Saturday, Aug 17th, 2013, Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing Q)

Blocks: 37

   I do believe Mr. Wilber took it easy on us this week - at least it seemed so for me; I worked harder on yesterday's "Buzz" puzzle than I did today - and today had just as many "Z"s, too~!  A rather odd-looking grid, a scattering of blocks ( and a high count for a Saturday ).  Just two 11-letter climbers, and two 9-letter entries in the across:

4. Familiar slogan : CATCH-PHRASE - what's your favorite "catch-phrase"? I'll tell you mine....

25. Beginner : ABECEDARIAN - Literally, someone learning the "ABCDs" of their milieu, from the Latin for someone learning the, well, a,b,c,d's

24. Coltrane's rendition of "My Favorite Things," e.g. : JAZZ WALTZ - I have added music links elsewhere in the puzzle, so feel free to find yours

47. Triple : THREEFOLD

Ooooooooonward~!--------->

ACROSS:

1. Pretentious fop : COXCOMB - Filled this in on the second pass; derived from the hat worn by court jesters, as it resembled the 'cock's comb'; i.e., the crest of a gallinaceous (ooh, big word) male bird

8. Ring of Fire country : JAPAN - nailed it, but then again....Ring of Fire story

13. Some brotherhoods : FRIARIES - new word for me, but I knew about friars; see 62A

15. Slow-tempo Spanish dance : BOLERO

16. "Who's on First?" comic : COSTELLO - I started typing BUD ABBOT, but was short a letter

17. Britt of "The Wicker Man" : EKLAND - Spelled it wrong; I had "U" in for the "A"

18. Resource in Montana/Wyoming's Powder River Basin : COAL MINE - a shout-out to our Montana

20. Antique auto : REO - too easy for Saturday

21. Peacock Throne leaders : SHAHS - more 'cocks'....

26. Grandeur : POMP - To go along with your coxcomb....

27. Majestic quality : HALO - and still more; a glow about the 'head'?

28. Launder money for, e.g. : ABET - is this really abetting, or more like racketeering?

29. "This could get ugly!" : "UH-OH~!"

30. Diner cooker : GRIDDLE - The appliance, not the person

32. Dickens's "Little __" : DORRIT

34. Creator of Marryin' Sam and Joe Btfsplk : AL CAPP - Some etymology on the name Btfsplk

38. Was a mentor to : ADVISED

42. Earth tone : ECRU

43. Amount to take : DOSE

45. Edgar-winning mystery writer Stabenow : DANA

46. "__: The Wanderer Talks Truth": singer's memoir : DION - musical interlude

49. Flooded field : PADDY

50. Unsavory paper : RAG

51. Brad, for one : FASTENER - the small nail, not the actor Pitt

53. One of six official U.N. languages : ARABIC

55. They're often mixed : EMOTIONS - my first thought, and so I did NOT fill it in; I thought it was too easy for Saturday

59. Waiter's observation : I'M NEXT - The person in line, not the server

60. Fertilizer compounds : NITRATES - Great WAG for me

61. Try : TASTE

62. Plainsong singer : CHANTER - reminds me of this movie:

DOWN:

1. Phased-out refrigerant compound : CFC - Chlorofluorocarbon, and if you care to continue our chemistry lesson from last week....

2. Conquistador's treasure : ORO - Spanish man, Spanish gold

3. They follow the nus : XIs - cute use of homonym ("Late Night following your local news")

5. Creme-filled snacks : OREOs - well, there's a lot to get DF about on this Saturday~!

6. Actress Kunis : MILA

7. Lab vessel connected to a vacuum pump : BELL JAR

8. Regular "Laugh-In" feature : JOKE WALL - starring that crossword staple ARTE Johnson

9. Up, in scores : ALL - tied, that is; I used to hear this in soccer recaps - "Manchester and Arsenal 1-all in the second half"

10. LensCrafters rival : PEARLE - eyewear professionals

11. Journalist Peter : ARNETT

12. Crammer's tablet : Nō-DōZ - pill popping tablets, not the i-thingy

 

14. Horn of Africa native : SOMALI

15. Automotive pioneer Karl : BENZ - Half of the Mercedes-Benz company's origins

19. Maker of PerformX sportswear : IZOD

21. Tater : SPUD

22. Seasonal chuckle : HO-HO - short a Ho~?

23. Spanish soap staple? : AMOR - Spanish soap opera, that is, and love; threefold love makes for much more drama

27. "Design on a Dime" network : HGTV

31. Art movement born during WWI : DADA - some history here; funny, but this article uses 4D in the 4th paragraph

33. Obsession with an accent : IDÉE FIXE - I was thinking this was a clue about perfume at first; idée fixe is Frawnch for fixed idea, so that kind of obsession, with the 'accent' on the "E"

35. __ test : ACID - seemed a little too easy for a Saturday

36. Nudge : PROD

37. Weak : PUNY - we just had this earlier in the week, I believe

39. Altar assurances : I DOs - until you DON'T for some ( including me )

40. "Bambi" creator Felix : SALTEN

41. Peculiar to a locale : ENDEMIC - I like "indigenous" better; sounds less 'plague-like'

43. Greg's TV partner : DHARMA - ABC sitcom I never watched; I like this Dharma better

44. They have stops and keys : ORGANS - LOVE the pipe organ; more music - what incredible skill

47. Attribute : TRAIT

48. Really, after "in" : FACT

49. Historic Jordanian city : PETRA - the city built into the canyon wall, and featured in "Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade"

52. "Sex and the City" actor Chris : NOTH - I never watched this, either, but I was a huge fan of "Mike Logan" on Law & Order

54. Get into the pool : BET - the gambling pool

56. Third Major Leaguer to reach 500 home runs : OTT - now this is more like Saturday cluing; total WAG for me, but then again, how many three-letter baseball players can you name, C.C.~? (From C.C.: Derrek Lee came to mind.)

57. Alumna identifier : NÉE - more Frawnch. more accent.

58. Lith., once : SSR - for BarryG, before he goes away~!

Splynter

PS.

 I would like to know if anyone here has any idea about how to go about getting a novel copyrighted, and then published.  Thanks for your responses.

 Oh, and here's the missing "Q"

Friday, August 16, 2013 Jean O'Conor

Theme: Bee all that you can Bee, one clue will do.

Well it is Friday and we are presented with our second consecutive Friday single clue, five theme answer puzzle. This is our 4th puzzle from Ms. O'Conor (Don't you want to get her a second N?) since her first published LAT in January. It is impressive watching new constructors get going once they the first one is in print. Structurally, this is a classic Friday, low blocks and word count, and longer words, as well many new or infrequently used clues. Some of the nice fill that jumped out for me included ONE CARAT,  RED SAUCE, GETS USED TO,  TURKEY TROT; these multiple word answers made the solving a challenge in places, but let us compare our answers.

17A Buzz: BEEHIVE HUM.(10). When I first saw this answer, I thought maybe it was going to have "HO" removed from every clue. Our onomatopoetic fill.

24A Buzz: LATEST RUMOR.(11). Many local news channels call their gossip segment the BUZZ.

33A Buzz: ASTRONAUT ALDRIN.(15). The second man to walk on the moon and the feistiest of all out astronauts. LINK. He is now promoting the colonization of Mars.

46A Buzz: ARMY HAIRCUT. (11). This is my meh  theme clue, as really aren't they really called buzz cuts?

54A Buzz: COFFEE RUSH. (10). I imagine more of us will think of alcohol as the cause of a BUZZ.

Across:

1 Preppy clothing brand: IZOD. Alligators and ex-partner of Lacoste.

5 1996 A.L. Rookie of the Year: JETER. He is trying to come back,  but 17 years have passed very quickly.

10 __ club: GLEE. Who would ever believe this would become a hit TV show. Also, a reminder of the price of fame, with the suicide of this young man and the contestant from the Bachelor.

14 It’s frowned upon: NO NO.

15 Slangy event suffix: ORAMA. Saleorama, cyclorama; not one I use or hear anymore, not to be confused with OBAMA.

16 Forever and a day: EONS.

19 Just as it should be: TO A T. One which can be hard to parse, what is a toat, does it rhyme with goat?

20 Patterned cotton cloth: CALICO. With this audience a Tabby would have been more popular.

21 Words said with an eagerly raised hand: ASK ME. I recall more, Me, Me, Me.

22 Three-time Boston Marathon winner Pippig: UTA. A change from  Ms. Hagen. I wonder how many of our New England contingent recall her, and her giving new meaning to the winner trotting HOME.

27 Monopoly player?: CARTEL. This was a struggle because, as intended, all I thought about was the game.

29 __ Palace: CAESARS. My favorite casino. 35 black.

30 Kona cookout: LUAU.

31 Dome cover: TOUPEE. You see so many terrible toppers, are there no mirrors?

39 Some discount stores: K-MARTS. They are closing their stores slowly in Florida.

40 Squeal: TELL. My father was very strict in punishing any one of us who squealed on our brothers.

41 Fixes the weatherproofing on, say: RESEALS.

44 Vicky in the Nixon White House: POODLE. I only recall Checkers, the Cocker Spaniel.

49 Pre-1991 atlas initials: SSR

50 She played Ninotchka: GRETA. Garbo. The movie was pitched because the haughty, aloof actress laughed often in the movie.

51 Moon of Jupiter: EUROPA. One of four big moons, but the astronomers now have counted 67 MOONS

53 Coal-rich valley: SAAR. This is information I learned doing the LAT.

58 Quito questionnaire catchall: OTRO. Other in Spanish. Capital of Ecuador.

59 Treads the boards?: SURFS. This was really tricky, as the phrase is so attached to actors in the theater in my mind.

60 Bounce back: ECHO. How appropriate for an all CLECHO themed puzzle.

61 Thomas who drew Santa: NAST. An extremely influential political cartoonist who did redesign Santa. LESSON.

62 Hush-hush hookup: TRYST. I just love this word, as it makes clandestine romance sound so fun.

63 They hold the answers: KEYS.

Down:

1 Schubert’s unfinished “Symphony No. 8 __ Minor”: IN B.

2 Saldana of recent “Star Trek” films: ZOE. They are making an Avatar 2. She was Uhura in the ST remake.

3 Like some diamonds: ONE CARAT. How big were your engagement rings ladies?

4 Qatar’s capital: DOHA. How cool, a shout out to our Doc.

5 Good-humored: JOVIAL. More Santa?

6 Put up: ERECT. Nope, not going there.

7 Chevy K5 Blazer, since 1995: TAHOE. Do you ever wonder who picks the car names?

8 Swift-running bird: EMU. For all the golfers out there, Tom Morris and his CADDIE.

9 Push firmly: RAM.

10 Learns to cope with: GET'S USED TO. Such an odd string of letters until you break them up.

11 “No hands!” lead-in: LOOK MA. The bicycle ritual.

12 Enthrall: ENAMOR. I am not in love with using an "EN" clue and an "EN" fill.

13 Beer-flavoring compounds: ESTERS. I need one of my brewing boys to write this, but I will let you read this LINK if you are interested.

18 __-et-Vilaine: French department: ILLE. and 37D Misfortunes: ILLS.

21 Tottering: AREEL: An A word!

22 Pac-12 school: UCLA.

23 Cross-shaped letters: TAUS. The Greek T.

25 Rabbits’ tails: SCUTS. A Gareth Bain type of clue; all stubby tails like rabbits and deer are called SCUTS. Also the Santa Clara college Rugby team are known as the SCUTS.

26 Taberna snack: TAPA. Spanish, we have our Taberna here in Hialeah, the word is like our Tavern and if you do not know, TAPAS are like snacks or appetizers.

28 Ragtime round dance: TURKEY TROT. I hope you are up on your dances from the 20's.(2:56).

31 Tibia neighbors: TARSI. The seven bones in the ankle which connect the leg (Tibia) to the foot.

32 Dead to the world: OUT.

34 Home of ConAgra Foods: OMAHA. Another Corner shout out, this time to the golfing legend HG.

35 Simba’s love: NALA. Can you feel the Love TONIGHT? (3:32).

36 Marinara, e.g.: RED SAUCE.

38 Nat or Phil: NLER.

41 Teases relentlessly: RAGS ON. Another tricky multiple word fill.

42 List of slips: ERRATA. Coincidental Steve?

43 Window washer’s concern: SMEARS. I would worry only about the scaffolding and falling.

44 Least spoiled: PUREST. Who among us?

45 Chiwere speaker: OTOE. A new clue for a staple, all perps.

47 Toss back into the hot oil: REFRY. Beans!

48 Perp’s bracelets: CUFFS. The other perp and his handcuffs, if he gets caught.

52 Nursery sch.: PRE-K.

54. Manitoba hrs. CST. Manitoba is just west of Ontario and is in the Central time zone.

55 “__ House”: CSNY hit: OUR. Took me a while to translate Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

56 Reserved: SHY. Yup, me too.

57 5-Down laughs: HOS. Second week in a row for this fill in a Friday puzzle, but I was feeling psychic after my BEEHIVE (HO) HUM thought.

Well we managed another one, and really diverse cluing, not too many proper names, not too many obscurities, but lots of different areas, which should give you all something to talk about and CED plenty of topics for linking. This has been a fun mostly easy week, and I hope you enjoyed this one. Thank you Jean and all of you old and new posters.

Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Doha Doc, originally Vegas Doc who is now in Doha (no easy beer)  for a business assignment. 

Thursday, August 15, 2013 Neville Fogarty

Theme: Going in circles

18A. Poof : UP IN SMOKE.

23A. "Danger, Will Robinson!" sci-fi series : LOST IN SPACE.

37A. "Lincoln" director : STEVEN SPIELBERG.

53A. Gilbert and Sullivan work subtitled "The Lass That Loved a Sailor" : HMS PINAFORE.

And the unifier:

59A. Washing machine phase graphically shown in this puzzle's circles :  SPIN CYCLE.

I really like the progression, where the "S" moves from the end position, one at a time, pulling the rest of the word along with it. But I have the feeling I have seen this theme recently...no?

The fill seemed like a Monday romp to me.  I made one pass across and down, and was done. How was your experience?

Across:

1. Nine-time Grammy winner Mary J. ___ : BLIGE. Introduced to her from crosswords. But I do like her Mary Jane (All Night Long).

6. Honeyed quaff : MEAD.

10. High point : ACME. Or, a Road Runner supplier.

14. Pine product : ROSIN. Used often on my violin bow, in my ute...

15. Nobel Peace Prize city : OSLO.

16. Mount color : ROAN.

17. Kind of elephant : ASIAN.

20. Wide-headed fasteners : T-NUTS.

22. Peppy and then some : HYPER.

28. Big jerk? : TUG.

29. Actress Thurman : UMA. I loved her "Kill Bill" series.

30. ___ cotta : TERRA.

31. Frequent award for Tiger Woods : ESPY. Nice change from "Catch sight of" clue. Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly award.

32. Christmas buys : GIFTS. Santa Argyle, who are you gifting with coal this year?

35. River mammal : OTTER.

43. Godly : PIOUS.

44. Group scuffle : MELEE.

45. Layered haircut : SHAG. Like Mike Myers'?

48. Get a giggle from : AMUSE. Does he amuse you?

51. "Inferno" author Brown : DAN. He is a big crossword aficionado.

52. Prosciutto, e.g. : HAM.

56. Difficult high school sci. course : AP BIO. Advanced Placement Biology. One of my courses in H.S.

58. Solitary soul : LONER.

63. Private account : DIARY.

66. One still maturing : TEEN.

67. "___ go bragh!" : ERIN.

68. Common Sundance entry : INDIE. I always wondered why India was such a big presence at the Sundance film festival. But I finally learned that the name stands for "Independent" films.

69. Author Radcliffe and a cape : ANNS. Huh? An author and a Massachusetts cape?

70. Russian refusal : NYET.

71. Preppy collars : ETONS.

Down:

1. Strapped support : BRA. I bet Alessandra Ambrosio gets a lot of support from her fans.

2. UCLA article : LOS. Los Angeles ("The" Angels.)

3. "Can I come out now?" : IS IT SAFE?

4. Really big : GIANT.

5. Bordeaux boredom : ENNUI. Not sure why "Bordeaux" is in the clue. It's the same word in English.

6. Chocolate treat : MOUSSE.

7. Purported ability : ESP. "Purported" because it is not scientifically proven.

8. 2001 boxing biopic : ALI. Starring Will Smith.

9. Step into, as a pair of slacks : DON. Wha?  Why not clue it as "Half of the Crossword Corner Dynamic Duo"???

10. West Point team : ARMY. My nephew is the athletic trainer for them.

11. Appropriates : CO-OPTS.

12. Facial cosmetics : MAKEUP.

13. Cabinet department created under Carter : ENERGY.

19. Lady's pronoun : SHE.

21. "Falling Skies" network: TNT. Never saw it. Any good?

23. Schleps : LUGS.

24. Replace with an ellipsis : OMIT...

25. Supports : PROPS UP.

26. Drawing intro : ART I.

27. Oscar winner Blanchett : CATE. "The Aviator" was one of my favorite films that year. She did a great job portraying Katharine Hepburn.

31. Kathryn of "Law & Order: C.I." : ERBE. No clue. Lots of ladies in this puzzle.

33. Freq. sitcom rating : TV PG.

34. Sicilian six : SEI. Had to sharpen up my Italian counting skills when I went to Italy in June. Uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei...

36. Stately shader : ELM.

38. Author Chomsky : NOAM. From M.I.T. He's waaaay over my head!

39. Column enders : SUMS.

40. Mythical city of gold : EL DORADO.

41. Duff : REAR.  Was thinking "golf" here! So, kick me in the butt!

42. DNA component : GENE.

45. Soda born at the base of a California mountain : SHASTA.

46. Go down, so to speak : HAPPEN. It's what's happening!!

47. Insomniac's prescription : AMBIEN.

49. Like one "k" in "knuckle" : SILENT.

50. Byrne's "Strange Overtones" collaborator : ENO. Brian, of elevator music fame.

53. Ad ___ committee : HOC.

54. Bill's "Groundhog Day" co-star : ANDIE. MacDowell. And Bill Murray. He is a regular visitor to my town. I have even had drinks with him at the local watering hole.

55. False move : FEINT.

57. Places to stay : INNS.

60. Craving : YEN.

61. Howl or bark : CRY.

62. Tell a tale : LIE.

64. "A Dog of the Regiment" dog ___ Tin Tin : RIN.

65. "Without a doubt!" : YES. I believe we are done here!

And that's it for this week. Till next time!

Marti

Wednesday, August 14, 2013 Tim Poor and Jeff Chen

Theme:  Useful Data!

17A It used to store information: CLAY TABLET. I recall from my history lessons that the Sumerians wrote in cuneiform on a wet clay tablet, one of the first examples of written language. That's got us off to a nice educational start, things can only go downhill from here.

22A It used to send information: SMOKE SIGNAL

30A It used to duplicate information CARBON PAPER. I wonder what age you have to be to know that "cc" on an email refers to sending a "carbon copy" of a memo?

39A It’s used to duplicate information: COPY MACHINE

50A It’s used to send information: TEXT MESSAGE. Albeit often useless information such as "OMG! R U SURE? LMAO! CU L8R!

57A It’s used to store information: FLASH DRIVE

Good Morning everyone - Steve here with a really nice Wednesday puzzle from Tim Poor and Jeff Chen. There was so much to like about this theme - six sharp entries and great cluing: the used/used homynym (notice those are symmetrically placed) the "information" repetition and the old-to-new progression. A really impressive job. We believe this is Tim Poor's LA Times debut, congratulations!

Lots of fun with the rest of it, so let's check it out.

Across:

1 Scratcher at a post: CAT

4 Spun some LPs: DJ'ED

8 Kid’s proud retort: I AM SO

13 Fancy ride: LIMO. I saw a stretch limo trying to navigate around central London the last time I was there. Not the best idea, the streets are still pretty much the same width that they were in 1680.

14 Wee bit: IOTA

15 Saves, as a coupon: CLIPS. I get eCoupons on my iPhone. When will I get eGroceries that I can iCook?

16 “I think somebody needs __!”: A NAP. In my infancy, it wasn't "a nap" but "a smart clip upside the head".

19 Make sparkle, in a way: BEJEWEL

21 Satisfy, as thirst: SLAKE

25 Acad., e.g.: SCH. Academy/School? If some schools are academies are all academies schools?

27 Kaffiyeh wearer: ARAB

28 Meadow mama: EWE

29 Twinkie relative: HO HO

34 Open, as classified records: UNSEAL

38 Actress Milano: ALYSSA

43 Eye problem: STYE

44 Brass band bass note?: OOM. Note the question mark in the clue - with "maybe" those conventions always seem to flag the "well, it could be" type of answer like this one.

45 Surrounding glow: AURA

49 Paper or plastic offer: BAG

54 Gridiron gripper: CLEAT

56 73, on many golf courses: ONE OVER. (par). The traditional layout for an 18-hole golf course is four par 3's, 10 par 4's and four par 5's which gives a par for the course of 72.

60 __ colada: PINA. Is it Happy Hour yet? Key ingredients are rum, Malibu liqueur and pineapple juice.

61 Hearty enjoyment: GUSTO

62 A bullet often precedes one: ITEM As in a bulleted list, much overused on Powerpoint presentations.

63 Brings to a close: ENDS

64 Dual pronoun: HE/SHE

65 Shampoo ad buzzword: BODY

66 Teachers’ org.: N.E.A. The National Education Association. This is the country's largest professional employee organization. I know because ..... I just looked it up.

Down:

1 Movie house: CINEMA

2 Key with three sharps: A MAJOR. Because F Sharp Minor didn't fit. One of our resident musical experts can explain that one! Here's the Allegretto from Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A Major

3 Capital north of Tulsa: TOPEKA

4 Cuts into cubes: DICES

5 More cheerful: JOLLIER

6 Greek letter between zeta and theta: ETA. One day I'll learn the Greek alphabet. Until then I'll happily wait for the crosses and say "Eta! See, I knew that".

7 __-night doubleheader: DAY. One of C.C.'s favorite things, I'm sure.

8 Hold ’em declaration: I CALL. Not me. Apparently, a poker player who is expert in knowing when to call a bet is said to have "a leather ass". I fold; I'm not sure what I'm sitting on.

9 Actress Jessica: ALBA

10 Wimps: MILKSOPS. I had "POPS" which made PCH look more like a scenic route than a place of learning. Coincidentally, I was on the lovely Pacific Coast Highway on Monday:

11 Graduation Day lineup: SPEECHES

12 Sunrise direction, to a German: OST. The sunrise direction is pretty much the same for everyone, hopefully. This tells us to translate, or wait for the crosses.

13 Short dogs?: LABS.

18 Fed. inspection agency: T.S.A. My friends the Transportation Safety Administration who have me on their Fast Track list, thank you thank you! I'll be seeing them on Sunday when, oddly, I'm going to the airport in 51D.

20 Internet video tool: WEBCAM

23 President before BHO: GWB

24 Prefix with classic: NEO-

26 Circle dance: HORA. Traditionally Jewish.

29 Filly’s dinner: HAY

31 In the style of: A LA. Before "A La Mode" became ice cream, it was understood to mean "according to the fashion".

32 Bert Bobbsey’s twin: NAN

33 Tickle pink: PLEASE. This was nice.

34 25-Across WNW of L.A. U.C.S.B. University of California at Santa Barbara. All kinds of abbreviations and cross references here. Nice!

35 “I’m stumped”: NOT A CLUE. Not today, thankfully.

36 Pirate’s telescope: SPYGLASS

37 Part of a storm: EYE

40 Watergate prosecutor Archibald: COX. The "Saturday Night Massacre" makes for interesting reading.

41 Sexy: HOT

42 “That really touched me”: I'M MOVED

46 England’s Justin Rose won it in 2013: U.S. OPEN. Justin played a little better than 56A over four rounds to win this major championship, and was the first English winner since Tony Jacklin in 1972.

(Trivia Alert: It is the responsibility of the winning player to get their name engraved on the trophy before returning it the next year).

47 Steep-sided landform: RAVINE. C.C. will know Chavez Ravine here in LA - site of Dodger Stadium.

48 Chair’s list: AGENDA

50 Lake near Stateline, Nevada: TAHOE

51 Sea-Tac approx. E.T.D. When I leave Seattle next Wednesday, I'll be hoping my Estimated Time of Departure from this airport isn't later than scheduled.

52 Ibsen’s “An __ of the People”: ENEMY

53 Stats that are better when they’re low: E.R.A.'S. A pitcher's Earned Run Average - the lower the better. Basically, how many runs were scored by batters who got on base when facing his pitches (whether or not he's still pitching when they cross home plate).

55 O.T. queen: ESTH. Absolutely knew this like a shot. Not. Thank you crosses.

57 E followers: FGH

58 Barbecue serving: RIB

59 Simpson judge: ITO. First thought were the animated Simpsons, but then - ah, O.J.

That's about it - hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. See you next time!

Steve

Tuesday, August 13, 2013 Greg Johnson

Theme: What Uncle Sam said - Uncle Sam wanted you and got 'em threefold today.

57A. *Whom "I'm in love with" in an Ames Brothers song, and a hint to what the answers to starred clues contain : YOU, YOU, YOU. CLIP(2:51)

16A. *Montevideo native : URUGUAYAN. MAP

22A. *Form a line : QUEUE UP

48A. *Far from common : UNUSUAL

11D. *Component in early TV sets : VACUUM TUBE

26D. *Guided by strict principles : SCRUPULOUS

Argyle here. Prescient comments on Sunday? Harder to construct than Monday's (Letter U's are very tricky to place and this grid has 21.) but not much harder to solve. I'm not sure but this could be Greg's debut puzzle in a major paper. If it is, I bet he would like to fit his home town in a puzzle, Zelienople, PA.

Across:

1. Charge to a sponsor : AD FEE

6. Hospital unit : BED

9. High-profile autos : SUVs...because they sit higher off the ground than a sedan.

13. Bundled, as hay : BALED. Good year for hay around here.

14. Enjoyed goulash, say : ATE

15. Gondolier's milieu : CANAL

18. '70s music genre : DISCO

19. U.S. state with its own elec. power grid : TEX.. Why? An article in Slate magazine answers that very question. LINK

20. Gear tooth : COG

21. Parodied : SENT UP. Past tense of send up, which is more often as a noun.

25. Factual : TRUE

26. Kiddie lit Dr. : SEUSS

28. Genetic messenger : RNA. That makes DNA the message.

29. Sch. period : SEM. (semester)

30. Christine of Fleetwood Mac : McVIE

31. Show to a table : SEAT

32. Barnyard enclosure : STY

34. Like arrangements before a vacation : PRE-TRIP

36. Publish again, as a novel : RE-ISSUE

39. California's Big __ : SUR

40. Teacherly suffix with school : MARM. (schoolmarm)

42. Workout regimen : TAE BO. TAE BO® FITNESS is a total body fitness system that incorporates Martial Arts techniques such as kicks and punches, which became quite popular in the 1990s.

43. Org. with a Champions Tour : PGA. Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America)

45. Noche's opposite : DIA. As different as night and day in 31D. Portugal neighbor : SPAIN

46. Back of a hit record : B SIDE. The most straightforward clue for it in a while.

47. Slow time : LULL

50. Pass, as time : ELAPSE

52. Dove's cry : COO

53. Big rig fixtures, for short : CBs. Citizens' Band radio (also known as CB radio)

56. "It's __ for!": "So-o-o good!" : TO DIE

60. Good, in Guadalajara : BUENA. "She said oh no, Guadalajara won't do" Steely Dan lyric.

61. Lux. locale : EUR. (Luxembourg / Europe)

62. Latest thing : CRAZE

63. Latin being : ESSE

64. Burden-bearing beast : ASS

65. Rub the wrong way : ANNOY

Down:

1. Lie next to : ABUT

2. Truth alternative : DARE. Truth or Dare?

3. Continuous change : FLUX

4. Sleep analysis test, briefly : EEG. (electroencephalogram)

5. School URL ending : .EDU

6. Crocodile habitat : BAYOU

7. Curio display case : ÉTAGÈRE

 8. Hibernation site : DEN

9. NFL Superdome team : SAINTS

10. Not emphasized, as a syllable : UNSTRESSED

12. Slanted land : SLOPE

15. B followers : C D E

17. Court winners : ACES

21. Sudden rush : SPATE

22. Preempt a firing? : QUIT

23. Computer operator : USER

24. Take the gun from : UNARM

27. Florida's largest national park : EVERGLADES

30. AWOL enforcers : MPs. Now they don't force you to go AWOL, do they?

33. USN clerk : YEO

35. "My luck is bound to change!" : "I'M DUE!". Why people come back broke from the casinos.

37. "__ miracle!" : IT'S A

38. Navigate a windjammer : SAIL

41. Loud and wild, like a party : RAUCOUS. Honest, not me! Never gone to one of those.

44. Skiing category : ALPINE

46. Channel tinkler : BUOY

47. Decide not to interfere with : LET BE

49. Turns in a bad way : SOURS

51. Red or Yellow : SEA

53. Greenish-blue : CYAN. because teal and aqua didn't work.

54. Rude, annoying one, in slang : BOZO

55. Chop __ : SUEY

57. Vote of approval : YEA

58. South American tuber : OCA

59. Hot coffee server : URN

Argyle

Note from C.C.: Happy Birthday to dear Chickie! I still want to see your backyard with all the wonderful fruit trees.

L to R: JD, Garlic Gal, Chickie & Jill