Wednesday, November 6th 2013 Gareth Bain

Theme: Record Numbers! The theme entries all start with the name of a classic music label

18A. Madonna : VIRGIN MARY. Richard Branson's first money-maker. 'Tubular Bells' launched his business on the Virgin label. If you've never heard Mike Oldfield's seminal album I really encourage you to listen - here's the first three minutes.

23A. Ivy League professional school : COLUMBIA LAW. Just don't go to their website. Confusing as heck. After an hour or so, we get it. Sousa marches and One Direction. Mmmmm K.

37A. Fruity dessert with sweetened crumbs : APPLE BROWN BETTY. Wow.

52A. "The Lord of the Rings" genre : EPIC FANTASY. Wow squared!

Wow! Steve here with an amazing Wednesday problem - maybe I'm getting old or out of practice but Gareth really made me work at this one! What did you all think?

Across:

1. Lies as a whole? : PACK. First What?. (A pack of lies).

5. King who raged to Edgar on the heath : LEAR. Thanks! One I know :)

9. Turbaned Punjabis : SIKHS.  Spelling challenge.

14. Matty or Felipe of baseball : ALOU

15. Puffs additive : ALOE. Crosses. All the way!

16. Pistons great Thomas : ISIAH

17. Hog product : LARD. Tail? Squeak? Trotter? Butt? Darn - my old Dad said "The only part of the pig you can't eat is the squeak".

20. Leave open-mouthed : AMAZE

22. Gets under control : TAMES

26. PC brain : CPU. The Central Processing Unit of a Personal Computer. It all seems so normal now but 15 years ago here was the Pentium Chip from Intel - an amazing leap in technology.

29. Skier's challenge : ESS

30. Tuna holder : CAN

31. Sci-fi hybrid : CYBORG

33. Running or jumping : GERUND. Oh - let me remember this! It ends in 'ing! It's a  noun! I'm done after this. Please don't ask me about the gerundive.

36. Mideast flier : EL AL

42. Wrath, in a hymn : IRAE. "Dies irae".

43. Writes to, nowadays : EMAILS

44. Green stuff : DO-RE-MI. Officially clue-less here. Hoping Rich will help out? Or C.C.? (C.C.: Just slang for money. )

47. Transfer __ : RNA. Maybe I'm Jet-lagged, but crosses all the way/ No idea, sorry.

48. Orchestra site : PIT

51. Say more : ADD

56. Liszt or Schubert : FRANZ

57. Plaque honoree : DONOR

63. Avatar of Vishnu: RAMA

64. Congo critter with striped legs: OKAPI

65. Golden St. campus: UCLA

66. Grace ender: AMEN

67. Concise: TERSE

68. Use FedEx, say: SHIP

69. Male deer: HART

(Sorry for missing a few fill earlier)

Down:

1. Versailles attraction : PALACE. Versailles is the Palace - looking for "Garden" or "Jardin" first - amazing

2. Los __: Manhattan Project site : ALAMOS

3. Pink shades : CORALS

4. Invasive vine : KUDZU. Crosses - Thanks! I hope I don't have any? Doesn't seem as pretty as the Palace de Versailles :)

5. WC : LAV

6. Actor Roth : ELI

7. Arterial trunk : AORTA

8. Kingly : REGAL

9. Like the village blacksmith's hands : SINEWY. Hmmmmm.

10. Philosophies : ISMS. Hmmmmmmmm

11. Rio automaker : KIA

12. Laugh syllable : HAR. I had HAA and AHA and .... HAH! Didn't help.

13. Shunning the spotlight, maybe : SHY

19. Computer that may use Snow Leopard : iMAC

21. Toastmaster : EMCEE

24. Caustic comeback : BARB

25. Accustom (to) : INURE

26. Firearms pioneer : COLT

27. Backside : PRAT

28. Hard to look at : UGLY

32. Nectar collectors : BEES

33. High spirits : GLEE

34. Pierre, e.g. : NOM

35. Friend of Snow White : DWARF

37. Verdi opera with pyramids : AIDA

38. Nudge : PROD

39. Tex's bud : PARD

40. NPR correspondent Totenberg : NINA

41. Short on taste : BLAND

45. "__ Melodies": Warner Bros. shorts : MERRIE

46. Tablet debut of 2010 : iPAD

48. Land on an isthmus : PANAMA

49. Chemical relative : ISOMER

50. Oppressive ruler : TYRANT

53. River near Karachi : INDUS. Wow!

54. Austerlitz native : CZECH. Wow! Wednesday?

55. Holy ark contents : TORAH

56. Dandies : FOPS

58. Decompose : ROT

59. __ out a living : EKE

60. One may be hired : CAR

61. Onetime ring king : ALI

62. Track circuit : LAP

That's me done! I spent a lot of Wednesday on this one - thanks for the workout, Gareth!

Steve

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: 'Tis the Season - Three green leafy substances and where to find them.

17A. Reuters or Bloomberg : NEWS AGENCY

30A. Nutritionist's recommendation : HEALTHY MEAL

44A. "My goose is cooked!" : "I'M IN TROUBLE!"

61A. Aromatic plot, and where to find three different plants hidden in 17-, 30- and 44-Across : HERB GARDEN

Argyle here. How sweet it is!

Across:

1. Sleeps out under the stars : CAMPS

6. NYC gambling outlets closed in 2010 : OTBs. (off-track betting)

10. Transcript figs. : GPAs. (grade point average)

14. Cookies in some pie crusts : OREOs

15. Gather in a field : REAP

16. Latin for "elbow" : ULNA

19. Geological age : AEON

20. Los Angeles-to-San Bernardino direction : EAST

21. Sausage unit : LINK

22. Produce seller's kiosk : STAND

23. Macho man : STUD

25. Chips in a chip : ANTEs

27. Top USN rank : ADMiral

34. Wedding party : BRIDE. The bride would have to be a party to the wedding for it to occur.

36. Popeye's Olive : OYL

37. "Alas!" : "AH, ME!"

38. At full speed : AMAIN. Asea.

39. Basic biological molecule : RNA

40. Skier's spot : SLOPE. "Look! There goes Marti."

41. Food __: listlessness after a large meal : COMA. Thanksgiving is coming.

42. Cranberry source : BOG. Ditto.

43. Lost color : PALED

48. Cavity filler's deg. : DDS. (doctor of dental science)

49. Not skilled in : BAD AT. Not what you want the practitioner above to be.

50. Lends a hand : AIDS

52. Boldly states : AVERs

54. Hay holder : BARN

56. County of the Blarney Stone : CORK

60. Parting word with an air kiss, perhaps : CIAO

63. SASEs, e.g. : ENCs. (self-addressed stamped envelope/enclosure)

64. Dancer Kelly : GENE. One of the best.

65. Tour leader : GUIDE

66. Homer Simpson outbursts : D'OHs

67. Home run gait : TROT

68. More than rotund : OBESE

Down:

1. Ice cream holder : CONE

2. Length times width : AREA

3. Kitten calls : MEWS

4. Updates a wiki page, say : POSTS. Have you ever?

5. Org. that issues about 5.5 million new numbers annually : SSA. (Social Security Administration)

6. Zesty Twirls maker : ORE-IDA

7. Graceland's st. : TENN. 3734 Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, TN

8. Informal "Likewise" : BACK AT YA'

9. Cloak-and-dagger type : SPY

10. Honduras neighbor : GUATEMALA

11. "Kindly stay on the line" : "PLEASE HOLD". "Your call is important to us" click!

12. In a bit, old-style : ANON

13. Golf bunker filler : SAND

18. Epoxy, e.g. : GLUE

22. Hog home : STY

24. "What happened next?" : "THEN?"

26. Stanley Cup org. : NHL. (National Hockey League)

27. Chinese counters : ABACI

28. Sick kid's TLC giver : DR. MOM

29. Southern Florida coastal resort city : MIAMI BEACH

31. Sound in "cube" but not "cub" : LONG U

32. Like electric guitars : AMPED

33. West Yorkshire's largest city : LEEDS. Former Coat of Arms.

35. Dorothy portrayer in the film "The Wiz" : DIANA ROSS

39. Sassafras soda : ROOT BEER

40. Drove too fast : SPED

42. Push-up top : BRA. No time for research. Hello Dennis.

45. QB scores : TDs. (touchdown)

46. Wager over darts, e.g. : BAR BET

47. Former "The View" co-host Lisa : LING

                                LINK

51. Cancel at NASA : SCRUB

52. Served to perfection? : ACED. Think tennis.

53. Ristorante glassful : VINO

55. River of Pisa : ARNO

57. Comics dog : ODIE

58. Cherry and ruby : REDS. Not vino today.

59. "Oh! Susanna" joint : KNEE. A strange and disturbing video by Neil Young & Crazy Horse: LINK

61. Alt. : HGT. (altitude/height)

62. In the past : AGO

Argyle

Monday, November 4, 2013 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: Don't Lose It - People giving work-related advice to stressed-out individuals.

17A. Mathematician's "Stay cool!"? : "COUNT TO TEN!"

29A. Golfer's "Stay cool!"? : "GET A GRIP!"

36A. Diver's "Stay cool!"? : "TAKE A DEEP BREATH!"

43A. Refrigeration mechanic's "Stay cool!"? : "CHILL OUT!"

58A. Realtor's "Stay cool!"? : "SETTLE DOWN!"

Argyle here. I've had my chill pill and things are firing on all cylinders. Marti has given us a sweet start to the week.

Across:

1. Credit card choice : VISA

5. Woman's address : MADAM

10. Nosegay : POSY. A small bunch of flowers.

14. Blogger's "That's what I think" : IMHO. (in my humble opinion)

15. Like beer in a cooler : ON ICE. A suitable use for ice.

16. Vogue rival : ELLE. Wikipedia has a long list of fashion magazines.

19. Radiant look : GLOW

20. Signed up for, as a contest : ENTERED

21. Bacon hunks : SLABS

22. Corrida cry : ¡OLE!

23. Hors d'oeuvres liver spread : PÂTÉ

25. Waist-tied kitchen protectors : APRONS

33. Pinot __: red wine : NOIR. No surprise to see this here.

34. Remove wool from : SHEAR

35. Half of the word "inning" : ENs. The letter N.

40. "Ewww!" : "ICK!"

41. Whistlestop places : TOWNS. Best I can find is that if you wanted to get off the train at a small town without scheduled stop, the conductor would signal the engineer who would proceed to blow the whistle twice as acknowledgement and to alert the station. It became political. LINK

42. Former Sony brand : AIWA. Aiwa began in the 50's as its own company. It was a Sony company only from 2002 to 2006 then kaput.

45. Take out a loan : BORROW

47. Senior advocacy gp. : AARP

48. Help out : AID

49. Roller coaster segments : LOOPS. Learn more HERE if you've the stomach for it.

52. Bedroom shoe : SLIPPER

57. "If __ a Hammer" : I HAD. The song was written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays in 1949 and first recorded by The Weavers and then by Peter, Paul and Mary.

                                LINK

61. Arty NYC section : SOHO

62. Last new Olds : ALERO

63. Vicinity : AREA

64. Ruffian : THUG

65. Black __ spider : WIDOW

66. Legis. meeting : SESSion

Down:

1. '80s TV's "Miami __" : VICE

2. "That's my cue!" : "I'M ON!"

3. Closed : SHUT

4. Top-shelf : A-ONE

5. Refuges for overnighters : MOTELS

6. Battery terminal : ANODE

7. Morse code character : [DIT]

8. Stretchy bandage brand : ACE

9. "All the President's __" : MEN

10. Limb for Ahab : PEGLEG. Arrgh, the white whale got the real one.

11. Spanish stewpot : OLLA

12. Dinner's often on him : SLOB

13. Conifers with pliable wood : YEWS. Hence, their use for bows.

18. 1982 Disney sci-fi flick : TRON

21. Drummer Ringo : STARR

23. Chirps from chicks : PEEPS

24. Run __: get credit at the pub : A TAB

25. Bit of foolishness : ANTIC

26. Cook by simmering : POACH

27. Kipling's "__-Tikki-Tavi" : RIKKI. A short story in The Jungle Book about the adventures of a valiant young mongoose.

28. Mined find : ORE

29. Treaty of __: War of 1812 ender : GHENT. A Flemish city now part of Belgium.

30. Show again : RE-AIR

31. Halved : IN TWO

32. "Horsefeathers!" : "PSHAW!"

34. Clinch, as a deal : SEW UP

37. Sky holder of myth : ATLAS

38. "Let's Make a Deal" choice : DOOR. one, two, or three?
 

39. Listening organ : EAR
 

44. What 46-Down totally isn't : LAP DOG. 46D. "Garfield" pooch : ODIE

45. Puff up in the wind, as a sail : BILLOW

48. Houston baseballer : ASTRO

49. Shopper's aid : LIST

50. "This can't be good" : "OH-OH!"

51. Waikiki's island : OAHU

53. High-tech hand-held gadgets, briefly : PDAs. (personal digital assistant)

54. Go (over) in detail : PORE

55. Baaing mas : EWEs

56. Genetic messengers : RNAs

58. Espied : SAW

59. Yalie : ELI

60. Turner of broadcasting : TED

Argyle

Sunday November 3, 2013 Arthur S. Verdesca

Theme: "The Doctor Is In" - MD is embedded in the middle of each theme entry.

23A. Perry Mason story, e.g. : COURTROOM DRAMA. Which is your favorite? I never understood the fun in #23.  I like "A Few Good Men" the most.

45A. Symbol of a bettor's certainty : BOTTOM DOLLAR

54A. Post-hurricane assessment : STORM DAMAGE. Guangzhou is a subtropical city. I always dreaded when we had big typhoons. I lived in the very old part of the town. The water drainage was so bad that I couldn't go home without a raft.

73A. Like some locomotives : STEAM-DRIVEN

81A. Coen or Stone : FILM DIRECTOR. Here is my favorite director: Zhang Yi-Mou. He directed "Red Sorghum" (based on Nobel laureate Mo Yan's novel), "Hero" (Jet Li movie), the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Most importantly, he grew up in my hometown Xi'An.

103A. Made-to-order : CUSTOM-DESIGNED

32D. Winners can be determined by one : RANDOM DRAWING

36D. Coffee break treat : CREAM DOUGHNUT. I always spell it as "Donut".

104D. Puzzle title people hidden in eight long answers : MDS

Look what I found! Today's constructor Arthur S. Verdesca is a MD. One other website shows he's 83 years old, 16 years younger than our other LAT constructor Bernice Gordon.

Simple theme. I grokked the gimmick very early on.

Across:

  

1. Obama attorney general Holder : ERIC. Easy start.

5. Rattle : FAZE

9. Bros : BUDS

13. Online letters : EMAILS

19. Commandment opener : THOU. "Thou shalt not...".

20. One missing roll call, perhaps : AWOL

21. Per person : A POP

22. Deadhead's idol : GARCIA (Jerry)

26. Insatiable : GREEDY

27. Some deer : BUCK 

28. Shorten, as a skirt :RE-HEM. And 60D. Revealing garb : MINIs. Every girl seemed to wear this Zara skirt this past summer. Zara, Zara, please come to Minnesota!

29. Bad acting : SIN

30. Onetime Rus. state : SSR

33. Busy buzzer : BEE

34. Strains : TAXES

35. Restraint usually seen in pairs : MANACLE. Big D'oh!

39. Montana motto metal : PLATA. "Oro y Plata".

41. Yemen's capital : SANA'A

42. Do clerical work : FILE

43. Stimpy's pal : REN. Popular dog in xwords.

44. Zest source : RIND

48. SFO listing : ETD

49. Everyday connectors : ANDs

50. Jesus of baseball : ALOU. 3/4 are vowels, hence its frequent appearances our grids.

51. Durban dough : RAND. Here is what Wiki says: Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa and Africa. Shanghai is the busiest in the world.

52. Bloom holder : VASE

53. Fight stopper : TKO (Technical Knockout)

58. Disney king : SIMBA. "The Lion King"

59. "Fearful" feature of Blake's Tyger : SYMMETRY. Read here.

61. Tasman and a Genesis shepherd : ABELs

62. Sneeze cause : DANDER

63. Took the plunge : DIVED

64. Tapestry behind which Polonius hid : ARRAS

65. Abstain from : FORGO

66. "The Weaver of Raveloe" : MARNER (Silas)

68. Unit or sect suffix : ARIAN. Strange suffix.

69. Surgical tie : LIGATURE. New word to me.

72. Oil well firefighter Red : ADAIR

75. Catch : GET

76. Shooting marbles : TAWS. Has any of you played TAWS before?

77. Stub __ : A TOE

78. Voyaging, say : ASEA

79. Scorch : CHAR

80. Letters seen before Fridays : TGI

85. Where TV's "Charlie's Angels" was set : IN LA

86. A, for Mozart : EIN

87. Riles up : IRES

88. Gets ready to shoot : COCKS

89. Dick Tracy creator Chester : GOULD. Another learning moment for me.

90. Access, in a way : LOG ONTO

92. Cats in Cádiz : GATOS. Los Gatos!

93. Seek redress : SUE

95. Rope on the briny : TYE. For Spitzboov. I was stumped.

96. Classic auto : REO

97. Irish tenor Tynan : RONAN. Gimme for Irish Miss.

98. Brazilian range __ do Mar : SERRA. Never heard of it.

100. Minor league baseball level : CLASS A

108. House minority leader : PELOSI (Nancy)

109. '40s film critic James : AGEE

110. Nihilistic art movement : DADA

111. Follow : OBEY

112. Carl with Emmys : REINER. Bob Reiner's father. (Edited later: Rob Reiner! Thanks, TTP.)

113. Supply in a farm country store : FEED

114. Certain terrier's isle : SKYE

115. Big wind : GALE

Down:

1. And so on: Abbr. : ETC

2. Letter after pi : RHO

3. Signed promise : IOU

4. Restrain : CURB

5. Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest," e.g. : FARCE

6. Stirred : AWOKE

7. Madhouses : ZOOS

8. Disease-struck tree : ELM. Hard to find fresh way to clue ELM, or OREO.

9. Legal hurdle : BAR EXAM

10. Toward the front : UP AHEAD

11. Stadium protectors : DOMES

12. Cyberjunk : SPAM

13. Deli sandwich : EGG SALAD. Not for my taste. I do like Potato salad with eggs in it though.

14. Coleridge storyteller : MARINER

15. __ football : ARENA

16. Curling surface : ICE

17. Eye protector : LID

18. Utter : SAY

24. Big wind : TUBA

25. Pipe cleaner : DRANO

30. Jack and the missus of verse : SPRATS

31. Spring toy : SLINKY

34. "The Genius of Keyboard" jazzman : TATUM (Art). I was unaware he's called that.

35. "Toad of Toad Hall" playwright : MILNE

37. Doesn't disturb : LETS BE

38. Make cherished : ENDEAR

40. NFL six-pointers : TDs

41. It may be long : STORY

42. Loses strength : FLAGS

45. Baker's preparation : BATTER. I had never used an oven until I came to the states. We don't bake bread there. We steam.

46. Prayer opener : O LORD

47. Scary tests : ORALS

52. 20, in Toulouse : VINGT. French for Abejo!

54. Lop off : SEVER

55. "Beavis and Butt-head" spin-off : DARIA. Total stranger to me.

56. Milhous : Nixon :: __ : Garfield : ABRAM

57. Lennon's "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except __ My Monkey" : ME AND

58. Kitchen wrap : SARAN

62. Mark for future reference : DOG-EAR. Please Don't! And please don't be so mean and hide behind your anonymous mask and attack regulars on our blog.

64. Thin as __ : A REED. I use A RAIL.

65. McGarrett's outfit, familiarly : FIVE-O. Hawaii Five-O.

66. Hot Wheels maker : MATTEL

67. Slow work : ADAGIO

68. Basic building material : ATOMs

69. Leans : LISTS

70. "No kidding" : REALLY

71. Online financial site : E-TRADE

73. Pope in Attila's time : ST LEO. They met each other, correct?

74. Book displays : RACKS

77. Like a dogfight missile : AIR-TO-AIR

79. AFL partner : CIO

81. Tactful handling : FINESSE

82. Song title words before "for Miles" : I CAN SEE.  No idea. The Who's  "I can see for Miles".

83. Took turns in succession : ROTATED

84. Budget, in brand names : ECONO

89. Spice Girl Halliwell : GERI

91. Small-screen Bean : ORSON

92. Overcharge : GOUGE

93. Run-down : SEEDY

94. Bears, to Ovid : URSAE

97. North Amer. WWII fliers : RCAF. OK, Royal Canadian Air Force.

98. The Missouri R. runs through it : S DAK

99. All excited : AGOG

100. ER procedure : CPR

101. Dixie general : LEE

102. Poetic fighter : ALI

105. Bird's org. : NBA. Larry Bird.

106. Slippery one : EEL

107. Salon stock : DYE

The fifth annual Crosswords LA tournament was held in Santa Monica on October 26. For those who weren't able to attend, the puzzles are now available for purchase. The cost is $10, with proceeds donated to support the charity Reading to Kids (http://readingtokids.org). You'll receive crosswords by Elizabeth Gorski, Jeffrey Harris, Aimee Lucido & Zoe Wheeler, Todd McClary, Andrea Carla Michaels, Pete Muller, Trip Payne, and David Steinberg. All expertly edited by Tyler Hinman. The Puzzle Pack also includes a fun Ferris wheel-themed puzzle suite by John Doppler Schiff.

Please head on over to http://crosswordnexus.com/store/ to download the Puzzle Pack!

C.C.

Saturday, Nov 2nd, 2013, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70 (missing X,Z)

Blocks: 32

    I expected a Saturday Silkie, and was not disappointed.  Today's offering was pretty straightforward, at least for me.  Not too many obscurities, and enough 'easy' crossings to take a healthy stab at the longer fills.  Interesting middle stack of a spanner and two offset 14-letter words, and triple 8's and 6's in the corners.  For today:

 33. Sirius B, for one : WHITE DWARF STAR - I knew we were looking for a "STAR" here, but on my first pass, I thought it was a BINARY, um, something-something STAR.  I am a huge fan of "Ancient Aliens", and the show repeatedly mentions how this star system has something to do with extra-terrestrials

38. Food safety aid : MEAT THERMOMETER

39. They included Chopin's "Prelude in E Minor," in a film title : FIVE EASY PIECES - funny, but now that I know the movie has a character who was once studying piano, the title makes much more sense....

!~DRAWNO

ACROSS:

 1. Some legal cases : ATTACHES - DAH~! Right off the bat, I got "43A", thinking this was a court 'case', not a brief 'case'

9. Its results commonly fall between 70 and 130 : I.Q. TEST - I was tested in high school; care to guess what my number was?

15. Take inventory? : SHOPLIFT - "Marriage is a punishment for shoplifting in some countries"  - What movie~!?!?!?

16. Shade : NUANCE - ooh, good Saturday clue for this word

17. Nurturing : MOTHERLY

18. Shilling spender : KENYAN - I threw in BRITON, but was pretty sure it was wrong - a Kenyan shilling is worth about .012 US dollars as of yesterday

19. O or A, e.g. : ALer - ARGH~!  Got me again~!  The Athletics and Orioles of MLB; I went with "TYPE", because they're both blood types; it wasn't until Aphrodite showed up (alas, only in today's puzzle ) did I give it up

20. Bottom topper : TALC - Ah, yes, a quick pat on the bum with the baby powder

22. Old-school lament : EGADS~!

23. Discharged British soldier : DEMOB - to be demobilized - got it

25. Electronic music genre : TECHNO - I like the electronic genre - odd, coming from a kid who grew up on Iron Maiden.  An electronica sample

27. Cologne article : DER

29. Sign of summer : LEO - Astrological sign; I've been reading my horoscope a lot lately - it seems to be a day behind, instead of ahead....

30. Roxy Music alum : ENO

40. Princeton Review subj. : GRE - Graduate Record Examinations, follwed by -

41. MIT Sloan degree : MBA - Master of Business Administration

42. Wheels : CAR - I'm going to have to wait on new wheels - I am officially "cut" as a driver on Jan 15th, and then all trainee drivers will be brought back s-l-o-w-l-y

43. Took in : MISLED - not the sewing/altered took in, not the "movie" took in

46. Staircase support : NEWEL - Meh - this is more of a stair handrail support, but I'm a nit-picking carpenter

50. Arabic for "struggle" : JIHAD - a WAG, but a sensible one - the SW was my last corner to fill in

53. Salts : TARS - Slang words for sailor

55. "The Diana Chronicles" author Brown : TINA

56. Fulfills a need : AVAILS

58. They get high on occasion : SOPRANOS - Har-har~!

60. More futile : VAINER

61. Ring : ENCIRCLE - the verb today

62. Makes hot : ANGERS - ah, not ANNOYS

63. 2012, e.g. : LEAP YEAR - partial hybrid solar eclipse tomorrow AM

DOWN:

1. Equally hot : AS MAD - ah, the same kind of "hot" found in 62A

2. Oarlock pin : THOLE - sticking up from the gunwales

3. Tribal emblem : TOTEM - this is what I wanted to fill in, but it was not agreeing with my "TYPE"

4. Venus counterpart : APHRODITE - sheesh~!  Check out from whence she was born....

5. Indians' home, on scoreboards : CLEveland - always a little baseball for C.C.~!  (BTW, "Major League" was on the other night - still funny, IMO )

6. "Cotton Candy" musician : HIRT - I'll let you link away

7. Key for some clarinets : E FLAT - fill in "FLAT", and wait....

8. Panache : STYLE

9. Newspaper supply : INK

10. Nickname for Leona Helmsley : QUEEN OF MEAN

11. Sierra follower, in the NATO alphabet : TANGO - see below

12. Singer born Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin : ENYA - crossword staple, and pretty much an educated WAG

13. Whole lot : SCAD

14. Place for an adder? : TENS - one who 'adds' uses ones, tens, hundreds, etc., columns to line up for summing

21. Wood shop device : C-CLAMP - great for doing you brake pads, too - which is on my to-do list this weekend

24. Author of the children's book "The Saga of Baby Divine" : BETTE MIDLER

26. Valiant : HEROIC

28. Therapy goals : REHABS - sober house goals, too

30. Major finale? : ETTE - majorETTE

31. Highland rejections : NAEs

32. Bruin great : ORR - Hockey; the NY Rangers are starting to improve; EddyB's Sharks are 10-1

33. Small dam : WEIR

34. Eat : HAVE - ah, not DINE

35. Make potable, as seawater : DESALT

36. Like some humor : WRY - minor change from Dry to Wry

37. Cabinet part : SECRETARY - Government cabinet, that is - I was in carpentry mode; stile, rail, panel, shelf, etc.

38. Plant activity: Abbr. : ManuFacturinG - industrial plant, that is

43. Bates College locale : MAINE - Oddly, I WAGed ORONO, because of the "O" from ANNOYS; HEY - I was in the right state~!

44. Oil holder : EASEL - ooh, a bit of a stretch, but yes, an oil painting can be supported by an easel

45. Go (on) dully : DRONE

47. Recoil : WINCE

48. Name on a WWII flier : ENOLA - Gay, dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima

49. Surgery tool : LASER

50. Language of software engineers : JAVA

51. Novelist Turgenev : IVAN

52. White House chief of staff after Haldeman : HAIG

54. Humane org. : SPCA

57. Yearbook sect. : SRs - Here's my senior pic, 24yrs ago

59. Criticize : RIP - and yes, you can "RIP" into my photo all you want~!!!

 SierraPapaLimaYankeeNovemberTangoEchoRomeo

Note from C.C.:

I'd to share with you this poem our regular poster Own wrote earlier this morning. If you click on the Comments button at the end of this post, you'll be treated with a daily puzzle poem from him.


Daily Challenges

Really, can you cheat on a crossword?
The fine line of what's cheating is blurred.
You alone are the judge
Of how much you can fudge,
Therefore being too harsh is absurd.

On Monday, the puzzle is easy.
The effort it takes will be breezy.
If you do it on line
Level "Master" is fine.
Ink's unlikely to make you feel queasy.

Tuesday is a little bit harder.
Some words will be puzzlement fodder.
After most clues decode,
Switch to red-letter mode,
You'll finish up like a marauder.

Wednesday a few entries get tough.
We'll see if you've got the right stuff.
From red level don't shrink;
Switch to pencil from ink.
This is where things just start to get rough.

Thursday is building up strong.
The wordplay is coming along.
Misdirection's in play,
Tricky clues rule the day.
A simple dictionary wouldn't be wrong.

Friday's the day tyros dread.
The brains seem to fly from their head.
You can sit there and doodle
Or call upon Google;
Else the end that you reach might be dead.

Saturday's grid is the worst.
Your skill will seem like it's cursed.
There's no theme to guide
Where solutions might hide.
The whole Web only helps when coerced.

Sunday's a modicum of relief.
It's not easy, but shouldn't cause grief.
The need for a reference
Might just be your preference.
Larger size is its difference in chief.

Friday November 1, 2013 John Lampkin

 Theme: SUB (66D. Prefix for the answers to starred clues, and word needed for those clues to make sense) - The clues for all the starred entries make sense only if you add SUB in front of them.

17A. *Dive, surface, dive, surface, etc.? : ROUTINE. Sub routine. I did not know the original word "subroutine". Google shows it's a computer term. Tell me more, TTP/D-Otto.

18A. *Lab growth below sea level? : CULTURE. Sub culture.

30A. *Underwater speaker? : WOOFER. Sub woofer. See here.

40A. *Story line for "The Hunt for Red October"? : PLOT. Sub plot.

41A. *Hatch? : ENTRY. Sub entry. Not famliar with the nautical term "Hatch". Dictionary shows it's also called "Hatchway": an opeing, usually rectangler, in the deck through which passngers can pass, cargo can be loaded and unloaded. I bet Spitzboov nailed this.

42A. *Underwater lateral surface? : SIDE. Sub side.

46A. *Position on naval warfare? : STANCE. Sub stance.

62A. *Sonar reading? : HEADING. Sub heading.

65A. *Message from beneath the surface? : MISSIVE. Sub missive.

4D. *Scenery for "Operation Petticoat"? : SET. Sub set.

C.C. here, pinch-hitting for Lemonade, who can't get the new puzzle because Cruciverb is still down. He'll be back next Friday.

What a tour de force from John Lampkin! This grid reminds me of the CHINESE puzzle I made for the NY Times in September. See here.  

Look how similar the grids are. Both 78 words. Both have a single 9-letter entry in the central Down. None of our theme entries is more than 7-letter long. However, I only have 9 theme entries. John has 11 today. I have total 38 black squares, with two cheaters (the black square above 39D AGE and below 34D SWE), John has 34, no cheaters. 

He's just a master!

Across:

1. Turn over : CAPSIZE

8. Copes : MAKES DO

15. Banned : ILLEGAL. Great stacked of 7's here.

16. "To reiterate ..." : AS I SAID.  Some use "Like I said". I use former.  And 5D. "Uncle!" : I GIVE UP. Nice colloquial phrases.

19. Item in a tent : COT

20. French spa town : VICHY. EVIAN a spa town also, right?

22. Some amber orders : ALES

23. Zenith : APOGEE

25. Syria's Bashar al-__ : ASSAD. Now, his phone should be tapped.

28. Lorelei, notably : LURER. I think Kazie saw this sign in person. On the bank of the Rhine. Different spelling there. 

34. Invite to one's tree house : ASK UP

37. Wilde's "An __ Husband" : IDEAL. Never read it.

39. At least one : ANY

43. Ages : EON

44. Bob Barker's longtime sidekick Johnny : OLSON

45. Clearance events : SALES
48. Lose it : GO MAD

50. Bivouac : ETAPE.  Dictionary says it's rooted in Middle French "estaple", which is further rooted in Middle Dutch "Stapel", meaning "warehouse".

52. Starting lineups : A-TEAMS

56. Toll rd. : TPKE (Turnpike)

59. Nintendo ancestor : ATARI

61. Caviar, e.g. : ROE

67. In real trouble : UP A TREE. John shot this picture in Costa Rica. He said: "The Three-toed Sloth spends most of his life in the tree tops, coming down only once a week to defecate. And Grampa thinks HE has problems!"

(Please click on the above picture to read John's caption.)

68. Flavored, like some vodka : INFUSED. Why do you infuse vodka?

69. Comebacks: RETORTS

70. Convertible couches : DAYBEDS

Down:

1. Word for a rough date : CIRCA. Oh, antique dating.

2. Throw for __ : A LOOP

3. Demotion in 2006 news : PLUTO. From Ninth planet to a dwarf.

6. More wacky : ZANIER

7. Util. bill item : ELEC

8. Annual parade sponsor : MACY'S

9. Sch. with a Mesa campus : ASU

10. 3,280.8 ft. : KIL (Kilometer)

11. Sonora, por ejemplo : ESTADO. Spanish for "State".

12. King David's predecessor : SAUL. John/Rich must not like Saul Goodman of "Breaking Bad". Better call Saul.

13. Dreadful : DIRE

14. Stanzas of tribute : ODES

21. How some singles play : HARD TO GET. Another gem.

24. Flood : GLUT

26. Vacillate : SWAY

27. IM provider : AOL

29. Fifth of fünf : EINS. fünf is "five" then.

31. Fall flat : FAIL

32. German finale : ENDE

33. Grains used by brewers and bakers : RYES. Bother me so much that you can't pluralize "corn" when other grains can be so. We have red corn, yellow corn, white corn after all. Always "Foot woes".

34. Copycats : APES

35. One in a Vegas row : SLOT

36. Hawaiian coffee-growing district : KONA

38. Cube maker Rubik : ERNO

41. Where Zeno taught : ELEA. Zeno of Elea, the Greek philosopher.

42. Nigerian-born Grammy winner : SADE. Her sister used to sing at a Spanish pub owned by a friend's parents.

44. Mo. for many Libras : OCT

45. Fulfill : SATISFY

47. Must : NEED TO

49. Berth place : MARINA. Loved the clue.

51. Leaves : PAGES. I don't get this clue. "Leafs/pages" through makes sense.

53. Leave one's seat : ARISE

54. Left town, maybe : MOVED

55. Feeder filler : SEEDS

56. Schedule abbr. : THUR. Our Marti Day.

57. Skunk Le Pew : PEPE

58. '50s-'80s pitcher Jim "Kitty" __ : KAAT. He was with the Twins for a long time.

60. Hemmed in by : AMID

63. Discount tag abbr. : IRR. I like Marshalls. You?

64. Entomologist's tool : NET.  Entomologists studies insects.

David Liben-Nowell, a NYT crossword constructor, kindly invited Twin Cities constructors to a presentation by Matt Ginsberg yesterday at Carleton College. Matt is the genius behind Dr. Fill, the crossword equivalent of IBM's Watson. His talk was quite geeky and I only understood a tiny portion of what he said, but it was so nice to meet with him and thanked him in person for the free clue database I've been using for a few years. Also eye-opening to see Dr Fill accurately solve this Wednesday's NYT in 2 minutes. Matt will present Carleton's weekly convocation address today. It'll be streamed on line. Click here.

Left to Right: George Barany, David Liben-Nowell, Matt Ginsberg, C.C. & Tom Pepper
Oct 31, 2013, Carleton College

Thursday, October 31, 2013 Gerry Wildenberg

Theme: "Marooned"

20A. 1954 Luis Buñuel film : ROBINSON CRUSOE. The 1997 remake starred Pierce Brosnan.

35A. 1974 Lina Wertmüller film : SWEPT AWAY. The 2002 remake starred Madonna.

54A. 1963 Peter Brook film : LORD OF THE FLIES. The 1990 remake starred Balthazar Getty.

And the unifier:

13D. With 44-Down, setting for 20-, 35- and 54-Across : DESERT. 44. See 13-Down : ISLAND.

Three movies from three different decades are the stars of this show, with all three taking place on a DESERT ISLAND. Evidently there were quite a few to choose from. It seemed a little difficult, but I didn't need to send out an SOS, and finished in my typical Thursday time.

Across:

1. Works by future doctors : THESES. Nailed it.

7. One of two N.T. books : COR.inthians.

10. Mellowed, perhaps : AGED. I must be very mellowed by now.

14. 24/7 Rollerball maker : PENTEL.

15. Address for a PFC : APO. Army Post Office, but also used by the Air Force.

16. Traffic controller : CONE. Until it gets run over by an out-of-control driver.

17. African adventure : SAFARI. (Safari, sa goodie…)

18. Buttinskies : MEDDLERS.

22. Eur.'s ocean : ATL.antic

23. Diva quality : EGO.

24. Smallish cells : AAs. Oh, batteries. I was thinking of platelets. (I guess it was the immunohematologist in me…)

25. "__ Love": Natalie Cole hit : OUR. Here's the lovely song. 5:25

26. Lamarr of Hollywood : HEDY. Not just a pretty face, she invented a signal technology that led to the modern cell phone.

28. Harrison colleague : STARR. George Harrison and Ringo Starr of the Beatles.  I was thinking of this Harrison for a while.

30. Sluglike "Star Wars" alien : HUTT. Jabba the.

31. Map corner item, maybe : INSET.

33. Cross-referencing words : SEE NOTE.

38. Rat Pack leader : SINATRA. "Ol' Blue Eyes"

40. Pizza order : SLICE.

44. Start for sphere : IONO. Wanted "atmo" at first. It didn't work out well for me...

45. Moved, as a trireme : OARED.

48. Aussie flock : EMUS.

49. Benchmark: Abbr. : STD. Standard.

50. "For shame!" : TUT. Tsk, tsk.  Another misstep.

51. Portuguese royal : REI.

53. PGA money winner, e.g. : PRO.

58. Unwanted import from the East? : ASIAN FLU.

59. Words that may precede weeping? : READ 'EM. (and weep…)

61. Word with blue or bean : NAVY.

62. Neurologist's test, briefly : EEG. Electroencephalogram.

63. Temper : ANNEAL. "Hissy fit" wouldn't work.

64. Covers the gray, say : DYES. Who, moi??

65. Tokyo, long ago : EDO.

66. They raise dough : YEASTS.


Down:

1. Festoons with certain tissue, for short : TPs. (Toilet Papers.) Auburn fans have it down to a science.

2. Give courage to : HEARTEN.

3. Swathes : ENFOLDS.

4. Attempt : STAB. Take a stab at the answer.

5. Spine-tingling : EERIE.

6. Baby carriers : SLINGS.

7. Hunter's garb, for short : CAMO.uflage.

8. Clearing : OPEN AREA.

9. A.L. Rookie of the Year after Tommie Agee : ROD CAREW. Oh, OK. If you say so. (Who knew CAREW?)

10. Rights protection gp. : ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union.

11. Has a date : GOES OUT.

12. On the way : EN ROUTE. The Cardinals were EN ROUTE for a verrrrrry long time on Tuesday.

19. TV's Oz and Gupta : DRs. I knew Dr. Mehmet Cengiz Öz, but didn't remember Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

21. Barstool topper : SOT. Haha, funny clue!

22. Yellowfin tuna : AHI.

27. Like no-nonsense questions : YES/NO.

29. "When You Wish Upon __" : A STAR. Original soundtrack. 2:13

30. Big name in games : HOYLE.

32. Bygone Delta rival : TWA. Trans World Airlines. Merged with American in 2001.

34. "Illmatic" rapper : NAS. Oh, I just can't link it...

36. Cajun crawfish dish :  ÉTOUFFÉE. Yummm.

37. Went on and on : PRATTLED. I hope I am not PRATTLing too much?

38. In a manner of speaking : SO TO SAY.

39. Ready to go forward : IN DRIVE.

41. Blocks : IMPEDES.

42. Attack with profanity : CURSE AT.

43. That, in Tabasco : ESO. I never know whether to put an "O" or an "a" on the end. Perps tell me which way to go, usually.

46. Before, to a bard : ERE.

47. Offset, as costs : DEFRAY.

50. It may be gross : TON.

Gross tonnage is calculated by measuring a ship's volume (from keel to funnel, to the outside of the hull framing) and applying a mathematical formula. Bill G.?

52. "The L Word" producer Chaiken : ILENE. Never saw the show.

55. Woody Allen's "Radio __" : DAYS. With Mia Farrow. Never saw it.

56. Science fiction prize : HUGO.

57. Collector's suffix : IANA. Meh.

60. D.C. United's org. : MLS. Major League Soccer.

That's it from me for this week. See you next time!

Marti