..." : ARE

30. J. Geils Band record label : EMI. Electric & Musical Industries, Ltd. in case you're wondering where the name comes from.

31. Swaddling clothes wearer : BABE

38. Three-time A.L. batting champ Tony : OLIVA. Minnesota Twins legend had his number 6 retired by the club.

C.C. & Oliva, Sept 15, 2011

40. Letters before a pen name : AKA. Nothing in the clue to indicate an abbreviation - has "Also Known As" moved beyond needing the periods in the shortened form?

41. Cardiologist's insertion : STENT

45. Soup can painter Warhol : ANDY

46. Schubert's "The __ King" : ERL. Why do I always put "Eel"? I've had to correct it often enough, you'd think I'd know by now.

47. Gaming cube : DIE

48. Four-song discs, briefly : EPs. Extended Play 7" vinyl. Say that to anyone born after 1980 and they will have no idea what you're talking about. Two on each side. This first official Beatles EP release is still the biggest-selling in UK pop history.

50. Sound system : STEREO. Not a lot of point playing the EP above on your stereo - it was only released in glorious mono!

52. Venetian marketplace : RIALTO

61. Word from the flock : AMEN. Baaaaaaa!

63. "Today" anchor Hill : ERICA. I needed the crosses for this, somehow I never seem to watch the Today show (nor remember the names of TV anchors!)

64. Good listeners : EARS

65. Barber's nape sprinkle : TALC

66. Starter course : SALAD

67. Stake in a pot : ANTE

68. It's not a true story : MYTH

69. "__ Dream": "Lohengrin" aria : ELSA'S. There's a nice version here from Bayreuth

70. Harbor skyline feature : MAST

Down:

1. Class that requires little effort : EASY A

2. Play the role of : ACT AS

3. Certain pro's selections : CLUBS. The link with 10A helped narrow this one down quickly.

4. When repeated, an enthusiastic shout : HUBBA. When I saw this crossing with Yabba I was expecting to find Bubba, Jabba and all kinds of others.

5. Table tennis tools : PADDLES. We called 'em bats at home. Ours had cork on one side and sandpaper on the other.

6. Field : AREA

7. Brush partner : COMB. I don't own any hair-styling tools, I just wash it, towel it off and comb it with my fingers. Some people say lazy, I say efficient.

8. Gearshift topper : KNOB. I'm renting a car here in London today, so I'll be experiencing this feature. Most rental cars in the UK are stick-shift, adding to the drama of sitting on the wrong side of the car to drive on the wrong side of the road.

9. "My Way" singer : SINATRA

10. Dramatic no-show : GODOT. The production I saw many years ago had Estragon and Vladimir act the entire play whilst standing up to their necks in large Grecian urns. It turned "Waiting for Godot" into "Waiting for "Waiting for Godot" to finish, PLEASE!".

11. Roulette bet choice : ODD OR EVEN

12. Mauna __ : LOA. Always need two crossing letters to distinguish from Mauna Kea

13. Cook in oil : FRY

21. Be unwell : AIL

22. Good ones don't go unpunished, so they say : DEEDS

25. Change for the better : AMEND

26. Below the belt : DIRTY. A low blow in boxing. Somehow it's OK to pummel a fellow about his cranium until he blacks out, but pop him one in the nether regions and that's a cardinal sin.

28. "Eek!" inducer : SCARE. Wanted Mouse, then Snake, then Sc .. ummm ... oh! Scare!

29. Take down a peg : ABASE

31. Pitney's partner : BOWES. Funny how the mind works, I had confidently filled in PRATT and couldn't figure out why nothing else would fit with it, then I went back and re-read the clue. "Whitney" doesn't look anything like "Pitney." How strange.

32. Colorful warning, often : ALERT. Usually Red. I've never seen a Blue or Green alert.

33. Evangelical hot spot : BIBLE BELT

34. Señora Perón : EVA.

36. Hawaiian strings : UKE

37. "Make __ good one!" : IT A

39. Put two and two together : ADDED. Was hoping for "Made Five", but not enough room.

43. Bishop's jurisdiction : DIOCESE. Is there a different between a Diocese and a Bishopric?

44. Goes viral, say : SPREADS. If you want an ear-worm today, click this link for a viral YouTube video that's had more than 700 million views. If you've had enough Korean dance music for a while, just skip over it.

49. [Not my typo] : SIC. What happens if SIC itself is a tpyo (sic). You'd have tpyo (sci) (sic) (sic) or something .. awesome!

51. Italian alternative : RANCH

53. Mr. T's group : "A" TEAM

54. Jungle vine : LIANA. I like this word for no good reason.

55. Basis of civil lawsuits : TORTS

56. First sign : ONSET

58. Like much family history : ORAL

59. Lofgren of the E Street Band : NILS. I always think that Keith Richards is Nils Lofgren's "Picture of Dorian Gray"

Nils

Keef

60. March Madness org. : N.C.A.A. The National Collegiate Athletics Association also administer other events besides this basketball tourney.

61. Brief bread source? : A.T.M. I love how "PIN number" and "ATM machine" are often part of the same sentence and both have redundancies - "I went to the automatic teller machine machine but forgot my personal identification number number".

62. Possibly will : MAY

That's all from me, other than to slip in a brief "Huzzah" that the Fighting Irish are back - ranked Number 1 for the first time since 1993!  The ND London campus is very close by my hotel, so please indulge me with this picture we took yesterday!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012 Steve Blais

Theme: Are you ready to play? - All answers are related to the TV game show where to family groups try to match their answers to what a one hundred people said. For those unfamiliar with it, here is Part 1 of the 1976 ABC premiere of Family Feud. Clip(8:29) You can skip the intro's and start at 4:15.

18. Show hosted by 23-Across : "FAMILY FEUD"

23. Popular TV personality (11/20/1932-6/2/2012) : RICHARD DAWSON

39. 18-Across list topper : NUMBER ONE ANSWER

49. With "the," 23-Across's nickname on 18-Across : KISSING BANDIT

60. 23-Across's catchphrase on 18-Across : "SURVEY SAID!"

Argyle here. How's this for a theme? A piece of cake for fans and a bear if you've never seen it. The current host is Steve Harvey.

The puzzle is anchored in the middle by a grid spanner. The corners are substantial. The fill seems decent although a couple seem oddly clued. This is his fourth puzzle this year. He said he would be back soon in the comments on October 17.

Across:

1. Winter coaster : SLED

5. "Go __, Tigers!": 1968 Detroit baseball theme song : GET 'EM. Clip.(1:29)

10. Verb for thou : DOST

14. Vehicle at a stand : TAXI

15. Martini garnish : OLIVE

16. Empty room phenomenon : ECHO

17. Unattributed, as a quote: Abbr. : ANON

20. Uncommon, to Caesar : RARA

21. Taking care of the job : ON IT

22. Muse for poets : ERATO

26. Syr. neighbor : ISR. (Syria/Israel) 45A. Syr. neighbor : LEB. (Syria/Lebanon)

27. Royal Navy letters : HMS (Her or His Majesty's Ship)

28. Brightness nos. : IQ's

30. Put a match to : IGNITE

35. Vocal quality : TONE

42. Proboscis : NOSE

Ha cha cha!

43. Did, at some point : USED TO

44. Fish-fowl connector : NOR. "Neither fish nor fowl" - Cliché, not any recognizable thing.

47. Go toe-to-toe : VIE. Meh.

56. Healing plants : ALOEs

58. Lugosi of horror films : BELA

59. Flag Day month : JUNE

62. Area behind a high altar : APSE

63. "Aha!" : "I SEE!"

64. Blue Cross competitor : AETNA. Health insurance giants.

65. Part of an agenda : ITEM

66. Migratory herring : SHAD. The shad spends most of its life at sea, but swims up fresh rivers to spawn. Wiki

67. California berry farm founder : KNOTT

68. Used car sites : LOTS

Down:

1. Percussionist from Liverpool : STARR. (Ringo)

2. Hawaiian porch : LANAI. How is our Hawaiian contingent doing?

3. Ritualistic evictions : EXORCISMS

4. Singers Washington and Shore : DINAHs. Washington(2:09) and Shore(2:50)

5. Cost : GO FOR

6. Spiral-horned antelope : ELAND

7. Faint of heart : TIMID

8. Madonna title role : "EVITA"

9. B or C of the Spice Girls : MEL. Melanie B rown("Scary Spice") or Melanie C hisholm("Sporty Spice").

10. Sits on the kitchen counter until dinner, say : DEFROSTS. Not recommended.

11. Indian __ : OCEAN

12. Not even ajar : SHUT

13. Chore list heading : TO DO

19. Quaint country consent : "YES'M"

24. Grammy winner India.__ : ARIE. Clip(3:46)

25. Bread choice : WHEAT

28. Place to overnight : INN

29. Quid pro __ : QUO. ("this for that" in Latin)

31. Future beetles : GRUBS

32. Rejection on top of rejection : NOs

33. Opal finish? : INE

34. Brother of Jack and Bobby : TED. Kennedys

36. Admitted : OWNED UP TO

37. Opposite of paleo- : NEO. (old/new)

38. Act inappropriately : ERR

40. Accepted : BELIEVED

41. Bright star : NOVA

46. Latin 101 word : ESSE

48. Behind bars : IN JAIL

49. Where to get Seoul food : KOREA

50. "A Doll's House" playwright : IBSEN

51. "That's so cool!" : "NEATO!"

52. Quick flash : GLINT

53. Needing practice in : BAD AT

54. Smaller map, often : INSET

55. Rains cats and dogs : TEEMS. (meh)

56. Auction condition : AS IS

57. One who rarely has low spirits? : LUSH

61. Hog the phone : YAK

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here is a happy photo of the always cheerful Bill G and his adorable 8-year-old grandson Jordan. The photo was taken on Nov 18 in their backyard. So green.

Monday, November 19, 2012 Lila Cherry

Theme: Boomers - A shout out to C.C.'s husband?

20A. One who can talk you to sleep : CRASHING BORE

33A. Audible sign of hunger : RUMBLING STOMACH

41A. Flappers’ decade : ROARING TWENTIES

56A. Weather event where you’d hear the starts of 20-, 33- and 41Across : THUNDER STORM

Argyle here. I was going to link some storm sounds for you to hear here but this is just not the season for thunder storms. Did you know YouTube has a eight hour downloads of storm sounds? East Coasters are probably not ready to hear that right now.

Oh, and the puzzle; it is from Lila Cherry("Really Rich"), a pseudonym of Rich Norris, our editor. He has fit two grid spanners in the center. Some of the fill is ho-hum but there's not a Natick in the bunch.

Across:

1. Part of PGA: Abbr. : ASSN. (Professional Golfers' Association)

5. Desert tableland : MESA

9. Character weakness : FLAW

13. Chase away, as a fly : SHOO. Anybody having shoofly pie for Thanksgiving?

14. Plot surprise : TWIST

16. “Queen of Country” McEntire : REBA

17. A psychic may read yours : PALM. No, not your palm tree.

18. Yemen’s capital : SANA'A

19. With 8-Down, really simple : EASY and 8D. See 19-Across : AS ABC

23. Pellet shooter : AIRGUN

24. AFL partner : CIO. (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations)

25. Madrid Mrs. : SRA. (Señora)

28. Tabula __: blank slate : RASA

31. “That’s enough out of you!” : "STOW IT!"

38. Cruising on the briny : ASEA

39. Org. offering motel discounts : AAA. (American Automobile Association, also called "Triple A")

40. Chat room “Here’s what I think ...” : IMHO. (in my humble opinion)

46. Present from birth : INNATE

47. Salinger title teenager : ESME. "For Esmé – with Love and Squalor"

48. Court divider : NET

49. “Criminal Minds” network : CBS. (Columbia Broadcasting System)

51. Bible book of 150 poems : PSALMS

59. It might begin, “Knock knock” : JOKE

62. Word after maternity or shore : LEAVE

63. Prefix with dextrous : AMBI. (ambidextrous: able to use both hands equally well.)

64. Allies’ opponents : AXIS. us/them.

65. City that inspired van Gogh : ARLES. Wheat Fields near Arles.

66. Banister : RAIL

67. Old wives’ tale : MYTH

68. Lions’ homes : DENS. No, it's Detroit; watch 'em play on Thanksgiving.

69. “Bus Stop” dramatist William : INGE

Down:

1. Critters’ rights gp. : ASPCA. (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Kill your turkey humanely or have tofurkey.

2. Lewis with Lamb Chop : SHARI. PLEASE, no Lamb Chop for dinner.

3. From the sun : SOLAR

4. Asian menu assurance : [NO MSG]

5. Where Moses received the Commandments: Abbr. : MT. SINAI

6. Actor McGregor : EWAN

7. Croon a tune : SING

9. At no cost : FREE

10. Grazing area : LEA

11. Middle muscles : AB's. (abdominal muscles)

12. Method : WAY

15. Follower of Laotzu : TAOIST. Déjà vu?

21. Throw hard : HURL

22. __-Rooter : ROTO. The company originally specialized in clearing tree roots and other obstructions from sewer lines.

25. Hindu guru : SWAMI

26. Rolling in French euros : RICHE. French for rich, if you couldn't guess.

27. Pal of Porthos : ATHOS. The Three Musketeers (with Aramis)

29. Unexpected problem : SNAG

30. Colorful marble : AGATE

32. Neglect to include : OMIT

33. __ to go: ready for action, in dialect : RARIN'. Rarin' for a big dinner and good football.

34. Me.-to-Fla. highway : U.S. ONE

35. Intended : MEANT

36. Old-time actress Theda : BARA. Don't be late if she's cooking!

37. Tree cutters : SAWS

42. Restless desire : ITCH

43. Cosmic cloud : NEBULA

44. Catherine the Great, to Russia : EMPRESS

45. Eliot of the Untouchables : NESS

50. Wooden Mortimer : SNERD. Déjà vu?

52. Pong producer : ATARI

53. Fictional salesman Willy : LOMAN. (from Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman)

54. Boss, slangily : MR. BIG

55. Photographer’s request : "SMILE"

56. New Age musician John : TESH

57. Chip’s chipmunk pal : DALE

58. Neck and neck : EVEN

59. Traffic trouble : JAM

60. Natural Skin Science company : OXY. A line of acne care products. Web site. I'm not sure the CA company is the same one.

61. First-aid aid : KIT

Argyle


Notes from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Creature! Long time regulars know how sweet and caring she was when she was active on the blog. I sure miss her warm presence.

I mentioned in one of Splynter's write-ups ( See 20-Across KLU) earlier this month that Creature still solves LAT & reads our blog every day. She wrote a short comment the next day.

I hope you do something special for yourself today, Creature. We all look forward to your return.

Sunday Nov 18, 2012 Steven J. St. John

Theme: "Flipping Out" - A (Verb) THE B (Noun) is flipped into B (Verb) THE A (Noun)

24A. Pay attention to a word game? : MIND THE BOGGLE. I find Boggle difficult. Scrabble is more fun. Boggle the mind.

38A. Ask, "Is this really diet?" : QUESTION THE POP.  Pop the question.

57A. Trade with Marineland? : DEAL THE SEAL. Seal the deal.

59A. Find out whether a strikeout king is doping? : TEST THE ACE. Ace the test. Don't know whether I should trust Roger Clemens.

72A. Advertise some prime real estate? : MARKET THE CORNER. Corner the market.

90A. Present a styling award? : HONOR THE DO.  Gisele's hair is to be honored. Do the honor. I use the plural "honors" though. Do the honors.

93A. Fill a cargo bay? : LINE THE HOLD. Hold the line.

108A. Move a chess piece? : POSITION THE MAN. So I googled Man the position, and was surprised by what came up.

127A. Redecorate a castle? : CHANGE THE KEEP. Keep the change.

Lots of work went into this puzzle. Steve had to mine all the A THE B phrases and eliminated entries like "Bite the bullet" where B can't be a verb or does not make surface sense when flipped.

The grid design is also masterful. Heavy themage & cheater-free. Look at the 16 seven-letter entries in this grid, esp those stacked in upper left/middle & lower middle/right & the intersecting entries. Just beautiful. BRIOCHE!

The clues are also entertaining. My favortie is PUN (80A. "Doing a crossword with a broken pencil is pointless," for example).

 

Across:

1. Psychiatrist's diagnosis : COMPLEX. Excellent 1-Across entry.

8. Biblical patriarch : ABRAHAM

15. Jet set : ELITE. So that's how military brass connect with the local community. Valet parking!

20. How shrimp cocktail may be served : OVER ICE

21. Period named for an element : IRON AGE

22. Flash lamp gas : XENON

23. Join, as a lucrative deal : GET IN ON

26. Culinary tide-me-over : SNACK. What's your favorite snack? By the way, Michele, I like Miso soup also.

27. __-ran : ALSO

29. Critic, at times : HATER

30. "Stand" band : R.E.M.

31. Mentalist's claim : ESP. I told Boomer on the morning of Nov 7th that we needed a big scandal, since the election was over and I had nothing to be occupied with. Boom! The Petraeus Gate broke. I'm amazing!

33. Like Charles Bronson : MACHO. OK, then.

36. Fellowship : SOCIETY

44. Sympathetic : KIND

45. Lines at the market? : UPC. Like ATM, this answer is fun to clue.

46. Where many races are seen, briefly : OTB (Off-Track Betting)

47. Evergreen shrubs : ERICAs. New to me.

49. High roller's quarters : SUITE. Brilliant clue.

52. "Stupid __ stupid does": Forrest Gump : IS AS. Gary Sinise, Lt Dan in the movie, is a workhorse for the wounded soldiers.

54. Picnic remnants : COBS

62. Has permission to : MAY

63. Loose things to tie up : ENDS

64. One might be significant : OTHER. Significant other.

65. Busts : BOSOMS

69. Little rascal : IMP. That's Spitzboov!

71. Inventing initials : TAE. Thomas Alva Edison.

77. Yang counterpart : YIN. Ginger is Yang, so are dates. Cucumber is Yin.

81. It may share a kit with a 113-Down : TOM TOM. And 113. Percussion pair : HI-HAT

82. Djokovic rival : NADAL (Rafael). Man, I'm glad we don't need to fill in DJOKOVIC.

86. Cicero's love : AMOR

88. "Gimme a __" : SEC

98. Corduroy feature : PILE

99. Delay cause : SNAG

100. With 116-Across, noted finger-pointer : UNCLE. 116. See 100-Across : SAM. Love this poster Marti created.

101. Sands of Chad : SAHARA

103. Connections : INs

105. Texter's "two cents" lead-in : IMO (In My Opinion)

106. Made haste : HIED

112. So on : WHAT NOT

115. Godzilla creator, in the story : H-BOMB

117. Suffer : AIL

118. Baldwin and Guinness : ALECs

121. Somber genre : NOIR

123. Jewish teacher : RABBI

131. Ruling periods : EMPIRES

133. West of hip-hop : KANYE. Dating Kim K.

134. Payback : REVENGE

135. Butcher's array : FILLETS

136. Amusing zoo creature : OTTER

137. Indulged at Thanksgiving : ATE A TON. I'm good at pigging out on authentic Wonton noodles & Rice noodle rolls, not Thanksgiving food.

138. Skeptic's retort : SAYS WHO

Down:

1. Minor players : COGS

2. Item most frequently heated up for dinner? : OVEN. Our oven is underused. Stove is often enough for me.

3. Intro to physics? : META. Metaphysics.

4. Comparison shopper's data : PRICES

5. Connects with : LINKS TO

6. "Baudolino" author : ECO (Umberto). Has anyone read the book? Irish Miss?

7. Gabrielle's rescuer : XENA

8. Targets : AIMS AT

9. Café pastry : BRIOCHE. Have some!

10. Howard of Hollywood : RON. 35. 10-Down played him : OPIE

11. "So?" : AND

12. Possesses, biblically : HATH. This reminds me of the Mo Tzu we had on Thursday. See, in modern China, we use Pin Yin system, so it's Mo Zi, not Mo Tzu. The other philosopher is Lao Zi, not Lao Tzu. Wade–Giles romanization of Chinese is old & outdated & Cantonese heavy, since Wade lived in south China in the 19th century.

13. Ottoman VIP : AGHA

14. Assembles : MEETS

15. Cast out, as demons : EXORCISE

16. Relay race part : LEG

17. Piece of the pie? : INGREDIENT. Great clue.

18. Sign of a clean apartment? : TO LET. Another great clue.

19. Opposition : ENEMY

25. "It's going to __" : BE OK

28. K-O connection : L M N. Alphabetically.

32. Selling technique : PITCH. Very classy for Rick Porcello to agree to trade his No. 48 to Torii Hunter and donate the money to Hurrican Sandy relief.

34. Do the impossible with cats, proverbially : HERD

37. Restroom door sign : IN USE

38. Capital at 9,350 feet : QUITO. Capital of Ecuador. La Paz even higher.

39. Improbable win : UPSET

40. PayPal currency : E-CASH

41. Wind in a pit : OBOE

42. Andean staple : OCA. Like this. 

43. Hurricane-resistant tree : PALM. Wow, I did not know this. Palms are never uprooted?

48. It takes you up and down but never moves : STAIR. In case you think of elevator.

50. "Look!" : TA DA

51. Besides : ELSE

53. Apple projection : STEM. Real apple!

55. Infant : BABE

56. Big name in paper products : SCOTT. Argyle's real name. Here is young Scott and his dog Rags.

58. Choir selection : HYMN

60. It may be laid or set : TRAP. I find "It may be this or that" type of clue challenging.

61. This, in Seville : ESTO. ESTA too.

66. Unit of resistance : OHM

67. Christian denom. : METH. Steve/Rich  probably does not like the drug reference.

68. Parlor utensil : SCOOP

70. Restricted, with "up" : PENT

73. Exhilarated reaction : RUSH

74. Many pray on them : KNEES. When I was a kid, we had to kneel down to pay respect to old relatives. How things have changed.

75. Potent start? : OMNI. Omnipotent.

76. Bleachers support : RAHS

77. Chinese border river : YALU. Between North Korea and China. Literally "Duck Green". Ya =Duck. Lu = Green.

78. "Sign me up!" : I'M IN

79. Careless? : NONCHALANT. Great clue/Answer.

83. Biker's fabric : DENIM

84. "Battlestar Galactica" commander : ADAMA. No idea.

85. Enter one's credentials : LOG ON

87. Ignited again : RE-LIT

89. Dry and crack : CHAP

91. Actress Lena : OLIN

92. Allows to use temporarily : RENTS

94. "Glee" extra : TEENAGER. The show gives us the beautiful LEA Michele. Ewe can forget the "Grazing area".

95. "Well now!" : OHO

96. Lid hair : LASH. Oh eyelid.

97. Bit : DRIB

102. In a single attempt : AT ONE GO. Can't parse my answer.

104. How the riot act is usually read : SHARPLY

107. 1996 runner-up : DOLE (Bob). "Easy, Boy!"

109. "Nothing on my calendar" : I'M OPEN

110. Asian sash : OBI

111. Weightless correspondence? : EMAILS. Enlighten me, I'm not seeing anything clever here with the ?.

112. Not firing on all cylinders : WACKO

114. Aquarium favorite : TETRA

119. Jazzman Baker : CHET

120. Golfer Ballesteros : SEVE. Excellent short game.

122. Ones on the field who aren't team players? : REFs

124. Coffee or tea : BREW. Tea please!

125. "Little Women" woman : BETH

126. Playground rebuttal : IS SO

128. Science guy Bill : NYE

129. Mauna __ : KEA. Literally "White", so "White mountain". LOA means "Long".

130. Tolkien tree creature : ENT

132. Fla. airport : MIA. Steve lives around this area, I think.

C.C.

Happy Birthday to dear Jimbo! I miss your comments. How's bowling this year?

Left to right, Jimbo's son, Jimbo's granddaugter, his grandson and Jimbo