Saturday, Jan 11th, 2014, Timothy, L. Meaker

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,K,Q,V,W,Z)

Blocks: 37

   I have not had the opportunity to blog a puzzle from Mr. Meaker, and I did not see an interview from our "11d.", C.C.  I did review his other LAT contributions, and there seems to be a consistency in his cluing and answers.  I have to admit, this one was a pretty smooth solve for a Saturday, with an odd, patchy grid, and few long stacks; there were several unique answers, plus a generous amount of three-letter words.  Some of the longer fill for today;

12A. 1964 Glenn Ford/Geraldine Page romantic comedy : DEAR HEART - I started with DEATHTRAP, which fit, but was a 1982 film with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve

54A. Ben & Jerry's, e.g. : TRADE NAME - IMHO, the best flavor, and not because I'm in NY

9D. Focus of a 1990 psychology best-seller : INNER CHILD - more here

25D. Idaho/Wyoming landscape : TETON RANGE - run with the buffaloes here~!

ONWARD~!!!!

ACROSS:

1. '70s quartet consisting of two married couples : ABBA - Well, how many 4-letter 70's groups were there with two men, and two women?

5. Wall St. strategy : LBO - Leveraged Buy-Out

8. Addams family nickname : TISH - Gomez's nickname for the 'wifey' Morticia

15. Seek protection from : RUN TO (you)

16. Cub leader : DEN MOTHER - I had DEN MASTER first - close enough to get a start in the NW

17. Laura of "ER" : INNES

18. Wait : STAY PUT - STAND BY fit, too

19. All thumbs : UNADEPT - my 'meh' word

21. See 59-Across : BOP; 59. With 21-Across, Cyndi Lauper hit : SHE - there was some controversy over this song, as it refers to masturbation....

22. Sequence often seen above WXYZ : MNO - I semi-cheated; I knew it was letters on the phone, but I had to look

23. Training systs. : RRs - um, not really sure; I believe this is about the P/RR/S weight training system, but it could also be about RailRoad trains, really....

24. Words with end or angle : AT AN

26. Get real : FACE FACTS

29. They may be tapped : ALES - had KEGS

30. __-Turkish War : ITALO

31. __ polloi : HOI - Greek for "majority", it now carries a pejorative sense of "commoners"

32. Portable storage container : TOTE BOX

35. 1948 Literature Nobelist : T.S. ELIOT

37. "Well, well!" : O-HO~!!

38. Actress Ryan : IRENE

40. Paris pronoun : ELLE

41. Complex : MANY-SIDED

43. They're not gentlemen : CADS

44. Letters concerning available space : SRO - Standing Room Only; I thought it might be S.FT, or SQ.I, as in square feet/inches

45. Eye : ORB - Poetry and crossword standard

46. Sci-fi escape craft : POD - ah, the escape pod - Star Wars, Alien, The Fifth Element...

47. "All greased up and ready to sing" '70s-'80s TV hosts : SHA-NA-NA - Osmonds fit, too, but they weren't 'greased up' - at least, not ON TV....

49. Early NASA probe : MARINER - The Venus missions

53. Delhi tongue : HINDI

56. Advocated : URGED

57. Deadlock breaker : EXTRA TIME

58. Road to the Forum : ITER - Straight Latin for road

60. More than just thought-over : ORAL - I don't really understand this clue/answer, but you should try putting the whole thing into Google - BE WARNED~!!!

DOWN:

1. Puts in : ADDS

2. Red shade : BEET

3. "Hulk" star Eric : BANA

4. Where to see major decisions? : ARMY BASE - major as in the rank and officer

5. Slacken : LET UP

6. 100 satang : BAHT - Thailand

7. No ordinary rock : ORE - No ORE-dinary rock?

8. Much of Siberia : TUNDRA - I didn't know there were that many Toyotas in Russia - oh, wait, never mind....

10. Reach extenders : STEP STOOLS - mini-ladders with no hand-rails, essentially

11. Party person : HOST - Splynter has a new interest in the hostess at the Italian restaurant - don't worry, C.C., I don't think she's Russian.... (From C.C.: Sweet!)

13. Hayride invite : HOP ON - uh, yeah, hayrides....

14. Shortened : TRUNCATED - maybe Owen can come up with a DF poem using a great many of the clue/answers of today's puzzle

15. Narrow inlet : RIA

20. Much December radio fare : NOELS - not for another 11 months

22. Showerside item : MAT

24. Colorful top : ALOHA SHIRT - What I call a Hawaiian shirt, learned from doing crosswords

26. Loan offer : FIXED RATE

27. Opponent : FOE

28. Web extension? : SITE - Website

29. Energy source : ATOM

33. Start of an early Grafton title : B IS - for Burglar

34. Victim of Artemis : ORION - I love the time of year when Orion, the constellation, is visible, roughly Sept to March; the story goes that Orion was bitten and killed by Scorpio, and therefore in the 'other half' of the night sky

36. Provide a segue for : LEAD INTO

39. Great Plains st. : NEBraska - Hmmm, I think there's one or two guys from the blog there

42. Over there : YONDER

43. Jazz contemporary of Hancock and Jarrett : COREA - Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and the one I had not heard of, Keith Jarrett - a little piano piece from him

46. 1998 World Series player : PADRE - San Diego - beaten by the damn Yankees

47. Feng __ : SHUI - With the limited space I have, I try and practice this art; however, I do have a mirror and a flat-screen TV (both about the same size and shape) in the bedroom, and both face the bed - this is not good feng shui, tho I did know this, and could possibly hang a curtain in front of the mirror

48. Support : AID

49. Fermat's forte : MATH - another semi-shout-out to a blog regular

50. Hair-removal brand : NAIR

51. 1815 title character who "thought a little too well of herself" : EMMA - I tried EYRE, but that left me with TRADE NAYE and EXTRA TIRE - well, the latter could have been clued as "SPARE"

52. Stagger : REEL

55. Med. orders : RXs - Prescriptions

Splynter

Friday, January 10, 2014, John Verel and Jeff Chen

Theme: Time for our typing lesson. LINK.

What a fabulous Friday from Jeff Chen and John Verel, who we first saw as a team back in April for John's debut. First, for those who do not know the term Pangram, it means containing all 26 letters. In addition to the theme, the puzzle itself is a pangram. The use of the old typing sentence is presented with a beautiful visual of the fox jumping as shown in the circled letters from bottom left to bottom right making an arc of the QUICK BROWN FOX with JUMPED OVER and LAZY DOG under the arc of the fox. Some of you may not like this form of puzzle, but it is awesome to me. In order to pull this off and still create a doable puzzle, the fill is pretty easy. For CED, MANAC and you truly visual people I offer:

20A. Only woman to win the top prize on "The $64,000 Question" : JOYCE BROTHERS. (13)Her category was boxing. 

23A. Like many a Magic Johnson pass :            NO LOOK. (6)

24A. Improvise :                                                                                                     WING IT. (6)

27A. Lee side: Abbr. :                                                                           CSA. (3) Confederate State of America.

29A. Actor Max __ Sydow :                                                                                      VON. (3)  A fine ACTOR. (1:19).

33A. Parts 1 and 4 of this puzzle's theme : THE. (3) Goes before both Quick and Lazy.

                                                                             37A. Objector : ANTI. (4)
                                                                                                                    40A. Some narcs : FEDS. (4)
41A. Puzzle theme, part 3 : JUMPS OVER. (9) This what revealed the theme to me when I saw this from perps.
                                            49A. First name in Disney villains : CRUELLA. (7). 101 times.
                                                                                           51A. Doo-wop staple :          ARMONY(7).
                                                                         66A. Mensa stats : IQS (3).
67A. End of this puzzle's theme : LAZY DOG (7).
                                                                                     68A. Quartet in a George Strait title :  EXS (3).

Reveal entry:

58A. This puzzle's theme is one : PANGRAM.

15 entries, 82 letters involved in the fill with a symmetrical picture. Wow. The grid has a left to right symmetry, by the way.


Across:

1. Word choice : EDIT. Okay so maybe not easy but a nice clue.

5. Singer with bandleader Xavier Cugat : CHARO. She was his much younger second wife replacing the adorable Abbe Lane.

10. City in Czechoslovakia? : OSLO. Really tricky...

14. Pro __ : BONO. Literally for good, in Latin. but it means for free in the legal world.

15. Macho guys : HE MEN. We also have  HU MAN below.

16. The whole kit and kaboodle : A TO Z. Would love to see this reversed in a puzzle one day.

17. Take delight (in) : BASK. He basked in the glory of scoring the winning touchdown.

18. Break down over time : ERODE.

19. Night music : TAPS. Dennis, SB is this an accurate HISTORY?

26. Homer's father : ABE. The Simpsons.

30. Brouhaha : ADO.

31. O. Henry quality? : LONG O. So tricky since the answer is always IRONY.

35. Astounds : DAZES. Jeff Chen who works as mentor to so many always astounds.

38. Blood line : AORTA. Cute clue.

44. Ersatz : PHONY.

46. Modern Persian : IRANI.

53. Sewer's bottoms : HEMS. With a needle, not where poop goes.

54. "The Murders in the __ Morgue" : RUE. Edgar Allan Poe's work credited with being the first mystery.

56. Brother of Jacob : ESAU. CW staple.

57. Plan for the future, briefly : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

62. Kenya's cont. : AFRica.

63. Kansas City football analyst Dawson : LEN. A star in the AFL for the Chiefs.

64. Mother-of-pearl source : ABALONE. A nice new word.  All you wanted to know and MORE.

65. Wasted : LIT. So many ways to get there so many ways to describe it.


Down:

1. Recede : EBB. His hairline was ebbing? Buddy Ebsen?

2. Snow : DO A JOB ON

3. Mouthing off : INSOLENT.

4. Izu Islands locale : TOKYO. Is this where JOE (0:39) lives?

5. Rear view : CHEEKS. Shocking! 22D. Rear : HIND. Splynter?

6. Trumpeter Alpert : HERB. And the Tijuana Brass. LISTEN. (2:44)

7. Latin lover's word : AMOR. Just Latin.

8. Second effort : REDO.

9. Ring combo : ONE TWO. Another form of 2nd effort. More boxing.

10. Like Cheerios : OATEN. My meh word.

11. Daydream : STARGAZE. Two great long fill, this with

12. Asymmetric : LOPSIDED. What is the opposite of this word?

13. Wt. units : OZS. Ounces.

21. Chanel No. 1? : COCO. The designer, who died on January 10, 1971. Her STORY.

23. "The Lion King" queen : NALA. The name is used in ancient Hindu lore; she is the deuteragonist in the story (now there is a CW word!). Also the initials of the National Association of Legal Assistants.

25. Mix in a bowl : TOSS.

28. Upon : ATOP. Not A to P.

29. No : VETO.

32. Classic action figures : GI JOES.

34. They may be game winners: Abbr. : HRS. Home Runs.

36. Slopeside sight : A-FRAME.  Popular in ski country.

38. Kind of nitrite or nitrate : AMYL. A cousin of ethyl and methyl?

39. Nike competitor : AVIA. Talk about RUNNING around.

42. Not in the bk. : UNListed. Phone book.

43. Mess up : ERR. I am extra human these days.

44. Trig, for calc, often : PREREQuisite.

45. 43-Downers? : HUMANS. To forgive?

47. "Deal's off'' : NO SALE.

48. Up the creek : IN A FIX.

49. Dog topper : CHILI. Or perhaps a fox? Not on my frank...

50. Dino, Desi & Billy drummer : ARNAZ. They were cute.

51. Judean king : HEROD. There many using that name.

52. Mongol tents : YURTS. A piece of knowledge solely derived from doing CW puzzles.

55. "This could get __" : UGLY.

58. Bud : PAL.

59. "Law News Now" journal publisher: Abbr. : ABA. American Bar Association.

60. Year abroad : ANO.  Without the tilde it is Portuguese, with =Spanish for year.

61. Storage unit : MEG.abyte.

This was a very enjoyable outing for me, especially when I saw the "BRO" to make the theme.  Jeff is amazing, with his mentoring, his work on the XWord website, writing puzzles and books. Kudos. Until next time,  stay warm: Lemonade, Thanks Jeff and John.

Thursday, January 9, 2014 Peter A. Collins

Theme: "Making the cut"

The words in each of the four corners of the grid are synonyms for "cut." Interesting, that the clues for each one have nothing to do with that sense of the word. Let's go clockwise around and find them:

1-Across. Make it home? : SCORE. Baseball reference.

10-Across. Karate move : CHOP. A quick strike.

13-Down. Diminish : PARE. As in "pare" down expenses. (OK, maybe this one has a "cut" meaning, too.)

59-Down. Rollers without wheels : DICE. Craps cubes.

67-Across. Golfer's concern : SLICE. For a right-hand golfer, a banana curve ball that ends up to the right of the intended target. Sometimes used to advantage on a dog-leg right hole.

65-Across. Fit : TRIM. In shape.

51-Down. Feature of some skirts : SLIT. Sexy feature.

1-Down. Sassy sort : SNIP. Does everyone know this meaning? I think of a "snip" as someone who isn't worth bothering with.

And the reveal:

38-Across. With 40-Across, taking the easy way (and a hint to eight aptly placed answers in this grid) :

CUTTING. 40-Across. See 38-Across : CORNERS.

This certainly felt more Friday-level to me. But I still finished in my typical Thursday time. Lots of unknowns and names that depended heavily on perps to reveal.

Across:

6. Trunk hardware : HASP. Tire "iron"? Nope - wrong kind of trunk.

Steamer trunk

14. 2013 US Open winner : NADAL. This only took five perps to get. I was thinking golf, of course. But neither "Justin" nor "Rose" fit.

15. In the past : ONCE.

16. Chaplin's widow : OONA. Thank goodness for old favorites!

17. Query in Matthew : IS IT I?

18. Crybaby of a sort : SORE LOSER.

20. Like French doors : PANED.

21. Special benefit : PRIVILEGE.

22. One having a ball : DEB. Cute.

24. "You said it!" : AMEN.

25. University of Georgia mascot Hairy __ : DAWG.

Georgia mascots

28. Like a GI doing dishes : ON KP.

30. Selena of "Wizards of Waverly Place" : GOMEZ. More perps. I was thinking of Sela, and could only come up with "Ward." Never watched this show.

35. Anticipated touchdown hr. : ETA.

36. Nail holders : TOES.

37. Meditative genre : NEW AGE.

41. As per schedule : ON TIME.

42. Knocks : RAPS.

43. One might make a setter better : VET. Cute clue!

44. Question type : YES/NO.

45. Start of a Spanish cheer : VIVA. I think this refers to "VIVA la vida," meaning "long live life" or "live the life." Maybe Lucina can help me out here.

46. Antiprohibitionists : WETS. They are the opposite of "tee-totalers."

47. The Supremes, e.g. : TRIO. Sorry, but every clip has annoying ads.

49. Collectible radio : RCA.

RCA Radio ad

51. Ristorante choice : SPAGHETTI.

56. Ready to rumble : ARMED.

60. Drags one's feet : LOLLYGAGS. Love that word.

61. First name in puppetry : SHARI. Lewis. With Lamb Chop and Charlie Horse.

62. Smidgen : IOTA.

63. Reunion invitee : ALUM.

64. Very malicious : TOXIC. Ever hear of a toxic relationship?

66. Telescope part : LENS.


Down:

2. Honduran home : CASA.

3. Frigg's husband : ODIN. The word "Friday" comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for Frigg.

4. Like most Pixar movies : RATED G. I always have to check perps to see if it will be "G-rated" or "rated G."

5. Skip over : ELIDE.

6. What a white "H" on a blue sign signifies: Abbr. : HOSP.ital.

7. Arctic wear : ANORAKS. We've had this word before.

8. Stick to a tight budget : SCRIMP.

9. Annoyance : PEEVE.

10. Unflappable : COOL.

11. It might wind up in the yard : HOSE. Good misdirection.

12. 100 sawbucks : ONE G. "Thou" would also fit...

19. Sticks around : LINGERS.

23. American frontiersman : BOONE. Dan'l.

25. Trapping strategy : DECOY.

26. Carry __ : A TUNE.

27. "King Kong" actress Naomi : WATTS.

29. What a "-" may indicate: Abbr. : NEG.ative.

31. Fess (up) : OWN.

32. Novelist Binchy : MAEVE. I liked "Circle of Friends."

33. Pond wader : EGRET. Hmmm, the old "heron" or "EGRET" dilemma...

34. Bartender's supply : ZESTS.

36. Coarse grass used as fodder : TIMOTHY. Possibly named after farmer and agriculturist Timothy Hanson.

37. Without face value : NO PAR.

39. __ lizzie : TIN.

40. NBAer who plays at "The Q" : CAV.alier of Cleveland. "The Q" is the nickname for the Quicken Loans Arena.

42. Control for an out-of-control crowd : RIOT GUN. For the ones in 56-Across, maybe?

45. Basketball Hall of Fame sportscaster Dick : VITALE. Also known as "Dickie V."

46. Pop art pioneer : WARHOL. (I'm getting hungry…)

Warhol soup can

48. Grand : REGAL.

50. Treatments for breaks : CASTS. How's your leg, Irish Miss?

52. What a "D" often means : POOR. Or "big" (as a bra size) Dennis?

53. Some basilica singers : ALTI.

54. Glitz : GLAM.

55. Doctrines : ISMS.

57. Ankle-length skirt : MAXI.

58. Burdon of The Animals : ERIC. Still active after more than forty years, he just came out with a new album called "Til Your River Runs Dry." The song "Water" was inspired by a conversation he had with Gorbachev. 4:21 (Skip the ad in only 4 seconds.)

That's all I have for this week!
Marti

Note from C.C.:

Husker Gary has updated the Corner map. Click here.  If you want to be on the map, please contact Gary (gschlapfer@gmail.com).

Wednesday, January 8, 2014 Daniel Nierenberg

Theme: Thicker than water.  The first word of each starred entry can follow the word BLOOD to yield a recognizable in-the-language phrase.

17A.  *Marlin, for one : SPORT FISH.  A fish prized for the sport of catching it. Contrast minnows. BLOOD SPORT is a sport in which blood is shed, such as hunting or cock fighting.

25A.  *Source of endless funds : MONEY TREE.  As in: "He sure knows how to shake the MONEY TREE."  BLOOD MONEY has two quite different meanings. 1) money paid as compensation to a family for the loss of kin [Anglo-Saxon weregeld], and 2) money gained at the cost of another's life or livelihood.

30A.  *Common Milky Way star : RED DWARF.   These relatively cool stars are, in fact, the most common in our region of the galaxy, but because they are so dim, none can be seen from earth with the naked eye. BLOOD RED is simply a descriptor for a deep red shade.

44A.  *Billiards maneuver : BANK SHOT.  A shot in billiards which causes the cue ball or the object ball to rebound off a cushion before finding its target. Also a basketball shot that rebounds off the backboard. A BLOOD BANK is a storage facility for supplies of blood or plasma to be used in transfusions.

50A.  *Part of a uniform : WORK SHIRT.  A heavy-duty shirt worn for manual or physical work. BLOOD WORK is laboratory analysis of blood for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

11D. *Chocolate overdose consequence : SUGAR RUSH.  Hyperactivity caused by excessive sugar consumption.  BLOOD SUGAR is the concentration of glucose in the BLOOD stream, presumably elevated in a SUGAR RUSH.

32D.  *What a driver's license may serve as : DONOR CARD. A card that authorizes the use of your organs for transplants, after you've passed on.  A BLOOD DONOR is one who contributes blood for transfusion.

And the unifier:  62. A. Family relations, and what the first words of the answers to starred clues can have : BLOOD TIES.  Indicating an actual genetic relationship.  I have BLOOD TIES to 5 of the grandchildren, and Gloria has them to the other 6.  I'll leave sorting that out as an exercise for the interested reader. [They're all a year and a half older now.]

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here, hoping today's thickly-themed puzzle doesn't leave us too battered and bloody.  I'm feeling sanguine, so let's give it a shot. It looks like this is Daniel's first L.A. Times appearance since the start of this blog

Across:

1. __-loading: endurance strategy : CARB.  Eating low glycemic index high carbohydrate foods in advance of an endurance event, such as a marathon, to maximize glycogen storage in the muscles.

5. Chance : RISK.  Wanna bet?

9. Shocking weapon : TASER.  Well known to all by this time.

14. Worker protection org. : OSHA.  Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

15. Singer from County Donegal : ENYA.  I must have some sort of karmic connection with Eithne Ní Bhraonáin.  It seems as if the only time she shows up on my days.

16. Sky hue : AZURE.  We had that crystal blue hue here for a while on Tuesday, but not much temperature to go along with it.

19. Prepare to make an electronic payment, say : LOG ON.  To your computer or tablet or phone.

20. Halves of fifths : TENTHS.  Go metric.

21. Breaking wave feature : CURL.  Prized by surfers.

23. Drink for a hot day : ADE.  You can be abetted by a fruity concoction.

24. Nasty expression : SNEER.  I was thinking verbal, not facial.  SNARK fits.

27. "You're dreaming" : NOPE.  I'm not dreaming?

29. Hate : ABHOR.

34. Gallery baddies : ROGUES.  This stumped me for a while, then the AHA! moment.

37. Yoko of Tokyo : ONO.  Oh, yes!

38. Rodeo rope : REATA. A looped lariat, AKA lasso.

40. __-cone : SNO.  A confection made of shaved ice.  I'll wait until August, thank you.

41. Mount McKinley's national park : DENALI.  The tallest mountain in the North America located in the Alaskan interior.

47. Where the floor is always wet : OCEAN. Obvious in retrospect, but for the longest time I was thinking: water you talking about?

49. Banking regulatory agcy. : FDIC.  Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

53. Latish wake-up time : TEN A.M.  A diller, a dollar  .  .  .

57. Curve : ARC.

58. "Woe __!" : IS ME.   This expression of dismay goes back to The Old Testament, where it shows up several times.

59. "Gracias" reply : DE NADA.  Thank you, and the Spanish equivalent of "You're welcome," meaning literally "of nothing."

60. Spanish American grassland : LLANO.  Speaking of nothing, this is a large expanse of treeless plain.

64. Frequent Mastroianni co-star : LOREN.  Sophia.

65. Edger's target : LAWN.  Only at the margin

66. Spacewalks, for short : EVA's.  Extra-Vehicular Activities.

67. Range with chinchillas : ANDES.  Their natural mountain habitat.

68. Former partners : EXES.  The less said, the better.

69. Take out : DELE.  Instruction to delete.

Down:

1. Profit factors : COSTS.  Subtracted from revenues.

2. Rockies skiing destination : ASPEN.  Marti?

3. Avignon's river : RHONE.

4. Work at a saloon : BARTEND.

5. They may cry foul : REFS.  I wanted UMPS.

6. Pasta ending : -INI.  RotINI, TortellINI, but, please no appletINI.

7. Big name in food distribution : SYSCO.

8. Aloha State big shot : KAHUNA. Originally, a "priest, sorcerer, magician, wizard, minister, expert in any profession."  Now any would be big shot who claims the title.

9. "There's the fox!" : TALLY HO.  This phrase, which might go back to the 13th century, is derived from sounds used with dogs.

10. Nitrogenous dye : AZO.

12. Undermine : ERODE.

13. Actress Zellweger : RENEE.  Not everyone here shares my enthusiasm for this versatile star.

18. Lose on purpose : THROW.

22. Give a new commercial name to : RE-BRAND. This seems right, but most of the examples I could find had to do with reworking the logo or a new marketing scheme rather than a new commercial name.

25. Mademoiselle's matriarch : MERE.  Mother in French, I presume.

26. Dress to the nines, with "up" : TOG.  Not a phrase I'm familiar with.

28. Shunned ones : PARIAHS.  A word of Tamil origin applied by Europeans and Hindus to the lowest social casts.

30. "Maggie May" singer Stewart : ROD.  Do you think he's sexy?

31. Cincinnati-to-N.Y.C. direction : ENE.

33. "Swell!" : FAB. Slang terms for copacetic.

35. Eclectic musician Brian : ENO.  Not ONO.

36. Lush : SOT.  A drunkard.  I was thinking adjective, not noun.

39. First president to throw a ceremonial opening day pitch : TAFT.  Baseball - Only about 85 more days away.  On April 14th, 1910, President William Howard Taft threw the ceremonial first pitch as the Washington Senators took on the Philadelphia Athletics.  The A's Frank "Home Run" Baker lined a foul ball off Secretary of State Charles Bennet's head, but he was OK and the game went on. Walter Johnson threw a one-hitter that day to give the Senators a 3-0 victory.  Thus was a tradition born, and every president since has thrown a ceremonial first pitch at some time during his term.

42. Cry from Cathy of comics : ACK.  Not a happy sound.

43. Skin wounds : LESIONS.  ACK!

45. Passed, as rubber checks : KITED.

46. Like aromatherapy products : SCENTED.  Ever the romantic, Cathy sent Ted a scented handkerchief.

48. Quick and light : NIMBLE.  Agile. Fleet of foot.

50. Half a Northwest city : WALLA.  In the State of Wash. I've heard you can get the best cous in WALLA.  Bur beware, lest you are bitten by a tse. 

51. Sock synthetic : ORLON.  Acrylic

52. Take a load off : RELAX.

54. Credulous : NAIVE.  Easily gulled.

55. Words after cut or close : A DEAL. 

56. Pool stroke : MASSE.  Per The Free Dictionary, "a stroke made by hitting the cue ball off centre with the cue held nearly vertically, esp so as to make the ball move in a curve around another ball before hitting the object ball."

59. Mafia bigwigs : DONS.  Crime Kahunas, if you will.

61. Maiden name intro : NEE.  Literally indicating her birth name.

63. Have to thank (for) : OWE.

Well - there you you have it.  A bloody good puzzle, with excursions to France and outer space, some music and a couple of lovely movie stars.  Not bad for a Wednesday.

Cool regards!

JzB

Tuesday, January 7, 2014 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: The end of a relationship - The last word of the long entries could be used with up to describe a failed commitment...although the last one might be the start of a commitment.

17A. Colorado Gold Rush motto : "PIKE'S PEAK OR BUST!"

34A. "How stupid do you think I am?!" : "GIMME A BREAK!"

42A. Diet-busting ice cream treat : BANANA SPLIT

61A. One who's not easily convinced : TOUGH NUT TO CRACK

Argyle here. Two grid-spanners in this quality puzzle. Nothing forced but still Tuesday hard. No reveal or unifier.

Across:

1. Like many eBay items : USED

5. Swing, as trees in the wind : SWAY

9. Butler's belle : O'HARA. GWTW

14. __ contendere: court plea : NOLO

15. Keyboard error : TYPO

16. Be an omen of : AUGUR

20. Jewelry fastener : CLASP

21. "__ chic!" : TRÈS

22. Spelling contests : BEEs

23. Too small, clothing-wise : TIGHT

25. Kwik-E-Mart owner on "The Simpsons" : APU

27. Looks forward to : AWAITS

30. No strangers to the slopes : SKIBUMs

37. Crooner Cole : NAT. 35D. Crooner Crosby : BING

38. "Dies __": Latin hymn : IRAE

39. Cooler in coolers : ICE. Ok but not in the Pinch. Has anybody tried Ardbeg 10yr old single malt?

40. Zenith : ACME

41. Tuna catcher : NET

46. Complaining : GRIPING

48. Delhi money : RUPEEs

49. Make a choice : OPT

50. __ minister : PRIME

52. Give a high-five to : SLAP

55. City near Santa Barbara : OJAI

57. Sounded delighted : AAHed

64. Results from, with "to" : IS DUE

65. Egyptian pyramid city : GIZA

66. School on the Thames : ETON

67. Jockey's straps : REINs

68. Tofu beans : SOYs

69. Claim to be untrue : DENY

Down:

1. Offensive to some, for short : UN-PC. "Not Politically Correct"

2. Gardener's purchase : SOIL

3. Elderly caretaker in TV's "Hot in Cleveland" : ELKA. Betty White.



                          LINK

4. Pays for one's crime : DOES TIME

5. Octane Booster brand : STP

6. "Christina's World" painter Andrew : WYETH. Do you remember Christina's last name?

7. Separated : APART

8. Oxen neckwear : YOKE

9. Dinghy driver : OAR. A very small boat propelled by oar.

10. Clamor : HUBBUB

11. Fever and chills : AGUE

12. Sneaky tactic : RUSE

13. Creative pursuits : ARTS

18. Malice : SPITE

19. Honshu metropolis : OSAKA. On the Yodo River. (Japan)

24. Fed. agency that supports other agencies : GSA. (General Services Administration)

26. Dental brand suffix : PIK. Waterpik

27. Vintner's concern : AGING

28. Electrician, now and then : WIRER

29. Italian violin maker : AMATI

30. Observed : SEEN

31. Cry of concession : "UNCLE!"

32. Dwight's spouse : MAMIE Eisenhower

33. Undoes a dele : STETs

36. Color TV pioneer : RCA

40. Became visible : APPEARED

42. Marcel Marceau character : BIP

Embedding disabled by request

LINK

43. Playwright Chekhov : ANTON. 1860 - 1904 Bibliography

44. D-backs, on scoreboards : ARI. (Arizona Diamondbacks)

45. "Poison" shrub : SUMAC

47. Toy weapon : POPGUN. Pastry weapon : POPTART. Story

50. Backyard party setting : PATIO

51. Swanky : RITZY

52. Hustle and bustle : STIR

53. Get licked : LOSE

54. High-end German car : AUDI

56. Hooch containers : JUGS. Careful, getting close to hooters.

58. Detest : HATE

59. Subj. for a business major : ECONomy

60. Fashion initials : DKNY. (Donna Karan New York)

62. "__ making a list ..." : HE'S. Who? Kriss Kringle.

63. Post-WWII alliance : OAS. (Organization of American States)

Argyle

Monday, January 6, 2014 Amy Johnson

Theme: Sounds Funny - Cartoon Characters.

17A. "I am ze locksmith of love, no?" speaker : PEPE LE PEW

                            LINK

26A. "Ándale! Ándale! Arriba! Arriba!" speaker : SPEEDY GONZALES. Product tie-in.

                                    LINK

42A. "That's a joke, ah say, that's a joke, son" speaker : FOGHORN LEGHORN

                                 LINK

56A. "I'm hunting wabbits" speaker : ELMER FUDD. More product placement.

                           LINK

65A. See 59-Down : BLANC - 59D. With 65-Across, longtime voice of 17-, 26-, 42- and 56-Across : MEL. Short interview.

                      LINK

Argyle here. I don't know what it says about my ute but I didn't need any perps to get the theme entries. A fun start to the week.

Across:

1. Rose Parade vehicle : FLOAT. Timely.

6. Had a snack : ATE

9. Got older : AGED

13. Garlicky mayo : AIOLI. Are you getting it now?

14. Mark of an old cut : SCAR

15. Wind of 32 to 63 mph, on the Beaufort scale : GALE

16. Item on a 9-Down : TOPIC

19. Naval Acad. grad : ENS.ign

20. Mr. Kringle : KRISS. Almost timely.

22. Opposing army : ENEMY

23. Voting alliance : BLOC

24. Moved quickly : HIED

32. Took a risk : DARED

33. Olympian queen : HERA. The wife of Zeus.

34. Lodge member : ELK

35. Genesis grandchild : ENOS

36. Selected : CHOSE

38. 951, in old Rome : CMLI

39. Novelist Rand : AYN

40. "In __ of gifts ..." : LIEU

41. French city where Joan of Arc died : ROUEN

46. Snowfall unit : INCH

47. France, under Caesar : GAUL

48. Extremely high heel : SPIKE

51. Toothbrush brand : ORAL B

53. Run up the phone bill, perhaps : GAB

58. Puerto Rican pal : AMIGO

60. Very close : NEAR

61. "Your guess __ good ..." : IS AS

62. Kelly's 2000s morning co-host : REGIS. Philbin.

63. Calendar squares : DAYS

64. Super __: game console : NES. (Nintendo Entertainment System)

Down:

1. Unavoidable outcome : FATE

2. King of the jungle : LION

3. Butterfingers' cry : "OOPS!"

4. "The Greatest" boxer : ALI

5. __ pink: delighted : TICKLED

6. Highest poker pair : ACES

7. Footwear for Gregory Hines : TAP SHOES

8. Old-style "prior to" : ERE

9. List of items to be discussed : AGENDA

10. Stare in wonder : GAPE

11. Preteen sch. : ELEM.entary

12. Wet, as grass at sunup : DEWY

14. Like much Cajun cuisine : SPICY

18. TV host Gibbons : LEEZA

21. Reel partner : ROD

23. Hive insects : BEES

25. With regard to, on memos : IN RE. Latin for "in the matter [of]".

26. Japanese electronics giant : SANYO

27. Pitchfork point : PRONG

28. Grave robber : GHOUL

29. Madagascar primate : LEMUR

30. Actress Barkin : ELLEN

31. Potato covering : SKIN

32. Unable to hear : DEAF

36. Mag. sales : CIRC.ulation

37. Chicken coop : HEN HOUSE

38. Like many a fall day : COOL

40. Hardly a social butterfly : LONER

41. Strawberry's partner-in-pie : RHUBARB

43. Walkers on trails : HIKERS

44. "Jeepers!" : "EGADS!"

45. __ pal : GAL

48. Drop in a mailbox : SEND

49. Ardent request : PLEA

50. Noncommittal response : "I MAY"

52. Dietary stds. : RDAs. (Recommended Dietary Allowance)

53. Prefix with byte : GIGA

54. Not fer : AGIN. Not for, against.

55. Greenish-yellow pear : BOSC

57. Creepy "Jaws" sighting : FIN. Da-Dum...Da-Dum...Da-Dum-Da-Dum-Da-Dum!

                          "That's All Folks!"

Argyle

Sunday January 5, 2014 Joel D. Lafargue

Theme:  "Name Game" - Name can follow the first word in each theme entry.

24A. 1983 novel partly set in a graveyard : PET SEMATARY. Pet name. The novel is by Stephen King. Cemetery is purposely misspelled. Read here (the fourth one).

45A. Classic detective played by William Powell : NICK CHARLES. Nickname. Asta!

54A. Bibliophile's prize : FIRST EDITION. First name. I had the first edition of "The Godfather" once. Alas, it's not worth much.

75A. Simple to operate : USER- FRIENDLY. Username.

86A. Office staple :  FILE CABINET. File name.

107A. Any top-25 NFL career scoring leader : PLACE KICKER. Place name.

38D. Cheating deterrent : CODE OF HONOR. Code name. 

41D. A 36-Across may be one : TRADE SECRET. Trade name.  And 36A. Proprietary formula, perhaps : RECIPE

This is a classic 8-themer design: 6 Across, 2 Down. Though often the first theme entry starts or ends at the grid edge rather than in the middle.

I think crossword answers often reflect the interests & background of the constructor. How old do you think Joel D. Lafargue is? 

Simple theme, a few tricky spots for me.

Across:

1. Pacific island nation : FIJI. Vijay Singh is the Big Fijian.

5. Eastern teachers : LAMAS

10. __ bar : SNACK

15. Frequent autograph signer : IDOL

19. Quaint plaint : EGAD

20. Man with memorable thumbs : EBERT (Roger)

21. Really cold : POLAR. I don't remembering a colder winter. The highs today is 8 below. Tomorrow is worse.

22. Extra : MORE

23. Singular : LONE

26. Bakery buys : BUNS

27. Arboreal rodents : TREE RATS

29. From square one : ANEW

30. Tap : SPIGOT

32. Steams (up) : FOGS

33. Cannes conclusion : FINIS

35. Baffled "Jeopardy!" contestant's effort : STAB. Take a stab.

39. Salon treatments : MANIS. And 112. Salon treatment : PEDI. Hi there Lucina and Dudley? :-)

40. Frankie Valli singing style : FALSETTO

44. Bonding agent : EPOXY

47. Needing training : RAW

48. Sourdough's strike : LODE. I suppose those sourdough guys invented the sourdough bread.

49. Item sold in a kit : MODEL

50. Ohio pro : CAV (Cavaliers)

51. Letter successor, to a large degree : EMAIL

53. Non-metallic rocks : ICE. Fun clue.

58. "Spamalot" co-creator : IDLE (Eric)

59. 2000 film set in a confectionery : CHOCOLAT. With Juliette Binoche. Love her. "Damage" is one of my favorites. "Damaged people are dangerous..."

61. __ exam : ORAL

62. Fitting to the max : APTEST

64. Cold, in Calais : FROID. We all know sang-froid (cold blood). Cool!

65. Stupefies : DAZES

67. DeMille specialties : EPICS

68. Taken as __: in its entirety : A WHOLE. A rare 6-letter partial.

70. Secret rival? : SURE. Deodorants. Not familiar with SURE.

71. Greatly disliked thing : ANATHEMA

74. Engage in braggadocio : CROW

79. Rip off : COP

80. Salon dye : HENNA

82. Back in time : AGO

83. Least quantity : MINIM. I always use "Minimum".

84. Actor's accessory : PROP

85. That, in Toledo : ESO

90. French peninsular city : BREST. We've seen LAIT clued as "Brest milk?" before.

91. It won't hold water : STRAINER. Another great clue.

93. Horse features : MANES. Have any of you used Mane 'n Tail shampoo? They were originally for horses. My hair grows like weeds. I hope to gallop someday.

94. Marks common in stories : QUOTES

95. Landings: Abbr. : ARRS

96. Muffet fare : CURDS

97. Bedroom community, briefly : BURB

98. Joe or java : COFFEE

101. Major affair : GALA

102. He played Arnold Vinick on "The West Wing" : ALAN ALDA. Full name.

106. Diva's moment : ARIA

111. Transmission speed unit : BAUD. Wiki said "the baud unit is named after Émile Baudot, the inventor of the Baudot code for telegraphy". Learning moment for me also.

113. One often turned on : LIGHT. Great clue.

114. Top-tier invitees : A-LIST

115. Gospel writer : LUKE

116. What one star may mean : POOR

117. Nods, often : YESES

118. Freebies on pillows : MINTS

119. Fall locale : EDEN. Biblical fall.

Down:

1. Pool surface : FELT

2. "M*A*S*H" mess server : IGOR. Is this a gimme to you? Totally stranger to me.

3. Boy's mother : JANE. Boy is Tarzan's son? Wiki said the boy is called Jack (ape name Korak).

4. Parisian obsession : IDEE FIXE

5. Classic French firearms company : LEPAGE. Also a learning moment to me.

6. Does lookout duty for, say : ABETS

7. Subway Series team : METS. And Yankees of course.

8. MGM motto word : ARS.  "Ars gratia artis" (art for art's sake)

9. Multi-office rental: Abbr. : STE. Never saw "Suite" abbreviated this way.

10. __ rice : SPANISH

11. Staff figures : NOTES

12. What there oughta be : A LAW

13. Jam ingredient? : CAR. Nailed it.

14. Mrs. Blake Carrington on "Dynasty" : KRYSTLE. Another stranger to me. Played by Linda Evans.

15. Drink : IMBIBE

16. Henning of magic : DOUG

17. "Deal __ Deal" : OR NO

18. For fear that : LEST

25. More than excited : MANIC

28. Like challah dough : ROPY.  I had some nova lox yesterday. It's smoked. Lox itself is not smoked, isn't it, Lemonade/Hahtoola?

31. No longer in : PASSE

33. Diamond side : FACET

34. Trimming tape : INKLE. I forgot. We had this before.

35. Cannon barrage : SALVO

36. Thing of the past : RELIC

37. Significant period : EPOCH

39. Center : MIDST

40. Weak : FRAIL

42. Call before the game? : TAILS. Oh, heads or tails.

43. Immature hooter : OWLET. It still amuses me that Rich won't allow HOOTERS in a grid.

45. Org. headquartered near Colorado's Cheyenne Mountain : NORAD. Needed crossing help.

46. Assume the role of : ACT AS

49. Surroundings : MILIEU

52. Author Albom : MITCH. He wrote "Tuesdays with Morrie".

54. Blockhead : FOOL

55. Leveling machine : DOZER

56. High dudgeon : IRE

57. Flamethrower compound : NAPALM. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning".

60. Broken nursery rhyme item : CROWN. Jack and Jill.

63. "Bummer" : PITY

65. Red pig : DUROC. Alien to me as well. I wonder if Windhover raises these pigs. This one has an incredibly long body.

66. Bit of setter speech : ARF

67. Say "Enough!" : END IT

68. Liniment targets : ACHES

69. Grab forcefully : WREST

70. "Like a Rock" singer : SEGER (Bob). So, what's your favorite song of 2013? I really loved Lana Del Rey's "Young & Beautiful".  Give Lorde's  "Royals" a try. Like it?

71. Frank and Rice : ANNES

72. Seuss' Thidwick, e.g. : MOOSE

73. Date bk. listings : APPTS

76. Quarterly report line : SALES

77. "Yes, it does bother me!" : I MIND. Not an objection I use.

78. Some, in Stuttgart : EINES

81. In flames : AFIRE

84. Likely : PROBABLE

87. As an answer : IN REPLY

88. Charms : AMULETS

89. Israeli prime minister before Sharon : BARAK (Ehud)

90. Expend, as fuel : BURN

92. Cool and Lam detective series pen name : A A FAIR. Erle Stanley Gardner's pseudonym. Read more  here.

94. Milk buys : QUARTS

96. Buried treasure : CACHE

97. Consecrated : BLEST

98. Smythe's comics barfly : CAPP (Andy). Reg Smythe is the cartoonist. Another unknown figure to me.

99. Oft-twisted treat : OREO

100. Generic pet name : FIDO

101. Jokes : GAGS

102. Related : AKIN

103. Praise highly : LAUD

104. Blue Devils' home : DUKE. Coach K.

105. Arabian Peninsula port : ADEN

108. Invention: LIE

109. Seuss' Sam-__ : I AM

110. MDX ÷ X : CLI. 151.

Husker Gary's Crossword Corner map is now linked under Olio in our blog front page. If you want to be on the map, please contact Gary (gschlapfer@gmail.com).

C.C.