Saturday, Oct 12th, 2013, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70 (missing X)

Blocks: 27

 OH, the deception~!  I had so many good answers that were wrong, and at one point, I thought for sure I was going to have to go Googling, but just a few minor tweaks and I was almost perfect; one bad cell - at two crossing names - a WAG that ZAGged and did not ZIG.  Oh well.  We did not have any spanners or climbers, but a pretty pinwheel gave us two 9's and fourteen 8's:

1D. Monument on the Yamuna River : TAJ MAHAL - beautiful - a visit is on my 'to-do' list

18A. The Joker or The Penguin : EVIL-DOER - I know who they are - BAT FOES? nah. 

35D. Hwange National Park setting : ZIMBABWE - I did have ----BWE, which pretty much narrowed my choices down

54. How World Series winners celebrate : ELATEDLY - don't ALL winners celebrate in such a fashion?  I think Mr. Silk put this one in just for C.C.~!

ACROSS:

1. Home to Iran's Iron Age Museum : TABRIZ - Early on, I tried TEHRAN, TIGRIS, and finally TABRIJ - because JOE sounded like a Muppet - maybe not a ballet Muppet....

7. Like some closet findings? : SKELETAL - nice twist; SKELETON was just not going to work

15. Time's 1986 Woman of the Year : AQUINO - the only news I could recall from 1986 was the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster - now a TV movie; Corazon Aquino was the first woman president of The Philippines

16. Float, in a way : LEVITATE - had to wait on perps

17. Mix up : JUMBLE - jOSTle was not getting me closer to done; does your paper carry the "JUMBLE" puzzle?

19. Steep-angle shot : MASSE - my first fill; a billiards shot struck down on the cue ball

20. Kuala Lumpur native : MALAYSIAN - DAH~!  Not TAIWANESE

21. Sailor's direction : AFT

22. Hero who first appeared in 1912 : TARZAN - oh, right

24. Needle point? : SSE - C.C. got me with this one in her puzzle - the needle of a compass, that is

25. Hustles : HIES

27. Card, e.g. : NLer - Ugh, more deception; a Cardinal, in the N.L. Central division - apparently, they are still playing in October - sorry, C.C., hockey is on....

28. Shorten, maybe : ALTER

30. Jellyfish relatives : ANEMONES

32. Year in Nero's reign : LVI - 56 in Roman times

33. University of Wyoming city : LARAMIE - Argh~! Not Cheyene ( OK, so I was missing an N )

34. Guatemalan currency, or the colorful bird it's named for : QUETZAL

38. Capital of 35-Down : ZEE - D'oh~!  I was so sure that this was money 'capital' that I never looked twice. The Capital letter in  ZIMBABWE. 

39. Ratatouille ingredient : ZUCCHINI - #$%^~!  Not RED BEETS - I don't cook, OK?

40. Quaker in the woods : ASPEN - the tree, because PENN did not fit

43. Next in line : HEIR - I had to send up a V-8 can alert....England now has the top three; Charles, William, and now George - hey, I'm 100% English, so I might be on this list somewhere....

44. Revival figs. : EMTs - oh, for the love of....THAT kind of revival - the ones that don't end up as "skeletons" - Emergency Medical Technicians

45. STARZ competitor : SHO - premium TV channels; Google has just made internet viewing on your HDTV easier

46. Tapped trees : MAPLES - had it, then tossed it for "HONEY" (q.v. 34D.)

48. Risk : BET

49. Waits : SITS TIGHT - I heard this a lot growing up

52. Bit of wisdom : PEARL

55. Jazz pianist Hancock : HERBIE - I first heard him (and the art of record 'scratching') on this tune

56. Not anymore : NO LONGER

57. Like some biblical boarders : IN TWOS - Rrrr - I put in PAIRED

58. Play areas : THEATERS

59. Directs : STEERS - Wow - this and bum STEER in the same grid....

DOWN:

2. Maker of FlavorSplash beverages : AQUAFINA - Pepsi's bottled water

3. Piece of crummy advice : BUM STEER

4. Kids : RIBS - Nope, not TOTS

5. Sound, maybe : INLET - Aw, man, I live on a SOUND, so I don't think of it as an INLET - but it does have a lot if inlets in it

6. Ballet-dancing Muppet : ZOE - JOE, MOE, I took a guess

7. Lowlifes : SLEAZES

8. Defensive fiber : KEVLAR

9. 2-Down alternative : EVIAN

10. Water __ : LILY - Not gonna say a word

11. LAX listings : ETDs - departures, not arrivals this time

12. One seeking the way? : TAOIST

13. Not tense : AT EASE

14. "Camelot" lyricist : LERNER - filled in via perps

20. 1957 R&B chart-topper inspired by a schoolteacher : MR. LEE - The Bobbettes

23. Hall of fame : ANNIE - Annie Hall - movie from the same year as Star Wars; I tried Monty Hall, of Let's Make a Deal

26. Urban air problem : SMAZE - Smoke and Haze

28. Paris preposition : AVEC - "with" in Frawnch

29. Graceful : LITHE

31. It might be a warning : OMEN

32. Money : LUCRE

34. Bee output : QUILT - Geez, a quilting bee

36. Preceding : ANTERIOR - I hear this in a mostly in a medical sense, meaning "in front of"

37. Dragging : LISTLESS

39. Gentle breezes : ZEPHYRS

40. Agreement : ASSENT

41. 1862 battle site : SHILOH

42. Distillery waste : POT ALE - used for animal feed

43. 1980s middleweight champ : HAGLER - "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler - the Wiki

46. One in a humming swarm : MIDGE

47. Beat : SPENT

50. Column-lined walkway : STOA - it's all Greek to me

51. Fair sight : TENT

53. Deco pseudonym : ERTE - I like Art Deco, like the Chrysler Building; some other details of that era

55. Presley's "__ Latest Flame" : HIS - There's one guy who calls me "Elvis" at UPS - and I had to trim my sideburns down a LOT to become a driver.  

 Splynter

Note from C.C.:

For those who missed my write-up last Sunday, please check here to see our Saturday Stud Splynter in action. Can you identify him in the clip? 177.

Friday, October 11, 2013, Marti Duguay-Carpenter and Jerome Gunderson

Theme: KKKKKKKKKK. marti and Jerome strike us out swinging.

Avoiding any politically incorrect references, I had lots of fun with my Friday friend, collaborating with our very own Jerome Gunderson and producing their punishing puzzle; this is clearly their MAJOR METIER. A refreshing and rather less difficult Friday, filled with humor (dark and otherwise) and NOT a definition puzzle. I also have to thank Jerome for all the "J" words, because I am pretty sure they did not come from miss m. While add a letter is not a new theme, the pictures painted from merely adding a "K" to the end of the three letter word ending in "UN", the last word in an in the language phrase is well done. The symmetry of each lastword being _UNK elevates this from a mere add a letter.  It entertains me that unk also means unknown....

20A. Buff ancient ruler? : ATTILA THE HUNK. (13). By far my favorite theme answer, Revealed the theme early on; great visual.

28A. Own a few James Brown albums? : HAVE SOME FUNK. (12). Not my favorite tune from JB, but it FITS. (4:52).

49A. Leaps over an oily mud puddle? : JUMPS THE GUNK. (12). Reminds me of the classic Fonzie jumping the shark, and sharknado. and see 27D.

59A. Beef baloney? : HAMBURGER BUNK. (13). Not a bed made from meat, but a bunch of hooey.

to work....

Across:

1. Auto club offering : TOW. Not being a great typist, I often type TOW when I mean TWO. These days the car insurance policy and the credit card have eliminated my need for AAA.

4. Gregory Peck role : AHAB.  Not my first thought; he starred in the 1956 version, WATCH (3:11). Two interesting things about that version, first Orson Welles as Rev. Mapple and  second, Ray Bradbury wrote the screenplay. After seeing the theme, with Attila, I wanted this to be ATTICUS, but it did not fit. And do not forget to Call me...45D. Crewman for 4-Across : ISHMAEL.

8. Foster on a screen : JODIE.  I remember her from The Courtship of Eddie's Father.

13. Stretches of history : ERAS.

15. He actually played the lyre : NERO. Yes, but it would ruin the "he fiddled while Rome burned" pun. Lyre jokes are saved for lawyers.

16. Amherst sch. : UMASS. An old rival from my UConn days. The institution where Bill Cosby earned his PhD.

17. Two-time NBA MVP Steve : NASH. The Canadian passing wizard now with the Lakers. CLIP. (2:50).

18. Component of ocean H2O : NACL. Aye, the salt please.

19. Lawn game using lobbed missiles : JARTS. They are no longer pointed javelins.

23. Attorney general before Thornburgh : MEESE. Did you all miss Ed?

24. Yank's foe : REB.

25. Dudes : HES.

33. Fez, e.g. : HAT.  I could not fit in WILMER. Do you think Raj is the 21st century version?

36. Bankruptcy factor : DEBT.

37. Polynesian island nation : SAMOA. If you ever visit Fort Lauderdale, whether you look me up or not, go to the MAI KAI restaurant and watch their Polynesian show. People always go back for the show, the drinks and because...they want SAMOA.

38. "Break __!" : A LEG. An old Theater SUPERSTITION of unknown origin, or maybe too many origins.

40. Fare named for its shape : T-BONE. Steak.

43. Fabric quantity : BOLT. My grandfather was a retired tailor, so we grew up with many bolts of cloth around the house.

44. Mother of three French kings : JOAN I. My big UNKNOWN, though perped easily.

46. Shiny fabric : LAMÉ. Not a lame answer,

48. Arctic coast explorer : RAE. We have had this explorer with the nice vowels before. LINK. I think in a Sunday puzzle in March or May of this year. On Mondays and Tuesdays we get Charlotte.

53. DSL user's need : ISP. Internet Service Provider.

54. Mao's successor : HUA.  GUOFENG.  Mao supposedly wrote: "With you in charge, I'm at ease" (Ni ban shi, wo fang xin 你办事我放心).

55. Sticky-footed lizard : GECKO.

64. Botanist's category : FLORA.  This actress was unique, while her little sister was one of a bunch. Who are they?

66. Dweeb : NERD.

67. Size measure : AREA.

68. Competitor's dream : TITLE. To win the title of ....the Open Championship?

69. A bit off the ground, "up" : TEED. Golf, as opposed to ____off.

70. Sound like an ass : BRAY. Oh this is so tempting...

71. Bobbin : SPOOL. Like I said, my grandfather was a tailor.

72. Ketel One competitor : SKYY.  Never tried this brand.

73. NFL stats : YDS. Yards.

Down:

1. Common break hr. : TEN AM.

2. Speak : ORATE. See 70 across.

3. Refuse : WASTE. Tricky, do not refuse to consider refuse.

4. "Pitch Perfect" co-star Kendrick : ANNA.

5. Summer phenomenon : HEAT. in Miami, we consider the HEAT a year round phenomenon; right LeBron?

6. Curved support : ARCH.

7. Short jacket : BOLERO.

8. Concession stand candy : JUJUBES. My nickname as a small child; my mother would give me a handful and I would hold on tight, and fall asleep. I loved how they made the extra effort to make the candy fruit shaped. LINK.

9. Easternmost Arabian Peninsula country : OMAN.

10. "Dr. Strangelove" feature : DARK HUMOR. Really awesome satire for the TIME. And the ironic inclusion of 26D. __ Gay : ENOLA.

11. Adherent's suffix : IST.

12. Start to stop? : ESS. Nice word play. First letter in "stop".

14. With 52-Down, grilled fare : SHISH. 52D. See 14-Down : KEBAB. Some reason reminds me of the boys from New Zealand. Notice the entries are symmetrical.

21. Take control : LEAD.

22. Bottom line? : HEM. Not last week's A LINE.

27. Ray in the ocean : SKATE. Hmm, they are cousins to each other and sharks. Next to....

29. Boxer's attendant : VET. Not Ali, but your woof woof. Another Gareth B. reference.

30. Fall back : EBB.

31. It's a wrap : STOLE. Oh my, the combined wit of these two professionals...I am sure they each contributed half to this puzzle. I guess I can say that this is marti  a 50% wit, then.

32. "Terrif!" : FAB. Back in the 60s.

33. Pilgrim to Mecca : HAJJI.

34. Diamond clan : ALOUS. Felipe, Matty, Jesus and Moises. Baseball.

35. Trophy case memento : TEAM PHOTO.

39. Econ. measure : GNP. Gross National Product.

41. Bug : NAG.

42. Earthbound bird : EMU.

47. Tech sch. grad : ENGR. Engineer.

50. Slow boat : TUB. They are named from the shape, and boat came before the bath.

51. Hangs around the house? : HAUNTS. Loved this clue. And this VERSION. (7:48).

56. Pungent Thai dish : CURRY. Yum.

57. Play with, as clay : KNEAD. Most kids need to knead.

58. Gives the go-ahead : OKAYS.

60. First name in folk : ARLO. You newbies have not heard my Arlo at Woodstock rant, but....

61. Cause wrinkles, in a way : REEK. The clue should have been " Tortured servant in service to House Bolton" 

62. Joel of "Wicked" : GREY. Son of Catskills legend Mickey Katz and father of Jennifer, who is married to Clark Gregg, now in the new Shield TV series.

63. Water whirled : EDDY.

64. Some mil. bases : FTS. Forts.

65. Edge : LIP. A familiar usage for golfers, who are forever leaving putts on the lip.

Well, I am on the edge of getting out of here for the long holiday weekend after a really entertaining joint effort from two of our wittiest, wisest word warriors. Lemonade wishing you all a great Columbus weekend and clear sailing. Thanks Jerome and Marti.

Thursday, October 10, 2013 Jennifer Nutt

Theme: "Green Bay Packers!" Five shades of GREEN are "packed" into this puzzle...all mixed up into a nice salad!

17-Across. *Slow-to-develop sort : LATE BLOOMER. Teal. Here is the green winged teal duck:

23-Across. *Precursor to adoption, often : FOSTER CARE. Forest.  This is what I imagine:

52-Across. *Bargain hunter's destination : FLEA MARKET. Leaf. To me, little difference from "FOREST." But still, a distinct shade of green.

10-Down. *21st birthday, e.g. : MILE STONE. Lime.

31-Down. *Old TV title shown in a heart : I LOVE LUCY. Olive. The one outlier - it uses two words for the anagram.  ...Martinis, anyone?

And the revealer (I sorely needed it to suss the theme!):

62-Across. Salad choice, and a literal description of the starts of the answers to starred

 clues : MIXED GREENS.

Anagrams of various shades of green in a nicely executed theme.  It may be a bit over the top, since all the anagrams were of different words. Usually, anagram puzzles make different words from the same letters.  So that is why this puzzle was relegated to a Thursday level, even though the fill (and my solving time of 8 minutes +/-) dictated a Tuesday-Wednesday level.

Marti here, to show the way through the woods on this Thursday.

Across:

1. Kindle add-ons : APPS.

5. Fight : CLASH.

10. Rainy day consequence : MUD.

13. Wool source : LLAMA. Anyone want "sheep" here? Anyone?

15. Personal strength : FORTE.

16. George's songwriting partner : IRA. Gershwins.

19. Cover : LID.

20. Work in which Iago is a baritone : OTELLO.

21. Spot for a Hindu's tilak : FOREHEAD. No idea what a "tilak" was, but guessed it was one of these marks:

25. Like an unswept fireplace : ASHY. By November, ours becomes quite "ASHY."

26. "Ring Cycle" goddess : ERDA. Goddess of earth, from Wagner's "Ring Cycle" ("Der Ring des Neibelungen")

27. Skip over : OMIT.

29. Hubbub : STIR.

32. Gloss targets : LIPS.

35. Maui howdy : ALOHA. Nice rhyme. I wonder if OwenKL will honor us with a limerick including this one?

38. Amigo : PAL.

39. Pound spenders : SYRIANS. Had to perp and WAG this one (check the crosses and do a "wild a**ed" guess.)

41. Postal motto word : NOR. "Neither snow NOR rain NOR gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." Minor nit: the US Post Office does not have an official motto. It is simply the inscription on the James Farley Post Office in NYC.

42. Coffee shop feature : AROMA.

44. Half a sci-fi sign-off : NANU. From "Mork and Mindy." Soooo late seventies!

45. Yard parts : FEET. Three, exactly...

46. Star in Lyra : VEGA. Another WAG that proved to be right.

48. Sphere opening : ATMO. ATMOsphere. If you have seen "Gravity," what did you think?

50. Gray __ : AREA.

58. All one can stomach : BELLYFUL.

60. Northwest college town where "Animal House" was filmed : EUGENE.

61. Big bird : EMU.

64. Twitch : TIC.

65. Witch : CRONE.

66. Where many tennis winners are hit : AT NET. No idea. All perps. (C.C.:  "Winners here refers to the "winning shots", correct?)


67. Farm structure : STY.

68. Father of Moses : AMRAM. I had to dig deep in the recesses for this one!

69. Word after high or open : SEAS.


Down:

1. "__ the Lights": Kanye West song : ALL OF. Nice intro...

2. First philosopher to mention Atlantis : PLATO.

3. Gourmet spreads : PATES.

4. Ore refinery : SMELTER.

5. Fiscal VIP : CFO. Chief Financial Officer.

6. Bubble bath accessory : LOOFA. I wanted the "loofah" spelling here...

7. Hard wear? : ARMOR. Cute misdirection.

8. Music provider : STEREO.

9. On hand : HERE.

11. Hater of David, in Dickens : URIAH. From "David Copperfield."

12. Pops : DADDY. Wanted "Daddy-o." Wouldn't fit.

14. More qualified : ABLER.

18. Imperious : LORDLY.

22. Flag down : HAIL.

24. __ terrier: Highlands hunter : CAIRN. Shweeet!

28. More, in Madrid : MAS.

29. Relaxing getaway : SPA.

30. La Brea goo : TAR.

33. Newscaster Lindström : PIA. No clue. Three perps nailed it...

34. Capital SSW of Riyadh : SANA'A. This was ingrained from previous x-word puzzles.

36. Weeder's tool : HOE.

37. Busts, perhaps : ART.

39. Lose tensile strength : SAG. Various parts of my body are losing tensile strength...

40. Pumpkin pie spice : NUTMEG. Thanksgiving is coming up.

43. __ ticket : MEAL.

45. Evolves beyond forgiveness : FORGETS. "Forgive, and forget..."

47. Maintain as true : AFFIRM. Avow or Aver were both too short.

49. Tierney of "ER" : MAURA. Four perps and a WAG for the last "A" nailed it.

50. Drives the getaway car for : ABETS.

51. Mail payment : REMIT.

53. Vegas hotel with a Sphinx re-creation : LUXOR.

54. Colleague of Ruth and Sonia : ELENA. Ending in "A" or "E"??? WAG got it.

55. New Hampshire city : KEENE. My "surrogate daughter" (a Katrina evacuee) lives in Keene, and just had a baby. So I nailed this one.

56. Nine: Pref. : ENNEA.

57. Lab work : TESTS.

59. Village People classic : YMCA.

63. Rep.'s rival : DEM.

That's all for this week. See you next time, same day, same blog...
Marti

Note from C.C.:

Please click here to solve a special tribune puzzle George Barany and Friends made to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of a famous opera composer who frequents our crosswords. I hope you bookmark his website as a Favorite. He regularly publishes new puzzles there.

Wednesday, October 9th, 2013 Gerry Wildenberg

Theme: Center Parting - as the hint clue explains the four theme answers reveal a hair-related word at the start and the end of each one.

17A. 1949 Olivia de Havilland film : THE HEIRESS. She won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance.

25A. Home of the Clinton Presidential Library : LITTLE ROCK. It's a pretty spectacular bulding:

36A. Bead in a necklace : CULTURED PEARL. As opposed to ignorant ones?

49A. Sam's Choice, e.g. : STORE BRAND. I rarely shop at Wal-Mart so this didn't jump out at me right away. The theme definitely helped me get this one.

59A. Nitpick, and what this puzzle's circled letters represent : SPLIT HAIRS

Maidin Mhaith to you all; I thought I'd exercise my Irish a little this morning! I know some of you won't have had the circles printed in your particular newspaper but I don't think they were necessary for the theme to become apparent. I thought this was going to be very tricky - on my first pass I was drawing lots of blanks until I got to the SW, and then things started to fall into place.

It didn't help that I always forget whether Reba McEntire or Kelly Ripa was Regis Philbin's co-host, and I also forget that the clue will indicate whether we're looking for the first or the last name, so that left me pondering the last few letters of the fill for a couple of minutes, especially with crosses that were also unknowns.

Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. 10% donation : TITHE

6. "12 Angry Men" actor : COBB. Lee J. was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.

10. Credit card bill nos. : A.P.R.'S. The Annual Percentage Rate. Some credit cards have extraordinarily high ones.

14. Lucy's landlady : ETHEL

15. __ code : AREA. 818 in my case.

16. Sodium hydroxide, on a chem test : NaOH. Sodium's symbol "Na" comes from the Latin Natrium, which begs the question why we didn't name just the element that?

19. Kathryn of HBO's "Oz" : ERBE. No idea. Perps.

20. Dermatologist's concerns : RASHES.

21. Rowboat propeller : OAR

23. "Where __ sign?" : DO I

24. Cold drink brand : ICEE. I only needed four crosses to nail this one.

29. White House tween : SASHA. I usually blank on the Obama's kids. More perps to the rescue.

31. Delightful time : GAS. I had GAY initially until BESOTS came along.

32. Singer Shore : DINAH

33. Pope of 903 : LEO V. Crosses needed to decide between the possible I, V or X choices. I'm assuming there weren't enough Leos to get up into L or C territory.

35. Van Cleef & __: French jeweler/perfumer : ARPELS. Perps. Never head of this partnership. Interesting-looking watches though.

40. Small sword : RAPIER. Small as in slim, not short.

41. Corduroy ridges : RIBS

42. "__ Is Born" : A STAR. Barbra Streisand's Emmy-winning "Evergreen" was the theme.

43. Double-helix molecule : DNA. Deoxyribonucleic acid is a bit of a mouthful, but it does have an elegant structure.

44. Coke and Pepsi : SODAS. Could easily have been COLAS also, so I waited for the crosses. Lots of waiting for crosses for me today.

52. Dramatic opening? : MELO. Was Romeo being melodramatic in 55A?

53. Blackguard : CAD

54. Small pop group : DUO

55. When, in Act III, Romeo cries, "O, I am fortune's fool!" : SCENE I

57. Course for Crusoe?: Abbr. : ANAG. I was wondering which direction Crusoe would have sailed to get from Chile to Más Atierra, and then realized Oh! Course is the anagram of  Crusoe.

62. Actor Jared : LETO

63. What NHL shootouts resolve : TIES

64. Mountain ridge : ARÊTE

65. Galley order : STET. Enjoyed the misdirection here. Galley proofs are edited before going forward to final typesetting and publication.

66. Sound that fits this puzzle's theme : SNIP. "Bonus" tie-in.

67. Outmoded : PASSÉ

Down:

1. Shape-fitting game : TETRIS, This was all the rage at one time. I never played it, but I knew people who spent hours and hours playing it. It is credited with driving sales of the hand-held Nintendo Game Boy.

2. Cayuga Lake city : ITHACA.

3. Ph.D. hurdles : THESES

4. Dastardly chuckle : HEH HEH. Dick Dastardly's dog Muttley has the best chuckle:

5. Gen. Robert __ : E. LEE

6. Train unit : CAR

7. Mineral resource : ORE

8. Stupefies with drink : BESOTS. This was interesting - I'd never thought of it in this context before; I'd always associated BESOT with falling hopelessly in love.

9. __ metabolic rate : BASAL. Used to calculate how many calories your body burns when at rest.

10. "Wheel of Fortune" buy : AN "E"

11. The president, vis-à-vis one Thanksgiving turkey : PARDONER. I always think it's odd that the president "pardons" a turkey - it's not as if the turkey did anything wrong! At school we studied Chaucer's Pardoner's Tale - I can still remember the opening lines:

"In Flanders whilom was a company

Of younge folkes, that haunted folly,

As riot, hazard, stewes, and taverns;"

12. Autodialed electioneering tactic : ROBOCALL. Learning moment for me - I didn't know this word.

13. Arab tribal leaders : SHEIKHS. I stopped short after "SHEIK--" - I couldn't figure out why there were two spaces left and only one S in my hand!

18. Map speck: Abbr. : ISL. You can't get much more of a speck than this - the world's smallest populated isle (in Rhode Island).

22. Right, as a wrong : REDRESS

26. Lab assistant of film : IGOR. This clip from "Young Frankenstein" explains the correct pronunciation:

27. Greek café : TAVERNA

28. Longtime Philbin co-host : RIPA

30. Took in or let out : ALTERED

34. Andorra's cont. : EUR. Andorra's also a bit of a map-speck in Europe.

35. Msg. to the whole squad : A.P.B. The All-Points Bulletin usually contains details of a suspect to be detained if seen.

36. Hand-held clicker : CASTANET. I couldn't get the "people counter" clicker out of my mind for quite some time.

37. Current : UP-TO-DATE

38. Perjurer : LIAR

39. Gorilla observer Fossey : DIAN

40. "Good Lovin'" group, with "the" : RASCALS. I wasn't familiar with this song, nor the group.

43. Stop by unannounced : DROP IN

45. 1998 British Open champ Mark : O'MEARA. He beat Brian Watts by two strokes in a four-hole playoff.

46. Declares untrue : DENIES

47. Warnings : ALERTS

48. "That's quite clear" : SO I SEE

50. Some gallery statuary : BUSTS

51. Summer hrs. : D.S.T. It always makes me smile that there is somehow a way to "save" daylight by shifting the clocks around by an hour.

56. English guy : CHAP

58. Caught on to : GOT

60. Floral chain : LEI

61. AOL, e.g. : I.S.P. Internet Service Provider. We seem to have seen this a lot recently.

That's about it from me. As the sari saleslady said to her customer - "It's a wrap!"

Steve 

Tuesday, October 8, 2013 Clive Probert

Theme: First, a bit of information - and I'm not trying to steal your identity.

17A. Shows off one's connections : NAME DROPS

21A. Top of the charts : NUMBER ONE

32A. Modernized pre-1949 auto : STREET ROD

45A. Metropolitan distance unit : CITY BLOCK

58A. Aptly named Nevada border community known for its casinos : STATELINE

64A. Lunchbox sandwich protector : ZIPLOC BAG

Argyle here. Clive is working up to do a Monday's; he's done the other weekdays. I'm sure he can do it but may have to cut the number of theme entries.

Across:

1. Big bird of myth : ROC. Big bird of crosswords, too.

4. Spiny desert plants : CACTI

9. Bathysphere's domain : OCEAN. Reminds me of a song by America.

14. Thurman of "Batman & Robin" : UMA

15. Underway : AFOOT

16. Like one in the sulks : POUTY

19. What the truth sometimes does : HURTS

20. When repeated, soothing words : THERE, THERE.

23. Tanning site : SALON

24. Strips off : PEELS

25. "Buzz off!" : "SCAT!"

28. Next-generation relatives : NIECES

37. Hold dear : ADORE

38. Stat for Mariano Rivera : ERA

39. No-no : TABOO

41. Tell a whopper : LIE

42. Mag with relationship quizzes : COSMO

48. Way up or down : STAIRS

50. Do in, as a dragon : SLAY

51. Wild Australian dog : DINGO

54. Pub order : DRAFT

62. Powerful explosive, familiarly : NITRO

63. Three-time Tony winner Uta : HAGEN. WIKI

66. Eyeball-bending pictures : OP ART

67. Somewhat wet : MOIST

68. Physician's org. : AMA

69. Wavy dos : PERMS

70. At exactly the right time : ON CUE

71. Agreeable response : YES

Down:

1. Litters' littlest : RUNTS

2. Nebraska city on the Missouri : OMAHA

3. Caravan beast : CAMEL

4. Rhythmic flow : CADENCE

5. Congo's cont. : AFR. (Africa)

6. Ring-tailed critter, to Crockett : COON. Also, a cap to Dan'l.

7. Refill to the brim : TOP UP

8. "Who's there?" response : "IT'S ME"

9. Hamlet's love : OPHELIA. She died, just like all the rest.

10. Flowed swiftly : COURSED. Death coursed through the last act of "Hamlet".

11. Cyprus currency : EURO

12. "To whom it actually does concern" letters : ATTN. If anyone still writes letters.

13. Wall St. institution : NYSE. New York Stock Exchange

18. Uneven, as a leaf's edge : EROSE

22. "Big" London attraction : BEN. The bell.

26. ABA dues payer : ATT. (attorney)

27. Gillette's __ II razor : TRAC

29. Wyo. neighbor : COLO.

30. Idle of Monty Python : ERIC

31. Hide's partner : SEEK

32. "In a few __" : SECS

33. Equine gait : TROT

34. Tabula __: blank slate : RASA

35. Japanese sash : OBI

36. Two lowercase letters have them : DOTS. (i, j)

40. Olive __ : OYL. Popeye's 'goyl'.

43. Heavily weighted exam : MIDTERM

44. Points in the right direction : ORIENTS

46. It's unpleasant when things end on one : BAD NOTE

47. Like some poetry : LYRIC

49. NBC show that launched many comics' careers : SNL

52. Doodad : GIZMO

53. French __ soup : ONION. Maybe for lunch today.

55. Held in check : AT BAY

56. Picture holder : FRAME

57. Frat party wear : TOGAs

58. Look for bargains : SHOP

59. Weak-ankle support : TAPE

60. Ice cream thickener : AGAR

61. Spectacular : EPIC

65. Baton Rouge sch. : LSU. (Louisiana State University)

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Man oh man! Today is the birthday of the nice guy who always says "Best wishes to you all" every time he posts. Happy Birthday, dear Jayce! I've met quite a few Americans who speak fluent Chinese, but not many read and understand written Chinese. Jayce does, and he understands my every whimsy thought.

Jayce and his lovely wife on their wedding day

Click here to see two more pictures of Jayce.

Monday, October 7, 2013 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Make Your Bed - You may not want to sleep in these beds, formed by putting the first word of the theme entries at the HEAD of BED.

20A. *Space-saving computer monitor : FLAT SCREEN. Flat bed, I think of trucks.

59A. *Title racehorse in a 2003 film : SEABISCUIT. Sea bed. Seabiscuit is named for his father, Hard Tack, as hardtack or "sea biscuit" is the name for a type of cracker eaten by sailors.

11D. *Start-up capital : SEED MONEY. Seed bed, time to get them ready for winter.

35D. *Jalapeño, for one : HOT PEPPER. Hot bed, a central point of activity but originally a rack where hot metal was placed to cool.
 
Reveal entry:

40A. Untidy waking-up hair condition, and what the first word of the answers to starred clues can be : BED HEAD. Not a problem for the follically challenged.

Sleepyhead Argyle here. [yawn] A nice start to the week today. Notice the scarcity of abbreviations.

Across:

1. A dromedary has one : HUMP. (Camel)

5. Smart guy? : ALECK. Complete with the K at the end.

10. Exec's "I need it now!" : ASAP. (As Soon As Possible)

14. Black-and-white snack : OREO. Food!

15. Military training group : CADRE. Déjà vu.

16. Actress Hatcher : TERI

17. Like a clock reading 5:05 at 5:00 : FAST. Unless it still reads 5:05 at 6:00.

18. "Eat!" : "DIG IN!". Food!

19. Tenant's expense : RENT

22. Fateful March day : IDES

23. Equipment on a balance sheet, e.g. : ASSET

24. Immunity builder : SERUM

26. Cuban dance : RUMBA. I might dance, if I had enough Cuba Libre.

30. Defective cars : LEMONS

33. Devious laughs : HEHs

36. "That stings!" : "OUCH!"

38. Often __: about half the time : AS NOT. Whole different meaning with a different parsing.

39. Foofaraw : ADO. The origin(1930–35) of foofaraw is uncertain but it may be related to visual mish-mash.

42. Historical span : ERA

43. Posh : RITZY

45. Freezer bag feature : SEAL

46. Bluish hue : CYAN. I'd say a bit more than -ish.

47. Go away : DEPART

49. Southern speech feature : DRAWL

51. Turn out to be : END UP

53. Zodiac transition points : CUSPS

57. Arizona Indian : HOPI

63. Mont Blanc, par exemple : ALPE. French

64. Rabbit relatives : HARES

65. Foreign Legion cap : KEPI. Also French.

66. Falsehoods : LIES

67. "Fame" singer Cara : IRENE. Clip(3:55)

68. First family's garden site? : EDEN

69. Oater stronghold : FORT. In the old Westerns.

70. Tickle pink : ELATE

71. Cubicle furnishing : DESK

Down:

1. Labor leader who vanished in 1975 : HOFFA. Jimmy.

2. Range dividing Europe and Asia : URALS

3. Southwestern tablelands : MESAs

4. Kiln users : POTTERS

5. Adaptable, electrically : AC/DC

6. Wilderness home : LAIR

7. Rim : EDGE

8. Reacts to a tearjerker : CRIES

9. Pet's home away from home : KENNEL

10. Some hotel lobbies : ATRIUMS. Or atria.

12. "Rule, Britannia" composer : ARNE. Thomas, Wiki link.

13. Depressing situation, with "the" : PITS. Déjà vu.

21. Early Beatle Sutcliffe : STU

25. Enjoy King and Koontz : READ. (Authors)

27. Cohort of Curly : MOE. (Stooges)

28. Future blossoms : BUDS

29. Felt pain : ACHED

31. Director Ephron : NORA

32. Kenton of jazz : STAN

33. Difficult : HARD

34. Falco of "The Sopranos" : EDIE

37. Listen to : HEAR

40. Polar explorer Richard : BYRD

41. Menu words : À LA

44. Most off-the-wall : ZANIEST

46. Sounded like a chicken : CLUCKED

48. Buttocks, informally : TUSHIE

A bit different from Stan Kenton, eh?

50. Loos, for short : WCs. (water closet)

52. Necklace gem : PEARL

54. Soft leather : SUEDE

55. Plumber's concerns : PIPES

56. Reek : STINK

57. Football game division : HALF

58. Hodgepodge : OLIO

60. Real estate measurement : AREA

61. Curved : BENT

62. "That makes sense" : "I SEE"

Argyle

Sunday October 6, 2013 Paul Hunsberger

Theme:  "Epicenters" - All 10 theme entries have odd-numbered letters so EPI falls exactly in the very center of each theme answer, hence perfect symmetry for the 10 EPI's.

34A. Bearded impressionist : CAMILLE PISSARRO

49A. Near East product : RICE PILAF. This looks like fried rice. What do you call that spoon?

65A. It may be a sign of chilling : GOOSE PIMPLE. I call them "Goose bumps".

82A. Swatch, e.g. : TIMEPIECE

98A. "Call me" : LET'S KEEP IN TOUCH

9D. Peter Sellers film that began production after his death : TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER

11D. Figure skate feature : TOE PICK. New term to me.

24D. "Capisce?" : GET THE PICTURE?

48D. TV prototypes : PILOT EPISODES
 

86D. Rock bottom : THE PITS

This  puzzle  reminded me of the "Middle Child" puzzle I did a while ago, where TOT falls exactly in the middle. It made me appreciate Paul's puzzle that much more.

Plus, his 10-themer grid design is beyond brilliant. Every theme answer intersects at least one more theme answer. And the middle Down intersects 3 Across theme entries. Notice how two EPI are located in the exact middle of the grid? And all the 10 EPI's are in perfect symmetry.

Across:

1. Band booster : AMP

4. Fig. that rarely exceeds 4 : GPA

7. "Drive for show, __ for dough": golf adage : PUTT. So true. A long drive is good for men's ego.

11. Steam whistle sound : TOOT

15. Fútbol cheer : OLE

18. Rapper Big __ : BOI. Of OutKast.

19. Sinuous swimmer : EEL

20. Cross letters : INRI

21. They may be even or long : ODDS

22. 106-Across rival, for short : UAL. 106. Atlanta-based airline : DELTA

23. Italian dressing herb : OREGANO

25. ESPN datum : STAT

26. James Joyce accessory : EYE PATCH.  Our Misty wrote a couple books about James Joyce.

28. Nearly 40 inches : METER. I'm 5'4'' or 1.63 meters.

29. Masseur's bottleful : HOT OIL. Has anyone had hot oil massage?

31. End-of-missive extras, for short : PSS

32. Scope opening? : PERI. Periscope.

33. Fly, in fly-fishing : BAIT

37. "The Art of War" author : SUN TZU. Just spelled Sun Zi in Mandarin.

39. Montreal-based shoe retailer : ALDO

40. Mountaineer's tool : ICE AX

41. Mogul-dodging path : ESS. Everyone who reads this blog on Thursdays should nail it.

43. Brutal : HARSH

45. Evil-smelling : FUNKY

47. "Not interested" : I PASS

53. Poetic monogram : TSE. T. S. Eliot.

54. Evening affair : SOIREE

55. Sound-activated infomercial gadget : CLAPPER

56. It's a real knockout : ETHER. We've seen similar clues before.

58. Webmaster's code : HTML

59. __ circus : MEDIA

60. "__ Shoes": 2005 Cameron Diaz film : IN HER. Liked the movie.

61. Abstains from : LAYS OFF

64. Monet subject : PARC. Tricky crossing with RCMP (49D. Law gp. in red serge tunics). 

68. O'Hara home : TARA

70. Construction site sights : DETOURS

72. Moon-related phenomena : TIDES

73. Postgame postmortem : RECAP. Tiny dupe with the clue in SUM (83D. "To recap ..." )

74. Gorbachev's land: Abbr. : USSR

75. Perfume, as at High Mass : CENSE

76. Parts of some baby splits : TWO PINS.  3-10 (or 2- 7 for lefties).

78. Laundry supply : STARCH

81. 2012 Stanley Cup champs, initially : LA K. LA Kings. Do they use LAK in scoreboards, Splyner?

84. Port of Crete : CANEA. Total stranger to me.

85. It can be used in dating : STAMP. Great clue.

87. Baseball teams : NINES. Boomer at our backyard yesterday. The Morneau shirt is sold by his fan club. I'm not sure it's legit for them to produce these shirts, TTP.

88. Ducked down, say : HID

89. Some IRAs : ROTHs

91. Some hieroglyphic squiggles : ASPS

94. Top parts : CROWNS

102. "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" singer : DION (Céline)

103. Grimm menace : OGRE

104. Maple yield : SAP

105. Plays guitar chords, in a way : STRUMS. For Bill G. Don't miss this cute clip he linked a few days ago.

107. Sandwich order : PASTRAMI

109. Flimsy : THIN

110. Biweekly stub, perhaps : PAYSLIP

112. Somme summer : ETE

113. "Sometimes you feel like __ …" : A NUT

114. Let use for now : LEND

115. Fruity quencher : ADE. Hello Charlotte!

116. Post-op stop : ICU

117. Retreat : DEN

118. Welcome center offerings : MAPS

119. Work measures : ERGs

120. Go-ahead : NOD

121. Talk Like a Pirate Day mo. : SEP

Down:

1. Los Alamos test subjects, informally : A-BOMBS

2. Wells' island doctor : MOREAU. Dr. Moreau.

3. Baker's container : PIE TIN

4. Transmission selection : GEAR

5. Pocket protector insert : PEN

6. Tropical hi : ALOHA

7. Flower part : PISTIL

8. Not yet shared : UNTOLD

10. Spine line : TITLE

12. Epic with a trip home to Ithaca : ODYSSEY

13. Texas oil city : ODESSA

14. Kitchen meas. : TSP

15. Where to catch the sound of music? : OUTER EAR. Got me.

16. Game with meshed sticks : LACROSSE

17. Pre-coll. : EL-HI. Yeah, yeah, I know it's not a good fill. Compromises are made in every  puzzle.

27. Busy time for a CPA : APR

30. __ Steaks : OMAHA

34. Nobelist of 1903 and 1911 : CURIE

35. Missing person? : PINER. I like this clue also.

36. Universally accepted principles : AXIOMS

38. "Valley Girl" co-songwriter Frank or Moon : ZAPPA

42. Toronto-to-D.C. dir. : SSE

44. 35mm shooter : SLR

46. They're often email addresses : USER IDS

50. "The Life __": "Mary Poppins" tune : I LEAD

51. Leadership nucleus : CADRE

52. Swamps : FENS

54. Cause of eyelid redness : STYE

57. What one may be taken for? : THE TEAM. Take one for the team.

58. "I'm sorry, Dave" speaker of sci-fi : HAL

60. Moths with colorful eyespots on their hind wings : IOS. I wonder if those Apple guys are aware of these moths.

61. CD precursors : LPs

62. Prima __ case : FACIE. I got it. But I don't know what it means, Hahtoola/Lemonade.

63. Euro forerunner : FRANC

65. Spout : GUSH

66. Boston Garden legend : ORR (Bobby)

67. Convene : MEET

69. Cathedral part : APSE

71. Nominees for them are announced in January : OSCARs

73. Rodeo performer : ROPER. I wanted RIDER.

75. Brooch fastener : CLASP

76. Texter's "Don't go there!" : TMI (Too Much Information)

77. Barmaid, to the Bard : WENCH

78. Learning ctr. : SCH

79. Pickup feature : TAILGATE

80. Guam Air Force base : ANDERSEN. Named after General Andersen who died in a aircraft accident in 1945, says Wiki.

85. Anger : STEAM UP

90. 1994 Olympic gold medalist skater Baiul : OKSANA. Got via crossings. Sounds Japanese.

92. Piano part : STRING

93. Hits with force : POUNDS

95. Award-winning sci-fi writer Connie : WILLIS. Wiki said "She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards for particular works —more "major awards" than any other writer". I feel bad not knowing her.

96. Perceive : NOTICE

97. Buy quickly : SNAP UP

99. Vietnamese holiday : TET

100. Basketry fiber : ISTLE. Classic crosswordese.

101. Place to follow politics : C-SPAN

103. Page with sentiments : OP-ED

106. Applied henna, e.g. : DYED

108. Colorado State athlete : RAM

111. Bustle : ADO

C.C.

PS: Check out Splynter (Left) in this YouTube clip.