Friday, October 18, 2013, Jack McInturff

Theme: BEE-eautiful puns.

Ah, the air is crisp, the sun warm and the joy of a Friday from one of the masters Jack Mac. We have a straightforward add a letter ("B") to a known word or phrase and get a new and amusing two word phrase; really a textbook example of how to create a witty presentation. I think Rich has decided to give us our holiday presents early, as this along with yesterday's is not too easy but very doable, especially with a reveal which is uncommon on Friday. You see the broad spectrum cluing from the 50's to to Clayton Kershaw. Not much in the way of long fill, but what is there is very good. INTEGER, ISOTOPE, LADYBUG, LATERAL, ROSTERS, TRICKLE, LOST A BET and TRAP DOOR. Let's see where Jack's mind wandered this time.

18A. Hipsters who prefer old-school programming languages? : COBOL CATS (9). Hipster = CAT. I learned computer programming with FORTRAN not COBOL.

23A. Tiny Timex? : BABY WATCH (9). Ah Baywatch, the use of slow motion for women running in a bathing suit was groundbreaking. Something for everyone. WATCH. (2:02)

35A. Golf club used as a dance pole? : LIMBO DRIVER (11). I LOVE this clue, though my first dance pole thought was not the Limbo stick we used to slide under.

50A. Furrier's assessment? : SABLES TAX (9). Like this one as well, as sales tax on Sable is usually significant.

57A. R2D2's bar order? : ROBOT BEER (9). Another very clever visual, though I see C3PO order a nice ale and R2 more of a mojito bot.

and the unifier:

59D. Busy one that has made its mark in this puzzle's five longest answers : BEE.

Across:

1. Hardly hardy : FRAIL.

6. Wind instrument : VANE.

10. Minute Rice instruction : STIR. We also have a quick clecho (hey Dennis, enjoying the lower humidity?) 20A. Minute Rice instruction : BOIL.

14. Caused : LED TO.

15. Title lover in a 1920s Broadway hit : ABIE. The Irish Rose returns; this clue/fill has been in puzzles since I saw my first Sunday NY Times in the 50's.

16. Cartoonist Peter : ARNO. He was very much part of the charm of the New Yorker magazine. LINK.

17. Camp Granada chronicler Sherman : ALLAN. Hello Muddah. Last week Mickey Katz, this week another blast from my past.

21. "Knots Landing" actress __ Park Lincoln : LAR. Not familiar with this actress, all perps. LINK.

22. Mythical transport : CARPET. The old flying carpet.

26. Challenger, for one : DODGE. Not the Space Shuttle, the car.

27. NFL gains : YDS.

28. One was written to Billie Joe : ODE. McAllister.

29. Bolted, say : ATE.

31. Not 'neath : O'ER.

32. Shot : TRY. You can finish a Friday unaided, give it a shot.

33. It's inspired : AIR.

34. British bombshell Diana : DORS. Pretty girl in the Marilyn era, once married to Richard Dawson. Be careful with her real last name. Diana Dors was an English actress, born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, Wiltshire. Considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood, Dors described herself as "the only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva." Wikipedia

38. Literary __ : LION. Not my first choice here, but an accepted term by Webster.  "a celebrity or idol who attracts much publicity and a large following." See also, beard the lion in his den to approach a feared or influential person, esp in order to ask a favor; the lion's share the largest portion.

40. Hikes : UPS. Like prices or skirts.

41. Scam : CON.

42. Pack animal : ASS.

43. Friday is one: Abbr. : SGT. Jack Webb, not Dan Aykroyd.

44. Boxers' org.? : AKC. Everyone loves mixing the dog with the fighters.

45. Memphis-to-Mobile dir. : SSE. Heading home. What musician, writer and entrepreneur spent his grade school years there?  JB?

48. Register button : TOTAL.

53. Latin catchall : ET ALIA. We do not see this spelled out often.

55. Garden tool : HOE.

56. __ bene : NOTA. More Latin. Note well, an old common notation (NB).

59. Kind of acid : BORIC.

60. Mime : APER.

61. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT. And yet again, Latin.

62. "A Horrible Experience of Unbearable Length" author : EBERT. Has anyone read this book?

63. "We should!" : LET'S.

64. Mates : LADS.

65. Two-part curves : ESSES. This way and then that way.

Down:

1. Carrying extra weight : FLABBY.  More Bs.

2. Another round, perhaps : RELOAD. Sorry Tinman, not a drink, a gun.

3. Goes off script : AD LIBS.

4. 2006 World Cup champion : ITALY. I will never forget watching the final and THIS. (0:54).

5. Colleague of Boris : LON. Not Badenov, Karloff and Chaney.

6. Get out : VACATE. Same word as vacation but such different implications.

7. Options above "none of the above" : A, B OR C. I put in ABCDE first.

8. Pointed end : NIB. Anyone into calligraphy?

9. Org. created by the 1964 Civil Rights Act : EEOC. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

10. Iliac lead-in : SACRO. We are back to this old clue.

11. Magician's way out, maybe : TRAP DOOR. Not wanting to spoil magic tricks but they really do not disappear.

12. Whole number : INTEGER. A shout to all our math whizzes, Fermat, Bill G. etc.

13. Team lists : ROSTERS.

19. Fill the hold : LADE. Right next to the sound alike...

21. Aphid predator : LADYBUG. I loved the kitten with the ladybug on her nose. This is next to another bug...

24. Type of malware : WORM. They do not usually have...

25. Bristle : HAIR.

30. Slow flow : TRICKLE. Did you KNOW (3:47)?

32. Western star makeup : TIN. This was filled in before I saw the clue, is this for the badge or was Tinbeni a double for Hopalong Cassidy?

33. Pop-ups, e.g. : ADS.

34. Cozy retreat : DEN, Unless they are of iniquity.

35. Had to wear the winning team's jersey, say : LOST A BET.

36. Decides : OPTS.

37. Viva __ : VOCE. Really Latin intensive,  maybe all the years I studied Latin made this puzzle seem easier than it is. Anyway, literally alive voice, we use it to mean by word of mouth.

38. Like some files : LATERAL. Very popular in some law offices as they make accessing files much easier.

39. Carbon-14, e.g. : ISOTOPE. Since Carbon is normally 12, this is a elemental variant. I will ask the chemists and physicists to go further.

43. Narrow cut : SLIT.

44. Scrubs : ABORTS. Think of a space mission, right HG?

45. Puts away : STORES.

46. Ricky Gervais' forte : SATIRE. Humor in general I would say.

47. Demands, as payment : EXACTS. He exacted a steep toll from his students.

49. "Zut __!": French exclamation : ALORS. Ah, mais Oui! LINK. (0:13)

51. In front : AHEAD.

52. Hoity-toity types : SNOBS. Interesting HISTORY.

54. "Great Expectations" convict Magwitch : ABEL. Such depth to this character, and his relationship with Pip. I reread the book a few years ago with my youngest. Great SATIRE by Dickens.

58. Stat for Clayton Kershaw : ERA. Earned Run Average.  He led the league this year and his average is currently 0.00, though he lost a game 1 to 0. He is Dodgers' hope tonight.

Speaking of hope, I hope you enjoyed our time together. I am going to see Chicago at the Broward Center tonight with Mr. Peterman as Billy Flynn, so I am out of here. Thanks Jack and all of youse guys, Lemonade out.

Thursday, October 17, 2013 Julian Lim

Theme: "Master of None"

17A. *Victor at Little Bighorn : CHIEF CRAZY HORSE.

24A. *2006 "Survivor" setting : COOK ISLANDS.

"&"

36A. *Nursed, in a way : BOTTLE FED.

50A. *All-in-one appliance : WASHER DRYER.

And the unifier:

58. Handy person suggested by the starts of the answers to starred clues : JACK OF ALL TRADES.

Nice wide open grid, and a fun theme. In spite of my inauspicious start, I flew through in just over my typical Monday speed. Did you all find it easier than most Thursdays?  With 61 theme squares, you might expect to find some iffy fill. But Julian manages to more or less avoid that minefield.

Marti reporting in, to offer my experiences with the solve.

Across:

1. Fur tycoon : ASTOR. Uh-oh.  When 1-A doesn't fill automatically for me, I get a bad feeling.

6. "Due Date" co-star Galifianakis : ZACH. Uh-oh, when the second across clue doesn't fill automatically for me, I get a bad feeling.

10. Rock blasters : AMPS. Uh-oh, when the third across answer doesn't fill, I punt and go directly to the downs. Ahhh...10-D "Cookie shop enticement" - AROMA  (whew!) ...and, it's off to the races!

14. Conveyed : BORNE. As in "air-borne virus."

15. Bassoon cousin : OBOE.

16. Wreak havoc in the streets : RIOT.

20. Zilch : NADA.

21. Fantasy game brute : ORC. From "Lord of the Rings" video games.

22. Latin lesson word : AMAT. Amo, amas, amat.

"Latin is a language,

Dead as dead can be.

It killed off all the Romans,

And now it's killing me!"

23. New Year's ___: EVE. This is a Thursday clue? I would have gone with "Plumb in a famous bunch." (Eve Plumb, who played Jan in "The Brady Bunch.") (But then, I am devious that way!!)

28. Attacked : WENT AT.

30. November honoree : VET.eran. (Not the one in the gp. that houses strays.)

31. "I'm an idiot!" : D'OH.

32. Abs strengthener : SIT UP.

33. Leave port : SAIL.

35. Apportioning word : EACH.

39. Gp. that houses strays : SPCA. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

42. Bowlers and trilbies : HATS.

"Man in a Bowler Hat" by Rene Magritte

Olly Murs in a trilby

43. Millionaire's retreat : VILLA.

47. Strudel ___ mode : ALA.

48. Jon Hamm's "Mad Men" role __ Draper : DON.

49. Vocation : METIER. Not your common everyday word, and I love the sound of it. I'm going to make it my WOTD (word of the day.)  "CrossEyedDave, what is your METIER?  You seem to be an entertainer at heart..."

54. Dye holder : VAT. Almost wanted "wig."

55. Classy : CHIC.

56. Fish you can smoke : EEL. Do you ever smoke it, C.C.? (I should think more people would prefer to smoke Marlboros or Winstons, than eel...) (From C.C.: I never smoked eels. I did buy my Dad a carton of Marlboro after I got my first month's salary. He did not really like them better than his cheap Chinese cigarettes.)

57. Ricky portrayer : DESI. Arnez on "I Love Lucy." Has anyone seen the Broadway play?

62. Nebraska native : OTOE.

63. Like Iago, say : EVIL.

64. Rice/Lloyd Webber musical : EVITA.

65. Trees used to make longbows : YEWS.

66. Attends to one's whistle? : WETS. One WETS one's whistle, but whets one's appetite.

67. Unreactive gas : XENON.

Down:

1. Sawyer employer : ABC NEWS. "Huck Finn" wouldn't fit.

2. "Same here!" : SO HAVE I.

3. Poseidon's staff : TRIDENT.

4. __ Day vitamins : ONE A. We more often see this clued in relation to the military draft.  The partial of a vitamin brand seemed awkward.

5. Authority on a field : REF.eree.

6. Masked hero who debuted in the 1919 story "The Curse of Capistrano" : ZORRO.

7. Stunned way to be taken : ABACK.

8. Member of the fam : COZ. Short for "cousin."

9. Casual greeting : HEY. "Hey, coz!"

10. Cookie shop enticement : AROMA.

11. Ferdinand's love in "The Tempest" : MIRANDA.

12. Ph.D.'s further studies : POST DOC. Like Julian Lim.

13. Jeanne d'Arc, for one: Abbr. : STE. French abbr. for female "saint."

18. Old geezer : COOT.

19. "Come no closer!" : HALT.

24. Consiglieri's boss : CAPO. Literally, "head" in Italian.

25. Penn et al. : IVIES. Univ. of Penn. is one of the Ivy league schools.

26. Contained opening? : SELF. Self-contained, as an RV.

27. "Too noisy!" : SHH.

29. Big band instrument : TUBA. I thought of Abejo. Is your true METIER to be a musician? For our newcomers, here is a video of him playing last Christmas. I think he is just below and slightly to the left of the pink tuba. His is not as shiny, and has a front-facing bell (...his tuba, that is!!!)

33. Defensive effort : STAND.

34. Ctrl-__-Delete : ALT. It's a PC thing.

35. Correct : EDIT.

37. Superhero with a hammer : THOR.

38. Even once : EVER.

39. Chain __ : SAW.

40. Give a sop to : PLACATE.

41. Moneymaker : CASH COW.

44. Not vacant : LIVED IN. The house we bought next door has not been LIVED IN for over three years.

45. Charge for using, as an apartment : LEASE TO. We hope to fix it up quickly and LEASE TO a suitable tenant...

46. Potter or jeweler, e.g. : ARTISAN.

48. Style of a historic Miami Beach district : DECO. Art DECO is the signature architectural style of South Beach.

49. Get gooey : MELT.

51. Outdoor outings : HIKES.

52. Bright again : RELIT.

53. Argues ineffectively : YELLS. (LIKE THIS, IN AN EMAIL!!)

57. Comic Chappelle : DAVE. No clue. It was filled by perps.

58. Almond __ : JOY.

59. Select group? : FEW. "Many are called, but FEW are chosen..."

60. Roman salutation : AVE. More Latin.

61. T. __ : REX.  I'll leave you with this, since there weren't very many other musical opportunities...

Til next week, amigos!
Marti

Wednesday, October 16, 2013 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme: Freeze Frame! As the reveal nicely explains:

52A. Where to find the starts of 20-, 25- and 46-Across : ICE-CREAM PARLOR. This is my local one here in Studio City:

20A. Some boxing wins : SPLIT DECISIONS. This happens when the three judges are not unanimous in their choice of the winner, and this usually gives rise to some controversy.

25A. Cause a stir : SHAKE THINGS UP. Like James Bond's martini.

46A. Sitcom security device that often defeated its own purpose : CONE OF SILENCE. From the '60s series "Get Smart". Here's the debut of the device from Episode 1.

Wednesday already? Gosh, tempus fugit. Good Morning everyone! Steve here with what I thought was a tougher-than-usual midweek offering from Pam. The top middle section gave me fits and I thought at one point I'd have to throw in the towel, but I managed to stare down the recalcitrant empty spaces and finally the pennies dropped. The theme was nice. Some crossword-ese in the fill but I think that's not unusual with two 14's and two 13's making up the theme. Let's see what else we've got.

Across:

1. Tower site : BABEL

6. "That last piece of cake is mine!" : DIBS.

10. Hemingway nickname : PAPA

14. Once __ time ... : UPON A

15. Shield border, in heraldry : ORLE.  As I mentioned at the top, this section was tough for me, and this was my last fill. I need to file this away in the memory banks for the future. This is the shield of my old British Army regiment:

16. Skunk's defense : ODOR

17. Roulette choices : NOIRS. I missed the plural and had "NOIRE" first which slowed me down a little.

18. Roulette, for one : NOUN. I could not see this for the longest time and then I had my V8 moment.

19. Baltic native : LETT

23. Not bare : CLAD

24. Large expanse : SEA

31. Bath accessory : MAT

33. TV talk pioneer : PAAR. I always spell his name PARR at first, and then I go back and change it.

34. March composer : SOUSA. The band of the Grenadier Guards performing "Stars and Stripes Forever" at Blenheim Palace. Nice stirring stuff!

35. Destructive Greek god : ARES

37. Like May through August, literally : "R"-LESS. The four months of the year which don't have an "R" in their spelling. In the UK, we were taught not to eat oysters during these months as they were more likely to spoil in the warmer weather.

40. Bar order : BEER. In crossword-land, you order beer in bars and ale in pubs.

41. Use Comet on : SCRUB

43. Rejection from the top : VETO

45. RMN was his vice president : DDE. Ike's veep was Tricky Dicky. Excuse me, President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Vice President was Richard M. Nixon.

50. Bread, at times : SOP

51. Salad cheese : FETA

59. Winter coat : SNOW

60. Michigan city or college : ALMA

61. __ Janeiro : RIO DE. Host of next year's soccer World Cup. I can't wait!

62. Part of a plot : ACRE. I put ACT I first. Not quite sure what I was thinking there.

63. Pleased : GLAD

64. Navel phenomenon : INNIE. I need to wait for crosses to distinguish from an OUTIE. I wanted LINT first.

65. Tools for Wolfgang Puck : PANS. Nice checho with 12D

66. Italian noble family : ESTE. Completely unknown to me, so perps all the way. Here's their coat-of-arms. The orle isn't very impressive!

67. Fancy moldings : OGEES. Another puzzle staple familiar to regular solvers.

Down:

1. Burger King supply : BUNS

2. For each one : A POP

3. Recipe instruction : BOIL

4. Supplement nutritionally : ENRICH

5. Race ender : LAST LAP

6. Outcome of successful negotiations : DONE DEAL

7. Camaro __-Z : IROC. Named for the now-defunct International Race of Champions auto race.

8. A bit down : BLUISH

9. Dojo instructor : SENSEI. This is also the term used for third-generation Japanese Americans. In this context it is the term used for a judo teacher - the dojo is a judo gym. (From C.C.: Steve confused "Sensei" with "Sansei". San ="Three" in both Chinese & Japanese, hence third-generation.)

10. Game divided into chukkers : POLO. The Brooklyn Dodgers used to play at the Polo Grounds - it must have been tricky fielding grounders with hoof marks everywhere!

11. Arabian Peninsula seaport : ADEN

12. Tools for Wolfgang Puck : POTS. As noted previously a nice clecho with 65A

13. Gallery showing : ART

21. Senegal's capital : DAKAR

22. Swimmers Crocker and Thorpe : IANS

25. Rudder's locale : STERN

26. Coin-tossing attraction : TREVI. They say if you throw a coin into the Trevi fountain you will return to Rome - I  didn't and I've never been back. I've been kicking myself ever since. Marti will laugh.

27. Gooey lump : GOB

28. Upholsterer's choice : SUEDE

29. Previously owned : USED

30. Cut the skin from : PARE. Or peel. Waiting for crosses.

31. Like "padre," e.g.: Abbr. : MASC. Wow! Wednesday? This had me at "M"

32. BP subsidiary : ARCO

36. Drag to court : SUE

38. Like some millionaires : SELF-MADE

39. Expensive : STEEP

42. Pear variety : BOSC. Why do I always want to add an "O" at the end when I know it doesn't belong?

44. Lake on the New York border : ONTARIO

47. Silo filler : FORAGE

48. Hogwarts castings : SPELLS

49. Thoughtful : CARING

52. Cuzco native : INCA

53. Muffin grain : CORN

54. Flock females : EWES

55. Latin I verb : AMAT

56. Single : LONE

57. "Garfield" canine : ODIE

58. "Cheers" actor Roger : REES. Cheers? Not my first thought for this Welsh actor

59. Maple yield : SAP

That's it from me. If you're in Santa Monica at the tourney on Saturday come and say hello! I'll be the head-scratcher wondering what the heck just happened! C.C. bullied me into entering :)

Steve

Note from C.C.:

1)  As Steve linked earlier, Crossword LA will be held on Oct 26 Saturday this year. They have an outstanding constructor lineup. Do say hello to Steve, our Wednesday Sherpa. He is not easily bullied. Look at those muscles. I forgot which race he's running in November.
  

2) Happy Birthday to dear CrossEyedDave, whose links and comments brought us so much laughter and joy.

Let's all make funny links for Dave today. Here is mine:

Tuesday, October 15, 2013 Gareth Bain

Theme: "Be Mine" - Words that indicate a relationship begin the theme entries.

20. Put on trial, in the military : COURT MARTIALED

32. Fruity loaf : DATE BREAD

43. Caption under a monkey covering its eyes : SEE NO EVIL

58. End dramatically : GO OUT WITH A BANG

Argyle here. No unifier or reveal today and it wasn't needed. Some learning moments but not likely to become common crosswordese. I did smile a lot while solving; what more could you ask for?

Across:

1. Medicine-testing org. : FDA. (Food and Drug Administration)

4. Brief chat : WORD. But if you're having words, it's not good for today's theme.

8. Destructive insect : MOTH But not 68A. Long-tailed 8-Across : LUNA

12. Tolkien henchmen : ORCs

14. Astrological Ram : ARIES

16. Days of old : YORE

17. Frequent prank caller to Moe's Tavern : BART

18. Snicker : TE-HEE

19. Ostrich cousin : RHEA

23. Forrest Gump's Army friend : BUBBA.  LINK  Lt. Dan fit also.

24. "Nifty!" : "NEAT!"

25. Chowed down : ATE. Shrimp!

26. One of the Gulf States: Abbr. : ALA. Home to Forrest and Bubba, Alabama.

27. Springsteen's "__ to Run" : BORN

30. One who hems but doesn't haw? : TAILOR

35. Séance sounds : RAPS

36. Even-steven : TIED

37. Indian prince : RAJA

40. "Nerts!" : "DRAT!"

48. Casual comment : REMARK

51. __ helmet: safari wear: PITH

52. "__ Yankee Doodle ..." : I'M A

53. Sleeve filler : ARM

54. Broadcasts : AIRS

56. Parachute fabric : NYLON. (ripstop nylon, woven with a double thread approximately every quarter inch to prevent the expansion of small rips.)

62. Catches some rays : SUNS. Hand up for TANS.

63. Freeze over : ICE UP. Never at Villa Incognito.

64. Committed perjury : LIED

66. "Miss __ Regrets": Porter song : OTIS. I love this song. LINK(3:33)

67. Perform brilliantly : SHINE

69. Approach : NEAR

70. Sinusitis docs : ENTs. (ear, nose, and throat)

71. Darn or baste : SEW

Down:

1. Watch chain : FOB

2. Bram Stoker's count : DRACULA

3. Nimble circus performer : ACROBAT

4. Light bulb unit : WATT

5. Utah city : OREM

6. One-named Barbadian singer : RIHANNA. Barbadian may refer to anything of or relating to Barbados. She was born in Saint Michael, Barbados, but her name comes from the Welsh name Rhiannon.

7. Brand that "Nothing runs like" : DEERE

8. British pianist Hess : MYRA. Dame Myra Hess, DBE (1890 – 1965) classical pianist.

9. "C'est magnifique!" : "OOH LA LA!"

10. "Rock-a-bye baby" spot : TREETOP. Rock-a-bye my Saro Jane(2:46)-Flatt & Scruggs.

11. Painful-looking soccer shots : HEADERS. Even a dog can do it. LINK

                                   

13. Puny pencil : STUB

15. Tuned to, as a radio dial : SET AT

21. Synagogue leader : RABBI

22. Call __ day : IT A

23. Defective : BAD

28. Miner's discovery : ORE

29. Wine shop section : REDS

31. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE. (Day of Wrath)

33. Jones of jazz : ETTA

34. Half of sechs : DREI. German 6/3

38. Colony crawler : ANT

39. Sloop in a Beach Boys hit : JOHN B. Hugh write-up in Wikipedia; interesting. LINK

40. Seems to last forever : DRAGS ON

41. Require to detour : REROUTE. No problem with GPS.

42. Strong-smelling cleaner : AMMONIA

44. Oscar-winning "Casablanca" co-screenwriter Julius or Philip : EPSTEIN. Trivia.

45. Lithuania's capital : VILNIUS. A combination of old and new. MAP

46. Comic Coca who worked with Sid Caesar : IMOGENE

47. PC-to-PC system : LAN. (local area network)

49. Wharf rodent : RAT

50. Fuzzy green fruits : KIWIs

55. Wealthy, in France : RICHE

57. Southern pronoun : Y'ALL

59. U.S. ally in WWII : USSR

60. Follow the game? : HUNT. Game = prey.

61. "Planet of the __" : APES

65. Margery of nursery rhymes : DAW. A close shout out for Marge.

See-Saw, Margery Daw,

Jacky shall have a new master;

Jacky shall have but a penny a day,

Because he can't work any faster.

Argyle

Monday, October 14, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Someone's on our Trail - A TRACK has been tacked on the back of our theme entries.

17A. Long-running musical variety TV show : "SOUL TRAIN". Train track.

25A. Pre-playoffs baseball drama : PENNANT RACE. Race track.

38A. Final triumph after apparent failure : LAST LAUGH. Laugh track.

56A. Offensive in the First Gulf War : DESERT STORM. Storm track.

66A. Retrace one's steps, and what ends of 17-, 25-, 38- and 56-Across can literally have : BACKTRACK

Argyle here and sort of somewhere else. C.C. and I have a puzzle in the NYT today. I'd say this is the tougher of the two. Look at those seven packs in the corners.

Across:

1. Actor Damon : MATT. "Good Will Hunting" was his break-out role.

5. Like unfizzy soda : FLAT

9. Relatively cool heavenly body : S STAR

14. Suffix with buck : AROO

15. Grocery section : DELI

16. "All done!" : "THERE!". "Fini!" (Oops, not yet)

19. Hunter's hides : PELTS. More like trapper's pelts.

20. Spiral-shaped __ fries : CURLY. Food.

21. Fair-hiring abbr. : EEO. (Equal Employment Opportunity)

23. Wiesel who said, "Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil" : ELIE. He is currently an advisor at the Gatestone Institute, a think tank based in New York City.

24. "Just __ suspected!" : AS I

29. Work on, as a vintage auto : RESTORE

31. Sudoku grid line : ROW

32. Honorary legal deg. : LL.D. Legum Doctor, a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary doctorate.

33. '30s-'40s film dog : ASTA

34. Logger's tool : AXE

36. Man and Capri : ISLES

42. Fancy mushroom : MOREL

45. Metric distances: Abbr. : KMs. (kilometre)

46. Roadies' loads : AMPS

50. Prefix with sex : UNI

51. Yale student : ELI

54. Kevin Kline's "French Kiss" co-star : MEG RYAN

59. __-Caps: candy : SNO

60. Bug-killing brand : d-CON

61. Deer daughter : DOE

62. How some stock is sold : AT PAR

64. Sent to the unemployment line : LET GO

69. Key in : ENTER

70. Mine, to Mimi : À MOI

71. Java Freeze brand : ICEE

72. Swiped : STOLE

73. Tree anchor : ROOT

74. Breakfast, e.g. : MEAL

Down:

1. Eyelash application : MASCARA

2. Stirs to action : AROUSES

3. One of a vacationing busload : TOURIST

4. Turnpike fee : TOLL (mildly offensive language)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbWg-mozGsU

or this LINK if you have just a big blank above.

 

5. Pres. on a dime : FDR

6. "Glee" actress __ Michele : LEA. (not out in a pasture)

7. Sci-fi invader : ALIEN

8. Karaoke singer's ineptitude, to the chagrin of the audience : TIN EAR

9. Gas additive letters : STP

10. See-through : SHEER

11. Revealing, as a celeb interview : TELL ALL

12. "An" or "the" : ARTICLE

13. Tends to a lawn's bare spot : RESEEDS. one for pk.

18. AutoCorrect target : TYPO

22. John's Yoko : ONO

26. Distinctive periods : ERAs

27. Bagel shop call : "NEXT!"

28. Itty-bitty branch : TWIG

30. Fish story : TALE

35. Moose relative : ELK

37. __-Pei: wrinkly dog : SHAR

39. Angel or Athletic, briefly : ALer. NLer, ALer, these things are here to stay.

40. Rifle range need : AMMO

41. Laptop operator : USER

42. Confuses : MUDDLES

43. Price of bubble gum, once : ONE CENT

44. Trattoria rice dish : RISOTTO. Food.

47. Leader in social networking until 2008 : MY SPACE. Does it still exist?

48. Cure-all : PANACEA

49. Enjoy coral reefs : SNORKEL

52. Inc., in the U.K. : LTD.

53. Meteorologist's pressure line : ISOBAR

55. Future MBA's exam : GMAT. (Trademark. Graduate Management Admissions Test.)

57. Actress Georgia of "Everybody Loves Raymond" : ENGEL. Best known for her role as Georgette on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. On "Everybody Loves Raymond", she is a recurring character: Raymond's brother's wife's mother.

58. Julio's "I love you" : "TE AMO". Spanish

63. Quick haircut : TRIM

65. Profitable rock : ORE

67. Suitor's murmur : COO

68. Model-ship-to-be : KIT

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Major surgery on the lower left corner from Rich. Below is my originally submitted grid. As you can see, Rich improved it considerably (he always does). Delicious RISOTTO. I had ROSE TEA there with the tired ANO, ENERO & EYERS. The ELF in 35D was also changed to ELK. Thanks, Rich!

2) As Argyle mentioned earlier, he and I made today's NY Times crossword. You can also read more here at the Xword Info. Argyle succeeded on his very first try with Mr. Shortz. He was also successful on his first try with Rich. Congratulations, Argyle, you rock!

Sunday October 13, 2013 Peter A. Collins

Theme: "Cross Country" - Two countries which share two letters are merged in each theme answer.

 23A. Border sharers of Europe? : SANMARINORWAY (San Marino & Norway)

 41A. Border sharers of Europe and Asia? : SPAINDONESIA (Spain & Indonesia)

 52A. Border sharers of South America and Asia? : CHILEBANON (Chile & Lebanon)

 

 69A. Border sharers of Europe and Asia? : UNITEDKINGDOMAN (United Kingdom & Oman)

 94A. Border sharers of Asia and Africa? : NEPALGERIA (Nepal & Algeria)

 101A. Border sharers of Asia? : MYANMARMENIA (Myanmar & Armenia)

 124A. Border sharers of North America and Asia? : JAMAICAMBODIA (Jamaica & Cambodia)

How observant of Peter to find this different approach to a country theme. He's one of the most innovative constructors in the country. You never know what to expect in a Peter A. Collins grid.

This is his Xword Info photo. Looks like some kind of music fest to me.

Across:

1. Family nickname : MOMMA

6. Waltz king : STRAUSS

13. Artificial surface football injury : TURF TOE. Commonly associated with players who play on artificial turf. Pain in big toe joint.

20. Places : AREAS

21. Kitchen worker's wear : HAIRNET

22. In the zone : ON A ROLL

25. Slows : RETARDS

26. Ignore : SNUB

27. Dyeing occasion : EASTER

28. Named person : DESIGNEE. You would think it's designatee.

29. Harry Potter's Hedwig, e.g. : OWL. I'm glad the clue is not asking for Harry Potter's owl. 

31. Building near a track, maybe : STABLE

34. End of many addresses : COM

35. Energize, with "up" : AMP

38. Frosty coat : HOAR

46. Ranee's wrap : SAREE

48. Relax, with "out" : VEG

50. Burn covering : SALVE

51. Birth of __ : AN ERA

55. Acronymous WWII gun : STEN

56. Three-star off. : LT GEN. No google. Guess who's the first ever LT GEN in the US?

57. Give a charge to : IONIZE

58. "Go placidly __ the noise ...": Ehrmann : AMID

60. With 17-Down, "Cross Creek" Oscar nominee : RIP. And TORN (17. See 60-Across). It's clued as a name because  TORE (13D. Hurried) is also in the grid. Ideally one of them should have been removed. 

62. Shore thing : SAND. Sure thing.

63. We're-together link : IN THIS. A rare 6-letter partial.

64. Start of something big? : MACRO. Prefix for "big". Microsoft = Microcomputer & Software

66. Dirt road feature : RUT

68. Jeans giant : LEE

74. Poetic body : ORB

77. E. Berlin's Cold War home : GDR (German Democratic Republic)

78. Chapel topper : SPIRE

79. Some Great Lakes natives : MIAMIS. Is this related to Miami?

83. Bit of salon artistry : COIF

85. "Gross!" : EEW. I use EWW.

87. Dirty : SOIL

88. Sun Bowl city : EL PASO

89. It merged with Molson in 2005 : COORS. Now Molson-Coors.

91. With 97-Across, like many catalogues : MAIL. 97. See 91-Across : ORDER. Do you use "catalog" or "catalogue"?

96. Recess retort : AM TOO

99. Sigma preceder : RHO

100. Music rights gp. : ASCAP

104. "__ it get to me" : I LET

106. Surprised cries : OHs

107. Thrice, in Rx's : TER. Learned from doing xwords.

108. Makes impure : TAINTS

110. Madonna, according to the stars : LEO. Not the stars I had in mind.

112. Boorlike : CLODDISH

116. Actress Headly : GLENNE. Unknown to me.

119. Dazzling duo in Dover? : ZEDS. Two Z's in Dazzling.

123. Pub-crawl : CAROUSE

127. Enigma machine user : ENCODER

128. Rapidly : IN A SNAP

129. Heavenly helper : ANGEL. Argyle is my Angel.

130. Most prized : DEAREST. And Dearest.

131. Enjoys a few ribs? : BANTERS. Jazzbumpa would love this clue.

132. Gaggle members : GEESE

Down:

 

1. Serious service : MASS

2. Setting for Camus' "The Plague" : ORAN. Gimme for veteran solvers.

3. It's taken after an order is given : MENU. Big "D'oh"!

4. Fast ballroom dance : MAMBO

5. Simile center : AS A

6. Branch of Islam : SHIA

7. Salon services : TANS

8. Civil disturbances : RIOTS

9. Stops at the Sorbonne? : ARRETS. French for "stops".

10. Opens, in a way : UNWRAPS

11. "__ of Love": 1989 film : SEA

12. Porker's place : STY

14. Paris-based cultural org. : UNESCO

15. Reasoned : RATIONAL

16. Archaeologist's finds : FRAGMENTS

18. Renaissance faire word : OLDE

19. "Anything __?" : ELSE

24. Change places, briefly? : RELO

28. Regis University city : DENVER. What are they famous for?

30. Aftereffect of an overlong run, maybe : WHEEZING

32. Cote sounds : BAAS

33. Light tune : LILT

35. Computer code acronym : ASCII

36. Minorca's capital : MAHON.  Oh, look, it's also called Mao (Below Shangri-La). Never heard of it.

37. Lithograph, e.g. : PRINT

39. Co-star of Richard in "The Night of the Iguana" : AVA (Gardner). Richard Burton.

40. Distinguish from the original, as a corrected file : RE-NAME

42. "Casino" star : DE NIRO

43. "Love Story" author : SEGAL (Erich)

44. 2011 East Coast hurricane : IRENE

45. History Channel owner : A AND E. Tricky to parse.

47. Philanthropist Yale : ELIHU

49. Flip out : GO MAD

53. Other than : BESIDE

54. Minor furniture damage : NICKS

59. Dullards : DRIPS

61. Pound : PUMMEL

65. Often sautéed veggie : ONION. I made Apple & Sage pork the other day, Jayce. Recipe here. I used one Honeycrisp. We have lots of foodies on the blog: Steve, D-Otto, Marti, TTP, Lucina, Anon-T, Pizza Dave, Irish Miss & Dudley. Barry G seems to cook a bit. Never heard of Lemonade talks about cooking. Argyle does not cook at all.

67. Pregame party site : TAILGATE

70. Quake follower : TREMOR

71. Rosey of the Rams' Fearsome Foursome : GRIER. From Wiki: "After Grier's professional sports career he worked as a bodyguard for Robert Kennedy during the 1968 presidential campaign and was guarding the senator's wife, Ethel Kennedy, during the Robert F. Kennedy assassination. Although unable to prevent that killing, Grier took control of the gun and subdued the shooter, Sirhan Sirhan."

72. Oracle site : DELPHI

73. Mullets hide them : NAPES

74. William of __, logician known for his "razor" : OCCAM

75. Not at all tight : ROOMY

76. Organisms of a region : BIOTA

80. First name in medieval traveling : MARCO (Polo)

81. Basketball Hall of Famer Thomas : ISIAH. He always stumps some on our blog.

82. They're sold in bars : SOAPS. What's your favorite soap brand?

84. Knocking spot : FRONT DOOR

86. Friendliness : WARMTH. Made me think of Creature & LaLaLinda. They don't post often but they read us every day.

90. "This guy ..." : SOME DUDE. Cool!

92. Notion : IDEA

93. Director Riefenstahl : LENI. Also learned from doing xwords. She did some propaganda films for the Nazi.

95. Common letters in an email address : AOL

98. Auctioneer's helper : RING MAN. New term to me also.

102. Wakes up : ARISES

103. "About time!" : AT LAST

105. Grades K-5: Abbr. : ELEM

109. La Rive Gauche locale : SEINE. The Left Bank.

111. Imperiled layer : OZONE

112. Sent an email dupe to : CCed

113. Penny or passing follower : LANE

114. Aquatic predator : ORCA

115. Barcelona-born architect : SERT. José María Sert. Known for his murals at 30 Rock.

117. Tar Heel St. : N. CAR

118. Siestas : NAPS

120. Lawn border : EDGE

121. Peters out : DIES

122. Rep's goal : SALE

124. Three-sided sail : JIB

125. California's Santa __ : ANA

126. Major interest, slangily : BAG. Oh, hockey is not in my bag then, Splynter.

Speaking of Splynter, here is a new photo of the Stud with his UPS truck.

C.C.