Friday, December 13, 2013, Michael Wiesenberg and David Steinberg

Theme: Down is up, lets spawn.

Another visual challenge saved for our Friday delight, and a collaboration between wunderkind David Steinberg, and the very interesting Michael Wiesenberg. Well we have 2 mountains to climb (right Spitzboov), as there are five (5) types of Salmon  (72 across, which I think should refer to both 3 and 41 down) which are presented in the down clues, reading from bottom to top with the reveal the unique pattern of these fish to go against the current to return to where they began to continue the cycle of LIFE. Other than the trickery, this did not feel like a Friday, lots of words, many 3 and 4 letter ones, with some interesting 7s, like CARRERE, CHORIZO, CRIPPLE, INDIANA,  SEE ALSO and TOWERED. I know the Corner has had an intense and very negative response to the use of trickeration in fill, so I am curious how you all react to this one. Let us see where this duo led us.

72A. Creature known for 3-Down : SALMON. (6)The other pink meat. Read all about them. LINK.

3D. With 41-Down, 72-Across phenomenon that's graphically demonstrated five times in this puzzle : SWIMMING.(8) 41D. See 3-Down : UPSTREAM. (8)  SWIMMING UPSTREAM.

9D. Type of 72-Across : EYEKCOS. (7) SOCKEYE. The red salmon of the Pacific Northwest.

18D. Type of 72-Across : OHOC. (4) COHO. Very popular type which is found all over the US and in all of the Great Lakes including Michigan. Silver salmon.

21D. Type of 72-Across : DAEHLEETS. (9) STEELHEAD.  Steelhead salmon are ocean going while steelhead trout are freshwater fish.

45D. Type of 72-Across : KOONIHC. (7) CHINOOK. The King salmon, they are the largest of the Pacific salmon growing up to 100 pounds.

47d. Type of 72-Across : MUHC. (4) CHUM. The dog salmon from the teeth it has during spawning which resemble canines.

whew, that is lot of theme stuff...

Across:

1. 1994 movie based on an androgynous "SNL" character : IT'S PAT. Not one of my favorite TRAILER. (1:31).

7. 2013 Culinary Hall of Fame inductee : EMERIL. Yes, I am sure we all sat waiting for this event. Who knew it even existed. LINK.

13. Dwarfed, with "above" : TOWERED. When I was 6 and about 3 feet tall, I went with my father to pick up my mother from her job as a nurse at the hospital, and we ran into an intern who was  6'8" dressed in scrubs. I thought the Jolly Green Giant had come to life.

15. Nonspecific journal opening : DAY ONE.

16. Severely damage : CRIPPLE.

17. Cross-referencing phrase : SEE ALSO. In writing brief and memoranda of law, we use many of these types of references, See e.g., see supra....

19. Tailors' work : HEMS. Trying to work a HAW reference in here somehow.

20. Work with freight : LADE.

22. Kosher deli snack : KNISH. I must dispute this clue, as a pastry filled with meat, or potato or vegetable is a side dish, not a snack.

23. Wet tract : MIRE. We have been swamped with this fill lately. Don't let it bog you down.

25. Smart guy? : ALEC.  Guiness?

27. Prefix with con : NEO.

28. Old ring leader? : ALI. Cute clue for Muhammed.

30. Language that gave us "galore" : ERSE. All perps.

32. Course-prep course : HOME-EC. Nice use of the different meanings of 'course'.

34. Computer operating system with a penguin mascot : LINUX. Surprisingly, the first appearance in an LAT.

36. Name : CHOOSE. Tricky cluing, which is accurate but hardly my first thought.

38. Hanging aids : PEGS.

39. '80s-'90s legal drama : LA LAW.

40. Zap : NUKE.

44. Ice Capades performer : SKATER. Hey CA, wherever you are....

46. One who has class? : PUPIL. Obviously they are students of the pun.

47. Bone tissue : MARROW.

50. Right on el mapa : ESTE. Spanish for east.  el mapa?

52. Friend of Frodo : SAM. Wonderfully portrayed by Sean Astin, Gomez Addams' son.

53. Diminutive suffix : ULE. Like CapsULE. For once not ULEE,

54. Taking care of business : ON IT.

56. Part of Q.E.F. : ERAT. Same middle word, Quod Erat Faciendum.

58. Board : HOP ON. Woo, woo!

60. Common auto engine : V-SIX.

62. Hyde Park vehicle : PRAM.  What a Nanny drives.

65. Tapas bar sausage : CHORIZO. Want to TRY?

67. Tia who voiced Nani in "Lilo & Stitch" : CARRERE. Didn't we just see beautiful Tia, the Wayne's World babe?

69. Quiver carrier : ARCHER.

70. State on Lake Michigan : INDIANA. Plus Illinois, Wisconsin and of course Michigan.

71. __ Sutton, Bond girl in "A View to a Kill" : STACEY. Played by TANYA ROBERTS, (2:19) who also was one of Charlie's Angels briefly and played Sheena, the female Tarzan.

Down:

1. Hankering : ITCH. Not scratch but yearn.

2. Ran like the dickens : TORE.

4. Mountain Dew bottler, informally : PEPSI. originally Brad's Drink.

5. Dada pioneer : ARP.

6. Note handler : TELLER. At the bank handling all of those federal reserve notes.

7. 1958 Pacer, e.g. : EDSEL. No idea what the clue means but it filled in quickly.

8. Ginnie __ : MAE. The articulation of GNMA, Government National Mortgage Association established in 1968 to provide a way for banks to sell their loans and then use the money to make new loans, etc. etc to fuel home financing and sale.

10. Reddish mount : ROAN.

11. Queued up : INLINE.

12. One paying a flat fee : LESSEE. The old FLAT =Apartment misdirection.

14. Narc's agcy. : DEA. Drug Enforcement Administration.

24. Morgan of comics : REX. The venerable strip featuring Rex Morgan MD.

26. Self-help website : eHOW.  Never heard of IT.

28. Sight from the Brenner Pass : ALP. Hi Warti.

29. Excuse, sometimes : LIE. The dog ate it.

31. Skedaddle : SCAT.

33. List of options : MENU.

35. BOAC destination in a Beatles hit : USSR.

37. Some crew members : OARS. The ones who do all the work in CREW, the sport.

39. Aeration target : LAWN. HG, don't you hate it when the aerate the greens?

42. Optima or Soul : KIA.

43. Common street name : ELM. Tough to pin down, a slippery clue.

46. __ diem : PER.

48. Island farewells : ALOHAS. Hello Hawaii.

49. News show staple : REPORT.

51. Natives of Paris and Odessa : TEXANS. Yes, we in America have borrowed my many European city names. Paris is one of the most common appearing in 26 states.

55. "It floats" soap : IVORY. When I was little and being bathed, the floating soap was a thing of awe.

57. National Poetry Month : APRIL. Owen, did we know this?

59. Seal hunter : ORCA.

61. "Vous êtes __": Paris map words : ICI. "You are here" en francais. No clecho for me.

63. Italian river : ARNO.

64. Bell curve center : MEAN. Like her friends MEDIAN and MODE. I figure it is feminine since it has curves.

66. Zombie leader? : ZEE. The first letter.

68. Old vitamin bottle no. : RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance.

Well I think you all have reached your RLW, reasonable lemonade write up, so I will head back to the world and wish you all a very happy and safe Friday the 13th. (Yes my name is Jason and the movies are so 'special' to me). Thanks David and Michael and all of you.

Lemonade

Notes from C.C.: 

As we all learned from yesterday's puzzle that crossword will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Dec 21, 2013, I'd like to mention a book I just read: The Centenary of the Crossword by John Halpern, known as "Paul" from The Guardian.

Who knew prisoners in Sing Sing were provided with crosswords in the 1920s? Fascinating snippets of crossword history. I also enjoyed reading the section on crossword setters/constructors and editors, esp LA Times Daily Crossword editor Rich Norris who does not give interviews often. I actually pulled out the Dan Naddor "Word Chain" blog post while reading Rich's words. I've never solved a cryptic puzzle, so I found the "How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords" chapter very informative and educating. 

You'll also find in the book Marti's 5 favorite clues. Also two from today's co-constructor David Steinberg. Please click here  for more information. Great read!

Thursday, December 12, 2013 Robert W. Harris

Theme: 100 Years of Puzzling

16-Across. How to start working on a 35-Across : EXAMINE ALL CLUES.

35-Across. Pastime that will celebrate its 100th anniversary on 12/21/2013 : CROSSWORD PUZZLE.

54-Across. How to finish working on a 35-Across : WRITE THE ANSWERS.

17-Down. Inventor of the 35-Across : ARTHUR WYNNE.

Of course, I am well aware of the impending anniversary, and when I saw the clue for 16-A, I immediately checked the letter count at 35-Across. I filled that one and 17-Down immediately, which gave me wide swaths that were filled in seconds, and prevented a lot of mis-steps that I would otherwise have had with the tricky clueing on this one.

Across:

1. Keyless : ATONAL. Not like "keyless lock," but lacking a key, musically.

7. Top : BLOUSE.

13. Crude dudes : CAVEMEN. Cute misdirection with 7-Down. Crude meas. : BBL. and 9-Down. Crude fleet : OILERS.

15. Some woodwind players : OBOISTS.

18. Missile spot : SILO.

19. Socially awkward type : NERD.

20. Fish-eating eagle : ERNE.

21. Talking Trans Am of classic TV : KITT. From the '80s TV show.

Knight Rider

22. Speak incessantly about : HARP ON. Waffled between "carp on" and "harp on."

24. Spenser's "The __ Queene" : FAERIE.

28. Some elimination rounds : HEATS.

30. Quite a lot : OFTEN.

31. Kirsten of "Melancholia" : DUNST. Never saw the movie. You?

32. Otologist's concern : EAR.

38. Saturn model until 2007 : ION.

39. Pet sounds : MEOWS. I bet dog lovers entered "woofs," right?

40. Nostrils : NARES.

41. Name of eight English kings : HENRY. And who didn't think of this song?

42. Lunch, say : REPAST.

43. It may be used after a break : SPLINT.

46. Requisite : NEED.

48. Quite a while : AEON.

49. Not even semi-pro? : ANTI. Favorite clue of the day!

50. Vocalist James : ETTA. At last...a clue I can relate to!

58. Corrida figures : TOREROS.

59. Gets in order : LINES UP. (As ducks in a row.)

60. Tense : ON EDGE.

61. Satisfies the munchies : NOSHES.

Down:

1. Nails, as a test : ACES.

2. Doorman's cry : TAXI.

3. Roundish : OVAL.

4. Literary sea captain : NEMO.

5. Porthos, to Aramis : AMI. French for male friend.

6. Gentle giant in "Of Mice and Men" : LENNIE.

8. __ cit. : LOC. Latin abbr. for "loco citato," or "in the place cited."

10. Seize : USURP.

11. Pool worker : STENO. Are there really still stenos out there?

12. Chief Ruhr River valley city : ESSEN. Our favorite German city makes an appearance.

14. Discontinued depilatory : NEET.

15. Long-established : OLD. I guess I must be long-established.

21. Branches on some trees : KINSMEN. Family trees, that is.

22. Metal fastener : HASP.

23. Adjusted (to) : ATTUNED.

24. Central points : FOCI.

25. High style : AFRO. Nice misdirection.

26. Avenger John Steed's alma mater : ETON. (He's the one on the left…)

John Steed and Emma Peel

27. Thing in court? : RES. Latin for "thing."

29. Limits : ENDS.

31. __ prize : DOOR.

32. Biblical reformer : EZRA.

33. Brown or golden drinks : ALES.

34. Take ten : REST.

36. Made an exit : WENT.

37. Microwave : ZAP.

41. Was indirect : HINTED.

42. Keep from getting out of control : REIN IN.

43. Took care of : SAW TO.

44. Former Argentine ruler : PERON.

45. Longest river in France : LOIRE.

47. Catchall abbr. : ET. AL. More Latin abbr. for "et alia," meaning "and others." And, how I usually include everyone in my morning greeting.

49. Sounds of contentment : AHS.

50. Woolly females : EWES.

51. Composer who was a CBS reporter : TESH (John). Prolific composer and award-winning broadcaster. I couldn't decide which of his works to link, so I'll let you choose your own.

52. Veracious : TRUE. I read this as "voracious" at first.

53. Threatening slitherers : ASPS.

55. Centimeter-gram-second unit : ERG.

56. Shoe part : TOE.

57. __ Balls: Hostess snack food : SNO. They did a tie-in with "Green Lantern" movie by putting these on shelves.  I wouldn't even think about eating one.

Link GloBalls

And for all our contractors on the blog, this should make you smile. It is what we found underneath the ugly ceramic tiles in the living room next door, woo-hoo!!!:

That's all for today. See you next week!

Marti

 

Note from C.C.:

I failed to mention an important step in yesterday's Big Avatar Picture instruction. Here it is again:

Click on your Blue Name, then "Edit Profile" on the upper right, then scroll down to "Profile Picture", then click on  "From the web. Paste an image URL below". Then paste. Then hit the Right Arrow button on your keyboard. Then wait for your picture to appear. Once it does, click on "Save Profile".

I'm eager to see if any of you can succeed today.

Wednesday December 11, 2013 Rick Papazian

Theme:  GET A ROOM (63A. "Whoa! Do that somewhere else!" ... which hints at what can be shared by the beginning and end of the answers to starred clue) - Room can follow the first word & precede the second word in each theme entry.

16A. *Colonial imposition that led to a "party" : TEA TAX. Tea room. I had to ask Argyle what "Room tax" is.

17A. *After-school chum : PLAYMATE. Play room. Roommate. 

28A. *FedEx, for one : DELIVERY SERVICE. Delivery room. Room service.

37A. *Wrestling move : LEGLOCK. Legroom. Room lock. I just call it "lock", never "room lock".

46A. *Some like it hot : BATH TEMPERATURE. Bathroom. Room temperature. This is often a TEA clue.

65A. *Summary of atlas symbols : MAP KEY. Map room. Room key.

C.C. here, filling in a blogging gap.

 

It's hard than it looks to come up with natural phrases where both words can precede/follow a certain word or like today's, one precedes/one follows.

This type of grid with stacked 8's & 6's start is notoriously hard to fill cleanly. There is a reason why most first theme entry is 9+ letters. And this grid has 7 themes (2 grid spanners). So you could imagine the changes the constructor faced during the filling process.

I think this is Rick Papazian's LAT debut. Congratulations, Rick, I'm sure your next grid will be easier :-)

Across:

1. __ Husky : SIBERIAN

9. Shoot for, with "to" : ASPIRE

15. Like poisonous mushrooms : INEDIBLE. I'm not an adventurous mushroom eater. I also find it hard to make mushrooms tasty.

18. "I __ a clue!" : HAVEN'T

19. Fun-with-bubble-wrap sound : POP

20. Sign of success? : SRO (Standing Room Only). Marti might have gone with ALTA for 7D to avoid the ROOM dupe.

21. Sweetie : DOLL

22. Novelist Hunter : EVAN.  Also known as Ed McBain. Lemonade likes him.

24. Dropped in : CAME OVER

32. Simple : BASIC

33. Sty fare : SLOP

34. Prince Valiant's boy : ARN. ALETA isPrince Valiant's wife. I learned both from doing xwords.

 

41. Record producer Brian : ENO

42. Tract for Heathcliff and Cathy : MOOR. "Wuthering Heights"

44. Any Elvis number : OLDIE

53. Direct opposites : INVERSES

54. Receiving customers : OPEN

55. Wild party : BASH

56. Sportscaster Costas : BOB. Who is your favorite sportscaster, Buckeye Bob?

59. Hwy. : RTE

60. 7-Up, in old ads : UNCOLA

66. Notice in passing? : OBITUARY. Nice clue.

67. Cheers up : AMUSES

68. They're often displayed on a cart : DESSERTS. This Apple strudel is waiting for me at the fridge right now. I was too full to eat yesterday. 

 

Down:

1. Nursed : SIPPED

  

2. Under Cupid's spell : IN LOVE. I was 16 when I fell in love with the boy I grew up with. We were together for 7 years. How about your first love?

3. "Help me out, will ya?" : BE A PAL

4. Eponymous ice cream maker : EDY

5. Salty spots on margarita glasses : RIMS

6. Steel beam : I-BAR

7. Midrange voice : ALTO

8. Wedding column word : NEE

9. Where telecommuters work : AT HOME. Do you work at home also, Anon-T?

10. Deck coating : SEALER. Oh, I thought it's called SEALANT. 

11. __ dog: conditioned reflex experiment : PAVLOV'S

12. Meteor tail? : ITE. Meteorite.

13. Was published : RAN

14. Telephone no. add-on : EXT.

21. Courtroom VIPs : DAs

23. Beak : NIB

24. One-eyed monster : CYCLOPS

25. Repulsive : VILE

26. Nobel Prize subj. : ECON

27. Confiscated auto : REPO

29. Actor Kilmer : VAL

30. Laramie-to-Cheyenne dir. : ESE

31. Big truck : RIG

34. Prefix with dextrous : AMBI

35. Colorful horse : ROAN

36. Kid's punishment : NO TV. Like GOUP & PERSE, Tricky to parse at times.

 

38. Bullfight "All right!" : OLE

39. USN officer : CDR. Spitzboov was a Commander when he retired from the Navy Reserve. I love these pictures.

Sallie & Spitzboov

40. Sephia automaker : KIA

43. South African antelopes : RHEBOKS

45. Ike's WWII arena : ETO (European Theater of Operations)

47. Seat of County Kerry : TRALEE. Unfamiliar to me. What's it famous for?

48. School writing assignments : ESSAYS

49. "So what" : MEH

50. Racket : UPROAR

51. Sharp comeback : RETORT

52. "The __ in view; draw up your powers": "King Lear" : ENEMY'S. For Keith.

56. Actress Neuwirth : BEBE

57. Elevator name : OTIS

58. Dugout rackmates : BATS

60. Thurman of "Kill Bill" : UMA

61. '60s-'70s arena, briefly : NAM

62. PC component : CPU

63. Word on U.S. currency : GOD

64. Repent : RUE

Here is one more tip for Sallie and those who want a clearer picture for their avatar. 

Click on your Blue Name, then "Edit Profile" on the upper right, then scroll down to "Profile Picture", then click on "From Your Computer", then upload the picture & click on "Save Profile".

If you click on my blog picture on the left, you'll notice that it can be enlarged while others on the blog remain the same. It's because I did not click on "From Your Computer", I picked the second "From the web. Paste an image URL below". See below (click it, a clearer picture will show up).

I simply copy and paste a link from my Ginger Roots blog. You can copy & paste any link you like, whether it's from my Ginger Roots Blog Photo archive, or your Facebook, Instagram or any website (like here for Sallie's Crab).

Again, it might take a few tries. Be patient.

C.C.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Downers - Three things that will head you into a fall, either meteorologically, literally, or metaphorically. And they are all in the Down columns.

11D. Destined for one's comeuppance ... or what the last words of 3-, 9- and 25-Down are doing? : HEADING FOR A FALL

3D. Sultry stretch : DOG DAYS OF SUMMER. "the days dwindle down to a precious few"

9D. Vacation with worms? : FISHING TRIP. TRIP - fall down.

25D. Slogan on a Boston basketball fan's shirt : CELTIC PRIDE. Pride goeth before a (down)fall.

Argyle here. What have we done to deserve such largesse? First Marti and now C.C. and I have the privilege of blogging them both. Today we have two grid spanners and perhaps a tick harder fill so I think Rich got them in the right order.

Across:

1. Says "I do" to : WEDS. Doesn't need the 'to'.

5. Harvest bundle : SHEAF

10. Bone below the knee : SHIN

14. Big name in skin care : AVON. Still ringing doorbells?

15. Sculpture subjects : TORSI

16. Jay with a column in Popular Mechanics : LENO. "Jay Leno's Garage"

17. Smokes : CIGARETTES

19. Speak wildly : RANT

20. Dated song : OLDIE. From our collective adolescence.

21. Computer repair pros : TECHs

23. Fizzle out : DIE

24. 2013 Literature Nobelist Munro : ALICE

26. Words sighed after a defeat : I TRIED

28. Ice cream maker Joseph : EDY

30. Cultural funding gp. : NEA. (National Endowment for the Arts, not National Education Association)

31. Let loose, as pigs : UNPEN

32. Large group : PASSEL

34. Two-time Oscar-winning director Lee : ANG. Spike Lee hasn't won an Oscar.

35. Turkish general : AGHA

38. Pop star : IDOL

39. Fortuneteller's deck : TAROT

41. Corp. moneymen : CFOs. (chief financial officer)

42. Sidewalk eatery : CAFÉ

43. Suffix for a school of thought : ISM

44. Chopper blades : ROTORS

46. Classic role for Nimoy : SPOCK

                            LINK

48. Highchair protection : BIB

49. Be a fink : RAT

50. "Zip it!" : "SHUT UP!"

52. "Aida," for one : OPERA

54. Sewn edge : HEM

55. Catches in a sting : TRAPS

58. Until now : SO FAR

61. Poor box deposit : ALMS

63. "Tell me about it" : "I CAN RELATE"

65. Kennel pest : FLEA

66. "You've Got Mail" co-screenwriter Ephron : DELIA. Here with her late sister, Nora.(left)

67. Complete failure : FLOP

68. Civil suit cause : TORT

69. Philosophy test component : ESSAY

70. Shade trees : ELMS

Down:

1. Home of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame : WACO (From C.C.: TTP, do you remember you tricked me last time with your Texas Ranger Hall of Fame link? That's the clue I  submitted.)

2. Villainous : EVIL

4. Slow mollusk : SNAIL

5. Fr. holy woman : STE.

6. Drink with dim sum : HOT TEA

7. Art Deco artist : ERTE. "R T"

8. "Be there in __" : A SEC

10. Nikon product, for short : SLR. (single- lens  reflex camera)

12. Navel type : INNIE

13. Well-known : NOTED

18. Queen, in Quebec : REINE. "queen" in French.

22. Additive sold at Pep Boys : STP. 740 stores

27. Flinch, say : REACT

28. Long heroic poem : EPIC

29. Pop, to baby : DADA

31. One, for Juan : UNO

33. Got some shuteye : SLEPT

34. Pitcher's asset : ARM

36. Jewish wedding dance : HORA

37. Lead-in for prof. or D.A. : ASST.

40. Show curiosity : ASK

45. More than heavyset : OBESE

47. Not at home : OUT

48. __ and Herzegovina : BOSNIA

50. Golf club part : SHAFT

51. Greeting word : HELLO

53. John who married Pocahontas : ROLFE. Pocahontas saved Captain John Smith's life but married tobacco planter John Rolfe. His story.

56. Top pilots : ACES

57. Buds : PALS

59. Molecule part : ATOM

60. Crunch count : REPS

62. Used a chair : SAT

64. Boxing's Sugar __ Leonard : RAY

Argyle

Note from C.C.:


To Sallie & all those whose Blogger account was accidentally converted to Google Plus, please click here on how to switch back to your old account. Misty successfully got hers back last time. Be patient, it might take a few tries.

Monday, December 9, 2013 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: Y - Four theme entries that ask 'Why' but not a 'Y' to be found in the answers.

17A. "Why bother?" : "IT'S HOPELESS!"

27A. "Why me?" : "WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

43A. "Why worry?" : "FORGET ABOUT IT!"

57A. "Why not?" : "GIVE IT A SHOT"

Argle here. Warti is back upright for today's puzzle. Now can OwenKL give us some haiku.

Across:

1. Gem weight unit : CARAT

6. Three-line Japanese poem : HAIKU

11. Container for Peter Pan : JAR

14. "You __ busted!" : ARE SO

15. Past prisoner, for short : EXCON

16. Prefix for a lifesaving "Pen" : EPI

19. Bit of Morse code : DIT

20. Trivial gripe : NIT

21. Stow cargo : LADE

22. "57 Varieties" brand : HEINZ. Started with prepared horseradish.

24. Purr former : CAT. Cat update, Marti?

25. Plane for a small airstrip, briefly : STOL. Short TakeOff and Landing

33. Entire : WHOLE

34. Neeson of "Schindler's List" : LIAM

35. Carps at : NAGS

37. Blubber : BAWL

38. 90-degree pipe piece : ELL

39. Clinton's vice president : GORE. Al

40. Johnson of "Laugh-In" : ARTE

41. Island dance : HULA

42. Beast with one hump or two : CAMEL

46. Pet food brand with a ProActive Health variety : IAMS

47. Chimpanzee, e.g. : APE

48. Equally strange : AS ODD

51. Northwestern pear : BOSC

53. Revolutionary Guevara : CHE

56. Logician's proof ending : QED

61. Spoon-bending Geller : URI

62. Musical Merman : ETHEL

63. Eucalyptus-eating marsupial : KOALA

64. Civil War prez : ABE

65. Students' hurdles : TESTS

66. Kick out : EXPEL

Down:

1. Abel's older brother : CAIN

2. Class for potential painters : ART I

3. Remainder : REST

4. Residue in a smoker's tray : ASH

5. "You missed the deadline" : "TOO LATE"

6. Pay attention to : HEED

7. Wheel-supporting shaft : AXLE

8. Cold bagful for a party : ICE. or for your head after the party.

9. Bout enders, briefly : KOs. Knock Outs.

10. Without footwear : UNSHOD

11. "Star Wars" warrior : JEDI

12. Neat as __ : A PIN

13. Big name in hotels and crackers : RITZ

18. Hiker's route : PATH

23. Stretch out : ELONGATE

24. Phone screening service : CALLER ID

25. Underwater experiment site : SEALAB

26. Tiny Dickens boy : TIM

27. Pier : WHARF

28. Do-it-yourselfer's book genre : HOW TO

29. Indigenous Alaskans : ALEUTs

30. Grand Roman home : VILLA

31. Judd of country music : NAOMI

32. "Snowy" heron : EGRET

33. Fighter's org. : WBA. (World Boxing Association)

36. Salt, on the Seine : SEL. in France.

41. Partner of haw : HEM

42. Baked treat often wrapped in fluted paper : CUPCAKE. CED?

44. Gizmo : GADGET

45. Brewer's kiln : OAST

48. Greenish-blue : AQUA

49. Balkan native : SERB

50. Drooling toon dog : ODIE

51. Red root vegetable : BEET

52. Lubricates : OILS

53. Bloke : CHAP

54. Ice fishing access : HOLE

55. List-shortening abbr. : ET AL.

58. Suffix with Wyoming : ITE. Really

59. Old videotape type : VHS

60. Fenway team, for short : SOX. No wine reference today.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Hahtoolah, who never appears on the blog without an inspiring and thoughtful "Quote of the Day".  If you pay attention to the bracketed dates in Hahtoolah's quote source, you'll know that her quotes are never random. And she's been carefully selecting her quotes for us for a few years, talk about consistency! Her posts are also consistently caring & informative. (Dave, think cat!!)

Sunday December 8, 2013 Jean O'Conor

 Theme: "Drollery" - ERY sound is added to each familiar phrase, resulting spelling changes in a few theme entries.

 23A. Rush hour traffic reporters? : ARTERY CRITICS. Art critics.

 36A. List that includes "full," "round" and "wide"? : LIP GLOSSARY. Lip gloss.

 

 56A. Foes with bows? : ARCHERY ENEMIES. Arch-enemies.

 77A. Reason for a strange smell coming from the trunk of the car? : GROCERY NEGLECT. Gross neglect.

95A. "Chantilly Lace" and "Blue Velvet"? : FINERY TUNES. Fine-tunes.

114A. Group of sweet-talking experts? : FLATTERY PANEL. Flat panel.

3D. Hasty remark? : CURSORY WORD. Curse word.

69D. Food for thought? : BRAIN CELERY. Brain cell.

Two of the theme entries have second word altered. Two of the theme entries are in plural form. So no odd man out in the theme set. Consistency is very important in theme entry selection.

This puzzle only has 138 words. 144 is always the magic number to me.

Across:

1. Tex-Mex casserole : TACO PIE. Has anyone tried Korean taco?

8. Woodworking tool : LATHE

13. Where tie-dyeing may be done : AT CAMP

19. Came to : EQUALED

20. Phylicia of "The Cosby Show" : RASHAD. Won Tony for "A Raisin in the Sun".

21. Muse of comedy : THALIA. We often see her sister ERATO.

22. Foster : NURTURE

25. Confrontation-ending device : TASER

26. What the Tin Man had : NO HEART. He thought he didn't have.

28. Krypton, for one : RARE GAS

29. Like some contracts : ORAL

31. More than cool : RAD

32. Diplomatic office : EMBASSY

34. Like auxiliary vbs. : IRR.  Like "Be", in many languages. Chinese "Be" is the same for  you, I, we, etc. All Chinese verbs are.

39. Hardly rah-rah : TEPID

43. One-named "I Do!" singer named for a Jackson : TOYA. OK, named after La Toya  Jackson.

45. National No Socks Day month : MAY. May 8. New trivia to me.

46. 13 for Al, e.g. : AT NO. Aluminum.

47. Music genre heard in the film "The Big Easy" : ZYDECO

48. Ticket seller's query : HOW MANY

50. Happy : GAY

52. Rival of 56-Down : DDE. 56. Rival of 52-Across : AES. No-clue clues. I like when one of the cross-referenced entries is clued. The other can be "Rival of ? -Across/Down".

54. H.S. offering : DEG

55. Makes up (for) : ATONES

61. Kitchen gadget : CORER

62. Activity center : BEEHIVE

63. Lacquered metalware : TOLE

64. "Then ..." : AND SO

65. Tony's portrayer on "NYPD Blue" : ESAI. Very irrational when it came to his ex-wife.

66. Adjective for a 93-Across : OLDE. And 93. Quaintly named lodging : INNE.

68. Ready to bloom : IN BUD

72. Certain girder : I-BAR

74. More like a mountain road : SNAKIER. And 85. Like a dirt road vis-à-vis pavement : DUSTIER

76. MLB exec Joe : TORRE

81. Commercially, it started in the U.S. around the time of the Boeing 707 launch : JET AGE. Never heard of this term. Are we still in this age?

82. Pal of Harry and Hermione : RON. Just for Jazzbumpa!

83. Second-century date : CLI. 151.

84. NFL scores : TDs

86. Exceedingly : EVER SO

89. Pentagonal plate : HOME. Home plate.

92. Fr. neighbor : BEL (Belgium)

94. "__ the Beat": 1982 hit for The Go-Go's : WE GOT

99. No. after a dot : CTS. Oh, money.

100. Divulged : SPILLED

102. Hockey legend : ORR

103. Love-crazy Le Pew : PEPE

105. Go along with : AGREE TO

108. Make an error on, as a check : MIS-DATE

111. Early 20th-century Oklahoma boom town : TULSA

116. Pittsburgh skyscraper builder : US STEEL

118. Baseball's Posey : BUSTER. 2012 National League  MVP. For our River Doc. Hondo follows the Giants also.

119. Hun king: ATTILA

120. Pension collector : RETIREE

121. Guides : STEERS

122. Nos from Nikita : NYETS

123. Jules Léotard and Amelia Bloomer, for two : EPONYMS. It can refer to people after whom things are named or  things that derived from people.

 

Down:

 

1. It's pitched : TENT

2. Blue shade : AQUA

4. Genre featuring big hats : OATER

5. Deer or elk, sometimes : PLURAL. So irrational. They can be counted, why can't they take plural forms?

6. Court suffix : IER. Courtier.

7. Adam's first home : EDEN

8. Texas border city : LAREDO

9. Hollywood canine : ASTA

10. What's left : THE REST

11. Clinton imitator on "SNL" : HARTMAN (Phil)

12. Big name in ice cream : EDY

13. Gillette razors : ATRAS

14. Dry : THIRSTY

15. Having good night vision : CAT-EYED

16. Sacha Baron Cohen alter ego : ALI G

17. Flaky mineral : MICA

18. Hand at dinner : PASS. Please hand/PASS me the wild rice.

20. 1986 Indy champ : RAHAL (Bobby). I don't follow racing. Is the Letterman/Rahl team good?

24. Supercomputer maker : CRAY. Drew a blank, TTP!

27. Wild revelry : ORGY

30. Depicts in words : LIMNS

33. "Homeland" terrorist Nick : BRODY. JD likes the show. Read more here. Fascinating series.

34. Ivy League city : ITHACA

35. Encourage with cheers : ROOT ON

37. Fork over : PAY

38. Greet with two letters? : SAY HI. Great clue.

40. Cab starter : PEDI. Pedicab.

41. Slush Puppie maker : ICEE

42. Shepherds, perhaps : DOGS

44. Inclined to forget : AMNESIC

47. Greek known for paradoxes : ZENO.  The guy from Elea.

49. Oxygen-dependent organism : AEROBE

50. Stubborn stain : GREASE

51. Sore : ACHING

53. Thwart : DETER

 

57. Called forth : EVOKED

58. Bits of antiquity : RELICS

59. Privileged classes : ELITES

60. "Amahl and the Night Visitors" composer : MENOTTI

62. New Hampshire state mineral : BERYL. Minnesota does not have one. See here. Just learned from D-Otto's comment last week that we don't have State dog either. What's wrong with us? So cold here right now. I thought of Dr. Zhivago & Lara while walking through the thick snow & biting wind last Thursday night to attend a party.

67. Lt. Columbo, e.g. : DET

70. Pressing : URGENT

71. Some farm machinery : DEERES

73. Gas station acronym : ARCO

75. Trim to fit : ALTER

77. Sprouted : GREW

78. Travel randomly : ROVE

79. 10 C-notes : ONE G

80. It's nothing to Nero : NIHIL

81. Cocktail with a sprig of green : JULEP

85. Scout group : DEN

87. Prize ribbon feature : ROSETTE

88. Noted gatekeeper : ST. PETER

90. Almost out of gas : ON EMPTY

91. Try to make peace : MEDIATE

92. Actor Reynolds : BURT. Of course I thought of RYAN first.

95. Señorita's blossom : FLOR (Flower)

96. Alpine tunes : YODELS

97. Merry refrain : TRA LA

98. Gets busy with : SETS TO

101. Anatomical canals : ITERS. Learned from doing xwords.

104. Applied (for) : PUT IN. Tricky clue for me. Tricky tense too.

105. Homes for B-52s, briefly : AFBs

106. Superfluity : GLUT

107. Demolish, in Dorset : RASE

109. Bad mood : SNIT

110. __-et-Loir: French department : EURE. According to Wiki, Eure-et-Loir is named after the Eure and Loir rivers.

112. Come across as : SEEM

113. Many microbrews : ALES

115. TV chef Martin : YAN. He was born in Guangzhou also. The real Cantonese food is very light. Fresh veggie, fresh seafood, lightly steamed or sauteed. Most restaurants have live fish, snakes, etc. You pick what you want, the chef will then cook for you..

117. Pennant race mo. : SEP

Today we celebrate the birthday of Jazzbumpa (Ron),  who always gives us all he has every time he blogs. Click here for more pictures of his talented grandchildren. Amanda the ballet dancer spent a week with the Rockettes this past summer. Nate is a great baseball player.

(Updated later. Click here for 3 updated pictures Ron just sent to me.)
 

Gloria & Ron

In the yard: Gloria, Lauren, Josh, Me, Abby.

Happy 80th Birthday to Misty's husband Rowland as well! Hope it's an extra sweet day for both of you.

C.C.