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.

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.