Monday, November 18, 2013 Erik Agard

Theme: D&D - Sorry boys, not Double D. Phrases that start with D's, more like Dungeons and Dragons except in this case, the first two letters of each D word are duplicated.

16A. First two reindeer named in Rudolph's song : DASHER AND DANCER

25A. Use a mouse to move a file between folders, say : DRAG AND DROP

43A. List of behavioral recommendations : DOs AND DON'Ts

55A. 2003 prequel subtitled "When Harry Met Lloyd" : DUMB AND DUMBERER

Argyle here. I don't know if having the first two letters dupe was intentional but it probably was. Still pretty straight forward for an Eric Agard puzzle. No need for a unifier or reveal. Outstanding long Down fill today plus two grid spanners.

Across:

1. Michael who plays Alfred in many Batman movies : CAINE. Alfred "Pennyworth"(an assumed surname)

6. Mess maker : SLOB. Certainly not Alfred.

10. Remote : FAR

13. Lightweight synthetic : ORLON

14. Nothing, in Nicaragua : NADA

15. Scheme in which three of four lines rhyme : AABA

19. Jai __ : ALAI

20. Fury : IRE

21. Baseball legend Mickey : MANTLE. Do you have a rookie card, C.C.? (From C.C.: Nope. Boomer had the whole set of 1952 Topps, but he sold all in the 1980s. He sold his Mantle card (in perfect mint condition) for $900 and has been regretting every day.)

22. It has a trunk but no wheels : TREE

24. Layered cookie : OREO

30. Queue between Q and U : RST. Unique way to clue an alphabet string.

33. Charged, infantry-style : RAN AT

34. The Beatles' "Abbey __" : ROAD. EMI Studios were on Abbey Road.

35. Administer, as justice, with "out" : METE

36. Eden exile : ADAM. 11D. 36-Across' second son : ABEL

37. Thorax organs : LUNGS. Thorax, the part between the neck and the abdomen.

38. Thor's father : ODIN

39. Book part : PAGE

40. Former Atlanta arena : OMNI

41. Lopsided : ATILT. An "A" word.

42. Make a typo : ERR

45. Cry of dismay : "ALAS!"

47. Ten-speed unit : GEAR

48. Prisoner : INMATE

50. "How can __ sure?" : I BE

                             LINK

51. Ring of light : HALO

58. Many Keats poems : ODEs

59. Stunt rider Knievel : EVEL

60. Sprinkles or drizzles : RAINS

61. Was in first : LED

62. "Don't touch that __!" : DIAL

63. Supplement : ADD TO

Down:

1. Sonata ending : CODA

2. Inland Asian sea : ARAL

3. "Casablanca" heroine : ILSA

4. Diamond gem : NO HIT GAME

5. Santa Barbara-to-Las Vegas dir. : E-N-E

6. Marching band percussion instruments : SNARE DRUMS

7. Freeway division : LANE

8. Unusual : ODD

9. Snits : BAD MOODS

10. Accounted for, as during calculations : FACTORED IN

12. Steak request : RARE

15. Diarist Frank : ANNE

17. Nothing, in Nice : RIEN

18. 50-and-over org. : AARP

23. Critter before or after pack : RAT

25. Fall in folds : DRAPE

26. Plane tracker : RADAR

27. Made "talent" from "latent," e.g. : ANAGRAMMED. Got thrown by the double M.

28. Prima __ : DONNA

29. 1980 De Niro film about a boxer : "RAGING BULL". Filmed in black and white.

31. Clown heightener : STILT. Neat trick, standing on one stilt.

32. Camp shelters : TENTS

35. British heavy metal band with the album "Ace of Spades" : MOTÖRHEAD

                               LINK

37. Not as tight as before : LOOSENED

41. Cavity filler's org. : ADA. (American Dental Association)

43. Census gathering : DATA

44. Regard : DEEM

46. Research sites : LABS

48. Revered entertainer : IDOL

49. Naked : NUDE

50. Inventor's spark : IDEA

52. Bone-dry : ARID

53. Gave for a while : LENT

54. Roughly : OR SO

56. 506, in old Rome : DVI

57. Bikini top : BRA. OK, Double D bra link

Argyle

Sunday November 17, 2013 C.C. Burnikel

 Theme: "Logical Connections" - ERGO is hidden in the middle of each theme entry.

 

24A. Imaginary kids' author : MOTHER GOOSE

31A. NFL commissioner since 2006 : ROGER GOODELL. The most powerful man in sports. 

49A. Zeus or Thor : THUNDER GOD

52A. Job interview subject : CAREER GOAL

 

87A. Sport with orange balls, perhaps : WINTER GOLF. Argyle gave me this clue. Golf is his passion.

89A. Lynne Cheney's predecessor : TIPPER GORE

103A. Hand-crafted belts, e.g. : LEATHER GOODS

114A. Vision-distorting condition caused by a few too many cold ones, slangily : BEER GOGGLES

And reveal entry:

122A. Logical connection hidden in eight puzzle answers : ERGO

C.C. here. 

This puzzle title is Rich's. Most of the clues are his too. You can click here to see my original submitted clues.

I initially had ERGO placed as the last Across entry, but it resulted in a pair of dupes:

1) SEES FIT (35A) &  SEE NO (107D)

2) ELSA (48D) & ELSIE  (113A)

So I moved ERGO one row up. Little 3-word dupes are tricky on Sundays, esp for fill like EAT/ATE.

  

Initial Lower Right Corner

Across:

1. Like Narcissus : VAIN

5. Tiny tiff : SPAT

9. The pyramids, for 28-Across : TOMBS. And 28. Pyramid figures : PHARAOHS. Too close not to be cross-referenced.

14. Yawn : GAPE

18. Two-time Italian prime minister Moro : ALDO. He stumped me last time. He was kidnapped and killed.  Wiki said this: When Moro was abducted, the government immediately took a hard line position: the "State must not bend" on "terrorist demands".

19. Zero __ : HOUR

20. Troubled greatly : ATE AT

21. Affected : ARTSY

22. Rewards for Fido : PATS

23. Kitchen add-on? : ETTE. Kitchenette.

26. Missouri River city : OMAHA

30. Flies into a rage : ERUPTS

33. [Like that!] : SNAP

34. Scrub : SCOUR. I like scouring my pots and pans. Therapeutic.

35. Deems proper : SEES FIT

38. "The Newsroom" channel : HBO. Created by Aaron Sorkin, the guy behind "You can't handle the truth!"

41. "Oh no!" : ACK

44. Miss the mark : ERR

45. Bob and bun : DOs

46. Cold cube in Cologne : EIS. Just ice.

47. Sign of life : PULSE

54. Bausch & Lomb brand : RENU

55. Bitty bites : NIPS

56. End of time? : SILENT E. Rich's clue.

57. Calendar rows: Abbr. : WKS

58. Prank : ANTIC

60. Gave a darn? : SEWED

62. Indulge, with "on" : DOTE

63. Lamb's lament : BAA

64. Bitty bits : ATOMS

67. Utter : SHEER. The sheer meanness of some anonymous posts on our blog! So glad our regulars don't engage them. They don't deserve our attention.

69. "Toy Story" composer Newman : RANDY. Very impressive career.

71. Water__: dental gadget : PIK

73. Us, in Cannes : NOUS.  Every girl was reading "Entre Nous" a few years ago.

75. Relevant, to lawyers : AD REM

77. Unlit? : SOBER. Also Rich's clue.

80. 1996 Olympic torch lighter : ALI

81. Short-range weapons : MORTARS

83. Too colorful : LOUD

86. Pure delight : GLEE. My feeling after watching Spitzboov's Guangzhou clip last week. Want to see the historical sites in my hometown Xi'An?

91. Kept under wraps : SAT ON

92. U.K. record label : EMI

93. Paper Mate rival : BIC

94. "Eww, spare me the details!" : TMI

95. Panda Express cooker : WOK. Boomer prefers the Super Grand Buffet here in MN.

96. California's Marina __ Rey : DEL. Five miles north of where Bill G lives. This photo is exactly 1-year-old. Jordan is now 9.

Bill G & his grandson Jordan

97. Toaster treat : POP TART

99. Henchmen : THUGS

101. Interpol home, locally : LYON. We add S, we also add S to Marseille. I don't know why.

108. Grocery load : ARMFUL

111. "Carmen" aria : HABANERA

113. Kama __ : SUTRA

116. Close link : BOND

118. Baseball feature : SEAM

119. Small part : CAMEO. I had a trivia for this one.

120. Square one : START

121. Being aired : ON TV

123. Wild plum : SLOE

124. Support staff: Abbr. : ASSTS

125. Unwanted sprout : WEED. And 56D. Sprouts-to-be : SEEDS

126. Slugger who hit his first home run off Clemens : SOSA. Did you know this trivia, TTP & Husker Gary?

Down:

1. Steam, e.g. : VAPOR

2. Texas landmark : ALAMO

3. Luggage clip-on : ID TAG

4. Bites : NOSHES

5. Every other hurricane : SHE

6. Mishmash : POTPOURRI

7. Name on a spine : AUTHOR. Book spine.

8. Tire pattern : TREAD

9. They may be hot : TAMALES. Lucina, do you prepare tamales for Thanksgiving also?

10. "Lawrence of Arabia" star : O'TOOLE

11. John Wesley's relig. : METH

12. Words of disgust : BAHs

13. Holy mlle. : STE

14. Occasionally awkward show of affection : GROUP HUG. I'm sure Dave and Manac will find the awkward ones.

15. Perching on : ATOP

16. Hushed "Hey!" : PSST

17. Spud's buds : EYES

21. Bhopal Shatabdi Express stop : AGRA. Easily guessable, right? It's hard to come up with fresh clues for AGRA or OREO.

25. Flat rate? : RENT

27. Like most golf shots : ARCED

29. Patch, as a lawn : RE-SOD

32. Bridge immortal : GOREN

33. Assent showing respeto : SI, SENOR. Respect.

36. Close tight : SEAL

37. Let go : FIRED

39. Detailed : BLOW BY BLOW

40. Yodo River city : OSAKA. Never head of Yodo River.

41. Razor handle : ATRA

42. "Big Brother" host Julie : CHEN

43. Gambian-born "Roots" character : KUNTA KINTE. I learned about slavery from watching "Roots".

45. Teaspoons, maybe : DOSES

47. Fusses in front of a mirror, say : PREENS

48. Model/actress Pataky : ELSA. She dated Adrien Brody for a few years.

50. Nantes night : NUIT

51. Rte. finder : GPS

52. Apple product : CIDER. Not iSomething. How do you like your Mac so far, D-Otto?

53. Jazz legend James : ETTA

59. Scam artists : CON MEN

61. Berth place : WHARF

65. Keep from drifting away : MOOR

66. Operation VIP : SURGEON

68. Dig find : RELIC

70. Big name in rap : DOGG. Snoop (Lion now) or Nate.

71. Bear hands : PAWS

72. Trojan War epic : ILIAD

74. Jazz dance : STOMP

76. Swabbing need : MOP

78. Gateway Arch designer Saarinen : EERO

79. Smell bad : REEK

82. Made a touchdown : ALIT

84. Play for higher stakes : UP THE ANTE

85. Beg to differ : DEMUR

88. Like most customer support numbers : TOLL-FREE

89. Powerful deity : TITAN

90. Mid-'40s World No. 1 tennis pro Bobby : RIGGS

93. Chicken servings : BREASTS

97. Sport with horses : POLO. I've got to link Nacho Figueras, the face of Polo.

98. Nobelist Camus : ALBERT

99. High chair : THRONE

100. Barflies : SOUSES

102. '80s-'90s Serbian auto import : YUGO

104. Quarterback known for kneeling : TEBOW (Tim). I thought he'd be another Tom Brady.

105. Alamogordo's county : OTERO

106. Party poopers : DRAGS

107. Island group near Fiji : SAMOA

108. Early lessons : ABCs

109. Bona fide : REAL

110. Staff note : MEMO

111. 5'4" and 6'2": Abbr. : HGTS. That's mine and Boomer's.

112. "Poor me!" : ALAS

115. Govt. property agency : GSA

117. Redbox rental : DVD

C.C.

Saturday, Nov 16th, 2013, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70 (missing K,Q,X)

Blocks: 30

   Again I sensed we were getting a Silkie....Lots of 'awards'* in this one. Triple 9's in two corners, and double 10-letter climbers in the other two; curiously, but probably not unplanned, the first pair both end in "-DAY", which resulted in baseball related crossings:

2D. Event celebrated in "Through the Looking-Glass" : UNBIRTHDAY

3D. When "you're gonna want me for your girl," in a 1963 hit : "ONE FINE DAY"

30D. Album that includes "Michelle" : RUBBER SOUL - The Beatles
 
31D. Disbeliever's comeuppance : "I TOLD YOU SO~!" - I seem to say this a lot; guess I need to be a little more insistent the first time....

o n w a r d

ACROSS:

1. Elevates : BUOYS - I was feeling jaunty today, and just went right ahead with whatever thought came to mind; so this was "LIFTS" at first - hey, I figured the "S" was right....

6. Nearly : JUST ABOUT - and this went right in as well - and stayed

15. Reaction to flatness : ENNUI - I thought we might be looking for a variation of "PTUI", spitting out flat soda

16. Not predestined : AVOIDABLE - UPS has a category of accidents they classify as "avoidable" - in other words, one that they can blame on "ME".  We did get our computers installed for the new "ORION" system this past week - see D-Otto's comment from Tuesday

17*. 1975 Pulitzer winner for criticism : EBERT - well, now that I see it, seems pretty obvious

18. Early German fliers : ZEPPELINS

19. Whiskey purchase : FIFTH - not QUART

20. Jolts : ZAPS

21. Substantive part : MEAT

22. Sanskrit term of respect : SRI

23. Old Spanish bread : PESETA - money slang

25. Safe investment choices : T-NOTES - went with T-BONDS, which was 67% right

28. Bad mark : DEMERIT

33*. "Monster" Oscar winner : THERON - Charlize

34. Court service : JURY DUTY

35. Accessory : ADD ON

36. "Shirt Front and Fork" artist : ARP - Image

37. Drum accompanying a fife : TABOR - ah, not snare, but essentially, a portable snare drum; the classic image

38. Team nicknamed the Halos, briefly : L.A. ANGELS

40. Risk : GAMBLE

41*. Five-time 30-game winner of early baseball : CY YOUNG - and the MLB pitcher's award

42. Got tight : TENSED

43. Moisture overload results, in plants : EDEMAS

45. Manhattan part : RYE - the mixed drink, which was popular with my family, but not me

47. Door support : JAMB

51. Source of a cc : ORIGinal - the carbon copy cc, not a "VIAL" cc - and a shout out to our host~!

52. "Lolita" co-star, 1962 : MASON - IMDb

54. Side unit : ONION RING - side DISH would have to be plural

56. One way to think : ALOUD

57. Court expert : TENNIS ACE

58. "The Liberty Bell" composer : SOUSA

59. Made more attractive, as a deal : SWEETENED

60. Serf : HELOT

DOWN:

1. Gripes : BEEFS

4. Mongolian dwelling : YURT - fixed my "LIFTS"

5. Jedi foes : SITH - fear of the "Darths"

6. Spices (up) : JAZZES

7. Eye parts : UVEAs

8. Absorbed : SOPPED UP

9. Adviser of a sort : TIPSTER

10. Cannon attachment : ADE - Cannonade

11. Soother : BALM

12*. Drama Desk relative : OBIE - Broadway Awards

13. Prismatic bone : ULNA - well, you can sort of see it in this image - 

14. Lab work : TEST

23. Parker product : PEN

24. "The Joy Luck Club" author : AMY TAN - won a BAFTA award

26. Campus town near Bangor : ORONO  - Ha HA~! I knew this would come around sooner or later

27. Shoe part : TONGUE

29. Semi-hard cheeses : EDAMS

32. London flat? : TYRE - British spelling for the rubber that meets the road - and sometimes a nail or screw in that same road

33. It's 1 on the Mohs scale : TALC - Hardness - for minerals, that is - see here

34. Some coll. students : JRs

36. Constantine native : ALGERIAN

39. Back : ENDORSE

40. Some microwaves : GEs - I went with LGs first

42. Caught stealing, say : TAGGED - I tried NABBED, but the two crosses ending with "B" seemed a bit too much

44. Chop up : MINCE

46. Stop by : END AT

47. Little bits : JOTS

48. Fresh : ANEW

49. Place for a rock group? : MINE - nice

50. Something to pick? : BONE - "I've got a bone to pick with you~!" - a bit of history

52. Plymouth potato dish : MASH

53. 11-Down substance : ALOE - good way to avoid having to clue this "lotion ingredient"

55. Young louse : NIT - and those little things in crosswords that tend to irk some solvers~!

Splynter

Friday, November 15, 2013, Jerry Edelstein

Theme: I'LL be back.

The sound of "I'LL" is attached to the end of in the language phrases to create a new and entertaining phrase. The second effort in the LAT by JE, who was introduced to us by Argyle back on D-O's birthday. All the words that are added on to are three letters, with only one part of a three word phrase. This type of consistency is part of creating a sound grid, I am told. Structurally, this does not seem like a Friday puzzle, as many of the words are 3 or 4 letters long, but the cluing of many of those requires some patience to find the fill. let's see where he takes us this time.

16A. Porky's jacket and tie? : PIG STYLE. (Pig Sty) (8). Another cartoon reference; I like cartoons.

27A. Prohibition at the Ivory soap factory? : NEVER SAY DIAL. (Never Say Die) (12). My favorite, mental picture, with lots of bars of soap floating in the factory.

44A. Pre-law classroom exercise? : COLLEGE TRIAL. (College Try) (12). Along with Beer a common Friday topic.

60A. Bad place to be shipwrecked? : EVIL ISLE. (Evil Eye) (8). My favorite SCENE. (2:58).

Across:

1. "__ goes!" : HERE. I needed to wait on this simple phrase.

5. Runway model? : JET. Really cute misdirection, and a way to make a three letter answer Friday word.

8. Brewery shipments : CASES. The Friday Beer reference out of the way early.

13. U.S. citizen : AMER. Ooo, a tortured abbreviation.

14. "Come __ the sea, / Maiden with me": Thomas Moore : O'ER. How appropriate here at poetry central that we have this POEM.

15. Area : LOCALE. The what becomes of hicale?

18. Hunter's trophy : ANTLER. Normally we nit about an unnecessary plural, here I wonder how a hunter would get just one.

19. Source of many dialogues : PLATO.

20. Big name in game shows : MERV. Griffin, who brought back Jeopardy and created Wheel of Fortune as well as having his own talk show, years as a band singer and hung out in Manhattan with Eva Gabor.

22. FDR power program : TVA. Tennessee Valley Authority. one of the earliest and most comprehensive of programs in response to the Great Depression.

23. Longing : YEN. Do Japanese people long for money when they are short?

24. Circle : REVOLVE. Revolve the wagons just does not have the same zip.

32. __ ghanouj: eggplant dish : BABA. The dip, quite yummy. Learn HOW.

35. Theoretical foreigners, briefly : ETS. Aliens, Extra Terrestrials

36. Declaim : ORATE.

37. Twist et al. : OLIVERS. I like it better when a second one is added, like Twist and Hardy, but that may be too easy for Friday.

39. Compact containers? : GARAGES. Another simple but effective misdirection.

41. It rarely happens at home : STEAL. A baseball clue, hidden here.

42. Equinox mo. : SEP. Along with MAR.

43. "__ you be my neighbor?": Mister Rogers : WON'T.

48. 1993 Disney acquisition : MIRAMAX. Nobody really knows this, but after a while it emerged.

49. More, in Morelia : MAS. Roberto Duran now denies saying "No mas" in the Leonard fight.

52. Spice : ZIP.

55. Daredevil Knievel : EVEL. More "evil' in our puzzle; where is Mike Myers?

56. "Awake in the Dark" author : EBERT. Movie critic intensive lately. BUY?

58. Waiting to buy tickets, say : IN LINE.

63. Allows : GRANTS.

64. Sermon topic : SIN. Do they sin in Cincinnati?

65. Making waves, perhaps : ASEA. An A word that is very common in puzzles.

66. Excites : SENDS. YOU SEND ME. (4:19).

67. Geometry shortening : TANgent. One way to get a gent in this room.

68. Go down : SINK. Well, I guess it is time to go to the down clues.

Down:

1. __ hour : HAPPY. Are we really limited to 60 minutes of joy per day?

2. Rousseau's "__, or On Education" : EMILE. No clue as to this BOOK.

3. Duke of Cornwall's wife, in Shakespeare : REGAN. In King Lear, who also has been popular lately. Love me the Shakespeare.

4. Back then, back when : ERSTwhile. A real but probably archaic word.

5. Delight : JOY. More than hour.

6. Fish with no pelvic fin : EEL. So that's the difference.

7. Seismograph readings : TREMORS.

8. __ belt : CONVEYOR. This is nice long, original fill, which I had from the perps.

9. Legislative decision : ACT.

10. Season, in a way : SALT.

11. Height meas. : ELEV. Denver really is 5280 feet.

12. Day song word : SERA. We had this song as the basis of a punny theme answer last week.

15. Baby bug : LARVA. Hi John Lampkin.

17. Rent : TORE. Really very difficult clue/fill, as the mind wants to think of a lease payment, not a garment ripped apart. As I said, while the puzzle has lots of short fill, like earlier in the week puzzles, much of the cluing is challenging.

21. Little League starters? : ELS. A nice change from the Golfer Ernie, clue.

25. "Oh, when will they __ learn?": Seeger lyric : EVER. The only song for which I know all the words.  Where have all the flowers, gone. Especially if you live up north.

26. November honorees : VETS. A few days late, but we all should honor our vets every day of the week.

27. Maritime : NAVAL.

28. "Gone With the Wind" feature : DRAWL. The Southern accent affected by the cast.

29. "Aladdin" parrot : IAGO.

30. "... with __-foot pole!" : A TEN. I would not touch that with a ten foot pole...

31. For fear that : LEST. I end up with all those cooties.

32. Bartlett cousin : BOSC. The most famous pear pair.

33. Musical range : ALTO. Another theme word returns.

34. Jessica of "Total Recall" (2012) : BIEL.  The remake of the Arnold movie. Two minutes for the boys. LINK. (2:03).

38. Halogens, e.g. : ELEMENTS. Our periodic LESSON of the day.

39. Lysol target : GERM.

40. Samoan port : APIA. The capital and largest city. I love the Mai Kai restaurant here in Fort Lauderdale and their Polynesian show.

42. Most hackneyed : STALEST. hey I know some of the jokes are old, but...

45. Hosts : GIVES.

46. Poetic preposition : ERE.

47. Dorothy Hamill maneuver : AXEL. Always a shout out to our dear departed Clear Ayes.

49. Soccer star Lionel who won the Ballon d'Or each of the last four years : MESSI. For those who like to shout GOAL. (2:06).

50. "Stormy Weather" composer : ARLEN.  Great song by HAROLD.

51. Salisbury __ : STEAK.

52. Sharp turns : ZIGS. Do not zag.

53. Memo start : IN RE. Latin. 59D. Great Lakes st. : INDiana. 62D. Place to retire : INN. A final misdirection, not where you go when you are through working.

54. Blueprint : PLAN.

57. Decision clouder : BIAS. Oddly phrased clue.

61. Through : VIA. Latin.

I did not struggle too much with this one but it did take work, and I hope you all did not either. Thank you Jerry and see you next time. We begin with Porky and end, that way. BYE. (0:09). Lemonade.

Thursday, November 14, 2013 Mark Bickham

Theme: "Homophonic Letter Strings"

18. *Make it not hurt so much : EASE THE PAIN. "E E E E"

23. *Marching order : EYES FRONT. "I I I I"

36. *Has unfinished business with the IRS : OWES BACK TAXES. "O O O O"

51. *Entice with : USE AS BAIT. "U U U"

58. *Sagacious : WISE AS AN OWL. "Y Y Y Y"

53. MLB team, familiarly (and what's missing from the sequence found in the answers to starred clues?) : THE As.

I can't think of any common phrase that begins with Aze (with the "long A" sound), can you? So the unifier is the perfect cop-out, IMHO.  Lots of fun clues with plenty of misdirection that kept the V8 can busy. Let me show you what I mean...

Across:

1. Moll's leg : GAM. Well, OK. This one was easy, but just wait...

4. Word after fire or power : DRILL.

9. Like some wedding dresses : LACY. Sexy was my go-to choice here.

13. Biblical priest who trained Samuel : ELI.

14. Zellweger et al. : RENEES.

16. Together, in music : A DUE.

17. Architect's add-on : ELL.

20. Tre times due : SEI. Italian "three times two."  Bill G., can you help me with the answer here? (^0^)

21. Bark relative : YIP. Oh man, I was thinking tree bark.

22. IHOP array : SYRUPS. I wanted "stacks."

26. Type of cranial nerve : OPTIC.

28. Role for John Cho in "Star Trek" : SULU.

29. Jets and others : TEAMS. Because NFLers wouldn't fit...

31. __ nutshell : IN A.

32. Mex. neighbor : USA.

34. Motor extension? : OLA.

35. At any time : EVER.

40. Spot on the tube : TV AD.

41. Good buddy : BRO.

42. Play about Capote : TRU.man.

43. Ran across : MET.

44. Film critic Jeffrey : LYONS. Did not know him. All perps.  He agrees with the Tomatometer 0% of the time on "Rotten Tomatoes"?

46. Long haul : TREK.

49. __ de Chine: light fabric : CREPE. This wedding dress doesn't look LACY or sexy!

54. Eggheads : BRAINS.

56. Govt. surveillance group : NSA. National Security Agency.

57. PTA meeting site : SCH.ool. Abbr. in the clue gave me the hint.

60. __ out: barely make : EKE.

61. Aleutian island : ATKA. Population 61 !  Map.

62. Faunae counterparts : FLORAE.

63. Grassy area : LEA.

64. Harness part : REIN.

65. Yeats' "The Wild __ at Coole" : SWANS. I did not know this poem, but it was a WAG…I didn't think Yeats would wax poetic over "geese" or "ducks."

66. Many AARP The Magazine readers: Abbr. : SRS. Seniors.

Down:

1. Silly sorts : GEESE. Ahh…here's our geese!

2. Strike zones? : ALLEYS. Boomer! (Bowling alleys.)

3. Social setting : MILIEU.

4. Mr. Holland portrayer : DREYFUSS. I thought Richard Dreyfuss was brilliant in "Mr. Holland's Opus."

5. Put on again : REAIR. I had "Re-don."  D'oh!! TV, not clothes...

6. Hip joint : IN SPOT. Hip, meaning "cool" or "trendy." Great misdirection!  I really wanted "pelvis" but it just wasn't working...

7. Author Harper : LEE. "To Kill a Mockingbird."

8. Conversation opener : LET'S TALK. "Come here often?" wouldn't fit.

9. Drink à la Fido : LAP UP. Anyone else for "slurp"?  Show of hands?

10. Capable of change : ADAPTIVE.

11. Cookbook categories : CUISINES.

12. Nikkei Index currency : YEN.

15. Lacking the required funds : SHY. Tricky little clue for a three-letter answer.

19. Winged god : EROS.

24. Turned around : SLUED.

25. Opponents of the '60s-'70s New Left : NEOCONS. Neoconservatives. I won't get into politics...

27. Golf, for one : CAR. Another really tricky clue for a three-letter answer. VW model.

30. Simpsons creator Groening : MATT.

33. "Eight Is Enough" wife : ABBY.

35. Bedroom community : EXURB.

36. Orthodontic concern : OVERBITE.

37. Ride the wake, say : WATER SKI. Ya mean, they do it on water, too???

38. Awakenings : AROUSALS.

39. Some auction transactions : ART SALES.

40. "Movies for movie lovers" network : TMC. The Movie Channel. I always get TMC and TCM mixed up, and I watch them both.

44. "Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?" speaker : LEIA. She was talking to Luke, and I think she probably regretted those words… 0:28

45. Isabel Allende title : SENORA.

47. Stands for things : EASELS. See? See?  I told you there was tons of misdirection in the puzzle.

48. Any of the top 25 NFL career scoring leaders : KICKER.

50. Song of praise : PAEAN. Trivia fact: When the USS Pueblo was captured by North Korea in 1968, they forced Captain Bucher to write a confession. He penned, "We paean DPRK, we paean their great leader Kim Il Sung."  What the North Koreans didn't know, was that he was using "Paean" as a homophone of "pee on," instead of singing their praises!

52. Egyptian dam : ASWAN.

55. Bad check letters : NSF.

58. Card game for two, usually : WAR.

59. "What are you waiting for?!" : NOW! I am done…

Til next week!
Marti

Wednesday, November 13, 2013 Mary Lou Guizzo

Theme: Start your Elements! Each of the theme answers starts with an element, and as the reveal explains they are all metals.

17A. Ford Model T, colloquially : TIN LIZZIE. Appropriately for 61A if you say this with a Dublin accent you get these chaps

21A. Speed demon : LEADFOOT.  Because you're heavy on the gas pedal.

36A. Mature male gorilla : SILVERBACK. Beautiful animals.

43A. One only in it for the money : GOLD DIGGER. Here's the classic opening song from "Gold Diggers of 1933" sung by Ginger Rogers.

52A. Japanese cooking show : IRON CHEF. Food! I'm pretty sure I've seen every episode of this show AND the American spin-off. I believe Bobby Flay was the first non-Japanese chef to win a battle (against Masaharu Morimoto).

61A. Certain rock music fan, and what 17-, 21-, 36-, 43- and 52-Across each has : METALHEAD. I was a bit of a metalhead in my youth - the first album I bought was "Machine Head" by Deep Purple.

Good morning everyone - Steve here and a Wednesday puzzle that I found pretty challenging. The theme certainly helped me figure out LEADFOOT as I had a lot of empty space in that region. I confess to the final letter fill being a complete WAG - I was Natick'ed with ALEK and LEAR.

With the Z's, the Q and the K emerging early I was looking for a pangram; we were just missing the Y at the conclusion

I can't find Mary Lou's name in the blog history, so I think this is her L.A. Times debut - congratulations if that's the case.

Let's see what else caught my eye:

Across:

    

1. Tucked-in part of a dress shirt : HEM.  I wanted to cram TAIL in here.

4. Cocoon contents : LARVA

9. Glaringly vivid : LURID

14. "__ you kidding me?" : ARE

15. Words after make or close : A DEAL

16. Carne __: roasted Mexican dish : ASADA. Food! This is my kind of puzzle.

19. Siesta taker : DOZER

20. Eight-armed cephalopod : SQUID. I'm getting hungry!

23. Open-__ shoes : TOED

26. TV producer Norman : LEAR. Complete unknown to me, and as I mentioned at the top a personal Natick for me crossing ALEK.

27. Online "Yikes!" : OMG! Oh My Goodness!

30. Chinese leader : PREMIER. I was thinking along the Mao, Deng and Kai-Shek lines and then the penny dropped.

33. Bus depot: Abbr. : STA

38. Purim observers : JEWS

39. Essayist de Botton : ALAIN

40. Match for a pocket handkerchief : TIE

41. West Pointer : CADET

42. Mideast strip : GAZA

45. Baton Rouge-to-Montgomery dir. : E.N-E

46. Twisting force : TORSION

47. WWII venue : E.T.O. European Theater of Operations under the command of General Eisenhower.

48. Latin god : DEUS

50. "__ a lift?" : NEED

56. Schemer Charles : PONZI. It's quite some feat to have an entire genre of crime named for you. He looks quite cheerful in his mugshot!

60. Gallivants : ROVES. "Gallivants" is such an awesome word. I resolve either to use this word today or go gallivanting myself.

64. Last Olds off the line : ALERO. I wonder who bought the last one, and if they knew it was the last?

65. Mental picture : IMAGE

66. NBC skit show : S.N.L. The UK version of this was called Friday Night Live - because it aired on Sunday. No, wait ..

67. Zac of "The Lorax" : EFRON. Who he? Thank you, crosses.

68. Glove material : LATEX

69. Game gadget, or the area where it's used : TEE. I think "gadget" is a bit of an overblown description for a piece of wood.

Down:

1. Boaters and bowlers : HATS

2. Actor La Salle : ERIQ. I've finally got Mr. La Salle in my memory banks. It's only taken umpteen years.

3. It may drop down or pop up : MENU. The ones on your computer. If you're interested, the pop-up types are also context-sensitive. I've got my geek on today!

4. Made vulnerable : LAID OPEN

5. Axlike shaping tool : ADZ. I'm finally getting used to the alternative spellings for both AXE and ADZE.

6. Tribal land, informally, with "the" : REZ. I've never heard this expression, but it wasn't difficult to guess when I had the Z in place.

7. Colorado resort : VAIL.  Pretty place.

8. Out of the wind : ALEE

9. Fire truck feature : LADDER

10. Lady Liberty's land, familiarly : US OF A

11. Somerset Maugham novel, with "The" : RAZOR'S EDGE. I'd never heard of this novel, but I find there are two movie adaptations of it, one made in 1946 and one in 1984.

12. Prefix with logical : IDEO

13. Pub missile : DART

18. On fire : LIT

22. South Sudanese supermodel Wek : ALEK. I'll surely remember her from now on.

24. Goof : ERR

25. Short person? : DEBTOR. I think this was my favorite clue of the day. Marvelous.

27. Missouri river : OSAGE

28. La Scala's city : MILAN. Tough crowd at La Scala - they've been known to boo tenors off the stage.

29. Like eyes showing boredom : GLAZED OVER

31. Drops in a slot : MAILS

32. Stranded at 7-Down, perhaps : ICED IN

34. Chirp : TWEET

35. Jetson dog : ASTRO. Ruh-Roh!

37. By way of : VIA

38. Spree : JAG. Gallivant! Looks of sprees today.

41. Multi-screen theater : CINEPLEX

43. "Gee whiz" : GOSH

44. It goes for a buck : DOE. Not fooled for a moment with this one! Nice clue though.

46. Second-most populous Arizona city : TUCSON.

49. Warm Argentina month : ENERO. Midsummer in the Southern Hemisphere.

51. "Stupid me!" : D'OH!

52. "Dies __" : IRAE. Mozart borrowed the name of the original Gregorian chant for his Requiem. Stirring stuff.

53. Massage deeply : ROLF. I'd never heard of this. Apparently it is a massage technique from the '70s - is it still practiced?

54. Actor Jannings : EMIL. More crosses - I need to read IMDB for a while and get up to speed with my actors.

55. Earthquake response gp. : F.E.M.A. The Federal Emergency Management Agency uses the "open" status of the Waffle House chain of restaurants to help gauge the severity of storms passing through the eastern seaboard. Who knew?

57. Cozy home : NEST

58. Writer Grey : ZANE. I read this as "Winter Grey" first which had me totally baffled.

59. Inactive : IDLE

62. Art on the reality show "Ink Master" : TAT. I'm guessing "tat" is not considered an abbreviation any more?

63. Single-malt datum : AGE. The longer a whisky ages in the vat, the more of the spirit evaporates. The Scots charmingly call this "the angel's share".

That's about it. This was a fun puzzle, it took me around 18 minutes which is long for me for a Wednesday so a nice challenge. That's all from me - as Eminem would say - that's a (w)rap!

 Steve

 

Tuesday, November 12, 2013 Ed Sessa

Theme: Voice Types - Part in the end of first word and second part in the start of the second word, living in perfect harmony.

21A. Playskool's Rocktivity products, e.g. : MUSICAL TOYS. Alto.

26A. Clinic helper : LAB ASSISTANT. Bass.

43A. Decree that spells things out : WRITTEN ORDER. Tenor.

50A. One's toughest critics, often, and, literally, three different words hidden in 21-, 26- and 43-Across : INNER VOICES

Argyle here. A workman-like Tuesday. There is some fresh stuff to be found.

Across:

1. In short supply : SCANT

6. Basics for Dick and Jane : ABCs

10. XT computers : IBMs

14. Mandel of "America's Got Talent" : HOWIE

15. Actress Lollobrigida : GINA. She's a classic.

16. "La maja desnuda" artist : GOYA

17. Primary artery : AORTA

18. First name in advice : ABBY

19. Baseball's Hershiser : OREL

20. Amt. : QTY.

24. Mugs, e.g. : CUPS

25. Old British coin : GUINEA

31. Big concert setting : ARENA

32. Gambler's IOU : CHIT

33. Lawyers' org. : ABA. The bar.

36. Peer pruriently at : OGLE

37. Kermit's color : GREEN

                                LINK

39. Coffee-brewing choice : DRIP

40. Boozer : SOT. Get some of that coffee in that sot.

41. High-fiber food : BRAN

42. Longtime "Masterpiece Theater" host Alistair : COOKE

46. Nighttime shindig : SOIREE

49. TV warrior princess : XENA

53. Internet letters : WWW

56. Uses a straw : SIPS

57. Fairy tale start : ONCE

58. D-Day beach : OMAHA

60. Promote big-time : TOUT

61. Slangy turnarounds : UIES

62. Poe's "ebony bird" : RAVEN

63. Tiny hill builders : ANTS

64. Criteria: Abbr. : STDs. (standards)

65. Trapped on a branch : TREED

Down:

1. Cager-turned-rapper O'Neal, familiarly : SHAQ

2. Old grump : COOT

3. Haywire : AWRY

4. "Picked" complaint : NIT. We know about them.

5. Olympians in red, white and blue : TEAM USA

6. Andre of tennis : AGASSI

7. Netanyahu of Israel, familiarly : BIBI. (Benjamin)

8. "Squawk on the Street" airer : CNBC

9. "Huh?" : "SAY AGAIN?". A universal word? Could be, according to NPR.

10. Outfielder's cry : "I GOT IT!"

11. B in chemistry : BORON

12. "Poppycock!" : "MY EYE!"

13. Doritos scoopful : SALSA

22. "What can Brown do for you?" shipping co. : UPS. There you go, Splynter.

23. Manhattan's __-Fontanne Theatre : LUNT

24. Mr. Peanut prop : CANE

26. Vietnam neighbor : LAOS

27. Golden Fleece vessel : ARGO

28. Suspenders alternative : BELT

29. What a hound follows : SCENT

30. With 53-Down, stadium fans' rhythmic motion : THE. 53D. See 30-Down : WAVE

33. Yankee infielder, to fans : A-ROD

34. Ride the Harley : BIKE

35. Copycat : APER

37. Heartrending : GRIEVOUS

38. Scavenging pest : RAT

39. Cartoon explorer : DORA

41. Uncle Remus's __ Fox : BR'ER

42. Monarch's spouse : CONSORT

43. Tears (away) from : WRESTS

44. Superabundance : EXCESS

45. Maiden name intro : NEE

46. Slangy sibling : SISTA. My last fill and a sour note. The woman doesn't have to be related to be a sista.

47. Bulb in a garden : ONION

48. Addition to the conversation : INPUT

51. Attending to a task : ON IT

52. Like some coffee or tea : ICED

54. Roller coaster cry : [WHEE!]

55. Hand-held scanner : WAND

59. Vandalize : MAR

Argyle

Note from C.C.:
 
Here is a sweet picture of JD and her 4 grandsons. They were together celebrating the 72nd birthday of Bob (JD's husband) two days ago. JD lives very close to her two daughters and the boys come over every Sunday for dinner. Dylan is Cameron's little brother, and Grady is Truman's little brother. Click here to see all the JD pictures I compiled.

Left to Right: Cameron, Truman, Grady, JD & Dylan