Monday, November 11, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Highest Rating - 5-Star

64A. Headliner, or symbol associated with 20-, 28-, 37-, 42- and 50-Across : STAR

20A. Five-time Super Bowl winners : DALLAS COWBOYS

28A. "It's all about the beer" Dutch brewer : HEINEKEN

37A. "Miracle on 34th Street" store : MACY'S

42A. Big name in sneakers : CONVERSE

50A. Standard flown in Ho Chi Minh City : FLAG OF VIETNAM

Argyle here. C.C. on Monday; could that mean Marti on Tuesday? We should be so lucky.

Definitely needed the unifier today to make the connection between the entries.

Across:

1. Dinner for Mister Ed : OATS. Mr. Ed is a horse, of course.

5. On-the-job extras : PERKS. A short form of the word perquisite.

10. Cave feedback : ECHO

14. Snow remover : PLOW

15. Ice show site : ARENA. C'mon, snow and ice! Pushing the season a little.

16. D'back or Met : NLer

17. "East of Eden" director Kazan : ELIA. 1955 film with James Dean in his first major screen role.

18. Popular half of a 45, usually : SIDE A

19. Time division on a map : ZONE

23. Do a librarian's chore : SHELVE. (the books)

24. Last Greek letter : OMEGA

27. Pipeline product : OIL

31. Tweezer targets : BROWS

34. Club for the supersmart : MENSA. I hope Dennis survived yesterday. 60A. 34-Across member : BRAIN

35. Soccer goal : NET

36. Weight training units : REPS

38. Stand up : RISE

39. Make the most of : USE

40. Obama daughter whose Secret Service code name is "Rosebud" : SASHA. and 48D. Obama daughter whose Secret Service code name is "Radiance" : MALIA. Grew up in front of our eyes.

41. Parcels (out) : METES

44. Droop in the middle : SAG

45. Ford flop : EDSEL

46. Insurance filings : CLAIMS

55. Thug's knife : SHIV

57. Snow-block home : IGLOO

58. Prefix with cast : TELE

59. Not contaminated : PURE

61. Soprano's solo : ARIA

62. Shoe inserts : FEET

63. Road curves : BENDS

Down:

1. Opinion pieces : OP-EDs

2. God of Islam : ALLAH

3. Fabric often decorated with pastoral scenes : TOILE

4. Gulps down : SWALLOWS

5. Whole bunch : PASSEL

6. Guitarist Clapton : ERIC

7. Start all over : REDO

8. Felt in one's bones : KNEW

9. Swedish automaker : SAAB. Not exactly Swedish anymore. National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB, abbreviated as NEVS, purchased Saab Automobile's bankruptcy estate. By early 2014, NEVS plans to introduce its first electric vehicle based on the Saab 9-3.

10. Digestive protein : ENZYME

11. Tight, as families : CLOSE-KNIT

12. Lady lobster : HEN. Male lobster is a cock.

13. Find at the mine : ORE

21. "We Try Harder" car rental chain : AVIS

22. Chaplin granddaughter named for her grandmother : OONA

25. V-formation birds : GEESE

26. Gets in the poker game : ANTES

28. Anne of "Donnie Brasco" : HECHE

29. One-named "Orinoco Flow" singer : ENYA. LINK

30. Mag. edition : ISS. (issue)

31. Groundbreaking comic Lenny : BRUCE

32. Put down new grass sections : RESOD

33. Starts to shoot : OPENS FIRE

34. The "m" in E = mc² : MASS. Energy is equal to Mass times the speed of light((c) squared.

37. Make a dent in, say : MAR

38. Rowing races : REGATTAs. Word Origin & History: 1652, name of a boat race among gondoliers held on the Grand Canal in Venice, from It. (Venetian dialect) regatta, lit. "contention for mastery," from regattare "to compete, haggle, sell at retail," possibly from recatare. The general meaning of "boat race, yacht race" is usually considered to have begun with a race on the Thames by that name June 23, 1775 (cf. OED), but there is evidence that it was used as early as 1768.  Per Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

40. Actress Ward : SELA. She has become a crossword staple.

41. Gander or gobbler : MALE. Goose or turkey.

43. Soft-pile fabric : VELVET. Used to paint Elvis on.

44. Offshoots : SCIONS

47. Like neon and xenon : INERT

49. Mascara mishap : SMEAR

51. The Bee Gees' "Gee" : GIBB. Brothers Gibb.

52. Beast of fables : OGRE

53. Spanish dessert : FLAN. But the word isn't derived from Spanish.

54. Partner of null : VOID

55. Coppertone letters : SPF. (sun protection factor)

56. Shade of color : HUE

Argyle

Sunday November 10, 2013 Gail Grabowski

Theme: "Working Overtime" - OT spans across each theme entry.

 27A. Chocolate source : CACAO TREE

29A. One working with hammers : PIANO TUNER. Don G is one.

49A. Pest-snaring device : MOSQUITO TRAP. Summer in MN is lovely, except the mosquitoes. Ferocious.

64A. Classroom reminder : NO TALKING

83A. Cold War concept advanced by Eisenhower : DOMINO THEORY

101A. Outdoor furniture piece : PATIO TABLE. The Amish guy at our Annadale flea market makes beautiful patio furniture.

104A. Martial arts maneuver : JUDO THROW

36D. "That Girl" actress : MARLO THOMAS. Wife of Dr. Phil. (Edited later: She's married to Phil Donahue. Not Dr. Phil. Thanks for pointing out my mistake, D-Otto and others.)

40D. Naval weapons launcher : TORPEDO TUBE. Argyle can tell you more about it.

Reveal entry:

109D. NFL tiebreakers hidden in this puzzle's nine longest answers : OTs

You probably noticed that nearly all theme entries start in Row 3. Gail started this one in Row 4, similar to her "Tee Time" puzzle here.

Many of Gail's weekday 15*15 grids feature the classic pinwheel design, two theme entries Across, two entries Down. And you'll always find two theme answers in Down in her Sunday grids.

Across:

1. Tournament exemptions : BYEs

5. Sourpuss : PILL

9. Evaluate : JUDGE

14. Leaves at the last minute, in a way : JILTS

19. Fly, at times : LURE. Fishing.

20. Trendy berry : ACAI. I love Organix. They have a shampoo with Acai berry ingredient.

21. Australian exports : OPALs

22. Cat Nation people : ERIES. Did not know Cat Nation. Carrie Nation, Yes.

23. Overlook : OMIT

24. Registered, with "in" : SANK

25. __ Bell: Emily Brontë pen name : ELLIS. Here is the first edition of "Wuthering Heights". Ellis Bell. Never knew this trivia.

26. Up to this point : SO FAR

31. Bold move : DARE. Love Spitzboov's Mark Twain quote last week: Explore. Dream. Discover.

32. Suit : BEFIT

33. Enthusiasm : VIM

34. Cath. church eponym : ST. MARY

37. Heart container : CHEST

39. Probate concerns : ESTATES

43. Qualifying races : HEATS

44. Scored 75, say : HAD A "C". This kind of HAD A B/C answer is always hard for me.

45. Stretched to the max : TAUT

47. "Don't think so" : NOPE

48. Spread unit : ACRE

52. Cartoon dog : REN

53. Flyers' org. : NHL. I had this in my LAT on Tuesday. Barry G did not like it as it's an Abbr. It's a perfectly fine entry to me,  and I won't hesitate to use any time. Same with MLB, NBA, NFL, PGA, etc.

54. Sealing supplies : TAPES

55. Museum opening? : ART. Art museum.

56. Gathered : REAPED

58. Anka song with the phrase "kiss me mucho" : ESO BESO

60. Shot with lots of English : MASSE. Here, English is the spin.

62. Underline, say : STRESS

63. Work on an arm, maybe : TAT (Tattoo)

68. Flaky fish : COD

69. African hot spot : SAHARA

72. APB targets : PERPS

73. Galena, for one : LEAD ORE

77. Big name in food safety : ECOLAB. Based here in MN. Huge.

78. P.I. : TEC (Detective)

79. Captain's reference : CHART. Sea captain.

81. Daly of "Wings" : TIM. Tyne Daly's brother.

82. CD-__ : ROM

87. Starkers, across the pond : NUDE. Dictionary says British use "Starkers" for "naked". Learning moment for me, Steve! I actually read the clue as "Stalkers".

88. Snap up : GRAB

90. Vessels at banquets : URNS

91. Golfer's choice : WEDGE. DRIVER, PUTTER, IRON, that's all.

92. Cotton thread : FIBER

93. Like attached baths, in Bordeaux : EN SUITE

95. Ends of the earth : POLES

96. Sunday best : FINERY

97. Retired boomer : SST. This clue always makes me smile.

98. Image Awards org. : NAACP

100. "What __ could I do?" : ELSE

109. Ripley's closing words : OR NOT

110. Cousteau's realm : OCEAN

111. Rush job letters : ASAP

112. O'Neill's daughter : OONA

 

113. O'Neal's daughter : TATUM. Nice pair of clues.

114. "I can't go all my life waiting to catch you between husbands" speaker : RHETT

115. Lowers : DIMS

116. Created fiction? : LIED

117. Whack, biblically : SMITE

118. Rainy day brand : TOTES. Umbrella.

119. Not a challenge : EASY

120. Fraternal group : ELKS. For Abejo. He's very active in volunteer work.

Down:

1. Voting coalition : BLOC

2. Arizona county or its seat : YUMA

3. Stonestreet of "Modern Family" : ERIC. Gimme for Bill G, who's a fan of the show, or maybe just the lady in red.

4. Begin wedding plans : SET A DATE

5. Baklava, e.g. : PASTRY. Its texture seems to be similar to that of moon cakes.

6. Comforting comment : I CARE

7. Roped-off pool area : LANE

8. Facebook option : LIKE

9. "Casino" co-star : JOE PESCI

10. Elevate : UPLIFT.  Terry Gross had a great interview with Chris Hadfield last week. Very uplifting. He lives what Mark Twain preached (Great quote last week, Spitzboov): Explore. Dream. Discover.

11. __ Lama : DALAI. Good guy, though I do strongly believe Tibet is part of China.

12. Sun-on-ocean effect : GLINT

13. Canadian pump sign : ESSO

14. Like Boston College, say : JESUIT

15. Certain triathlete : IRONMAN

16. "... a tale / Told by an idiot": Macbeth : LIFE. How sad!

17. Forgo scissors : TEAR

18. Outdated geopolitical letters : SSR

28. They're secured in locks : OARS. Great clue!

30. Emmy winners, often : TV STARS

32. Inamorato : BEAU

34. Western classic : SHANE

35. Geek Squad pros : TECHS. Costly.

37. Discounted buy : CASE

38. Command posts: Abbr. : HDQS. I just use HQ.

39. Where to leave Port. : EUR. OK, I saw the . after Port, so does Port. here refer to Portugal?

41. Duel tools : EPEES

42. Ships : SENDS

44. Biker's welcome : HOP ON

45. Many sculptures : TORSI

46. When some folks retire : AT TEN. To bed!

49. Postgrad degrees : MAs

50. They may be assigned : TASKS

51. Family adoptee : PET CAT

54. The classical elements, e.g. : TETRAD. Chinese had 5: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water  & Wood.

57. Yankee slugger, familiarly : A-ROD. Here are just 3 of his ex-girlfriends. He dumped Cameron Diaz.

59. False god : BAAL

60. Florida's __ Island, near Naples : MARCO

61. Wildspitze, for one : ALP. We had the same clue earlier this year.

65. Agree to join : OPT IN

66. Typical Nome winter highs : TEENS

67. Driving hazard : GLARE

69. Twilled fabric : SERGE. Left, not the fabric on the right.

70. Squash variety : ACORN

71. On the verge of doing it : ABOUT TO

74. Hatch back? : ERY. Hatchery. Did you read the story about that New Hampshire farmer who feeds beer to his turkeys? 

75. Subway patron : RIDER

76. Rough stuff : EMERY

79. Turn over : CEDE

80. Fails to share : HOGS

84. One of a G.I.'s three squares : MRE

85. Unsolicited opinion : TWO CENTS

86. Toolbar offering : HELP

87. Like a short golf round : NINE HOLE. Gail plays golf. So does Rich, who used to be a scratch golfer. 

89. Escape, as a con : BUST OUT

92. Ring weapon : FIST. OK, boxing.

94. "Am I the problem?" : IS IT ME

95. It's a matter of taste : PALATE

96. Sister of Peter : FLOPSY. Peter Rabbit.

 98. Chip with cheese : NACHO

99. Red as __ : A BEET

100. Coated cheeses : EDAMS

101. Bath buggy : PRAM

102. Foe : ANTI

103. Civil wrong : TORT

104. Shade of green : JADE. Cantonese girls like to wear jade on a red string.  Jade is supposed to bring you good luck.

105. Old Voice of America org. : USIA (United States Information Agency, 1953 to 1999)

106. Muddy up : ROIL

107. .62 mi., in a race : ONE K. It's clued as "Short run, for short" yesterday. You won't find identical clues for the same entry for at least a month in LAT puzzles.

108. Rolls of notes : WADS

C.C.

Saturday, Nov 9th, 2013, Norm Guggenbiller

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing J,Q,W,X)

Blocks: 38

   This is a new constructor for me, but Norm's last LAT was this year in May.  As for the puzzle, lots of white on the first Across pass, but then some solid perp(endicular)s on the Down run filled in enough to go back and take some W.A.G.s.  Triple 9's in two corners and then a nifty little 4-way spiral of 9-letter words in the center, plus two 11-letter spanners intersecting two 11-letter climbers;

20A. Questionable strategy for a runner? : SMEAR TACTIC - Political office runners, that is

45A. Golf tournament display : LEADER BOARD - Lee Westwood is sponsored by UPS

11D. Bring up something sensitive : TOUCH A NERVE - Didn't quite "Nail It", more like I "pre-drilled" the hole for it - I pre-filled in "-N-E-S-S" for 29A, since a clue using "quality" usually implies this attribute

22D. Bodybuilding goal : SCULPTED ABS - I knew where this was going, but I started with SIX PACK, which was too short, then ROCK HARD, and that wasn't working.  So, for the ladies -

(dreaming) ONWARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Long-odds track bets : PERFECTAS - I never understood horse racing bets - here's a link for anyone else who feels the same

10. Early launch rocket : ATLAS - some history

15. Marketing resource : EMAIL LIST - ends up in my SPAM folder

16. Gear part : TOOTH

17. Small-time : PENNY ANTE

18. All, in Assisi : TUTTO - like this?

19. Piece of work : ERG - Ah - not "ART"

22. Tastes : SIPS - had it in, took it out, put it back in

23. Kept from spreading : IN CHECK

24. Media __ : CIRCUS

27. Kind of colorful shirt : ALOHA - I wanted Hawaiian, but it didn't fit - never heard it called an aloha shirt before today

28. Bad blood : ODIUM

29. Stale quality : TRITENESS

33. Fire : ZEAL - Early on, I cannot tell if it's the "AXE" kind of fire, or this, the enthusiasm kind

34. A cup may be one : PRIZE - So where was my mind?  I had --IZE, and thought B-SIZE cup, C-SIZE cup, D-SIZE....oh, a trophy, like in hockey....

 35. Computer menu option : EDIT - gee, FILE, SAVE, UNDO, VIEW, COPY....

36. Polite assent : YES, PLEASE

38. Scrubber's target : GRIME

39. Comedian Fields : TOTIE - quick bio

40. Capitulate : CAVE IN - DAH~! I had giVE IN, which messed me up

41. Soil test measure : PH LEVEL

44. Reduce : PARE - my first thought, and yet one of my last fills

47. Cristal maker : BIC - Totally baffled me - Cristal is Champagne, the 'good stuff'; here the reference is to the pen from the company of disposable products

50. "__ Smith and Jones": '70s TV Western : ALIAS - IMDb

51. Available to order : ON THE MENU

53. "__ honest ..." : I'LL BE

54. Like a tense person's teeth? : SET ON EDGE

55. One who's doomed : TOAST - see 52D

56. Read impatiently : SKIP AHEAD - Like this scene ( @ 0:46 )?

DOWN:

1. Latino Muppet prawn : PEPE - Never heard of him, but I do recognize him

2. It calls for immediate attn. : EMERgency

3. Buzzed : RANG

4. "Jaws" omen : FIN - Na-num.

5. Mythological paradise : ELYSIUM - because Utopeea is not how you spell it

6. Woodworking devices : CLAMPS - ah, not LATHES
Na-num
7. They have points : TINES - they ARE points

8. Dog star : ASTA

9. Make safe for use, in a way : STERILIZE
Na-num Na-num
10. Diplomacy figure : ATTACHÉ - I went with LIAISON - BZZZT~!!!

12. Singer Lenya : LOTTE - recognize her in "From Russia With Love"

13. Where to see some old clothes : ATTIC

14. Culture __ : SHOCK
Na-num Na-num Na-num Na-num
21. Fed. security : T-NOTE

24. Conspiratorial : COZY - I went with CAGY - seemed more appropriate

25. French bean product? : IDEE - Frawnch for 'idea'

26. River inlets : RIAs
Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na~!
27. Come about : ARISE - like him?

29. Head out West? : TRAIL BOSS

30. Emmy winner Falco : EDIE

31. __ Valley : SIMI

32. Uzi predecessor : STEN

34. Actor Gallagher : PETER

37. Tennis shutout : LOVE SET

38. Floral-sounding Los Angeles suburb : GARDENA - down in the grey area on this map - never been to L.A.

40. Sonic server : CAR-HOP

41. Braid : PLAIT

42. First response to a call : HELLO

43. Former boxer Ali : LAILA - Daughter of Muhammad

44. Page of music : PATTI

46. Short run, for short : ONE K

47. Eliot title character : BEDE - Adam Bede - a WAG, since I was not sure of BIC

48. "Listen to Your Heart" singer in the musical "Young Frankenstein" : INGA - could have been IGOR for all I know - loved the movie, didn't know there was a musical

49. Prompted : CUED

52. "Big deal" : MEH - and a crossword solver's response to an answer that seems a bit of a stretch for the clue

Splynter

Friday, November 8, 2013, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Hum the Homonym Hymn

It is Friday, and JW is back with a fun 'sound alike' puzzle where the second word in each of the 5 theme answers is a four-letter word which sounds like the end of the first word, but spelled differently, all clued whimsically. A very classic Friday format, with a central theme answer bracketed by two others top and bottom. Once you get the gimmick the theme is easy and very helpful. The fill has enough 3 and 4 letter words to make it doable and enough 8- letter fill like ALL HEART, ELEVENTH, I HOPE I DO,  LAST NAME,  SIDE DRUM, TORI AMOS to make it a challenge. What I did not know lined up nicely by perp. It also is one letter short of a pangram (for the newbies: a puzzle containing all 26 letters) and I will not whine about the missing one. Instead let's dance...

19A. Stadium section for charity workers? : VOLUNTEER TIER. (13). Speaking of Tennessee, did anyone watch the CMAs the other night?

26A. Really old hardwood? : ANTIQUE TEAK. (11).  This is a little different since it has five letters sounding like four.

35A. Disney's "Bambi"? : WHITETAIL TALE. (13). Nice clue, as they were all whitetail deer; the quotation marks tell you it is not the character. Interestingly DEAR DEER are also sound alikes.

44A. "Merrie Melodies" theme song? : CARTOON TUNE. (11). Warner Brothers cartoons pop up again. I was looking for a specific song at first.

54A. Emperor Justinian as a young man? : BYZANTINE TEEN. (13). This is a little different as TINE has to be heard in context.  This EMPEROR is one of the most influential of all time.

Across:

1. Something to pass or lower : THE BAR. Not the easiest way to start; I have done both in my life.

7. Crocus kin : IRIS. I am not good at flower families.

11. Samosa veggie : PEA. How many three letter veggies are there? For Jeannie.

14. Biblical dancer : SALOME. The Dance of the Seven Veils. While associated with the Christian bible as the cause of John the Baptist's death, she is never mentioned in the New Testament. How about RITA? (6;30).

15. Item in a musician's kit : SIDE DRUM. Not familiar with this term; it appears to be another term for snare drum, which did not fit? My musical mavens, help!

17. Western, e.g. : OMELET. Time to break some eggs people.

18. Kind and caring : ALL HEART. A clear shout out to our own divine one.

21. Keats work : ODE. Are we Keats intensive or what these days? 25A. Keats' "Sylvan historian" : URN. One of the ODE ON poems.

23. Steam : IRE.

24. Calypso relative : SKA. More island music.

32. "Phooey!" : RATS. I love that this is placed next to...

34. Give a damn? : CURSE. I really enjoyed this misdirection.

41. Paralyze with dense mist, as an airport : FOG IN.

42. "Horse Feathers" family name : MARX. Now we get to horse around. Go Groucho.

50. One of two single-digit Yankee uniform numbers that aren't retired : SIX. Two being the only other one, but after 20 years of Derek Jeter, can it be far behind? Can you name all the retired numbers through 10? 1 was the hardest for me.

51. A, in Acapulco : UNA.

52. "Mazel __!" : TOV. Literally luck good. Schlemazel made famous by Laverne and Shirley is its opposite.

53. Ranch handle : TEX. Fun clue.

61. "That's my intention" : I HOPE I DO. A rare four word phrase.

62. Around the bend, so to speak : INSANE.

65. "Flavor" singer/songwriter : TORI AMOS. I really like complete names. LINK.(4:06).

66. Beat badly : PUMMEL. Rhymes with pommel sometimes.

67. Letters to the Coast Guard : SOS.

68. TV component? : TELEvision?

69. Quick : SPEEDY. "Quick Alka Seltzer" just did not sound great as a company mascot.

Down:

1. Chicken general? : TSO.

2. Boar's Head product : HAM. The masters of meat.

3. Like November, in a way : ELEVENTH. Month.

4. Simple tie : BOLO. Back when I first was in a courtroom, a young attorney from the panhandle of Florida appeared before a judge wearing a BOLO; the judge would not let him speak until he had on a 'proper' tie.

5. First name in flight : AMELIA. More H(e)art.

6. Library requirement : RETURN.  Who doesn't love Mr. BOOKMAN. (2:36).

7. "The wolf __ the door" : IS AT. A very common expression during the depression.

8. Get to : RILE.

9. Sit in traffic, say : IDLE.

10. Very, in Vienna : SEHR. Sehr gut, getting some German in.

11. Words of tribute : PRAISE.

12. Golden State motto : EUREKA. From the gold rush days followed immediately by

13. California Zephyr operator : AMTRAK.

16. "Law & Order: SVU" rank : DETective.

20. Bottom line : NET. Do they rhyme?

21. Word of possession : OUR.

22. Western challenge : DRAW. Is there any more famous? CLIP. (2:35).

27. Terse refusal : I CAN'T. Is this better than I won't?

28. Who, in Paris : QUI. Moi!

29. Item shortened at bitly.com : URL. This was totally beyond my computer knowledge.

30. Md. hours : EST. Eastern Standard Time in Maryland.

31. Cooperative group : TEAM. Go Dolphins.

33. Cake recipe word : SIFT. So many four letter cooking words, I had to sift through all of them in my mind to get this.

36. As well : TOO.

37. Massage beneficiary : EGO. Not pec or lat; ah well.

38. Its atomic number is 50 : TIN. Tinbeni gets shout outs on so many Fridays, and today, two. 56D. Bar order : NEAT.

39. Common sorting basis : LAST NAME.

40. Lakeside Pennsylvania city : ERIE.

43. Love letters? : XXX. OOO.

44. Ark units : CUBITS. Another ancient word, basically the length from the elbow (Cubitum in Latin) to the tip of your middle finger.

45. "As I was sayin' ..." : ANY HOO. I can hear our dear California coven using this phrase.

46. They may be straight : RAZORS. No un-pc jokes needed here. (Send to my email).

47. 4 x 4, briefly : UTE.

48. Policy at some restaurants : NO TIPS. Really!?! I have never eaten in one. And I am only part French Canadian.

49. Align carefully : EVEN UP.

55. Prefix with culture : API. Despite loving Sherlock Holmes books etc., the reference to bees (Latin APIS) would have escaped me without perps.

57. "The devourer of all things": Ovid : TIME. There is even a series of coffee mugs featuring Ovid quotes. LINK.

58. Statue of Vishnu, e.g. : IDOL. Indian deity.

59. Oenophile's criterion : NOSE. A quick recall of yesterday's wine theme.

60. __ Squalor: Lemony Snicket character : ESME. I do not know the books or Jim Carrey movie, but I did recall the short story. What does the Lemony mean in his name? Am I a Snicket?

63. Composer Rorem : NED. We get Ned often, so a TASTE of his music. (2:06).

64. English cathedral city : ELY.

I must stop putting off my trip to England; I will not put off my trip to a long week end. Enjoy and remember all the veterans including our own, Dennis and all you others who served.  Until next time, thank you Jeffrey and thank you all for reading. Lemonade out.

Thursday, November 7, 2013 Andrea Carla Michaels and Gregory Cameron

Theme: "Red Wine Makes Me Awesome..."

I feel like I hit the jackpot with this theme!

17-Across. Wine enthusiast's list of killer reds? : SEVEN DEADLY ZINS. (Seven deadly sins.) Zin is the short term for Zinfandel, one of California's leading grapes.

I cracked up when I figured this one out, because there actually is a wine called by that name. In fact, I think I have some in my cellar...

36-Across. Wine enthusiast's "That's how it goes"? : QUE SYRAH SYRAH. (Que sera, sera.) Syrah grapes originated in SE France, in the Rhone wine region.

57-Across. Wine enthusiast's philosophy? : LIFE IS A CABERNET. (Life is a caberet.) Cabernet is one of the most ubiquitous grapes in the world.

There were a couple of other gratuitous wine-related entries:

48-Across. Effervesce, as some wine : SPARKLE.

61-Across. Champagne choice : BRUT. A term meaning "dry" in the oenophile world.

A theme near and dear to my heart! And I do believe it is Gregory's debut. Congratulations!

Across:

1. Hollywood special effects, briefly : CGI. I'm pretty sure it means Computer  Generated Imagery, but I'm open to suggestions.

4. Did, but doesn't now : USED TO.

10. 1970s-'80s sketch comedy show : SCTV. Second City Television.

14. "Prince Valiant" prince : ARN.

15. Brian McKnight/Vanessa Williams duet with the line "It conquers all" : LOVE IS. Here's the video, if you care to listen.

16. Chain with stacks : IHOP. International House of Pancakes.

20. "I __ Symphony": Supremes hit : HEAR A. Sorry: I'm already at my self-imposed one-link-limit!

21. Hoover underlings : FBI MEN.

22. Stands the test of time : ENDURES.

25. Out to lunch, so to speak : IN A DAZE. (...another gratuitous wine reference??)

28. Shed tears : WEEP. (Unlike milk, it is OK to weep over spilled wine...)

29. Kaput : SHOT.

31. Mineo of film : SAL.

32. Barcelona bar bites : TAPAS. (With a nice Rioja wine, of course!)

34. Dust particle : SPECK.

40. Bankrolls : FUNDS.

41. Man-to-boy address : KIDDO.

42. Feel ill : AIL.

43. It's saved in bits : DATA.

44. Stinging insect : WASP.

52. Helter-__ : SKELTER.

54. "Uh-oh" : WHOOPS. ("I just spilled wine all over the rug!")

56. Sierra __: Freetown's country : LEONE.

62. First novel in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle : ERAGON.

63. Take steps : ACT.

64. Eggs sprinkling : SALT.

65. Levels of society : STRATA.

66. __ down the law : LAY.

Down:

1. Nut used in Asian cooking : CASHEW.

2. Novelist Graham : GREENE.  He wrote "The Third Man."

3. Overrun : INVADE.

4. Arm bone-related : ULNAR.

5. Lawn maker : SOD.

6. Celebration time : EVE. (Time to break out the champagne!)

7. Fall on __ ears : DEAF.

8. Choice piece : TIDBIT.

9. Singer K.T. : OSLIN.

10. Judged, with "up" : SIZED.

11. Waters off Taiwan : CHINA SEA. Nailed it, C.C. !!

12. Cargo unit : TON.

13. Cheney and Biden: Abbr. : VPS.

18. Lost one's temper : ERUPTED.

19. Sumac of Peru : YMA. She lives on in crossword puzzles.

23. Glimpse : ESPY.

24. __-Pei : SHAR. Who could resist a face like this?

26. Golfer Johnson : ZACH.

27. Antlered animal : ELK.

30. Neighbor of Kobe and Kyoto : OSAKA.

33. Mule parent : ASS.

34. "Sammy the Seal" author Hoff : SYD. From the "I Can Read" children's series.

35. Cat burglar : PROWLER.

36. Bon mot : QUIP.

37. Illicit : UNLAWFUL.

38. Google goals : HITS.

39. Minn. neighbor : S. DAK.ota.

40. Scale notes : FAs.

43. Hit the road : DEPART.

45. Like many a John Cage composition : ATONAL. Avant garde composer, perhaps best known for his 4'33" (four minutes, thirty-three seconds) piece, in which the musicians on the stage sit and do not play.  The "music" is actually the environmental sounds the audience hears during that time.

46. Largest of New York's Finger Lakes : SENECA.

47. Comely : PRETTY.

49. Butler of fiction : RHETT.

50. Ornamental pond fish : KOI.

51. Draws the short straw, say : LOSES. (It's OK, I never drink wine with a straw, anyway!)

53. Justice Kagan : ELENA.

55. Lasting mark : SCAR.

57. Lots of ozs. : LBs.

58. Keogh plan kin : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

59. Ottoman dignitary : AGA.

60. Sci-fi sidekick, often : BOT.tle of wine?  (Oh, I think they mean RO-bot...)

It has to be 5:00 somewhere: Cheers!  (^0^)

Marti

Note from C.C.:

1) Do you still remember Andrea Carla Michaels from this picture I showed on the blog in June? She is very witty, warm, bubbly and encouraging. She's one of the constructors for Crossword LA. She's also teaming up with Tom Pepper for our MN Crossword Tournament next year. I googled her co-constructor Gregory Cameron, but found a bishop?

Left to right: Tom Pepper; Marcia J. Brott; George Barany; David Hanson; DK, C.C.; Andrea; Boomer & Victor Barocas

2) For those of you who don't have a blue profile in the Comments section, please can you click on the Name/URL button, see below. Then put your name there. Alias is fine. It's just hard for others to respond to you if you choose the Anonymous option.

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