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.

Saturday, Jan 4th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70 (missing F,J; see below)

Blocks: 35

   This was the most arduous Saturday Silkie I have had the pleasure of working in a long time~!  The answers came slowly, and the proper name crossings did not speed things up at all.  Very unusual grid design, with a set of overlapping 'rings';   I wonder if the blocks preceding 29a and 45a were not there originally.  Either way, we have triple 10-letter stacks and two 11-letter climbers:

11d. Orderly traffic pattern : ZIPPER MERGE - This just doesn't work; at least not here on Long Island - if Long Islanders (typically) could comprehend this, there would be no such thing as "rush hour" traffic - and I don't just mean work zones, either.

23d. Phone book feature : AREA CODE MAP - our local phone books actually have an area map that is folded up in the back

55. Weather vane : ANEMOSCOPE - from the Greek for 'wind', we also have the wind speed device, the anemometer - that's hard to say~!   Now try sphygmomanometer

sfig-mow, uh, sfig-man-a, sfig-mumble-mumble, DAH~! - ONWARD~!

ACROSS:

1. End of a descent : SPLASHDOWN - astronauts and re-entry

11. Alternate courses : ZAGS - a WAG, but I did have -A-S

15. Gwadar Bay is an inlet of it : ARABIAN SEA - there was -R---N--A after some crosses, so "SEA" felt right; the ARABIAN part seemed like a good WAG, too

16. Fertile Crescent land : IRAQ

17. Commit, in a way : GET ENGAGED - some say you might need to be committed if you decide to get engaged

18. Indiana city where the International Circus Hall of Fame is located : PERU

19. Take up : USE - Meh

20. Dedicated lines : ODE

21. Telephone __ : POLE - a little history here; I also heard that Morse was under pressure to deliever his proposal to go country-wide to the US government, and having failed to bury his telegraph line, stuck ceramic wire supports in trees to carry the line from Baltimore to D.C. - now we're stuck with the system.   How many of our bloggers live in an area where there are NO telephone poles? 

22. Big name in shaving : ATRA

24. French 101 verb : AVOIR - I don't speak Frawnch, but I believe this is "to have"

26. "Mrs. Battle's Opinions on Whist" essayist : ELIA

27. Sound of waves : ROAR - neat little play on words

28. Uncovered : NUDE

29. Delay cause : WRECK - yeah, that and weather

30. How some equipment is acquired : ON LEASE

32. Drift : ROAM

34. Oil source : SESAME - canola, corn, shale, and dinosaur are some other sources

35. "Long-lasting" chocolate brand : RIESEN

39. Collectible sheets : CELS - I thought they were individual frames; I wouldn't call them 'sheets'

41. Routine that's not funny : RAT RACE

42. Colorful flowers : PHLOX - any one else throw in a plural "S" at first?

45. Not procrastinating : ON IT

47. Wax : GROW - a 'waxing gibbous' moon is one that is growing from first quarter to full

48. Crucifix : ROOD - learned this because I had an American history teacher, Mr. David Rood

49. Nitrogen compound : AMIDE

50. Downs : EATS

51. At a previous time : ONCE

52. Jack insert, briefly : MIC - this "M" was the last letter to fill, and I had to duck for the flying V-8 can; I should have guessed this immediately, as I have discovered not one, but TWO open-mic nites this past New Year's Eve - I can't wait to get up and jam~!

53. Barrett of Pink Floyd : SYD - one of the founding members; for those who do not know his story

54. Support piece : BEAM

60. __ noche: tonight : ESTA

61. Traces : DELINEATES - the 'outline' definition, not the 'last vestiges' one

62. Put one's foot down : STEP

63. Drop-down item that hopefully doesn't have to : OXYGEN MASK - I was stuck in computer mode, and kept thinking of some drop-down menu item

DOWN:

1. Sonoran Desert natives : SAGUAROS

2. Coolant giant : PRESTONE

3. Some gridiron passes : LATERALS

4. See 43-Down : ABE;  43D. With 4-Down, one-time White House nickname : HONEST

5. It's not a good thing : SIN

6. Witchy woman : HAG

7. Evidence of descent : DNA - semi-clecho, but this has a different 'descent' meaning

8. James whose company published the first U.S. edition of "The Prince and the Pauper" : OSGOOD

9. More unkempt, lawn-wise : WEEDIER

10. "Unsafe at Any Speed" author : NADER

12. Ring of color : AREOLE - it's been a while since we saw this one [C.C., can you find that classic link?] (From C.C.: Sure thing. And it's not copyrighted. What a big relief! The second one is for D-Otto!)

13. Bruschetta ingredient : GARLIC

14. Barely get (by) : SQUEAK

24. Adams of filmdom? : ANSEL - black and white film, that is

25. Saturn SUV : VUE - I had ION at first - which is their 4-door sedan

29. Take no action : WAIT

31. Former Food & Wine publisher, familiarly : AMEX - the Wiki

33. Make a delivery : ORATE - ah, not drive-brown-truck....

36. City south of Tampa : SARASOTA

37. Adaptable subspecies : ECOTYPES

38. Paper department : NEWS DESK

40. Aid for the restless : SOMINEX

41. Divest : RID

42. Examines closely : PROBES - not SCOPES - that showed up in 55a.

44. Pinpoint : LOCATE

46. Well : NICELY - such as saying "That will do well (nicely)"

49. "Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands" author : AMADO

56. Eurasian aircraft acronym : MiG - more Wiki

57. Unified : ONE

58. Hill fig. : SEN - REP, POL, which one?

59. Carolina quarterback Newton : CAM - the only sports figure I know named CAM is the former player and now preisdent of the Boston Bruins, Cam Neely

Splynter

Here's your F & J ~!  (one block from my UPS route)

Friday, January 3, 2014, Ed Sessa

Theme: Before and After Bridge

Well it is Friday and time to present another way to hide the theme, this time with 4 sets of answers paired together where the answer to the the first fill needs BRIDGE added to the end to make sense of the clue/fill and the second part of the pair needs BRIDGE to precede the answer to complete the fill. The puzzle certainly made me aware of how many different meanings BRIDGE has. Without asterisks or other hints, locating and sussing the theme was quite difficult, even with the reveal. This is my third write up of Mr. Sessa, who has been one of the steadiest and most prolific constructors with about 30 LAT and 21 NYT in the past few years. The puzzle did not have much long fill, but the 7s and 8s were good. ARTISTE, CANTEEN,  CORRODE,  COURSES,  IN TOTAL,  MACABRE,  NOODGES, STERNUM, COIN CASE,  INTEGRAL. The cluing was hard, so I'd best get to work unraveling....

14A. Stream crosser : FOOT. (4) (Footbridge).  and 16A. Sets of 13 cards : HANDS. (5). (Bridge hands).

24A. 1990 Newman/Woodward drama : MR AND MRS. (8) (Mr and Mrs Bridge). Never heard of this MOVIE (2:46), despite the cast, it only grossed $7 million; but knowing I was looking for BRIDGE from footbridge, this made sense, then I later saw the reveal, then 26A. Overcome a significant difference : THE GAP (6) had to be (Bridge the Gap).

54A. Oral prosthesis : DENTAL. (6) (Dental bridge). With implants, they may disappear. 56A. Spock and Uhura, e.g. : OFFICERS. (8) (Bridge officers). Notice how the length of the fill flip flops to maintain symmetry.

66A. Place for spectacles : NASAL. (5) (Nasal bridge) The bridge of your nose. 67A. Military fortification : HEAD. (bridgehead). I am not sure if it is intentional or not, but footbridge and bridge head which are the symmetrical 'hidden' theme answers, are the only ones which are a single word. Securing the end of a bridge in war has always been Military STRATEGY.

The reveal:

52D. Apt word to substitute for each of four black squares to make sense of the across answers on either side of them : BRIDGE. That made everything as clear as mud.

Across:

1. Creepy thing : MOSS. What a tough way to start, after giving up on bugs, and ghouls, I thought of IVY then VINE; 1 down not being easy made this a challenging beginning.

5. Oft-used PC key : ESC. How do you guess between ESC, ALT and DEL? Really hard with SOLAR and LUNAR both fitting.

8. Karel Capek genre : SCI FI. We have had various references to this AUTHOR before, usually because he coined the word ROBOT. This was a gimme for Owen, but for the rest of us,  I knew this was not going to be a speed run.

13. "O.G. Original Gangster" rapper : ICE T. I do not know rap, and it is getting harder to find links without long ads, so we travel to Poland for this VERSION. (2:58). Along with ICE CUBE, he has made the transition to mainstream TV.

17. Residential plot : ACRE. Even this was tricky as so few houses are built on this large a lot.

18. Sweeping target : FLUE. Chimney sweeps...we have to work for every letter today.

19. Prologue : INTRO. Finally, and some may nit about it not suggesting an abbreviation.

20. Hindu collection : SUTRA. I know we have all heard of the Kama Sutra, but there is MORE.

22. Performer : ARTISTE.

29. Promise : ASSURE.

30. Doc who treats snorers : ENT. Ear Nose and Throat.

32. Lake __ College, near Cleveland : ERIE.

33. Wrong treatment : MISUSE. I had trouble seeing this definition.

35. Tree knot : GNARL.

36. 1957 Treaty of Rome org. : EEC. European Economic Community. This TREATY was a step on the way to the current European Union.

39. Consume : EAT. Placed nicely next to...

40. Consumer's guide, briefly : RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance. I never had an allowance.

42. Caustic chemical : LYE.

43. It may be pulled at a gym : GROIN. As opposed to your leg in conversation.

45. Bring up to speed : INFORM.

48. V __ Victor : AS IN.

49. Road warning : SLO. I do not like this sign, but the fill is legitimate.

50. Lit at the table, perhaps : FLAMBE. People and flames....

58. Become rusty : CORRODE.

60. "Shaddap!" : CAN IT! My New England upbringing always taught me, "You eat what you can, and what you can't, you can."

61. Muse of poetry : ERATO. More popular than lady gaga and miley combined.

63. Mythical maneater : OGRE. Musical interlude. ONE. (4:25).

65. Sit tight : BIDE.

68. Fly off the handle : RAGE. Many of us have had to deal with rageaholics in life.

69. Inscribed pillar : STELE. This has become a CW staple, we saw it at the end of November here..

70. Sneaky : SLY.

71. Sch. level : ELEM.

Down:

1. Noxious gas : MIASMA. I am more familiar with its use as to noxious atmosphere; a Friday word.

2. Comes to pass : OCCURS.

3. SmartSurface mattresses : SERTAS. Interesting that SEALY has the same number of letters as SERTA.

4. Rib cage part : STERNUM.  From the Greek Sternos. This finally got me started.

5. Valedictorian's nightmare : EFF. Man, is this where I get to link the EFF  word pics?

6. __ eclipse : SOLAR. Lunar/solar...

7. Soup-to-nuts listing : COURSES. Four courses is about the most I can handle.

8. Turkish for "skewer" : SHISH. Sheesh, we should know this from all the Kebab (kabob?) we eat.

9. Hiker's container : CANTEEN. Hydrate.

10. Vital : INTEGRAL.

11. New Deal initials : FDR. Do I need to spell this one out?

12. Prefix meaning "equal" : ISO.

15. Asian festival : TET. To most my age inextricably associated with the Vietnam War.

21. Brody of "The Pianist" : ADRIEN. Wonderful, sad, moving movie.

23. TV cousin : ITT. The Addams family.

25. Phoenix suburb : MESA.

27. Light : AIRY.

28. Soccer superstar : PELE. His legend lives on in the CW world.

31. Maker of the Super Soaker : NERF. Unrelated by I recently heard this SONG.(3:57).

34. Monthly exp. : UTILities.

35. Enticing kitchen aroma : GARLIC. A shout out to our Gilroy girl.

36. "Gosh!" : EGAD.

37. Scots Gaelic : ERSE.

38. Place for petty cash? : COIN CASE. Like alliteration, but struggled a bit here.

41. Tip : DOFF. My cap at this one.

44. Taken together : IN TOTAL.

46. Nags : NOODGES. From Yiddish nudyen (to pester, bore), from Polish nudzic. The word developed a variant spelling 'nudge' under the influence of the English word 'nudge'. A cousin of this word is nudnik (a boring pest). First recorded use: 1960. Per wordsmith.

47. Saint-Saëns' "Danse __" : MACABRE. A Halloween staple, seen HERE (7:18) from a visual perspective.

49. Camera letters : SLR. Single Lens Reflex.

51. Lowly : MENIAL.  Followed by...

53. Value : ESTEEM.

55. Play __ in : A ROLE.

57. Born in the wild : FERAL. I guess this is accurate but I think of feral as a domesticated animal living in the wild.

59. "How lovely!" : OOH. AHH, we are almost done and these three letter ones helped.

61. Annapolis grad. : ENSign.

62. Squealer with a tale or a tail : RAT. Lovely use of language.

64. Market freezer name : EDY. Because Breyer's never fits.

Well, here is another year upon us, and almost time for the Corner's anniversary, as C.C. pointed out, and so many responded on the 1st. I hope this one did not keep you late night solvers up too late, and I look forward to opinions hearing from all the readers, the lurkers, the regulars, the now and agains, and the long lost. Peace out and may 2014 be the best yet.

Lemonade.

Note from C.C.:

Husker Gary just updated his brilliant Crossword Corner map. Click on it for a clearer view. Please contact Gary (gschlapfer@gmail.com) if you want to be added or removed from the map. Thanks for the hard work, Gary!

Thursday, January 2, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Could'a, should'a, would'a seen it coming!"

17. *Sweet melons : CAN'TALOUPES.

24. *Ramshackle community : SHAN'TYTOWN.

31. *The Prairie State : I'LLINOIS.

40. *Horror film shapeshifter : WE'REWOLF.

47. *Chinese restaurant staple : WON'TONSOUP.

56. Beginning of labor, and, in another sense, the beginning of each answer to a starred clue : CONTRACTION.

I don't think I have ever seen this gimmick before.  Until I saw the reveal, I didn't have a clue.

Across:

1. Towering : BIG.

4. Give quite the earful : SHOUT AT. Some tricky little phrases in the puzzle that made me check more than a few perps.

11. Woody Allen asset : WIT.

14. Soul, in Somme : AME.

15. City that was the source of the marble for Michelangelo's "David" : CARRARA.

16. Squeeze (out) : EKE.

19. Taylor of fashion : ANN. Classic styles. Kind of boring, IMHO.

20. Behind : AFTER.

21. CD return : INT.erest

22. Princess provoker : PEA. From the classic fairy tale, "The Princess and the Pea."

23. Agile deer : ROES. Deer doesn't need an "s" for the plural. Frustrating to C.C.

28. Forest mom : DOE. Doe adds an "s" for the plural. Go figure.

29. Kublai __ : KHAN.

30. Hand or foot : UNIT.

33. Some words in baby books? : FIRSTS.

35. Kitten cry : MEWL. Beware of mewling kittens…they will steal their way into your heart and end up taking over the household.

36. Warm-water shark : MAKO.

37. Smooth moves : SEGUES. Not to be confused with Segways, which are also pretty smooth:

44. "Rag Mop" singing brothers : AMES. Oldie but goodie.

45. Burden : ONUS.

46. Go (for) : VIE.

51. Broad bean : FAVA.

52. Brief writer: Abbr. : ATT.orney

53. Pal of Piglet : ROO.

54. One with a muzzle, maybe : BITER. If I see a dog with a muzzle, I steer clear!

55. Movement-sensing game console : WII. My WII Tai Chi instructor is a hard taskmaster.

60. Clark's "Mogambo" co-star : AVA. Clark Gable and Ava Gardner.

61. Like some elephants : ASIATIC. As opposed to African elephants.

62. Musician Sean Taro __ Lennon : ONO. How many ways to clue ONO?

63. Intense hunger : YEN.

64. Sand dollar habitats : SEABEDS.

65. Web : NET.


Down:

1. Company that now owns Dewar's, Bombay Sapphire and Grey Goose : BACARDI.

2. "Stupid me!" : I'M A FOOL. A gratuitous CONTRACTION.

3. Well-mannered : GENTEEL.

4. Swordplay memento : SCAR.

5. "2001" computer : HAL. "2001: A Space Odyssey."

6. Galeón cargo : ORO. Spanish ship seeking gold.

7. Braz. neighbor : URU.guay

8. Easy putt : TAP IN. I bet Husker Gary has had plenty of those.

9. "__ you ready yet?" : AREN'T. Another gratuitous CONTRACTION. I think I would have tried to avoid this type of entry, given the theme.

10. Lip-smacking : TASTY.

11. Some Clue cards : WEAPONS.

12. "My suspicions are confirmed!" : I KNEW IT! Another tough little phrase to parse.

13. Building group : TENANTS.

18. Your, to Pierre : TES.  The others are: votre, vos, ton and ta (adjectives or pronouns) and à vous and à toi (pronouns).

24. Broadway attractions : SHOWS.

25. It comes down hard : HAIL. Haha, cute clue.

26. "Jeopardy!" monitor display: Abbr. : ANS.wer

27. "One L" author : TUROW.

29. Often-torn trouser part : KNEE.

32. "__ down to the seas again": Masefield : I MUST. From "Sea Fever." Complete poem, here.

33. At a great height : FAR UP.

34. Turner and others : IKES.

36. Remote button : MENU.

37. Figured out how : SAW A WAY. See what I mean about the tough little phrases?

38. Producing intense feeling : EMOTIVE.

39. Blue-flowering plant used in herbal medicine : GENTIAN. My mother used to drink Moxie, which contained gentian root. Blecch!!

40. Try to persuade : WOO.

41. Show of hands? : OVATION. Fun clue.

42. Potential dupe : LIVE ONE. In this case, "dupe" refers to a patsy.

43. Biblical words of comfort : FEAR NOT.

48. SeaWorld swimmers : ORCAS.

49. Lariat loop : NOOSE.

50. Colleague of Elena and Antonin : SONIA. Elena Kagan, Antonin Scalia and Sonia Sotomayor. Supreme Court Justices.

51. Hale and hearty : FIT.

54. Secretly keeps in the email loop, briefly : BCCs. Blind Carbon Copies, on an email.  Whenever I send an email to a large group, I always put their addresses in the BCC field. That way, the names are less likely to be grabbed by internet bots.

57. Computer key : TAB.

58. Short shortcut? : RTE.  Route.

59. Samaritan's offering : AID. I quickly saw that "alms" wouldn't fit. (Very perceptive of me, don't you think??)

See you next week!
Marti