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.

Saturday, Oct 5th, 2013, Mark Bickham

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing Q,V)

Blocks: 32

   This was one of those puzzles where perseverance wins the day.  Many proper names had me stumped for a while, with that creeping feeling that I was gonna give in to Google - BUT - a few Wild-Ass Guesses (WAGs) and some slight changes to my first guesses, and Ta-Da~!!  We had us a grrreat grid spanner today, with a little mis-direction:

35A. At sea : DISCOMBOBULATED - I so wanted "ON THE BOUNDING MAIN", but I needed two more spaces; I like this word; I have not gotten discombobulated on my first UPS driving route - but wait til they move me to a different one for Christmas, when I'm looking for house numbers in the dark....

And some tricky triple 10-letter corners;

5A. Site of many rolls : CRAPS TABLE - bakery? fat farm? oh, got it

16A. One of Sophocles' Theban plays : OEDIPUS REX

57. Showmanship : RAZZMATAZZ - ZZ's~!!!

61. Trooper relative : ISUZU RODEO - not a state trooper; we've had this automotive ruse before....note the License Plate~!

ON WAAG~!

ACROSS:

1. "The Matrix Reloaded" actress Pinkett Smith : JADA - even though I have not seen the movie, there's not too many "Pinkett Smiths" that I know of....

15. Asian sea : ARAL - crossword staple

17. Brought up : BRED - I was stuck on REARED, SIRED, and then tried BORE

18. "Been there" : "I CAN RELATE"

19. Walked to the gangplank, say : SAW OFF - past tense of SEE off - and if you're on the gangplank, I hope it doesn't get SAWN OFF

21. One in a rack, maybe : SKI - um, yeah, one of these can be found in a rack, too....

22. Edible Andean tubers : OCAs

23. Cindy Bear's boyfriend : YOGI - DAH~!  I did not know this

24. It may be thrown in : THE TOWEL

26. Less enthused : SOURER

28. Strauss' "__ Rosenkavalier" : DER

29. Toss up : LOB

31. Duke Frederick's daughter in "As You Like It" : CELIA - OK then

33. Bowl, e.g. : ARENA

40. Nerdy : UNHIP - ah, not WEIRD

41. 1978 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year : LOPEZ - Nancy Lopez, once married to baseballer Ray Knight

42. Ristorante suffix : INI - RotINI, LinguINI, etc.

43. N.C. State is in it : ACC - the Atlantic Coast Conference - sports

46. Former Prussian province : SAXONY

49. "Give me a break!" : "OH PLEASE~!"

52. Buck back? : AROO - BuckAROO

53. When Annie sings "Maybe" : ACT I - Put in "ACT", and wait; in truth, it can really only be "I" - maybe "V"; ever seen "X"?

54. Skit site, for short : SNL - I put this in, then took it out; my last fill via perps

55. Saturate : IMBRUE

60. "__ girl!" : ATTA

62. Common subject in "The Far Side" : COWS - here's one, and a link to more

63. Bit of bun flavoring : SESAME SEED

64. Granny __ : KNOT - Dah~!  I was stuck on "SMITH"

DOWN:

1. Short blows : JABS

2. Decks out : ARRAYS - I put in ARORNS, not realizing that this is NOT how you spell ADORNS

3. Dismantled Korean automaker : DAEWOO - every now and then I see this logo on cars; some Wiki on the company

4. Older brother of designers Vasco and Rodolfo : ALDO GUCCI - Once I had ALDO ---CI, the V-8 can flew

5. Lock arrangement : COIF - Hair locks; didn't fool me, but I tried UPDO to start

6. Cam button : RECord - on your camcorder

7. Recipe phrase : A DASH - DAR~! an "A" phrase; I was looking for BLEND, SAUTÉ, etc.

8. Edged with shears, as cloth : PINKED - Nailed it - mom is a seamstress, and owns PINKING shears

9. Elf : SPRITE

10. Calendar abbr. : TUEsday - take your pic; seven days, twelve months; or wait for perps; when the "E" showed, that narrowed it down a LOT

11. Comparatively base : AS LOW

12. Place for an allergy alert : BRACELET - ah, and a good one, as well

13. Not to mention : LET ALONE

14. They used to be together : EXES

20. Warm-colored gem : FIRE OPAL

24. Oakland paper, familiarly : TRIBune - a WAG

25. Degree hurdle : ORAL EXAM

27. Titular Wes Craven street : ELM - The TITLE "A Nightmare on Elm Street"; titular had me thinking about "racks" again

30. Harmful : BAD

32. 2011 Huffington Post acquirer : AOL - America OnLine, once part of Time Warner - more here

34. Fayetteville athlete : RAZORBACK - Arkansas

35. SADD focus : DUI - not DWI - not "while intoxicated", but "under the influence"

36. Never : IN NO CASE

37. Noble pets of imperial China : SHIH TZUs - looks funny in the DOWN

38. Admired speaker : BOSE - I thought this might be a mis-direction; not an orator, but a woofer/tweeter; could have been POLK, too

39. __ tree : UP A

44. Brother of Lucrezia Borgia : CESARE

45. Epic poem divisions : CANTOS

47. Antiviral brand : NORTON - Computer virus software

48. Couple's address : YOU TWO - "Oh, you two, get a room~!"

50. Pie not served for dessert : PIZZA - dinner last night

51. Noddy Holder's rock group : SLADE

53. Onassis et al. : ARIs

55. __ Center: former N.J. Nets home : IZOD

56. Word with Side or End : EAST - EAST side, EAST end

58. Ornamental flower : MUM - I thought this might be the answer, but it filled via perps anyway

59. Series finale : ZEE - EX, WYE, ZEE - what a great way to finish~!

Splynter

  For those who are wondering, I did three days of UPS driver training with a supervisor last week, and then this week my first day was TUEsday - and they sent me out, alone, with 162 stops.  Most seasoned guys go out with that many this time of year.  Not a good day.  But the rest of the week the stops came down, and I got better with the names and numbers.  However, there was an 'incident' about 4 stops from the end of today's run; a woman mowing her grass next to the stop sign I was at chipped up a rock, and it shattered the glass of the open door on the right side of the truck - four inches to the right and it could have beaned me; had to drive back to the center with a thousand shards of safety glass falling to the floor.

Friday, October, 4, 2013 David Poole

Theme: The Mother of all cross referential Puzzles. Eh!

Another original  highly entertaining theme from out Canadian Constructor, who was first published in the LAT in 2009. INTERVIEW.  In this Friday frolic, he has words that are implied by the literal position of cross referenced clues, with the set being BEFORE., OVER,  BETWEEN, UNDER, and AFTER. Recognize the extraordinary balance of BEFORE/AFTER  and OVER/UNDER with BETWEEN in the middle making a perfect symmetrical, logical grid. Finally, each of the 4 ten-letter theme fill have the second word encompass the missing word, while the BETWEEN remains in the middle. My first quick pass through, before I started filling in the cross-reference clues with perps, was to notice how many words ended in "O" which had nothing to do with theme but was interesting. Once I sussed the theme from DOG DAY AFTERNOON, the grid filled quickly with many nice 7 letter fill, ASSERTS , CALORIE,  DECODER,  GRIFTER,  HONORED,  LET ME GO,  MOANERS,  MONSTRO,  PERDIDO, TREMOLO (three "O" words!) and some longer ones like MOUNT ARARAT, NOSE FOR NEWS. No "J" but I did get an ADE, so it is all good. Let us get to it.

14A. With 15-Across, verifies in advance, literally : CHECKS (6). 5A. See 14-Across : HAND (4).
Together we get CHECKS BEFOREHAND, as the fill Checks is before the fill Hand.

26A. With 32-Across, warm apparel, literally : WINTER (6). 32A. See 26-Across : COAT (4).
Together we get WINTER OVERCOAT.

37A. See 39-Across : MEAL (4). 39A. With 37- and 40-Across, nosh, literally : EAT (3). 40A. See 39-Across : MEAL (4).
Together we get EAT BETWEEN MEALS. My favorite visual, like the picture puzzles in the Sunday magazine, or the old TV show Concentration.

47A. See 51-Across : WOOD (4). 51. With 47-Across, former "American Idol" winner, literally : CARRIE(6).
Together we get CARRIE UNDERWOOD.

66A. See 67-Across : NOON (4).  67A. With 66-Across, 1975 Best Picture nominee, literally : DOG DAY.(6)
Together we get DOG DAY AFTERNOON, a great movie.

And the 10, 10, 11, 10, 10 fill preserves the symmetry.

Across:

1. Place for una familia : LA CASA. The home in Spanish. Or Italian?

7. Xerox insert: Abbr. : ORIGinal.

11. Advanced math deg., in Canada : MSC. No idea, but Mr. Poole is from the Toronto area, I guess it is Masters of SCience.

16. Suffix with Capri : OTE. A real Friday word, CAPRIOTE has history as well as inspiring our Dunce's cap.

17. Clubs with balls : DISCOS.

18. Yellow butterflies, to Brits : SULPHURS. Another all perp fill, for this BEAUTY. (1:01). I wonder what John Lampkin could teach us about them, or Gareth B.?

20. Two-note keyboard effect : TREMOLO. Take it away JzB.

22. Most fit to serve : ONE-A. Old draft status.

23. "Pinocchio" whale : MONSTRO.

28. Barcelona gold : ORO. More Spanish.

29. Kiosk : STALL

33. Fam. tree member : DESCendant.

35. Old cutter : SNEE. This old time knife, along with SMEE, is classic crosswordese

36. Sign of cold feet? : BRR.

42. Progressive Insurance spokeswoman : FLO. I think people either love or hate her.

43. B.C. law group : RCMP. Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

45. Starr-struck one? : DRUM. A great pun, from Ringo Starr beating the skins. 62D. Stand buy : ADE. Another great pun. By/buy. Simple and my suffix.

48. __ music : SHEET.

50. Fire : AXE. My old friends. LIVE. (5:53).

53. Con artist : GRIFTER.

55. Years in Claudius' reign : ANNI. Latin for Year.

56. Certain cracker : DECODER. No one from Georgia.

59. Guides in the direction of : STEERS TO.

61. Jason of "Harry Potter" films : ISAACS.

65. Fancy marble : TAW. Rules and words of the GAME.

68. People people: Abbr. : EDs. People magazine and its editors.

69. Celebrity chef Burrell : ANNE. Well since we do not have Jeannie anymore, here are some of Anne's RECIPES.

70. Initial stages : ONSETS.

Down:

1. Common HDTV feature : LCD. Liquid Crystal Display.

2. Sushi-grade tuna : AHI.

3. These, in Toulouse : CES. We switch from Spanish to French for the Downs.

4. Bank listing: Abbr. : ACCTS.

5. Culottes kin : SKORTS. Back again.

6. Declares : ASSERTS.

7. Overmuch : OH SO.

8. Fidel's successor : RAUL.

9. Just starting to roll, perhaps : IN LOW.

10. Econ. yardstick : GDP. Gross Domestic Product.

11. Image on the Armenian coat of arms : MOUNT ARARAT. One of a series of Mounts which are in Turkey, Armenia and the Iran border, and the biblical landing point of Noah's Ark.

12. Haight or Ashbury : STREET. The famous San Francisco hippie area which is at the intersection of these two streets.

13. "Dog Whisperer" Millan : CESAR. Never watched an EPISODE.(45:31).

19. Accepted, as a gift card : HONORED. The store, not the donee.

21. Bellyachers : MOANERS. Not my first thought....

23. Like platform shoes in the '60s : MOD. From the British MODS & 9ROCKERS.

24. Utah city on I-15 : OREM.

25. Journalist's asset : NOSE FOR NEWS. Nice long fill.

27. SALT topic : ICBM. Inter-Continental Ballistics Missile.

30. Percolate : LEACH. According to my living encyclopedia, think of a sewer field and leaching it so it percolates.

31. Prisoner's demand : LET ME GO.

34. Pepsi One's one : CALORIE.

38. California wine town near Stockton : LODI. West Coaster, a favorite place?

41. Posh : LUXE. not Deluxe?

44. Ellington standard whose title is Spanish for "lost" : PERDIDO.  The Duke  LIVE. (7:54).

46. Nice view : MER. More French, with the Nice/nice deception.

47. Opening lines? : WANT AD. Job openings.

49. Attaches, in a way : TIES ON.

51. Class : CASTE. Vidwan, you want to educate us on this time-honored tradition?

52. Pelé's first name : EDSON.

54. Some grenades, briefly : FRAGS. Fragments.

57. Bertie Wooster's alma mater : ETON. P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves novels. The FICTIONAL list.

58. Road crew item : CONE. Reminds me of this SONG.


60. Genetic stuff : RNA.

63. Jazz lover : CAT. Hep cat back in the day.

64. GPS part: Abbr. : SYS. Global Positioning System.

Well my GPS tells me I have reached the end of the line and I must percolate out of here.
Have a great weekend, Lemon out. Thank you David Poole, sorry your Blue Jays ended up with all the old Marlins. They already had sent all the good ones to the Tigers or Dodgers. I hope Canadian Eh! stops by.

Notes from C.C.:

1)  I hope solvers in Southern California will attend this year's Crosswords LA, slated for Saturday, October 26. Please click here for details. The host Elissa Grossman said "this year's event will include crosswords and puzzle games constructed by Liz Gorski, Jeffrey Harris, Aimee Lucido, Todd McClary, Andrea Carla Michaels, Pete Muller, Trip Payne, John Doppler Schiff, Dave Shukan, Marc Spraragen, David Steinberg and Zoe Wheeler (with development managed by Tyler Hinman). It's likely that Merl Reagle will join us for the event finals. All money raised (over costs) is donated to a great non-profit (Reading to Kids)." I think our own Steve will be there. 

2) Kazie and her husband Barry visited their bilingual granddaughter Lea in August. Below are a couple photos. Click here for more. Love seeing her smile.

  With Grandpa.

 With her parents in their garden

Thursday, October 3, 2013 Pancho Harrison

Theme: "Twist of Fate."

17. See 49-Down : O'HENRY SPECIALTY.

27. See 49-Down : DRINK GARNISH.

43. See 49-Down : SIXTIES DANCE.

56. See 49-Down : OLIVER OF FICTION.

And the unifier:
49-Down. Diving rotation, and the clue for four puzzle answers : TWIST.

So we have another "definition" type theme, but with a twist. Typically we would see all four theme answers clued as "Twist." But Pancho hid the clue in the grid, making it that much more difficult to make headway. I must confess, I was stumbling around blind on the first couple theme entries, until perps finally gave me an inkling of what the answers might be.

Across:

1. Like bars in noir films : SMOKY. Like this bar. And the dancin' is smokin', too! 3:20 Very apropos to the theme today...

6. Brouhaha : FLAP.

10. Workout woe : ACHE.

14. Salsa singer Cruz : CELIA. Did not remember her. 4:27 (Did it seem like there were a lot of names in the grid? I counted upwards of 15...)

15. BMW competitor : AUDI.

16. Invalidate : VOID.

20. Platte River settler : OTO.

21. Spoil, with "on" : DOTE.

22. "Cagney & Lacey" Emmy winner : GLESS. Sharon.

23. Scripture section : PASSAGE.

25. "I am just __ boy, though my story's seldom told": "The Boxer" : A POOR. Oldie but goodie. 5:17

31. '60s-'70s "Fearsome Foursome" NFL team : L.A. RAMS. Moved to St. Louis in 1994.

34. Reported for the first time : NEW.

35. Payable now : DUE.

36. Is after : SEEKS.

37. Oyster's spot : BED.

38. Peak in a Trevanian title : EIGER. Trevanian is the pen name of Rodney William Whitaker, who wrote "The Eiger Sanction." It was made into a film in 1975, directed by Clint Eastwood.

40. Capri crowd? : TRE. "Due's company, tre's a crowd..." in Italy.

41. "The Birdcage" wrap : BOA. Hilarious movie. Too many great scenes to link.

42. Emerges from the wings : ENTERS. Comes on stage.

47. Cosmetician Elizabeth : ARDEN. Nee Florence Nightingale Graham.

48. Governor who opened the Erie Canal : CLINTON. DeWitt, not Bill.

52. Jazz pianist Ahmad __ : JAMAL. Could not remember him, either. 2:07

54. Moscow news acronym : ITAR. Information Telegraph Agency of Russia.  Usually seen as ITAR-TASS.

55. Court : WOO.

60. 1-Down holder : CONE. And 1-Down. Ice cream serving : SCOOP.

61. Exxon forerunner : ESSO.

62. Hosiery thread : LISLE. Don't ask me how I knew this.

63. Bottom of the sea? : KEEL. This one threw me off, but I recovered enough to continue...

64. Hardly a sophisticate : BOOR.

65. Really worry : EAT AT.

Down:

2. Conductor Zubin : MEHTA. Fortunately, I did know him! 3:31

3. Spreads on the table : OLEOS.

4. Flesh and blood : KIN.

5. Sail supports : YARDARMS.

6. Get together : FASTEN.

7. Rapper __ Fiasco : LUPE. Another total unknown. 3:54

8. Gator chaser? : ADE.

9. Paparazzo's prize, briefly : PIC.

10. Land of Arthurian legend : AVALON.

11. "Kubla Khan" poet : COLERIDGE.

12. Pop radio fodder : HITS.

13. "Grand" ice cream brand : EDYS. But only in the eastern US. In the west, it is Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream.

18. Hindu mystics : YOGIS.

19. Operatic prince : IGOR. Aria from the opera "Prince Igor" by Borodin. 8:02

24. Mont. neighbor : S. DAK. South Dakota.  But Montana was just in New England last week!

25. Elderly : AGED.

26. Claw holder : PAW.

28. Massage : KNEAD.

29. Plaintiff : SUER. I never want to be the suee (pig...pig...pig.)

30. Bierce defines it as "His" : HERS. From "The Devil's Dictionary."

31. WWII carriers : LSTs. Landing Ship, Tank (s).

32. Gaseous: Pref. : AERI.

33. Go over more carefully : REEXAMINE.

37. Deck department supervisor, briefly : BOS'N. Short for "boatswain."

38. Surround : ENCIRCLE.

39. Santa Monica-to-Jacksonville hwy. : I-TEN. The main interstate in the southern US.

41. Scripps competition : BEE. The winning word in 2013 was "knaidel." It is a dumpling, and comes from the Yiddish "kneydl."

42. Zhou __ : ENLAI. C.C. explained to me the derivation of this name a while ago. "Chow" in Cantonese is the same as "Zhou" in Mandarin Chinese. So Zhou Enlai = Chow Enlai.

44. Retirees often do it : TRAVEL.

45. Between jobs : IDLE.

46. Represent officially : ACT FOR.

50. Alley Oop's girl : OOOLA. I just kept adding "O"s until the answer was full...

51. Large jazz combo : NONET.

52. Prom king, often : JOCK.

53. Sunburn soother : ALOE.

54. In that case : IF SO.

57. Lee follower : REB. Civil war rebels.

58. Granada bear : OSO. Spanish.

59. __ Maria: liqueur : TIA. Could also have been clued as "Granada aunt."

That's all I have for this week. See you next time!

Marti

Wednesday, October 2nd 2013 Gareth Bain

Theme: A Plus. Adding "A" to the second word in each of the theme answers reveals, in order, a star ranking, a house design, a dress design and a baseball player.

17A. *Shopper's aid : GROCERY LIST. I confidently put CART in first. Less confidently replaced it with LINE shortly after. I got there in the end. A- list.

64A. *Stop-action film technique : FREEZE FRAME.  This famous example at the end of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". A-frame.

11D. *Phone that can't be tapped : SECURE LINE. Is there such a thing? I think the only secure line nowadays would be a string between two tin cans. A-line.

29D. *Angler's equipment : FISHING ROD. You'll hope you have a secure line when you have a fish on. A-Rod.

KEEP CLAM AND FISH ON

The hint came in the middle:

39A. In the future, or, when spoken with a long starting vowel, what the last word of the answers to starred clues can have : AHEAD

Top 'o the morning to you all. Steve here with a really nice puzzle from Gareth. A fun theme and a lot of sparkly fill. The final theme entry literally made me laugh out loud with "A-Rod". (C.C. - is Alex Rodriguez technically still with the Yankees?) (From C.C.: Indeed. Guess who has the most career grand slams in MLB history?)
 
Across:

1. Cried one's eyes out : WEPT

5. Facial expression : VISAGE. Here are a few:

11. Hang down : SAG

14. Pre-migraine phenomenon, for some : AURA

15. Hot wings did him in : ICARUS. Loved this clue. One peculiar fact is that the Greek Air Force Academy is named after Icarus. I'd have thought future pilots might like to distance themselves from that kind of hubris.

16. It may need a boost : EGO

19. Barracks bed : COT

20. Scattering seed : SOWING

21. Raid the fridge : EAT

22. Songwriter Bacharach : BURT. One of the most well-known Bacharat-David compositions featured in the movie at the top of the blog.

23. Small combo : TRIO

25. Katana-wielding warrior : SAMURAI

27. Barking sound : ARF. One of the neighborhood dogs was doing a lot of this last night. I gave up trying to sleep through it and made an early start to my day.

30. Responsibility : ONUS

32. Choice in a booth : VOTE

33. Evening for trivia buffs : QUIZ NIGHT. I misread this as "movie buffs" somehow, and so FILM NIGHT took a little bit of the wind out of my sails until I checked back.

36. Disney lioness : NALA

38. "That __ last year!" : IS SO. A funny exchange I heard between two friends was "Where can I get a fanny pack?" "1985".

41. 1492 vessel : NINA. Along with the Pinto and the Santa Maria these comprised Christopher Columbus's exploration fleet.

43. Hoodlum : THUG

45. Run-down urban buildings : TENEMENTS

47. HST part, say: Abbr. : INIT.

49. Ex-Yankee Martinez : TINO. There are a quite a few ex-Yankees coming down the pike - Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettite; Derek Jeter to follow shortly as well as the aforementioned A-Rod. C.C. must be glum.

50. "A mouse!" : EEK

51. Takes care of : HANDLES

54. Islands in the stream : AITS. There are a couple in the Thames in London, but they are spelt EYOTS.

56. Meringue needs : EGGS

57. Alts. : HTS. I'd say an airplane has an altitude, and a mountain has a height. Hopefully the former is more than the latter.

59. Homemade pistol : ZIP GUN

63. Bygone space station : MIR

66. Rock gp. known for its symphonic sound : ELO, or the Electric Light Orchestra if you're being properly formal when you introduce them to your grandmother. Here's a bouncy sample of their oeuvre.

67. Maker of Light & Fit yogurt : DANNON

68. Jungfrau's range : ALPS. Not Drei Oktaven?

69. Homer's nice neighbor : NED. Okely-Dokely!

70. Battery parts : ANODES

71. Push to the limit : TEST

Down:

1. Clowns : WAGS

2. Mark replacement : EURO. Both Finland and Germany replaced their Marks with the Euro.

3. Figurehead spot : PROW

4. Silently understood : TACIT

5. Birth state of four of the first five American presidents : VIRGINIA. Odd man out was John Adams, born in Quincy, MA

6. More than unfriendly : ICY

7. Word after fire or bake : SALE

8. Met program details : ARIAS. A reference to the New York Metropolitan Opera. Let's have a little "Women are Fickle" for this Wednesday morning.

9. Austrian painter Klimt : GUSTAV. Crosses - I need to "brush" up on my Austrian artists.

10. Superlative suffix : -EST

12. Ancient Greek market : AGORA

13. Mob boss John : GOTTI

18. Subject of the 2003 TV film "The Crooked E" : ENRON

22. Zippo filler : BUTANE. Minor nit - the classic Zippo uses lighter fluid which is distilled cosmetic-grade petroleum, not butane which is used in gas lighters.

24. Should, with "to" : OUGHT

26. Work-wk. start : MON

27. Pollution meas. : A.Q.I. We pay attention to the Air Quality Index here in Southern Cal.

28. Tin Woodman's trouble : RUST

31. Fitted bedding item : SHEET

34. "Gadzooks!" : ZOUNDS. Great Clue/Answer combo

35. Patty Hearst, in the SLA : TANIA

37. Kitty builder : ANTE. Throw a couple of chips into the kitty to get the action going in a poker game.

40. Inhabitants : DENIZENS

42. Pose : ASK

44. Miracle Mets manager Hodges : GIL. The New York Mets won the World Series in 1969 - it was their first ever winning season, and they beat one of the best Baltimore Orioles squads of all time to take home the trophy and earn the nickname.

46. Recurring theme : MOTIF

48. Mideast capital : TEHRAN

51. Hunks : HE-MEN. No performance-enhancing supplements here, of course:

52. Like gymnasts : AGILE. I tried LITHE first. That didn't last too long either. Quite a few missteps for me today.

53. Shorthand expert : STENO

55. Fat-shunning fellow : SPRAT. His wife must have been quite a sight considering fat was all she ate.

58. Email button : SEND. Sometimes shortly followed by "Noooooo ....". Egret - when you regret sending an email?

60. Storm wind : GALE

61. Calls the game : UMPS. Umpires in the verb, not the noun, sense here.

62. Brooding place : NEST

64. Govt. Rx watchdog : F.D.A. Our Federal Drug Administration.

65. Actress Caldwell : ZOE. Not familiar with this thespian.

That's all from me today. Have a great Wednesday!

Steve