Saturday, Sep 7th, 2013, Alan Olschwang

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing F,J,Z)

Blocks: 28

    This was a very enjoyable puzzle - there seemed to be plenty of plausible answers that I filled in and was wrong about, but they gave me enough to work with, and I wrapped it up in the SW corner.  Our last construction from Alan came in Jan of '12.  A bit of a clunky grid; two spanners and one climber, plus two 10's and 9's ( but separated ).  Several multiple-word answers, too*.  The 'big ones':

24A. End of a wedding planner's promise : EVERY LAST DETAIL - I got married 'medieval style', and my ex-wife and I planned every last detail; too bad the marriage didn't have the details worked out....

46A. NFL practice team member : TAXI SQUAD PLAYER - first of a few new words/phrases for me; here's what I found

7D. Michael Caine memoir : WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT - well, he played Alfie, didn't he~?  A little wit and wisdom here

Oh! (35A.) - I think this might be the shortest "down" count I have seen....

O~~~~N~~~~W~~~~A~~~~R~~~~D~!

ACROSS:

 1. Asia's __ Sea : ARAL - Always good to start out with a gimme.  For Saturday, I don't think we need the "Asia" part

5. "One more thing," for short : BTW - By The Way, usually seen in texts

8*. Reaffirming words : YES I DO

14. Michael of "Year One" : CERA - His IMDb; can't say I have seen any of his movies

15. "Feels won-n-nderful!" : AHH~!

16*. Knows about : IS IN ON

17. Charity : ALMS

18. Dairy aisle selection : GRADE A EGGS - Great fill, and I had just --A E-- when I WAGed it

20. Relaxation of a kind, briefly : DE-REGulation

22. Abbr. seen in repeat citations : ET AL.

23. Sonic Dash publisher : SEGA - Video game

27. Publishing houses and such : MASS MEDIA

28. Old-time sidewalk show : RAREE - The Wiki on what's probably more commonly known as a Peep Show

29. NFL miscue : INTerception; if you want to get off the taxi squad....

30. Old Bikini Bare competitor : NEET - NAIR? NEET? which one~?

31. Univ. peer leaders : RAs - Resident Assistants - the ones who can get you the beer if they're cool, or take it away if they're not

32. They're beside the point: Abbr. : CTs - Dollars and Cents, tho it doesn't make sense; they're both beside the point ($14.95)

33. Pop-up costs : AD RATES

35. Raised-eyebrow words : OHs

38. Letters at sea : U.S.S. A clue for Spitzboov, et al.

39. Southwestern ridge : LOMA - another new word for me today

40. "Krazy" critter : KAT

41. One taking a cut : AGENT - what....about 10%~?  I'm looking for a book publishing agent

44. In cut time, musically : ALLA BREVE

48. Give the heave-ho : OUST - I had FIRE first

49. Goya's "Duchess of __" : ALBA - Whoa~! I dare you to look for images of JUST 'Duchess of Alba'

50*. Finish with : END ON

51. Toy based on a sports legend, e.g. : ACTION DOLL - I confidently put in "BOBBLE HEAD", and was wrong - I am not too sure about a toy being based on a sports legend = action doll; a movie or comic book character, that's more likely; I had Star Wars 'action figures' ( not dolls, you see ), and then it was G.I. Joe

54. Overindulge, in a way : TOPE - another new word

55. Used a Bic, maybe : SHAVED - Dah~!  I was thinking "PENNED", SIGNED, LIT ONE ( lighter, that is )

56. Illegal freeway maneuver : UIE - I went with UEY first; the various ways to abbreviate U-Turn; extremely dangerous on a highway, I might add

57. Scratches (out) : EKES

58. Patricia McCormick was the first American professional one in Mexico : TORERA - Bull fighter who passed this year - the Wiki

59. S.E. Hinton novel set on a ranch : TEX

60. Trade-in factor : DENT - I am thinking about a Ford Focus ST or the new Dodge Dart; I will not be trading in my 2000 Dodge Stratus SE; it has no dents, but it does have 238,000 miles on the clock - and counting

DOWN:

1. Purely theoretical : ACADEMIC

2. Like things that matter : RELEVANT

3. Some are ergonomic : ARMRESTS

4. Light-show lights : LASERS

5. Market option : BAG - As in paper or plastic? or is it cart/basket/bag

6. Sewing kit device : THREADER

8. Give : YIELD

9. Tampico "that" : ESA

10. Naps : SIESTAS

11*. Engaged : IN GEAR - ah, nice mis-direction; transmissions, not transgressions

12. Window occupant of song : DOGGIE - how much is that gorilla in the window?  - what show???

13*. Not as steep as it used to be : ON SALE - ah, prices, not hills

19. Target of some mining : DATA

21. Athletes on horses : GYMNASTS - anyone else want JOCKEYS? POLO-ERS? A pommel horse

25. City near Manchester : LEEDS - map; my family is from Nottingham; this was a gimme, too

26. Like whiteboards : ERASABLE

31. Draw new borders for : RE-MAP

34*. Wasn't straight : TOLD A LIE

35. "No problemo!" : OKEY-DOKE

36. Need to fill, as a job : HAVE OPEN - my position as Pre-loader at UPS is one they will HAVE OPEN in about 2-3 weeks; they delayed the training course for now

37. Least lenient : STERNEST

38. Promoting accord : UNITIVE - I had unitING; once I changed this, I got my "Ta-Da~!"

41*. Glass raiser's cry : "A TOAST~!"

42. Pampas rider : GAUCHO

43. Old-Timers' Day celeb : EX-STAR

44. Second word of a January song : AULD The song is "Should Auld acquaintance..."; not the second word of the TITLE - A-ha~!

45. Threw a fit : RANTED

47. Post-presentation period : Q AND A - Bang~! Nailed it Questions and Answers

52. "The Last Time I Came __ the Moor": Burns : O'ER

53. Livy's law : LEX - Latin language, and alliteration

Splynter

 

Friday, September 6, 2013 Steve Blais

Theme: Science Ed Adding "-ed" to a scientific item (all eponymous names) creates a new fun phrase!

18A Physicist got all wound up?: TESLA COILED. Tesla used his coils in a number of different experiments including the attempt to transmit electricity without wires.

29A Mathematician got ready for a shower?: MOEBIUS STRIPPED. If you cut a Moebius strip in half along its length, you get two loops interlinked, one of which is another Moebius strip. Awesomely weird!

36A Seismologist rose to new heights?: RICHTER SCALED: I'm very familiar with Mr. Richter's scale, living as I do in shaky Southern California.

44A Physicist made an opposing move?: GEIGER COUNTERED. The official name is a Gieger-Müller counter; Herr Müller must have been sore at being frequently forgotten.

61A Microbiologist spread some gossip?: PETRI DISHED. Funny, we had Petri the Pianist on Wednesday. Growing bacterial colonies in one of these was a highlight of high school biology.

Happy Friday everyone. Steve here subbing for Lemonade who is off celebrating Rosh Hashanah. Shanah Tova!

What a nice puzzle from Steve Blais today. I loved the theme - extremely clever to find five scientifically-related objects and add the common suffix. Two 15's, two 11's and a 13 (Thanks, Abejo). Really slick stuff!

Let's check out what else we've got:

Across:

1 Sign of trouble: SOS. Sometimes thought to stand for "Save Our Souls" it doesn't actually stand for anything - the Morse coding 'dit dit dit dah dah dah dit dit dit" was chosen because it is very recognizable.

4 Sword holder: SHEATH

10 San Joaquin Valley concern: SMOG. A concern shared by all of Southern California's valleys.

14 PC core: CPU. Not designated as an abbreviation any longer, originally the computer's Central Processing Unit.

15 Yes or no follower: SIRREE

16 Dance that tells a story: HULA

17 Farm girl: HEN. Third time this week for the egg-layer(s).

20 Prefix with European: INDO-

22 “Enough!”: STOP THAT

23 Race line: START.

25 Fireworks reaction: OOH.

26 “The Stepford Wives” author Levin: IRA.

34 Swing around on an axis: SLUE. Nice word.

35 Sigh of sorrow: ALAS!

42 California’s __ Valley: SIMI. No smog in Simi today - I was there for lunch.

43 Unrefined type: BOOR

52 Explosive letters: TNT. Trinitrotoluene.

53 “I’ll meet thee on the __-rig”: Burns: LEA.  To a Scot, a ridge of land yet unplowed (or unploughed, if you're a Scot).

54 Fur piece: STOLE

55 Socrates, for one: ATHENIAN

60 Selma or Patty, to Bart Simpson: AUNT. Two great characters from the show.

[Homer enters the room]

Selma: Am I wrong, or did it just get fatter in here?

64 Even up: TIE. In the score-tying context.

65 On the lower side, in a heeling vessel: ALEE. We had this on Wednesday with a different meaning.

66 Twitterpated: IN LOVE. A new fun word for me. I was thinking along social media lines until the crosses helped me out.

67 Half of nine?: ENS. Two of them in the word, so 50% of the letters.

68 Insurance deals with it: RISK

69 Conical shelter: TEEPEE

70 Web address component: DOT. The O resolved my El Niño/Niña uncertainty.

Down:

1 Religious split: SCHISM

2 Not against entertaining: OPEN TO. I thought at first this was entertaining in the "having a party" sense, but actually it's the "considering" sense.

3 Cherry-topped treat: SUNDAE

4 Former flier: SST

5 Makes haste: HIES

6 In the past, in the past: ERST. I think the preceding "hies" has a touch of the erst about it.

7 He sang between Melanie and Joan at Woodstock: ARLO. Guthrie's set came between Melanie of no-last-name fame and Joan Baez of useful-last-name-for-crosswords fame.

8 Where to get a brew: TEAPOT. I'd never thought of keeping beer in a teapot before.

9 Victim of Achilles: HECTOR. Before dying, Hector pleaded that Achilles treat his lifeless body with respect. Achilles didn't exactly comply with that request - he decided to drag it back to Troy behind his chariot instead. 

10 LaBeouf of “Transformers” films: SHIA

11 Six, nine or twelve, for three: MULTIPLE

12 Cry for a matador: OLE. "O heck" if he drops his cape.

13 Wander: GAD

19 Greeting to an unexpected visitor: OH HI. Or the Matador to the Bull, having dropped his cape.

21 Saturn, for one: ORB

24 Mrs. Addams, to Gomez: 'TISH. An affectionate contraction of Morticia.

27 Interpret, as X-rays: READ

28 They may be classified: ADS

30 Final: Abbr.: ULT.

31 Mystery writer Grafton: SUE

32 __-Croatian: SERBO

33 Amigo: PAL

36 Nothing, in Nice: RIEN

37 Knocks off: IMITATES:

38 One might be bummed, briefly: CIG. Can you bum anything else other than a cigarette?

39 Almost worthless amount: SOU. A French term originally, now widespread. French slang "sans le sou" means "broke" - without even a sou.

40 Put one over on: CON

41 Fine things: ARTS

42 Pepper or Snorkel: Abbr.: SGT. Not familiar with Snorkel, but very familiar with this

45 K thru 12: EL-HI. Elementary + High (school)

46 Make more changes to: RE-EDIT

47 Fang: INCISOR (Correction: It's CANINE).

48 Greek vowel: ETA

49 Much more than edged: ROUTED

50 Periodic weather disruption: EL NIÑO. I had to wait for 70A to choose between Niño and Niña

51 Not fancy at all: DETEST. Last of the misdirection clues today - I was thinking "plain" for a long time. The SE corner was tough for me.

56 Long migration, say: TREK

57 “Lost” setting: ISLE. Never saw an episode. Apparently it was pretty good.

58 One bounce, on the diamond: A HOP

59 Campbell of “Scream”: NEVE.

61 Birdie plus one: PAR. I'm playing golf tomorrow - hopefully plenty of both. A chap in my foursome had a hole-in-one last time out. My turn!

62 “Hostel” director Roth: ELI

63 Low grade: DEE

That's all from me - have a great weekend!

Steve

Note from C.C.:

"An Evening with the Puzzle Master" - Will Shortz, editor of the NY Times crossword, is visiting Minnesota next Thursday Sept 12, 2013. He'll answer all questions about puzzles. Please click here for details. I think all of Twin Cities crossword constructors will be there.

Thursday, September 5, 2013 Robin Stears

Theme:

  (need I say more???)

17. Group for jive fools? : TURKEY CLUB. I'll go out on a limb and say that I think a "jive turkey" is someone who thinks they know what they are talking about...but don't. It was kind of a '70s slang term, right?

31. Quick swim in la mer? : FRENCH DIP. "The sea," in French, gave the hint for this one. The original sandwich was invented in L.A. Roast beef with "jus" on the side.

46. GI unlikely to pass inspection? : SLOPPY JOE. GI Joe is a common term for a US soldier. A sloppy joe is a really messy sandwich!

60. Reneged on politically motivated funding? : PULLED PORK. Pork barrel politics. DH's favorite! (The sandwich, not the politics...)

OK, now I am totally hungry again!! A really tight theme, with four sandwiches clued with literal interpretations. Fun stuff from Robin.  Let's see what else she has in the pantry.

Across:

1. Behold, to Ovid : ECCE. My Latin 101 helped here.

5. Graded : RATED.

10. Stow on board : LADE.

14. Décembre event : NOEL. The clue is French for December, and the answer is French for "Christmas."

15. Mosul resident : IRAQI.

16. Supply-and-demand subj. : ECON.omics.

19. Boat that can navigate in shallow waters : SCOW.

20. Big name in taco sauce : ORTEGA. I like their "Thick and Chunky" (but I would like it better if they made a "hot" version!)

21. Smooch : KISS.

23. NHL legend : ORR. Boston Bruins' Bobby. Here's his stats.

24. Kingston Trio song that inspired the Boston subway's CharlieCard : MTA. Awww, y'know I had to link this one!

25. "Superman Returns" character : OLSEN. Played by Sam Huntington.

27. Fed. nutrition std. : US RDA. United States Recommended Daily Allowances. Take them with a grain of salt...

29. Great joy : BLISS.

33. Lip-___ : SYNC. ("Oh say, can you sync?")

34. FDR had three of them : VPs. Vice Presidents. John Garner, Henry Wallace and Harry Truman. (I bet you didn't know two out of three!) (I know I didn't!!)

35. Started the day : AROSE.

36. Like single-malt scotch : AGED. Shout-out to Tinbeni!

38. Ran when wet : BLED.

39. Iron clothes? : ARMOR. Fun misdirection.

41. Lingerie top : BRA. Shout-out to Dennis!

42. Short run : DASH.

48. "When Worlds Collide" co-author : WYLIE. Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer. No clue. (Thanks, perps!)

49. Zenith's opposite : NADIR.

50. Tour de France stage : ETAPE. French for "step."

52. Jurisprudence org. : ABA. American Bar Association.

53. Justice Fortas : ABE.

54. Drying oven : OAST.

56. Boring tool : REAMER.

58. Longtime Lucci role : KANE. Susan Lucci as Erica KANE.

62. Rescue teams, briefly : EMTs. Emergency Medical Technician(s)

63. Kiddie's refrain : E-I-E-I-O. Old MacDonald was a bad speller, y'know!

64. Jim Davis pooch : ODIE.

65. Lip : SASS.

66. Sunset ___ : STRIP. Ooooh, I bet you can come up with a more vivid clue!

67. Campus official : DEAN.


Down:

1. Puts in a vault, in a way : ENTOMBS.

2. Refined, as manners : COURTLY. That's how I imagine Keith Fowler...

3. Positive : CERTAIN.

4. Sexy Sommer : ELKE. Oh, I dunno...ya think?

5. Saudi capital : RIYAL. HaHa, got me!  I was thinking of Riyadh...but no, they are not asking for the city, but the currency of  Saudi Arabia. And then we have 22-Across. Bolivian capital : SUCRE. Arrrgh!  SUCRE is the capital city of Bolivia!

6. Parenthesis, e.g. : ARC. Took waaaay too long to figure this one out (added 45 seconds to my time!)

7. Loquacious types : TALKERS.

8. Like some track stars : EQUINE. Horses at the race track, not Olympic runners.

9. "Mine!" : DIBS.

10. Arles article : LES. More French lessons: Had to wait for perps on this one. You can automatically eliminate the three two-letter articles, at least:

                    Definite ("THE")  Indefinite ("A")

Masculine    Le                         Un
Feminine     La                        Une
Plural           Les                        Des

11. Camp David ___ : ACCORDS.

12. Like a Hail Mary pass : DO OR DIE. I had DOOR, and was scratching my head about the ending for it!

13. Swaddle : ENWRAP. meh...

18. They may clash on a set : EGOS.

26. Calif. law group : SFPD. San Francisco Police Department.

28. Poorly made : SHODDY.

30. Shrimp dish : SCAMPI.

32. "The Lion King" lioness : NALA. Learned from crosswords, but I'm guessing a lot of you grandparents out there have seen her first-hand at the movies?

34. Très : VERY. More "Frawnch," as Splynter would say...

37. Hit the big leagues : GO PRO.

38. La ___ Tar Pits : BREA. BREA means "tar" in Spanish, so I guess these are the tartar pits?

39. Talladega's home : ALABAMA.

40. Capybaras, e.g. : RODENTS. Sweet!

41. Coco-Cola producer : BOTTLER. Well...yeh, but...

43. Apple pie order :  À LA MODE.

44. Remote, undesirable locale, figuratively : SIBERIA.

45. Pay heed, in literature : HEARKEN. "Hearken my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere..." (Oh, wait. That starts with "Listen"...)

46. Racers and rattlers : SNAKES. I hate snakes!

47. Ignatius of Loyola follower : JESUIT. Did anyone else have Jesuit teachers? (They were tough!)

48. Garden intruder : WEED. As long as it's not a snake, I don't mind...

51. Hosp. area : PRE-OP.

55. Zoo primates : APES.

57. ... peas in ___ : A POD.

59. Last of the Mohicans? : ESS. (Sorry, Jazzbumpa!)

61. Year in Claudius' reign : LII. Take your pick. He was Roman emperor in XLI, XLII, XLIII, XLIV, XLV, XLVI, XLVII, XLVIII, XLIX, L, LI, LII, LIII and LIV.

Time for me to call it a night! It's already X:III!!

Marti

Note from C.C.:

"An Evening with the Puzzle Master" - Will Shortz, editor of NY Times crossword, is visiting Minnesota next Thursday Sept 12, 2013. He'll answer all questions about puzzles. Click here for details. Please join us. I think all of Twin Cities crossword constructors will be there, including yesterday's LAT constructor Victor Barocas.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013 Victor Barocas

Theme: Sultans of Swing

17A Legend with an ax: PAUL BUNYAN. I had JOHN at first (confusing my ax-men and my medieval preachers) and obviously this meant the NW corner took a little longer than it should.

23A Legend with a clarinet: BENNY GOODMAN.  The "King of Swing"

36A Legend with a vine: TARZAN OF THE APES: Burrough's tale first appeared in All-Story Magazine in 1912 before being published two years later in book form.

46A Legend with a bat: MICKEY MANTLE. Yankees Hall of Fame center fielder.

57A Legend with a bathrobe: HUGH HEFNER. I'll spare you the visual.

and the hint

65A Important word for 17-, 23-, 36-, 46- and 57-Across: SWING

Happy Wednesday everyone! Steve here with a really nice construction job from Victor Barocas. Five long theme entries, one a grid-spanner and an additional hint with the final Across entry. Some smooth fill tying together those theme entries. A really good job!

(Bonus points if you can name the British rock band associated with the theme title).

Let's look at the rest:

Across:

1 Saw point: TOOTH. Nice play on words in the clue here.

6 Etching fluid: ACID

10 Touches affectionately: PATS

14 Prenatal exam, for short: AMNIO. Amniocentesis, for long.

15 Body part that smells: NOSE. All kinds of possibilities here, but thankfully not one of the "ewww" ones.

16 Jump in a skater’s short program: AXEL. Could it not be a jump in the long program too?

19 Actress Hayworth: RITA

20 Dinner pair?: ENS

21 Like cough syrup: ORAL

22 Indigenous New Zealander: MAORI. You most definitely do not want to mess with these guys.

26 Alcove: RECESS

29 Not at all well-done: RARE. Food! In "how do you like it cooked" terms, there's one more "rarer" designation which the French call "bleu". The meat is briefly seared on each side and that's it.

30 “Let’s Get __”: Marvin Gaye hit: IT ON

31 Udder parts: TEATS.

33 Jamaican genre: SKA. This musical style boomed in the UK in the late 70's. Check out the aptly-named Madness in this goofy music video.

40 Animal on Michigan’s state flag: ELK

41 Coffee shop cupful: LATTE

42 Fishing tool: LURE

43 “Your Majesty”: SIRE

44 It includes a bit of France: IBERIA. A very petit peu indeed - French Cerdagne comprises 210 square miles out of Iberia's total of more than a quarter-million.

51 Betting every last chip: ALL-IN 

52 Hat-borne parasites: LICE. That's why you never buy a hat at a yard sale. Eeew. They're pretty horrific magnified, so I'll spare you that.

53 Toward the rudder: AFT

56 Charlatan, e.g.: LIAR

60 Sour: TART

61 Actor Morales: ESAI. I have a mental block with this actor - I always have to get it through the crosses.

62 Dutch pianist Egon who taught Victor Borge: PETRI. Talented chap, didn't he invent the dish for growing gross things in the biology lab?

63 Lime beverages: ADES

64 Holiday song: NOEL

Down:

1 Packer’s need: TAPE. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers might think they need a wide receiver and a running back more than tape. Oh! Mover's tape! Forget what I just said.

2 Arab League member: OMAN

3 Burden: ONUS

4 Up to, briefly: 'TIL. Briefly, and poetically.

5 Bindle carriers: HOBOES

6 Former U.N. chief: ANNAN. Thank you, crosses.

7 How some flirt: COYLY.

8 Life-cabaret link: IS A. Liza Minnelli singing this classic in the movie

9 Place to relax: DEN. Not if it's a lion's den it's not.

10 Where to see floats: PARADE

11 Self-evident truth: AXIOM

12 Flashy tank swimmer: TETRA. Looks more like a neon "eat me" sign to any self-respecting predator.

13 Like many characters in Shakespeare’s dramas: SLAIN

18 Catering hall dispensers: URNS

22 Dashing inventor?: MORSE. I loved this - great clue.

23 1885 Motorwagen maker: BENZ. Note the German reference in the clue.

24 Reduce to small pieces: GRATE. I had GR so needed to wait for crosses to determine GRATE/GRIND

25 Inauguration Day pledge: OATH. The other type of oath is when the President-elect drops the Bible on his toe.

26 Customary observance: RITE

27 Reference list abbr.: ET AL. This is interesting in that the unabbreviated form can be one of three different ones depending on the gender of the items in the list: Et alii for masculine, Et aliae for feminine and Et alia for neuter. Those languages with noun genders really do cause lots of trouble (especially for 11-year old schoolboys like me learning Latin).

28 Bulletin board material: CORK

31 Icon on a pole: TOTEM

32 Immature newt: EFT. I never remember this one either. They are cute-looking though.

33 Goad: SPUR

34 “Felicity” star Russell: KERI

35 Like the Flying Dutchman: ASEA. Because "Ghost ship doomed to sail the seven seas for all eternity" doesn't fit.

37 “In space no one can hear you scream” film: ALIEN. If you magnify one of our head-scratching friends from 52A you get something pretty similar to this chap.

38 Not, quaintly: NARY. I've used this to mean "not even"; I didn't realize it actually meant "not".

39 On the safer side: ALEE. A sailboat should pass a sizeable object (like an island, a reef, a much bigger boat) on the lee side - there's no risk of being blown onto the danger.

43 Bypasses: SKIRTS

44 Chickenpox symptom: ITCH

45 Expletive replacements: BLEEPS. Tom Hanks sidestepped the bleep machine recently on Good Morning America and woke up the audience with a F-bomb. Ooops.

46 Sicily neighbor: MALTA

47 Epic that ends with Hector’s funeral: ILIAD. Homer's 8th Century BC Trojan War bestseller. Scribes managed to turn out three copies a year or something close to that.

48 County on the River Shannon: CLARE. Ireland's longest river reaches the Atlantic Ocean at Carrigaholt in Co. Clare.

49 Pond plants: ALGAE

50 Zero, to Nero: NIHIL

53 Prefix with war or hero: ANTI-. I'm not sure I've ever heard the term "anti-hero" before. Now I have.

54 Forest floor flora: FERN

55 High school math class: TRIG. Trigonometry for Farmers: Swine and Coswine.

57 Feathery layer: HEN. Lay-er. Another nice clue - had me head-scratching (no, not 52A!) for a moment. We had the plural in yesterday's puzzle.

58 Club for GIs: U.S.O. United Service Organizations. A non-profit, not a government agency.

59 “... but __ are chosen”: FEW. Or a bad day at the ice-cream cake factory - "Many are cold, but few are frozen"

I think I'd better call it a day after that! Have a great one!

Steve

Tuesday, September 3, 2013 Jerome Gunderson

Theme: Circle the wagons!

17A. 1976 debut single for Heart : "CRAZY ON YOU"

27A. Stable warmer : HORSE BLANKET

37A. Nationality of the two leaders suggested by the starts of 17-, 27-, 43- and 57-Across : SIOUX

43A. Biding one's time : SITTING TIGHT

57A. Informal name for the double bass : BULL FIDDLE

Argyle here. Jerome has provided a nice companion piece to C.C.'s Monday puzzle. Center unifier and a couple of climbers to tie it together (but no grid spanners). It lends itself to a bunch of musical links which I am more than happy to provide.

CRAZY(5:13) HORSE(2:27) and SITTING(2:42) BULL(2:18)

Across:

1. Take off politely, as one's hat : DOFF

5. Small silvery fish : SMELT

10. Ogden's state : UTAH

14. "The African Queen" co-screenwriter : AGEE. James Agee shared the credit with none other than John Huston.

15. Apple drink : CIDER

16. Golfer Ballesteros : SEVE. Sadly, he died at the age of 54 in the same town he was born in, Pedreña, Cantabria, Spain.

19. Yoked bovines : OXEN

20. The Beatles' "And I Love __" : HER

21. Metal-yielding rocks : OREs. and 6D. Ones who dig 21-Across : MINERS

22. Practices in a ring : SPARS

23. 21-Across tester : ASSAYER

25. Chasing : AFTER

31. Hiding places in walls : SAFES

34. Wild pig : BOAR

35. "We __ the Champions" : ARE

36. Jack of old Westerns : ELAM. He had several "looks" so I'll link Google here.

39. Not left out of : IN ON

40. Pallid : WAN

41. Latvian capital : RIGA

42. Move with ease : COAST

48. Crime against one's country : TREASON

52. Follow : ENSUE

54. Carson's predecessor : PAAR

55. Mary's little lamb, perhaps : EWE

56. Cabernet containers : VATS

60. Correct copy : EDIT

61. Native Alaskan : INUIT

62. Got long in the tooth : AGED

63. A bit blue : RACY

64. Garb at the Forum : TOGAs

65. Raises, say : BETS

Down:

1. Russian cottage : DACHA. Tuesday and later in the week word.

2. Hideous giants : OGRES

3. Shaking causes : FEARS. First thought was for quakes.

4. Brimless cap : FEZ

5. Cricket official : SCORER. Does he do more than keep score?

7. Outshine fruit bars brand : EDY'S

8. Regulus's constellation : LEO. Sort of makes 22D. Regulus, for one : STAR a gimme.

9. __TV: "Not reality. Actuality." : TRU. If you care, the Wikipedia LINK.

10. Golf tournament first played in 1895 : U.S. OPEN. Odd there was no abbreviation indicator.

11. Portmanteau region between Dallas and Little Rock : TEXARKANA

12. Solemnly swear : AVER

13. Ones in a pecking order : HENS

18. They have strings attached : YOYOs

24. "Beg pardon ..." : "AHEM ..."

25. Leigh Hunt's "__ Ben Adhem" : ABOU. (may his tribe increase!) Poem LINK

26. Linen fiber source : FLAX

28. WWII torpedo craft : E BOAT. The German version of the PT boats.

29. Cupid's Greek counterpart : EROS

30. Portable shelter : TENT

31. Hems but doesn't haw? : SEWS. Cute.

32. Jai __ : ALAI

33. Hard to believe : FANTASTIC

37. Moral lapses : SINS

38. Punk star __ Pop : IGGY

39. Mite : IOTA

41. Marriage or baptism : RITE

42. Dearie, in Dijon : CHÉRI

44. Reliable : TRUSTY

45. Milano's land : ITALIA. Or Milan in Italy.

46. Botanists' scions : GRAFTS

49. Swamp grass : SEDGE

50. Young bird of prey : OWLET

51. Non-negotiable things : NEEDS

52. On any occasion : EVER

53. Zippo : NADA

54. Socket insert : PLUG. I jumped right on BALL. Wrong! So was bulb.

57. Bridle piece : BIT. Horse harness.

58. Half dos : UNO. Uno, Dos, Tres: One, Two, Three.

59. Gentle application : DAB

Argyle

Monday, September 2, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Honey, your folks are here - Phrases with Ma and Pa at the head of the line.

18A. *File folder material : MANILA PAPER

24A. *Halloween bash with costumes : MASQUERADE PARTY

39A. The Kettles, or a hint to the answers to starred clues : MA AND PA

52A. *Law firm bigwig : MANAGING PARTNER

61A. *Foam bedding item : MATTRESS PAD

Argyle here with a C.C. Monday gem. It helped if you remembered who the Kettles were but the starred clues didn't really need the central reveal. It does tie the theme tighter. Two grid spanners and two strong climbers tie it up tight. Should be a speed run for regular solvers but still a pleasant result.

 Bill G, you listening?

Across:

1. Beach lotion letters : SPF

4. Piece of information : DATUM

9. Like a visit from Francis : PAPAL

14. Lao Tzu principle : TAO

15. Really angry : IRATE

16. Musical in which Madonna set a Guinness World Record for "Most costume changes in a film" : "EVITA"

17. That, to Teresa : ESO. (Spanish)

20. Book of maps : ATLAS

22. Police force member : COP

23. Eye drop : TEAR

28. Only brother not in any Marx Brothers films : GUMMO. If you missed CED's link to Harpo, go back to yesterday's comments at 8:25 PM.

29. Belgian river : YSER

30. "Stop, horse!" : "WHOA!"

32. The Spartans of the Big Ten: Abbr. : MSU. (Michigan State University)

34. Old Russian leaders : TSARs

38. "You've got mail" company : AOL

42. Lav of London : LOO. Lav is short for lavatory.

43. Cowboy contest : RODEO

45. Onassis nickname : ARI. (Aristotle Socrates Onassis)

46. Barristers' degs. : LLBs. (Bachelor of Laws)(Legum Baccalaureus Latin)

47. Norse prankster : LOKI

50. First of four Holy Roman emperors : OTTO I

58. Bird sacred to Tut : IBIS

59. T, to Socrates : TAU. Not the hemlock tea that did him in.

60. Pong producer : ATARI

65. Fishing pole : ROD

66. Trap during a winter storm, maybe : ICE IN

67. Chopin work : ETUDE

68. "__ to Joy" : ODE. I know you like a good flash mob.

69. About, date-wise : CIRCA

70. Managed somehow : COPED

71. Filmmaker Craven : WES. Well-known horror director.

Down:

1. Cook, as asparagus : STEAM

2. Carb-loader's entrée : PASTA

3. Forty-niner's disillusionment : FOOL'S GOLD. (Pyrite)

4. Bite-sized Chinese dish : DIM SUM

5. Parseghian of football : ARA

6. Light brown : TAN

7. Mohawk River city : UTICA. Shout out to the Mohawk Valley.

8. Something to hum : MELODY. Like "Ode to Joy" for the rest of the day.

9. Energy : PEP

10. Blog posters' self-images : AVATARs

11. Peter, the pickled-pepper picker : PIPER. A lot of alliteration.

12. Dined in : ATE AT. A misfire.

13. Comedic Cable Guy : LARRY

19. Jungle swingers : APEs

21. Color of water : AQUA

25. Actress Thompson : EMMA

26. Civil rights pioneer Parks : ROSA

27. Animal rights org. : PETA. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Pronounced the same? 41D. Pocket bread : PITA

30. Civil __ : WAR

31. "Yoo-__!" : HOO

33. One, to Juanita : UNA. More Spanish.

35. Aligned perfectly : ALL IN A ROW

36. Hold up : ROB

37. Sailor's distress signal : S-O-S

39. Synthesizer pioneer Robert : MOOG

40. Fall : DROP

44. Stretchy, as a waistband : ELASTIC

46. Former Senate majority leader Trent : LOTT. Senator from Mississippi.

48. Flying toy : KITE

49. "Be right there!" : "IN A SEC!"

51. Dealt players : TRADED

52. Act like : MIMIC

53. Calculators often made with bamboo frames : ABACI

54. Compound in fireworks : NITER

55. Exuberance : GUSTO

56. Gradually wear away : ERODE

57. Fair attractions : RIDES

62. Genetic letters : RNA

63. Newborn dog : PUP. Nap time.

64. Fruity drink : ADE

Argyle