google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Sep 20, 2013

Friday, September 20, 2013, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "A" growing family. No A words, though.

For all of you who have noticed (or bemoaned) our recent run of Friday definition puzzles, this week one of our new regular constructors, Jeffrey Wechsler, gives us a progression of clues for grid spanning fill in another variation of the definition theme. I enjoyed this one immensely, as it featured lots of nice intermediate original fill, like,  ADAGIOS, ADMIRER, ALL HERE, BIG LOVE, GIGGLED, HIDEOUT, I BET YOU, I'M IN AWE, MANACLE, SMEAR ON, SUB-ARID, SWIVELS, USELESS, WE HAD TO. Of course when you have grid spanners, there will be some sacrifices, and JW chooses partials, abbreviations and inital-isms as his poison, so let's do our thing.

17A. A : HIGH LETTER GRADE.(15). My oldest went through college with nothing but A's.

27A. AA : TWELVE STEP GROUP.(15). Alcoholics Anonymous.

44A. AAA : US MOTORISTS CLUB.(15) American Automobile Association.

55A. AAAA : VERY THIN BATTERY.(15). I do not think there is any initial-ism here. Just a QUADRUPLE A.

Across:

1. Breadth of fresh hair? : WIG. It always disconcerts me when I do not get  1A.

4. 2000s HBO drama set in Utah : BIG LOVE. You want polygamy, you get polygamy.


11. "Figured it out!" : A HA. The best moment for a solver.

14. Longtime Parlophone record label owner : EMI. "Electric and Musical Industries Ltd was formed in March 1931 by the merger of the Columbia Graphophone Company and the Gramophone Company, with its "His Master's Voice" record label, firms that have a history extending back to the origins of recorded sound. " Per wiki, never heard of Parlophone, but how many three letter record labels were there?

15. Valentine sender : ADMIRER.

16. Submerge : DIP.

20. 2002 World Series champs : ANGELS. Anaheim? Los Angeles? California? They bought Pujols and Hamilton on the downturn.

21. Pawn : STOOGE. Nice word, but tricky clue.

22. Author Carnegie : DALE. The Power of Positive Thinking man.

23. CPR provider : EMT. CardioPulmonary Resuccitation from an Emergency Medical Technician.

25. Library sect. : BIOGraphy.

32. Venerable ref. : OED.

33. Moving line on the ground, maybe : ANTS. Nice visual ...................................................

34. Places to perch : ROOSTS.

35. Rosebud, notably : SLED. A Citizen Kane reference.


36. Lean and sinewy : WIRY.

37. Good thing to pass : MUSTER. From the military inspections.

40. When Bloomsday, which celebrates Joyce's "Ulysses," is observed : JUNE. This coincides with the date in the book. LINK.

41. "Just __ figured!" : AS I.

47. Profound : DEEP.

48. 32-Across cousin of arch. : OBS. Obsolete which is a cousin of archaic.

49. River through the Czech Republic : ELBE.


50. Canadian brewery : LABATT. Very popular beer in Buffalo.

53. Doughboy's helmet : TIN HAT. Tinman makes another appearance.

58. Prefix with tonic : ISO.

59. Restraining device : MANACLE. Nice old fashioned word.

60. Carnival setting : RIO.


61. Messenger developer : MSN.

62. Office chair mechanisms : SWIVELS. Also not a word you see often in the crossword world.

63. Email suffix : EDU.

Down:

1. "There was no choice for us" : WE HAD TO. A nice series of words.

2. "That's mind-blowing!" : I'M IN AWE.

3. Laughed nervously, maybe : GIGGLED.

4. Scene of a lost glass slipper : BALL. Ladies, were you Cinderella?

5. Time to beware : IDES. Be careful Julie...

6. Clock-setting std. : GMT. Greenwich Mean Time.

7. Stewed : LIT. There are so many ways to express being drunk.

8. Handel opera written in Italian : ORESTE. A now time for our musical INTERLUDE.(4:56).

9. Not hor. : VERTical.

10. Consequently : ERGO. Latin.

11. Slow movements : ADAGIOS. JzB want to take this one?

12. Place to lie low : HIDEOUT.

13. Make like : APE.

18. Command to Fido : HEEL.

19. Manhattan variety : ROB ROY. A manhattan (a rye drink) made with Scotch. Can't waste pinch with all that sweet vermouth.

23. Abbr. for dating enthusiasts? : ESTD. Established, seen on many buildings.

24. Hood et al.: Abbr. : MTS. Another recurring theme for the week?

26. Common cellphone feature, briefly : GPSGlobal Positioning System.

28. Manservant : VALET. Jeeves anyone?

29. Italian : gennaio :: Spanish : __ : ENERO. January.

30. Patterned cloth : PRINT.


31. Sticks with a horn : GORES. Short but very BRUTAL (0:36)  example, use your discretion in watching.

35. Visit : STOP BY.

36. Milquetoast : WUSS.

37. Pie material? : MUD. Yum, oh you meant literally.

38. Of no help : USELESS.

39. Apply liberally : SMEAR ON. Did any of  you all think of

40. Foresail : JIB.

41. Present and accounted for : ALL HERE.

42. Moderately dry, climatewise : SUB-ARID.

43. Challenging opening : I BET YOU.

45. Twisty pasta : ROTINI. There are many, many kinds. MORE than I knew.

46. It's mostly made of zinc : CENT.

51. Some NCR devices : ATMS. Automated Teller Machines

52. Spring occurrence : THAW.

53. Starbucks order : TALL. Which is small.

54. Followers: Suff. : ITES.

55. Pep : VIM.

56. Service abbr. : NAV.  To keep the Village HAPPY.(4:01).

57. Pre-A.D. : BCE. A real mixed metaphor, as Before Common Era, is used by those who do not accept Anno Domini.

A quick shout out to Mangesh  who in a collaboration with Doug Peterson created the NYT today. He was our first regular from India.

Well,, like I said I really enjoyed this challenge. I missed Happy Mid-Autumn, but for those who are in their sukkahs, enjoy. LINK.  Have a great week, thanks JW, lemonade out.


Notes from C.C.:

1) Further to what Lemonade said earlier, congratulations to Mangesh on his NYT debut. Please check his interview with Wordplay here. He has a LAT coming up next week also.

2) For those who enjoyed George Barany's Turing tribute puzzle, he co-constructed today's The Chronicle of Higher Education puzzle. Please click here. The first one: "Great Dane". Unfortunately, only puz file is available.


Sep 19, 2013

Thursday, September 19, 2013 Gareth Bain

Theme: Stork naked puns

18A. Governor's pet projects? : STATE PORK. We all know about pork barrel politics. State park.

29A. Utensil that gives you ideas? : CREATIVE SPORK. When you need to backpack light, but creatively. Creative spark.

43A. Bully's secret shame? : FEAR OF THE DORK. Biff's private stigma? Fear of the dark.



56A. Say "Come in, Orson!" e.g.? : QUOTE MORK. Nanu nanu!  Quote mark.


OK, so this has to be one of my all-time favorite theme types, with a simple letter change. Other than stork/stark, can you come up with any other solid themers? I think Gareth has covered them all!

This was a speed run for me, and seemed more Tuesday than Thursday-ish.  Your experience may vary.

Across:

1. One who's always on the go? : NOMAD.

6. Pear that's good for poaching : BOSC. What a pair!


10. Glass sheet : PANE.

14. Superior to : ABOVE.

15. Member of the opposition : ANTI.

16. One on a pedestal : IDOL.

17. Pick-me-up : TONIC.

20. Like one who forgot the Dramamine : SEASICK.

22. Exposed : BARE. Stork naked?

23. Nutritionist's recommendation : DIET.

25. Causes to quail : DAUNTS. Funny word, "quail." A small, migratory gallinaceous game bird.

32. Take to task : SCOLD.

34. Cock or bull : MALE.

35. Blues-rocker Chris : REA. Probably my favorite of his is this one. 2:37

36. Clothes : TOGS.

37. Alex Haley classic : ROOTS.

39. Abarth automaker : FIAT.
40. Coffee hour item : URN.

41. Talent : GIFT.

42. Precipitation : HASTE.

47. Day spa offering : FACIAL. My face is beyond help...

48. First name in fashion : YVES. St. Laurent.

49. Pundit's piece : OP ED.

51. Olympic Airways founder : ONASSIS.

60. Empty room population? : NO ONE.

61. Poetic lowland : VALE.

62. Iroquoian people : ERIE.

63. Compass dirección : NORTE.

64. Rep on the street : CRED.

65. "Law & Order" org. : NYPDNew York Police Department.

66. Composer Bruckner : ANTON. He was described by Mahler as "half simpleton, half god." Listen to some of his best here.


Down:

1. Expos, since 2005 : NATS. Washington D.C. baseball team.

2. High wind : OBOE. Nice misdirection.

3. Pulitzer poet Van Duyn : MONA. Her "Near Changes" won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1991. Maybe YR can share something from the collection.

4. Budget alternative : AVIS. I sooooo wanted "spree."

5. Ruled : DECIDED.

6. Hoops score : BASKET.

7. London's prov. : ONT.ario

8. Shot in the dark : STAB.

9. Fortresses : CITADELS.

10. Find one's voice : PIPE UP.

11. Stir : ADO.

12. Eur. kingdom : NOR.way

13. Antlered bugler : ELK.

19. Take out : ERASE.

21. "Charlie Wilson's War" org. : CIA. Great movie.

24. Recipient of two New Testament epistles : TIMOTHY. First and second epistle to Timothy in the New Testament.

26. Without a downside : NO RISK.

27. Pet's reward : TREAT. My cats love Greenies.

28. Use the rink : SKATE.

29. After-dinner drink : COGNAC.  For Tin, it is at sunset.

30. Jekyll creator's initials : RLS. Robert Lewis Stevenson.

31. Distillery vessel : VAT.

32. Things : STUFF. My favorite routine by George Carlin. 5:09

33. Chick of jazz : COREA. More music. 3:25

37. Winchester wielders : RIFLEMEN. Chuck Connors, for one.

38. Frequently, in verse : OFT.

39. Hardy's "__ From the Madding Crowd" : FAR.

41. Freak out :  GO APE.

.42. Liturgical shout of praise : HOSANNA.

44. Was revolting? : RIOTED. [chuckle]

45. Brought to mind : EVOKED.

46. Place for a wide-screen TV : DEN.

50. Fishing boat : DORY.

52. In short order : SOON.

53. Spreadsheet function : SORT.

54. Liking quite a bit : INTO.

55. Not hidden : SEEN.

56. Home shopping channel : QVC. "Quality, Value, Convenience."

57. Nasser's confed. : UARUnited Arab Republic.

58. Cry for a picador : OLE.

59. Fashionable jeans feature : RIP. And may today's blog rest in peace...

'Til next week!
Marti


Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Allen, Marti's Ole Miss husband.


2) If you revisit the web pages associated with Crosswords with Friends ... of the University of Minnesota Libraries puzzle, or  its explanation, you can now find links to the full presentation (one-and-a-half hours) that Will Shortz made on September 12, 2013.

Sep 18, 2013

Wednesday, September 18th 2013, C.C.Burnikel

(Note from C.C.: It's Jazzbumpa's turn today, but Steve blogged today's puzzle also. So a rare double treat for us! Jazzbumpa first, then Steve.)

Theme: My mom is one - TWINS.  Each starred clue is answered by one of a brace of famous real or mythical twins.  The crossing theme answer is the other twin of the pair.  Further, one of these twins is indicated by a two-word answer in which the second word is a red herring, while the other is a simple one-word name, clued in a way that should specifically identify the set of TWINS in question.

17A. *Edward Cullen's rival for Bella's hand, in the "Twilight" series : JACOB BLACK.  I haven't watched this series, so it took a lot of perp help. 

2D. *Biblical birthright seller : ESAU.  JACOB's TWIN.  Isaac's non-identical twin sons are both frequent crossword denizens.  You know the story.

23A. *She played Michelle on "Full House" : MARY-KATE. Tricky, since the roll was shared by both of these TWINS.

11. *"High Crimes" actress : ASHLEY JUDD.  As this point, having only half sussed the theme, I'm thinking - wait!  The Judd sisters aren't twins! But MARY KATE and ASHLEY Olsen are.  They have since grown up, or at least gotten older.




45 A. *Brother of Helen of Troy, some say : POLLUX.  I did not know that.

28 D. *Source of an age-old medicinal oil : CASTOR BEAN.  CASTOR OIL, of course.  I don't recall ever being subjected to this cure. CASTOR and POLLUX in Greek mythology, present a confusing case. Per Wikipedia: "Their mother was Leda, but Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who seduced or raped Leda in the guise of a swan (Greek myths concerning divine sex are often vague on the issue of female consent)."  That's more than I can comprehend.  Better still, Helen also had a TWIN, the unfortunately named Clytemnestra.  CASTOR and POLLUX are also the brightest stars in the constellation Gemini, and a pet products brand.

59 A. *Beach Boys title girl : BARBARA ANN.  This takes me back to my ute.  But back in the day [1961] this was a hit recording for the Regents.  The Beach Boys cover came later.

44 D. *"Today" correspondent __ Bush Hager : JENNA.  BARBARA and JENNA are the daughters of former President George W. Bush, and clearly non-identical TWINS.  They also got older.  Here they are with their mom, former first lady Laura Bush.


And the unifier:  64 A. Target Field team, and each pair of intersecting names in the answers to starred clues : TWINS.  C.C.'s home baseball team is not having a good year.  They play three games against the Tigers next Mon.- Wed.

It took me quite a while to find C.C.'s wavelength.  But wow - eight paired, crossing theme entries, with the long theme entries in perfect symmetry, plus a unifier stacked below the last horizontal theme fill. Also, two TWIN sets are male and two are female. I don't even want to think about what it took to put this together.

Hi gang, a very impressed JazzBumpa here.  Let's see what else C.C. has in store for us the rest of the way.

Across:

1. Nation between Togo and Nigeria : BENIN.  Along the west coast of Africa where it takes a big sweep to the east.

6. "Look over here!" : PSST.  Sibilant attention getter. 

10. CSNY member : NASH.  Of course I should know what CSNY is, and of course, I didn't.  Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, famous for their tight harmonies.  Back to my ute again.




 
14. Private line? : ASIDE.  A stage line spoken to the audience, not the other players.

15. Elevator man : OTIS.  In 1853, Elisha Otis invented the elevator safety brake.  Now, 160 years later, his company's products are used in over 200 countries around the world.

16. "It's clear now" : I SEE

19. Genghis __ : KHAN.  No relation to Madelaine.

20. "The Plains of Passage" author : AUEL.  Jane

21. Former SSR : UKR.  The Ukraine.

22. Pharmaceutical rep's samples : PILLS.  

26. Dogpatch creator : AL CAPP

31. Alley cats, e.g. : STRAYS

33. Some crowns : TIARAS

34. Desert tableland : MESA.  Spanish for "table."

35. Blue bird : JAY

37. Looking for a fight : TESTY

38. Suffix with infer : IOR  This, I believe, is pushing it.

39. Cook, in a way : SAUTE

41. Bar bowl item : NUT

42. "Don't tell me!" : OH NO

44. 2007 "American Idol" winner Sparks : JORDIN. Pretty obscure.

47. Fails to pronounce : ELIDES.  This took some thought.  It means omitting a sound or syllable in a spoken word.  I heard it in my ute.

48. Image to identify on a driver's license exam : ROAD SIGN

51. Drifters : HOBOS

53. Diarist Anaïs : NIN

54. Neighbor of a Cambodian : THAI

58. Short race, briefly : ONE K.  One kilometer, about .6 miles.

62. Ruse : SCAM.  Phoney business.

63. Duel tool : EPEE. The most common crossword weapon.

65. Funny Dame : EDNA.  Dame EDNA Everage is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries.  That's all I know.

66. Bombs : DUDS.  Funny how language twists.  "A bomb" is a failure, but "THE bomb" is something really cool, while a "bomb" can blow you away.

67. Narrow piece, as of cloth : STRIP.  Other definitions are possible.

Down:

1. __ California : BAJA.  Spanish for "lower."  The peninsula extending south from CA is part of Mexico.

3. "Great shot!" : NICE.  Well done

4. Teen Vogue subject : IDOL.  Today's star, tomorrow's has-been.

5. Lincoln's st. : NEB.  Nebraska.  Gary can tell us all about it.

6. Beer garden music : POLKA.  Oom-pah!

7. Super Bowl I and II MVP : STARR. Bart, QB for the Packers.

8. [Not my error] : SIC.  Short for sic erat scriptum, "thus was it written."  Used when something in a quote looks not quite right.

9. "That wasn't nice" : TSK.  Comic book admonition.

10. Former Soviet leader Khrushchev : NIKITA.  Famous shoe banger.  Or maybe not.

12. Corporate emblem : SEAL.  I wanted LOGO.

13. Egg sources : HENS.

18. Bruises partner : BUMPS.  They go together.

22. Shade provider : PARASOL.  I wanted ELM TREE.

24. North Sea feeder : YSER.  I didn't know what I wanted.

25. Naut. speed units : KTS.  Knots.  Wikipedia again: The knot (pronounced not) is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile (1.852 km) per hour, approximately 1.151 mph

26. Env. router : ATTN. Abrv. for attention, often used on inter-office communication envelopes.

27. Stay awake in bed : LIE UP.  Or deliberately leave your golf shot short of a hazard.

29. Part of MOMA : ART.  The Museum of Modern ART.

30. Promotional bribes : PAYOLAS.  Big scandal back in my ute.

32. Composer Erik : SATIE.  French.




34. Cattle call : MOO.  Of the cattle, not to the cattle.

36. Hankerings : YENS.  I thought about going to Japan, but didn't have the YEN to travel.

38. "Need You Tonight" band : INXS

40. First name in shipping : ARI.  Onassis.

43. 1963 Newman/Neal film : HUD.  Family strife, sexual tension and diseased cattle on a Texas ranch.

46. Start of a show-off kid's cry : LOOK MA.  Followed by "No hands!"  and CRASH!

49. How traditional Chinese brides dress : IN RED.  Why not?  It's a festive color.

50. Taunts : GIBES

51. Garden waterer : HOSE

52. Burned, in a high-tech way : ON CD.  Probably the next music presentation format to become obsolete.

54. "I __ I taw ..." : TAWT.  A puddy tat.  Tweety Bird

55. It may have highlights : HAIR.

56. Years, to Caesar : ANNI.

57. Clouseau's rank: Abbr. : INSP.  Inspector Jacques Clouseau, the bumbling police detective played by Peter Sellers.  A portrayal by any other actor is a SCAM and a fraud.

59. Place to sleep : BED.  Or plant flowers

60. Bart's Squishee provider : APU.  He runs the Kwik-E-Mart on the Simpson's TV show.

61. ACLU concerns : RTS.  Rights, not routes, except for the one to the court house. 

There you have it.  This puzzle did not BOMB.  In fact, I'd say it was THE bomb.

Cool regards!
JzB


****************

 
Theme: Double Vision: Squint a little further and there's another solve right there!

17A. *Edward Cullen's rival for Bella's hand, in the "Twilight" series : JACOB BLACK
2D. *Biblical birthright seller : ESAU: And a very expensive bowl of soup.

23A. *She played Michelle on "Full House" : MARY KATE
11D. *"High Crimes" actress : ASHLEY JUDD. And a very expensive backpack - $55,000 anyone? To be fair, Ms. Judd had nothing to do with this. A reference to the Olsen twins.



45A. *Brother of Helen of Troy, some say : POLLUX
28D. *Source of an age-old medicinal oil : CASTOR BEAN: You really should look these two up. Not appropriate for family viewing.

59A. *Beach Boys title girl : BARBARA ANN
44D. *"Today" correspondent __ Bush Hager : JENNA: POTUS 41 offspring.

64A. Target Field team, and each pair of intersecting names in the answers to starred clues : TWINS

Just because I love saying "Miiiinesodda" - here's POTUS 40 announcing a Twins game back in 1935:




Hi everyone - Steve again. Was this just me or was this a really tough Wednesday? I was picking around the corners, I couldn't see a theme, there were names, names, names .. these are the puzzles I love - I know I can ....... just ...... get ...... there ..... if ....... I .... keep ...... at ......it. Oh, then I see it's a  C.C teaser. Thanks, I swear she does it just to keep all the regulars honest! 

Across:

1. Nation between Togo and Nigeria : BENIN. I know that, I drive that road every day. Ummm.

6. "Look over here!" : PSST

10. CSNY member : NASH. Now this was thoroughly obscure for me. I was thinking "C whatever State New York" University- Nash College? Oh no, wildly wrong. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. My bad.

14. Private line? : ASIDE

15. Elevator man : OTIS

16. "It's clear now" : I SEE

19. Genghis __ : KHAN

20. "The Plains of Passage" author : AUEL. A thoroughly opportune vowel combination to guarantee crossword immortality! The book isn't bad, either.

21. Former SSR : UKR. My swim coach Dmitri is from the Ukraine, and coached for the Soviet Socialist Republics before he realized is was better to move to sunny SoCal and coach me.

22. Pharmaceutical rep's samples : PILLS

26. Dogpatch creator : AL CAPP

31. Alley cats, e.g. : STRAYS They strut, those stray cats ....

33. Some crowns : TIARAS

34. Desert tableland : MESA

35. Blue bird : JAY

37. Looking for a fight : TESTY

38. Suffix with infer : IOR, Hmmmmmm , not a fan of this one - it's not really a suffix infer/inferior - ah not the same thing

39. Cook, in a way : SAUTE Food! Yay! I sautéd some shrimp for dinner tonight

41. Bar bowl item : NUT. Don't eat the nuts on the bar unless you've seen them poured and you've had the only hands in them. I won't gross you out by explaining.

42. "Don't tell me!" : OH NO. After you find out about the nuts on the bar.

44. 2007 "American Idol" winner Sparks : JORDIN. Perps.

47. Fails to pronounce : ELIDES. I finally got this one after YEARS of telling myself to remember it. And I needed it for a whole bunch of crosses

48. Image to identify on a driver's license exam : ROAD SIGN

The ones in my native Ireland are not always too helpful as Irish Miss and Mari can affirm:


51. Drifters : HOBOS

53. Diarist Anaïs : NIN

54. Neighbor of a Cambodian : THAI

58. Short race, briefly : ONE K, I'm running a 5K in November in November as a prelude to a triathlon in San Diego in January. It's been mmmmnmmnmm years since I've run to the store, so it'll be interesting.

62. Ruse : SCAM

63. Duel tool : EPEE

65. Funny Dame : EDNA. Dame Edna Everage. Here she is in all her glory:


66. Bombs : DUDS. There's a lot of folks wished the bombs they heard were duds.

67. Narrow piece, as of cloth : STRIP

Down:

1. __ California : BAJA. Just south of me, and a wonderful place to go. Don't believe everything you read in the papers.

3. "Great shot!" : NICE

4. Teen Vogue subject : IDOL

5. Lincoln's st. : NEB. Lincoln the town, not the President - he was born in Kentucky, not Nebraska.

6. Beer garden music : POLKA. It's Oktoberfest very soon - get ready to polka! Which is odd, as the polka is Polish, but what the hey! Drink beer and dance with a green hat and a feather!

7. Super Bowl I and II MVP : STARR. This Green Bay Quarterback also goes by BART, which fits nicely into a puzzle grid when the Simpsons are getting tired.


8. [Not my error] : SIC. Ooops

9. "That wasn't nice" : TSK. [Sorry, not my error]

10. Former Soviet leader Khrushchev : NIKITA

12. Corporate emblem : SEAL

13. Egg sources : HENS

18. Bruises partner : BUMPS

22. Shade provider : PARASOL

24. North Sea feeder : YSER. Not a fish, the Belgian river. Look, here's an Argyle-style explanation:


Oh wait, that's London - never mind

25. Naut. speed units : KTS. A knot is one nautical mile, and it is a precise division of the earth's circumference at it's equator. Lots of nice theme words and a bit of Scrabble in there!

26. Env. router : ATTN. Yeah, you lost me here.

27. Stay awake in bed : LIE UP. Nope. I stay up. When I can can't get up I lie in. Sorry!

29. Part of MOMA : ART. The wonderful Museum of Modern Art in New York City. I spent a day there lost in everything.

30. Promotional bribes : PAYOLAS

32. Composer Erik : SATIE. You've probably heard this but it's wonderful

34. Cattle call : MOO

36. Hankerings : YENS

38. "Need You Tonight" band : INXS. I'd post a link but I'm still listening to Gymnopédie No.1

40. First name in shipping : ARI. Jackie's friend

43. 1963 Newman/Neal film : HUD

46. Start of a show-off kid's cry : LOOK MA. Ends up in the ER.

49. How traditional Chinese brides dress : IN RED. C.C? We'd love to see you in red! (From C.C. I have a picture of Boomer dressed IN RED traditional Chinese coat.)

May 2003, Boomer Retirement Lunch

50. Taunts : GIBES

51. Garden waterer : HOSE

52. Burned, in a high-tech way : ON CD

54. "I __ I taw ..." : TAWT

I worked for Warner Bros. for a while - I learned that Warner Bros. is not Warner Brothers! Oh No! It is Warner Bros.(period) - as I hope I have adequately proven. Also, this this yellow annoyance is called Tweety. Not Tweety Bird. No bird - simply Tweety. Call this thing "Tweety Bird" and it's close to a hanging offense. I escaped - just.




55. It may have highlights : HAIR

56. Years, to Caesar : ANNI.

57. Clouseau's rank: Abbr. : INSP. The clumsy Inspector of the Pink Panther movies.

59. Place to sleep : BED

60. Bart's Squishee provider : APU

61. ACLU concerns : RTS.  Hmmm - Rights? I get the American Civil Liberties Union but ..

That's it from me - a great Wednesday from C.C. - had me guessing and picking all the way. Take care out here and have a wonderful rest of the week!

Steve





More from C.C.:

Some of you solved the "Crosswords with Friends" puzzle I put on the blog last Sunday. George Barany & Friends specially made it for the Will Shortz event. I chucked (Edited later: I meant "chuckled", D-Otto, :-), I'm amazing like that!) reading his comments on the TWINS clue change. See here (almost the bottom).

I submitted this puzzle in February and it was accepted in May, long before the Twins traded Morneau. Sigh. Go Pirates!


Sep 17, 2013

Tuesday, September 17, 2013 Steve Blais

Theme: Hometown, USA - The last word of the unifier (VILLAGE) can precede the first word of the theme entries.

37A. 1996 Hillary Clinton best-seller, and what might be said about the start of 17-, 24-, 48- or 59-Across : "IT TAKES A VILLAGE"

17A. "American Idiot" punk band : GREEN DAY. Video(4:48) - (village green, the open square in many NE towns.)

24A. Performer who is heard but not seen : VOICE ACTOR. They give voice to cartoon characters, i.e. - (Village Voice, an alternative weekly paper in NYC)

48A. Table scraps, to the dog : PEOPLE FOOD. (Village People gave us YMCA)

59A. Boob tube : IDIOT BOX. TV - (village idiot, some get elected)

Argyle here. The strong theme must be why IDIOT was allowed in a clue and an answer. Other than that, nothing jumps out at me. A nit nibbles at me on 67-Across.

Across:

1. Terrible grade : EFF

4. Don of radio : IMUS. He has generated many controversies.

8. Got smart with : SASSED

14. Not feel well : AIL

15. "Brave New World" drug : SOMA. Brave New World is a novel written in 1931 by Aldous Huxley and published in 1932. Still relevant?

16. Developed a liking for : TOOK TO

19. James of "Gunsmoke" : ARNESS. There is lots of trivia about him.

20. Most insignificant : LEAST

21. Hopefully helpful track info : HOT TIP

23. Once, formerly : ERST

28. Thames school : ETON

30. QB's successes : TDs

31. "__ were you ..." : IF I

32. Meat-and-potatoes bowlful : BEEF STEW. If it is really good, I would 65A. Patronize, as a restaurant : DINE AT

36. Mil. school : ACAD. (academy)

41. "High Hopes" lyricist Sammy : CAHN

42. One printing defamatory text, in England : LIBELLER. Two "L's"

43. Prefix with gram : EPI. A smart remark.

44. Bars to scan, briefly : UPC. (Universal Product Code)

47. Boy of la casa : NINO. 49D. Father of la casa : PADRE Spanish

51. Zero-calorie protest : FAST

55. War hero played by George C. Scott : PATTON


56. Sitcom sergeant : BILKO


57. Like citrus juices : ACIDIC

62. TV's "__ & Greg" : DHARMA

63. Remove from power : OUST

64. Sch. in the smallest state : URI. (University of Rhode Island)

66. Source of some psychiatry grants: Abbr. : NIMH. (National Institute of Mental Health)

67. Whitney or Washington: Abbr. : MTN. My nit is these are both called Mount and that is abbreviated MT. Geographically they are mountains, I suppose.

Down:

1. Apollo 11 moon lander : EAGLE

2. Pink-slip issuer : FIRER

3. Bugs with bounce : FLEAS

4. Fails to be : ISN'T. Devilishly simple.

5. Stylish, '60s-style : MOD

6. Hollywood's Thurman : UMA

7. Greet someone casually : SAY HI

8. Uttered : STATED

9. Major heart vessels : AORTAs

10. Former Seattle NBAer : SONIC

11. Doubtful : SKEPTICAL

12. UFO pilots, in theory : ETs

13. Hair styles : DOs

18. Grammy winner Gloria : ESTEFAN


22. Halloween mo. : OCT.

24. Cast a ballot : VOTE

25. Dollar bills : ONES

26. Old enough : OF AGE

27. Bill attachment : RIDER

29. Sound of disdain : [TSK!]

32. __ tendonitis: arm muscle ailment : BICEP

33. Daylong military march : ÉTAPE. from French.

34. Addis Ababa native : ETHIOPIAN

35. Mart opening : WAL

36. The whole thing : ALL OF IT

38. Ristorante carafe contents : VINO. "A bottle of white, a bottle of red / Perhaps a bottle of rose instead" - Billy Joel

39. Footnoter's "ditto," briefly : IBID. (Latin, short for ibidem, meaning "the same place")

40. Deighton of spy-fi : LEN

44. Final syllable : ULTIMA

45. Scratcher on a post : PET CAT. If only it was just the post!

46. Corp. money manager : CFO. (Chief Financial Officer)

50. Hamburger topper : ONION

52. Wedding memento : ALBUM

53. Hybrid tennis garment : SKORT

54. Wasp venom, for one : TOXIN

56. "The other one, too" : "BOTH"

57. Throw in : ADD

58. Cubs' home: Abbr. : CHI. (Chicago)

60. MADD concern : DUI. (driving under the influence)

61. Doctrinal word ending : ISM


Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Below are two beautiful photos from our Corner Northeast Contingent & Montana (Darlene) gathering yesterday. Please click here for more. So nice to finally "see" Hondo, who met with Irish Miss at a card show before. Irish Miss met with Santa Argyle a couple times.

This one has the clearest image when enlarged.

Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana


 Everyone smiles in this one, lovely!

Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana


2) For those who had trouble getting D-Otto's birthday puzzle yesterday, please click here for direct download of the PDF file; (Thanks, Erik Agard, for teaching me how).

Sep 16, 2013

D-Otto Birthday Puzzle

Happy Birthday to dear D-Otto!

He is one of the very few who read every word my blogging team write. He's also been unfailingly kind and caring to our blog posters, always responsive to those who need help or post a great link/comment.

I made this crossword to celebrate his birthday. The clues are about mid-week difficulty. You don't need to know him to solve this grid.

This puzzle comes in two versions (same Answer Grid, but a handful clues differ):

1) If you are a blog regular, please click here  for PDF file (click on Download at the top right), here for puz file; (Thanks, Erik Agard for teaching me how!)

2) If you are just a blog reader & not familiar with some blog insider talk, please click here  for PDF, and here for puz file.

Spoiler alert: Here is the Answer Grid.
 
Thanks to Marti & Argyle for editing my clues & catching my various goofs. Thanks also to Splynter for test-solving Version 2 and giving me great feedback.

I hope you enjoy the puzzle and I look forward to your comments.

Now, Dave,  please find the perfect cake!


Sheng Ri Kuai Le, D-Otto!

C.C.


Monday, September 16, 2013 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: You may not like "dis" - Words that start with DIS are clued as if they were two words, starting with the slang for criticizing something.

17A. Criticize gas and electric companies? : DIS SERVICES. (disservices)

27A. Criticize a modeling shoot array? : DIS POSES. (disposes)

46A. Criticize stage shows? : DIS PLAYS. (displays)

60A. Criticize awards? : DIS TRIBUTES. (distributes)

11D. Criticize college subjects? : DIS COURSES. (discourses)

27D. Criticize farmers? : DIS TILLERS. (distillers)

Argyle here. No disrespect intended. This appears to be an ambitious debut by our constructor so a few hard nuggets can be accepted and the high number of "esses".

Across:

1. Manages (for oneself) : FENDS

6. Snuck : CREPT. Sneaked or snuck, ok? See the usage note here.

11. __ Moines, Iowa : DES

14. Native Alaskan : ALEUT

15. Cowboy singer Gene : AUTRY. No discouraging word here(2:43).

16. "That's nasty!" : "ICK!"

19. The Beatles' "__ Loves You" : SHE. Yeah, Yeah.

20. Sunrise direction : EAST

21. One of a D.C. 100 : SEN. (senators)

22. Russian capital : MOSCOW

24. Roy G __: rainbow mnemonic : BIV

26. Piebald horse : PINTO. Like what Little Joe rode on the Ponderosa.

30. It replaced the French franc : EURO

33. Pass out : FAINT

35. Mudville number : NINE. The poem on YouTube LINK

36. Complete, as a scene : WRAP

37. Tropicana and Minute Maid, briefly : OJs

38. Cheesy sandwiches : MELTS

39. Grounded jet : SST

40. Sworn statement : OATH

42. Isaac's eldest : ESAU

43. Wranglers with wheels : JEEPS

45. Folk music's Kingston __ : TRIO

48. Former Bears head coach Smith : LOVIE. Chicago Bears Head coach, 2004–2012

50. Be in debt : OWE

51. Sea near Stockholm : BALTIC


53. Prefix with pass : SUR. (surpass)

55. Become enraged : FUME

59. World Cup cheer : "¡OLÉ!"

63. Gen-__: boomer's kid, probably : Xer

64. Invalidate : ANNUL

65. On one's toes : ALERT

66. Fist pumper's word : "YES!"

67. Trotsky and Uris : LEONs

68. Pack animals : ASSes

Down:

1. Lose color in the wash : FADE

2. "On the Waterfront" director Kazan : ELIA


3. Loch with a monster : NESS

4. Brit's trash can : DUSTBIN

5. Sault __ Marie : STE.

6. Batman's hideout : CAVE. "Quick, to the Batmobile!" 12D. Bounce in a 6-Down : ECHO. "Quick, to the Batmobile!"

7. Wreck completely : RUIN

8. And so on: Abbr. : ETC.

9. Vacate the __: eviction notice phrase : PREMISES

10. Big name in chicken : TYSON. Perdue's competition.

13. Depict unfairly : SKEW

18. Invitation letters : RSVP

23. Bouillabaisse, e.g. : STEW. Traditional fish stew.

25. Practitioner: Suff. : IST

26. Kept in, as hostility : PENT-UP

28. Bodysuit for a tiny tot : ONESIE

29. "__ Marner": Eliot work : SILAS

31. Speak with a grating voice : RASP

32. Chooses : OPTs

33. 12 inches : FOOT

34. Open a bit : AJAR

38. Doctor's profession : MEDICINE

41. Owl's cry : [HOOT!][

43. A boxer may have a glass one : JAW

44. They're attractive to look at : EYEFULs

47. "Footloose" co-star Singer : LORI. Did you catch that Singer was capitalized?


49. "Myra Breckinridge" author Gore : VIDAL

51. Like the Honda Element : BOXY. Probably want to keep it like the following...

52. Away from the wind : ALEE

53. Really surprise : STUN

54. Web addresses, briefly : URLs

56. Beehive State natives : UTEs. Not Utahn today.

57. Little more than : MERE

58. Repair co. proposals : ESTs. (estimates)

61. __-cone : SNO

62. Sheep's call : [BAA]


Argyle