Sunday January 19, 2014 John Lampkin

Theme: - "Oh, No!" - O is removed from a common phrase with an OU bigram.

23A. "$%*#& computer!"? : CRASH CURSE. Crash course.

25A. Spillane's inspiration? : MICKEY MUSE. Micky mouse. Mickey Spillane.

54A. Like PETA members? : DOWN ON ALL FURS. Down on all fours.

83A. Sugar daddy? : FUNDING FATHER. Founding father.

112A. Keyboard technique suggested by the instruction "attacca"? : PIANO LUNGE. Piano lounge. John is a pianist.

116A. Well-mannered sisters? : PROPER NUNS. Proper nouns.

37D. "Thanks, Pierre, nice mug!"? : MERCI, BEAU CUP. Merci beaucoup.  A rare word split, but John's OU to O candidates are very limited. You'll know when you try this approach.

42D. Short anchor? : CURT REPORTER. Court reporter. 

Of the 8 entries, 2 have O's removed from the first word. Quite consistent.

Naturally it's a pangram grid (every letter is used at least once) & cheater free & full of fun clues, John's hallmarks.

This puzzle also has lots of sparkly long fill. Just look at the left quadrant alone: OKAY BY ME, SQUEEZE IN, BARE SKIN, STEAMY & SABBATH. All done without any cheater. Incredible craftsmanship.

Across:

1. Fix things : ATONE

6. Egret kin seen in hieroglyphs : IBIS. He is a picture John took. He said it's "American White Ibis, hunting for aquatic prey".

10. "Paw" on "The Beverly Hillbillies" : JED

13. Courage : METTLE

19. Give room for growth, as seedlings : RE-POT

20. Slacker's word : CAN'T. And 22. Slacker's lack : ENERGY

21. Program file extension : EXE

27. Networking, maybe : ON-LINE. The first time I went on line is 1999. How about you?

28. Predictions affected by storms, briefly : ETAs

30. Dance step : TOE TAP

31. Fancy wheels : ROLLS

33. Apt name for a truck driver? : MAC. Oh, Mack truck.

35. Wagner's "__ Rheingold" : DAS

36. ER part: Abbr. : EMER

40. Armor-breaking weapon : MACE

43. "Sure" : OKAY BY ME. Lovely entry.

46. Sherlock's adversary Adler : IRENE. River Doc just mentioned her yesterday.

47. Add to a busy schedule : SQUEEZE IN. Another great entry.

50. Prior to A.D. : BCE

51. Some OPEC ministers : QATARIS

53. It's about 10% larger than Australia : EUR

57. Fresno campus inits. : CSU (California State University)

58. Birch flower clusters : CATKINS

60. Pigged out : ATE A TON. I can eat a ton of rice noodle rolls.

61. __ of fare : BILL

62. Mechanical learning : ROTE

63. Way up : HIGH

65. "No way!" : NOT ON A BET

67. Takedown expert? : STENO. Great clue.

69. Sculls : OARS

70. Father : SIRE

71. Mr. Rogers and others : FREDS

72. Flash mob? : PAPARAZZI. Look at the crossings. So clean.

74. Tear : REND. Verb "tear".

75. Goya's "The Duchess of __" : ALBA

76. Bygone theaters : RKOS

77. Antlered Eurasians : ROE DEER

79. The 2006 novel "Hannibal Rising," for one : PREQUEL. Never saw it. Must be the prequel to "The Silence of the Lambs".

82. "__ durn tootin'!" : YER

86. 1880s pres. monogram : CAA. Chester Alan Arthur.

87. Interweave : ENTWINE

89. Actress Hagen : UTA

90. More than dull : DRY AS DUST

92. Mug at a bar : STEIN. I like this clue also.

93. Detect intuitively : SMELL OUT

95. Fencing tool : EPEE

96. On the fence : TORN

97. __ room : REC

99. Old touring car : REO

100. Sniggler : EELER

103. Kitschy garden figures : GNOMES

106. Scary contest : DUEL

108. Where to find baked blackbirds : IN A PIE. I once had IN A RUG in a grid. Rich said it's a partial.

118. Drawing power : ALLURE

119. When Le Havre gets hot : ETE

120. Rain-deflecting aid : EAVE

121. Grimm baddies : OGRES

 

122. Cleaver : MEAT AX

123. Leb. neighbor : ISR

124. One in a flight : STEP

125. 2013 Daytime Emmy winner Gibbons : LEEZA

Down:

1. Violist's direction : ARCO. "With the bow". Learned it from doing xwords.

2. "One good __ deserves another": birder's quip : TERN. Fun clue.

3. Aussie gem : OPAL

4. "Fat chance!" : NO SIREE

5. Centric opening : ETHNO

6. "ER" setting : ICU

7. Nudist's covering? : BARE SKIN. Nice clue/answer. Have you ever been to a nude beach?

8. Technical sch. : INST

9. Hot and heavy : STEAMY

10. Atticus Finch's son : JEM

11. Way out : EXIT

12. Figure out : DECODE

13. Boy-girl link : MEETS. Boy meets Girl.

14. Grammy-winning Celtic musician : ENYA

15. Andrew Wyeth medium : TEMPERA. This word is so close to Tempura.

16. "__ Calling": 2000s Eliza Dushku TV series : TRU. Never heard of it.

17. Optimus F3 cellphones : LGs

18. Batting organ : EYE.  Here is another photo from John. He said: "The compound eye of a Crane Fly, which is approximately 1 mm in diameter".

24. Frame of Bugs, e.g. : CEL. 55. Bugs : NAGS.

26. Mauna __ : KEA

29. Holy day : SABBATH

32. Chain with popcorn : LOEWS

34. Bike : CYCLE

38. Like Crusoe : ENISLED. Only in xwords.

39. Outcomes : RESULTS

40. 1/60,000 of a min. : MSEC

41. Cyan shade : AQUA

44. "Wheel" purchase : AN "O"

45. Biological pigment : MELANIN

46. Commonly mistyped word : IT'S. I mistyped THE more often.

48. Piece polisher : EDITOR

49. Region : ZONE

51. Repeat exactly : QUOTE

52. New Yorker cartoonist Peter : ARNO

56. Former Calif. base : FT. ORD

59. Hawaiian storms : KONAS. I only know Kona the coffee.

61. Backyard Jul. 4 event : BAR-B-Q

63. Obscured : HAZED

64. Metal named for a blue line in its spectrum : IRIDIUM. Does this word have the same root as Blue Iris? (Added later: The Across Lite clue is: Metal named for the Greek goddess of the rainbow.)

66. Jags or Vikes : NFLers. Star Tribune has lots of coverage on the new head coach for the Vikings.

67. Most nimble : SPRYEST

68. Fallen for : TAKEN TO

69. Protective layer : OZONE

70. One whose efforts were feudal : SERF. What a great clue! Futile.

73. Have __ of good luck : A RUN

74. Entertained : REGALED

75. Field : AREA

78. Key with an arrow : ENTER. Does your SHIFT have an arrow also?

79. Neo- or bryo- ender : PHYTE

80. Comfort : EASE

81. Overdue : LATE

83. Dart part : FIN. Don't play darts. No idea on FIN.

84. Flap : ADO

85. Soul mate : TRUE LOVE. Hope Splynter finds his soon.

88. Hand-tightened fastener : WING NUT. We had this entry a few years ago, and the constructor is ???. Guess!

91. Make bananas? : DERANGE. So many nice clues today.

93. Curtain-raising time : SCENE I

94. Watchmakers' aids : LOUPES

97. Pricey watch : ROLEX

98. Avian Aussie : EMU

101. Concern in the rough : LIE. Golf.

102. Join, in London : ENROL. We use Enroll.

104. __ Barnacle, wife of James Joyce : NORA. Gimme for Misty, our expert on James Joyce.

105. Snorkel et al.: Abbr. : SGTS

107. Q.E.D. part : ERAT

109. Utter : PURE

110. R&B singer Foxx : INEZ. Not a familiar name to me.

111. She, in Salerno : ESSA

112. Spray in the pantry : PAM

113. Seine sight : ILE

114. Bit of culinary jargon : A LA

115. Bard's adverb : E'ER

117. Spirit : PEP

C.C.

Saturday, Jan 18th, 2014, Mark Bickham

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing Q,U)

Blocks: 31

   I get very dismayed when I see Mr. Bickham's name listed as the constructor on the crossword,  because I find his Saturday puzzles to be very difficult to solve.  While today's grid has a very cool look to it, there was also a LOT of white, and my first pass did not yield much.  BUT - as is always the case, by plugging away, and throwing a few WAGs in, I was able to complete it.  There was a technical glitch,  so forgive me for typos and omissions.  Two grid spanners:

17a. Traditional Austrian dish : WEINER SCHNITZEL - I started to fill in VIENNA SAUSAGE, but that just wasn't working with the down answers that I knew were correct

56a. Annual People feature : SEXIEST MAN ALIVE - Adam Levine of "The Voice" and Maroon 5 fame was the winner in 2013 - very racy pic here

Onward~!

ACROSS:

1. Lake Titicaca forms part of its border : BOLIVIA - oh, what a name~! map

8. Rug treatment : SHAMPOO - for both the carpet and the toupée versions

15. Demanding attention : EXIGENT

16. Performing a spiritual ritual : CENSING - the wafting of the thurible - I just learned something

19. Promise that doesn't always work out : I DO - I did, but now I don't; maybe....

20. Baby blues, e.g. : PEEPERS - I have blue eyes; the hostess at the Italian restaurant has gorgeous ones - she's so adorable, I'm thinking about "I DO" again

21. Half a Gabor? : ZSA-zsa

22. It can help you avoid ads : TIVO - or your local cable company's DVR, which is just about the only way I'll watch television these days

24. _____ Gras : MARDI

25. Swabber's aid : PAIL - I thought we might get our "Q" with Q-tip, the cotton swab, and the "U" on the DOWN side

26. Bohemia native : CZECH - could be from right here on Long Island, too~!

28. Food often served in chains : PIZZA - not links, as in sausage

29. Cry upon arriving : HERE I AM~!

32. Breezes (through) : WALTZES - tough, but entertaining clue/answer

34. Anabaena or chlorella : ALGA

35. Andean root vegetables : OCAs

36. Cyclist's wear : SPANDEX

39. Milky : WHITISH

43. Patty Hearst's SLA alias : TANIA

44. "Pearly Shells" singer : DON HO - now that I think about it, this should have been an easy WAG

45. Prophetess in Luke : ANNA - Saturday cluing for a common name

46. Conforms : JIBES

51. Fresh-mouthed : PERT

52. Way to go: Abbr. : RouTE

53. More than just enthusiastic : FANATIC

55. Mark, as a ballot : X IN

59. Didn't need instructions : KNEW HOW - I'm a "Type 5"; even if I do KNOW HOW, I still read the instructions - which came in handy doing a laminate floor last year; the installation for the larger tile style requires the longer side to be tapped into place, not the shorter one

60. Christmas eave sparklers : ICICLES - Did NOT fool me - I saw the "a" in the homonym eve

61. Straightforward demand : YES OR NO ?

62. Banks, e.g. : LENDERS

DOWN:

1. Entrance : BEWITCH - DAH~!! totally fooled by this en-TRANCE, not EN-trance; I was looking for a doorway that ended in ---ITCH

2. Discolor, as banana peels, e.g. : OXIDIZE

3. Be postponed for later attention : LIE OVER - meh; I think of LIE OVER as in airports

4. Engine starter: Abbr. : IGNition; too bad there was no way to deceive us with "KEY"

5. #2 : VEEP - The "V.P."

6. Directed against a thing, to lawyers : IN REM - Lemonade?

7. Clueless : AT SEA

8. TV listing : SCHEDule; TV is technically an Abbr.

9. '50s-'70s Montreal Canadiens star ____ Richard : HENRI - brother of Maurice, the "rocket"; this led Henri, younger, to be nicknamed the "pocket-rocket"

10. Spanish cordial : ANIS - anise in English

11. Colo. hours : MST - Mountain Standard Time

12. Dash : PIZZAZZ - Scrabbly fill

13. It fits all, so they say : ONE SIZE

14. Crazy Horse and Red Cloud : OGLALAs - according to Wiki, one of seven subtribes of the Great Sioux Nation

18. "Kiss of life", briefly : CPR - Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation - and I spelled it correctly without looking it up~!

23. "1984" location : OCEANIA - or Eddie Van Halen's backyard, if you're thinking about this 1984

25. Rest area visit : PIT STOP - I had PI-S-O- , and thought....naw, can't be

27. "Broom-____": comic strip : HILDA

28. Geometric pattern : PLAID

30. Gray : AGE - put it in, took it out, went back in

31. Nth degree : MAXimum

32. Blow away : WOW

33. Rhine whine : ACH~!

36. 2004 Stiller title role : STARSKY & Hutch - IMDb; Owen Wilson as Hutch, but even better was Snoop-Dogg as Huggy Bear

37. Pro-V hair care brand : PANTENE

38. Takes over : ANNEXES

40. Banished : IN EXILE - better than "ENISLE"

41. McGovern's running mate : SHRIVER

42. Sex appeal : HOTNESS

46. Bourne of Ludlum's novels : JASON - I saw a fourth book at the Salvation Army last week; almost bought it for $.99

47. Apart, in a way : IN TWO

48. "... like THAT!" : BAM~!!!

49. .biz biz : ETAIL - I like the redundancy

50. "____  I Don't Have You" : 1959 hit : SINCE - I would link the Guns N' Roses version for Slash's great opening guitar work, but Axl ruins the rest of the song

53. NHL Player's Association director Donald : FEHR - Oh, I know this name all too well for the fiasco from last season, and its shortened schedule

54. "Am I my brother's keeper?" speaker : CAIN

57. Iconic Japanese island, familiarly : IWO Jima

58. PC monitor type : LCD

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Blue Iris (Susan), who was a school nurse for many years. Hope you're doing well, Susan!

Friday, January 17, 2014, Daniel Landman

Theme: Let's all cut gym class!! No more Phys Ed!

A letter extraction puzzle with PE removed from 4 in the language expression to reveal 4 new phrases clued with whims. This appears to be the first LAT effort for Mr. Landman, who did debut in the NYT on March 18, 2013. They did not give him any write up there, only a picture, so hopefully he will stop by and introduce himself. I was able to suss the theme without the reveal (which was a cute one) though I struggled a bit with 46A. "Sorry, the mayo is put on in advance"? both in solving and placing the missing PE. There was some freshness and interesting medium fill, ARTHRO, BOY TOY. PARFUM,  T-STORM, IN HIS HAT,  ON DAY ONE, HOT CEREAL and THIRSTILY. Lots of Ps in the solution but not a single PE. The puzzle inspired lots of real and imagined musical reference so we will see what you all think. Let's examine this Friday frolic from frigid Florida.

20A. Franken and Yankovic, for example? : PEALS OF LAUGHTER. (13).

Al Franken comedian turned POLITICIAN, elected as a senator in Minnesota (which also made Jesse the body Ventura governor) was a regular on SNL. Al Yankovic is famous for his song PARODIES. (3:30).

29A. Silver-tongued speaker? : SMOOTH OPERATOR. (12). This clue/fill gave me the theme as the song popped in head when I filled in ORATOR.

We get orator a lot in puzzles.

46A. "Sorry, the mayo is put on in advance"? : IT CAN'T BE HELPED. (12). A play on the old line, "Hold the mayo."

56A. "Heretics only" apartment building ad? : REPENT YE SINNERS. (13). Pompano has a few hotels that rent only to "sinners."

The unifier:

59D. Slangy denial, and a hint to 20-, 29-, 46- and 56-Across : NOPE. You have to parse it as NO PE.

Across:

1. Like some tricks : CHEAP. My CHOICE. (4:53).

6. Beatles nonsense syllables : OBLA. "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, more music. Hmm, 16A. Sneeze syllable : CHOO.  Ah, I get it. 25A. Song syllable : TRA. A mini-theme?

10. Fighting : AT IT. So many ways to parse these sweet little letters.

14. Sporty Toyota made until 2002 : SUPRA. Any reason we care?

15. Met or Nat : NLER. Baseball fan.

17. Police record listing : PRIOR.

18. Unhappy parking lot discovery : DENT. Unless you a Red Sox fan, you are not referring to Bucky.

19. Soupçon : HINT. With just a soupçon of garlic.

23. Gp. currently chaired by Obama : NSC. National Security Council.

24. One-eighty : UEY. The never ending debate of spelling this car maneuver.

26. Union in D.C., e.g. : STAtion. Trains.

32. __ Men: "Who Let the Dogs Out" band : BAHA. Owen,  top these lyrics...

Who let the dogs out?
Who, who, who, who, who?

Who let the dogs out?
Who, who, who, who, who?
Who let the dogs out?
Who, who, who, who, who?
Who let the dogs out ?

35. N.Y.C.-Quebec dir. : NNE. Quebec is closer to New England.

36. A dispersive one is commonly triangular : PRISM. The most famous one?

37. Carbon compound : ENOL. Solid crossword knowledge.

38. Avian abode : AERIE.

41. "Pinocchio" goldfish : CLEO.

42. Numerous, informally : LOTSA.

44. Longtime NBC staple : SNL. Saturday Night Live. Senator Franken?

45. Viewer : EYER. Meh, along with A words, my least favorite type of fill.

50. Wide shoe spec : EEE. Got no word, use letters.

51. Spanish bear : OSO. We get this one often as well.

52. Trattoria suffix : INI. Linguini, rotini etc.

53. A.L. West team, on scoreboards : LAA. Los Angeles Angels.

60. Abe or Dick : PREZ. Lincoln, Nixon. Now they are POTUS.

62. Emailer's "Then again ..." : OTOH. On The Other Hand.

63. Some kids : GOATS.

64. "The foundation of most governments": John Adams : FEAR. Those old guys sat around thinking and writing in those terms. LINK.

65. Novelist Jaffe : RONA. A Radcliffe girl, who died back in 2005.

66. Big name in printers : EPSON. Random, but it fits.

67. Designated driver's choice : COLA. really random, caffeine over booze.

68. Game in which the player is called the Stranger : MYST. If you do not want to see don't
WATCH. (3:21).

69. Navigation hazards : REEFS. In Myst?

Down:

1. Airer of debates : C-SPAN.

2. Pitches : HURLS.

3. Protestant denom. : EPISCopalian.

4. Buck tail? : AROO. Buckaroo.

5. Chanel No. 5 bottle word : PARFUM. As opposed to Eau de Cologne.

6. At the start : ON DAY ONE. Nice very fresh fill.

7. Sharp cheese : BLEU. Why is blue in French?

8. Rope quantity : LENGTH.

9. Joint: Pref. : ARTHRO.  Like in arthroscopic surgery.

10. Incentive for a warm bath : ACHE.

11. With great eagerness : THIRSTILY. Nice greedy word.

12. Fluoride, for one : ION. Fluorine is an element; fluoride is an ion or a compound which contains the fluoride ion.

13. Little kid : TOT.

21. Soprano Mitchell : LEONA. People made much fun of the soprano on Downton. I did not know this DIVA.

22. Protective cover : TARPaulin.

27. "Nothing __ here" : TO SEE. Familiar phrase with police and lookie lous.

28. Protective cover : ARMOR.

29. Dip option : SALSA. This is just the Spanish word for sauce, though most now associate the term with the spicy sauces.

30. To the point : TERSE. Yes.

31. Not straight : ARCED.

32. Contradict : BELIE.

33. Make __ of: jot down : A NOTE.

34. Breakfast option : HOT CEREAL. How many of you start your winter's day with hot oatmeal, or cream of wheat?

39. Where Yankee Doodle's feather ended up : IN HIS HAT. A song that ended up being an inspiration to the revolutionary troops, and was played at Yorktown when the British surrendered.

40. 1985 Malkovich film : ELENI. Not a well known film, which dealt with a mother's struggles in war time Greece. Never saw it, but it generated wildly disparate review.

43. Shortly : ANON. We have our own.

47. Bit of forecast shorthand : T-STORM. Thunder.

48. Certain young lover, facetiously : BOY TOY. Every cougar wants one.

49. Hang : LINGER. I did not like this definition.

53. Use temporarily : LEASE.

54. Bach's "The __ Fugue" : ART OF. This MUSIC. (4:49) He made me so nervous.

55. NBA and others : ASSNS. Associations.

57. Poet friend of T.S. : EZRA. Eliot and Pound.

58. A really long time : EONS.

60. Rank below cpl. : PFC. Private First Class.

61. Vintage roadster : REO. And I will end like I began, with this TUNE. (3:41).

Well we are done with another Friday and in the second half of January already, and we have 2 new LAT constructors already. Certainly no controversy with this grid, and a Friday unifier hint to make sure all get the theme. Thanks Daniel, and as we hit anniversary week next week, I want to thank not only C.C. for this blog but all of the hundreds who have created entertainment for us.  Lemonade out.

Thursday, January 16, 2014 Robin Stears

Theme: Rhyme Time

Five different ways to spell the "oke" sound. Who knew?

17-Across. "The Caine Mutiny" novelist : HERMAN WOUK. I have heard some people pronounce his name like the Chinese "wok."  Click on the speaker for the correct pronunciation here.

24-Across. "Reward Your Curiosity" soda : VANILLA COKE. Reintroduced in 2007.

35-Across. 17th-century artistic style : HIGH BAROQUE. ~1625-70, exemplified by Bernini's "Chair of St. Peter" in St. Peter's Basilica.

48-Across. Early Schwarzenegger nickname, with "The" : AUSTRIAN OAK. Never heard him called that. Makes sense, though!

58-Across. People of good breeding : GENTLE FOLK. A nice homey description.

Not too much else to say. The puzzle seemed pretty easy, with only a handful of tricky clues.

Across:

1. In the know : AWARE.

6. Simplicity : EASE.

10. Dundee damsel : LASS.

14. Ledger entry : DEBIT.

15. Cannonball, e.g. : DIVE. Were you thinking ammunition?

16. In the know about : ON TO.

19. Walk or run : GAIT.

20. Some NASA data-retrieval missions : EVAS. Extravehicular Activity(s). We just had this one yesterday, clued as "Perón and Gabor." Has anyone seen "Gravity" with Sandra Bullock?

Gravity

21. Invitation "S" : S'IL. The "S" of RSVP: "Répondez, s'il vous plaît." "Respond, if it pleases you.."  My take: LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE COMING, DAMMIT!!! I HAVE SPENT FIVE DAYS COOKING AND CLEANING, AND I DESERVE SOME APPRECIATION HERE!!!!

22. Take the wrong way? : FILCH.

23. Empty (of) : RID.

27. Fragrant resin : ELEMI. Canarium luzonicum to all you botanists out there.

29. Dusk, to Donne : E'EN.  I liked the play on the phrase, "dusk to dawn."

30. Aus. language : GER. It's what Ah-nold speaks.

31. Crescent piece : ARC.

33. Underworld piece : GAT. Hah!  Here's the gat that Steve and I were looking for yesterday.

34. Medical breakthrough : CURE.

38. Booted, say : SHOD.

40. Org. with complex schedules : IRS. It's already getting to be that time of year. I just got my W-2 in the mail today.

41. Lump : NUB.

42. Mr. Potato Head part : EAR.

43. Tankard filler : ALE.

44. Ferry stops : ISLES.

53. Asia's __ Darya river : AMU. We've had this before. It flows into the Aral Sea.

54. Glisten : GLEAM.

55. "__ Wiedersehen" : AUF. More words from Ah-nold! ("Until we meet again!")

56. Oscar-winning Whitaker role : AMIN. Idi, to friends…(Did he have any???)

57. Stadium access : RAMP.

61. Tommie of the Miracle Mets : AGEE. I bet this was a gimme for C.C.  I would have been better off with an "Author James" clue.

62. Unpopular spots : ACNE.

63. __ Claire: women's magazine : MARIE.

64. Sew up : MEND.

65. Woody __, "Cheers" bartender : BOYD. I loved this clip. 1:26

66. Strictly controlled refrigerant : FREON.


Down:

1. Stay attached : ADHERE.

2. Cotton pest : WEEVIL.

3. Wear away : ABRADE.

4. Glass edges : RIMS. Also, "glasses edges…"

5. Two after epsilon : ETA.  Do you know your Greek αβγ's?

6. Dickens' Drood : EDWIN.

7. Pungent mayo : AIOLI. I bet everyone wrote this in without thinking, since we just had it on Tuesday.

8. "Law and Order: __" : SVU. Special Victim's Unit.

9. It's a scream : EEK. Literally!

10. Columbo asset : LOGIC.

11. Veggie burger, to a hamburger : ANALOGUE. I never knew this meaning of the word.

12. Price place : STICKER.

13. "In your face!" : SO THERE!

18. Decoding org. : NSA. National Security Agency. I had NSC(ouncil) at first.

22. Twitter follower : FAN.

24. D.C. neighbor : VIRG.inia.

25. Edward known for limericks : LEAR. Ah, but he's known as OwenKL here on the Corner...

26. Reveal : LET ON.

28. Certain domestic : MAID.

32. Some like it hot : CHILI. Not to be confused with the movie.

"Some Like It Hot"

33. Word with log or burner : GAS.

34. Wrigley team : CUBS. Covered in Boston Ivy, right?

35. Revelation foursome : HORSEMEN. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

36. City ESE of Los Angeles : BREA. It means "tar" in Spanish. (I've said it before: So, "The La Brea Tar Pits" are actually "The the tar tar pits"??? )

37. Nestlé product introduced in 1948 : QUIK.

38. Big name in liquor : SEAGRAM. Tinbeni, do you ever lower yourself to Seagram's??

39. Railroad charge : HAULAGE.

43. Ulna locale : ARM.

45. Rossellini film renamed "Ways of Love" in its American version : L'AMORE.

46. Actor Estevez : EMILIO. Charlie Sheen's older brother.

47. Like the Titanic : SUNKEN.

49. Wrapped, as an ankle : TAPED.

50. Nursery employee : NANNY.

51. Exposed publicly : OUTED.

52. Old gridiron gp. : AFL. The American Football League of the '60s. The NE Patriots were an original member, until it was merged with the NFL.

56. Where some worship from : AFAR.

58. Shoot the breeze : GAB.

59. "Foucault's Pendulum" writer : ECO. Umberto.

60. "Unbelievable" rock group : EMF. I had no clue. After listening to a couple clips on You Tube, I now know why.  Go ahead and link away if the spirit moves you!

See you next Thursday!

Marti

Wednesday, January 15, 2014 Gareth Bain

Theme: Canine Connections - the four theme answers start with a variety of terrier as explained by the unifier.

18A. *Broadcaster of many TV games : FOX SPORTS

59A. *Seemingly unfitting name for Wrigley Field vines : BOSTON IVY. Famously-green home of the Chicago Cubs.

3D. *Like newly shaved legs, per some razor ads : SILKY SMOOTH

26D. *One checking crossings : BORDER GUARD. There's also a border collie - one demarcation line, two dogs! The collie gets my vote.

and the unifier:

39A. Dog breed, a type of which begins the answers to starred clues : TERRIER

Happy Wednesday everyone - Steve here with a nice midweek offering from Gareth Bain. It took me  a little while to get moving with this one - the theme helped once I saw the unifier. The Northwest was a problem, thankfully backed into the solve from filling the bottom up. Food, animals and all kinds of fun followed. Let's take a look!

Across:

1. Under siege : BESET

6. Raul Castro's country : CUBA. Is Fidel OK with this clue? I think he might be 10A!

10. Irate : SORE

14. Sheeplike : OVINE. Not to be confused with "bovine", a completely different animal.

15. A long way off : AFAR

16. Lily variety : ARUM. I think I knew this, but crosses to the rescue anyway.

17. Give birth to a baby elephant, say : CALVE. Cows and whales too. Any others?

20. Acting the quizmaster : ASKING

22. Mink kin : STOAT. Cute-looking, but ferocious for their size.

23. Like some simple questions : YES/NO

25. Dress like a king or for the ring : ENROBE. Boxers and other pugilists wear a robe going into a fight.

28. "I'd rather not" : PASS

30. Say convincingly : AVER

32. Brother : MONK

34. Higher limb : ARM

35. Vase-shaped jug : EWER. Not sheep-shaped?

36. "The Treasure of the __ Madre" : SIERRA. 1948 John Huston movie starring Humphrey Bogart. Huston won the Oscar for Best Director.

38. __ Balls: Hostess treats : SNO. Food! (Almost!) Did you know they make green ones for St. Patrick's Day and orange ones for Halloween?

41. Dawn to dusk : DAY

42. "Better luck next time!" : TOO BAD

44. Chooses : OPTS. I like you can opt in, out, for or against. Versatile little word for being three letters long.

45. It may be massive or massaged : EGO

46. __ sax : ALTO

47. Narrow strip : SLAT

48. Lode deposits : ORES

49. Greg's sitcom wife : DHARMA

52. Impersonating : DOING

54. Thin-layered rock : SHALE

56. Nancy Drew, e.g. : SLEUTH

63. British Columbia neighbor : IDAHO

64. Jim Davis pooch : ODIE. He of comic strip "Garfield" fame.

65. Optic layer : UVEA

66. Go along : AGREE

67. Make (one's way) : WEND

68. Automatic "P"? : PARK. One of the P-R-N-D-L car transmission selector positions.

69. Yields (to) : CEDES

Down:

1. __ Burger, veggie brand that originated in Florida : BOCA. Food! (kinda!). I've never had a veggie burger and I'm not sure I want to start now.

2. Perón and Gabor : EVAS

4. Wishes one had : ENVIES

5. Many "Glee" characters : TEENS

6. Half-__: coffee order : CAF. Hmmm - I've never heard this in any coffee shop I've ever been in, but I guess you can order half caffeinated and half decaf?

7. What weather balloons may be mistaken for : UFOS. Or vice-versa if you believe the conspiracy theorists.

8. Ron Burgundy's dog : BAXTER

9. Burning crime : ARSON

10. Príncipe's island partner : SÄO TOMÉ. Completely unknown to me - crosses all the way. Located off the west coast of Africa on the Equator. Who knew? Not me!

11. NHL great Bobby : ORR

12. Tough thing to be stuck in : RUT. I had "MUD" at first which slowed me down a little.

13. What mom has that dad doesn't? : EMS. Two of 'em.

19. Links goal : PAR. A pretty lofty goal in my case. I'm delighted if I make bogey every hole, let alone par.

21. Worked on, as a bone : GNAWED

24. In the past : OVER

27. Incense : ENRAGE

28. Ribbons on a plate : PASTA. Food! Fettuccine in this case. I once had fettuccine alfredo at the restaurant in Rome that introduced the dish to the world.

29. Turncoat Benedict : ARNOLD. He really hitched up to the wrong wagon on that one! Ummmmm - Revolutionary War - Great  Britain fighting on foreign soil against REALLY amped up people? Yeah, I'm going GB on this one. WRONG!

31. Flashy Flynn : ERROL.

33. Sends to the canvas : KAYOS. The second reference to boxing, the "noble art" today.

35. Greek vowel : ETA

36. Squabbles : SET-TOS

37. Recipient of many returns: Abbr. : I.R.S. Our beloved Internal Revenue Service.

40. Popular tablet : iPAD

43. Sang one's own praises : BOASTED. When I played Squash (kinda like Racketball) in England, a boast was a shot played over the head of your opponent that left him or her helpless. I like to think of the word in those terms.

47. Mouth moisture : SALIVA.  Eeeew?


48. Antsy : ON EDGE

50. Letter before sigma : RHO

51. Not wimp out : MAN UP

53. Sacro- ending : ILIAC

55. Continually : EVER

57. Quaker pronoun : THEE. "THOU" went in, then out. Finally.

58. Tilling tools : HOES

59. Hood's weapon : BOW. I was thinking "gangster" at first and confidently filled in "GAT" until it was apparent that I was on the wrong track. Robin Hood.

60. Laudatory poem : ODE

61. Reason for contrition : SIN

62. Shaggy ox : YAK. I think that the word "shaggy" was introduced for the yak. It's almost - "guys, we don't have a word for how those things look".

Enough already - heading to Kansas City today so trading a nice warm hike in 80F in LA yesterday  for a winter coat. As they say in Tibet - it's a Yak Wrap.

Steve

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Yeah, there's an app for that. - Find the four embedded apps.

16A. Recycled sheets for scribbling : SCRAP PAPER

23A. End-of-filming cast event : WRAP PARTY

45A. Toy gun loaded with rolls : CAP PISTOL

54A. Scrubbing brand with two periods in its name : S.O.S SOAP PAD

35D. Supplier of software hidden in 16-, 23-, 45- and 54-Across : APP STORE

Argyle here. Tricky to make sure there wasn't any inadvertent apps. Solid corners and nifty columns.

Across:

1. Like many bar brews : ON TAP

6. 2013 World Series champs, familiarly : SOX. Boston Red Sox in six against St. Louis Cardinals.

9. PC problem solver : TECH. Good guy to know but hopefully not on a first name basis.

13. Garlicky sauce : AIOLI. The mayo with attitude.

14. Stinky Le Pew : PEPÉ

15. Storybook baddie : OGRE

18. Senior's big dance : PROM. We only had a Junior Prom.

19. Rain heavily : TEEM

20. Dry as the Gobi : ARID. Large desert region in Asia.

21. Perfect spots : EDENs

22. Org. headed by the U.S. Comptroller General : GAO. (Government Accountability Office) Gene L. Dodaro is the Comptroller General.

25. "Alley __" : OOP. Being in quotes means this is the comic or song and not the basketball pass. (alley-oop)

26. Under lock and __ : KEY

27. Pervasive glow : AURA

28. Used a rotary phone : DIALED. Who still has one?

30. Fried rice ingredient : EGG

31. Spider's trap : WEB

34. Scandal-ridden Texas-based corporation : ENRON

35. Pirate's "yes" : "AYE"

36. Odometer button : RESET

38. Fast sports cars : GTs. Mine is only a ST, Sport Touring? GT stands for Grand Touring.

39. "Great" primate : APE

40. Skiing coats : PARKAs

41. Rain delay rollout : TARP

43. Pick up the tab : PAY

44. Tattoos, slangily : INK

48. Morning hrs. : AMs

49. Plane handler : PILOT

50. Stun with a police gun : TASE

51. Shopping bag : TOTE

53. Admit frankly : AVOW

56. Christmas candle scent : PINE. Put away for the year.

57. Works in un museo : ARTE. España.

58. With glee : GAILY

59. Serving whiz : ACER. Would have been good to be clued as computer maker today.

60. Golfer's smallest wood? : TEE

61. Tough journeys : TREKS

Down:

1. Brewer's oven : OAST. It's been awhile since I first posted this. Oast House Interactive.

2. "Good job!" : "NICE GOING!"

3. Ripped to shreds : TORE APART

4. Shrine to remember : ALAMO

5. Dot on a domino : PIP

6. Old-timey photo hue : SEPIA

7. Spot with regular and guest columnists : OP-ED PAGE

8. Gen-__: millennial preceder : Xer. I feel Millennial should be capitalized as it refers to the next generation.

9. First-rate : TOP DRAWER

10. Long-legged wader : EGRET

11. Chum : CRONY

12. Tailoring borders : HEMS

14. Fencing defense : PARRY

                           LINK

17. Poked at like a cat : PAWED

21. Lobed organ : EAR

24. Wrinkly little dog : PUG

25. Keats' "__ on Melancholy" : ODE

26. Historical novelist Follett : KEN. A gimme for a lot of you.

29. Suffered a blackout : LOST POWER

30. Cyclone center : EYE

32. Ice cream treat : ESKIMO PIE. 52D. "Grand" ice cream maker : EDY'S

33. Jack's access : BEANSTALK

36. Bit of sunlight : RAY

37. Pooh-pooher's sound : [TSK!]

39. Tycoon Onassis : ARI

40. Prefix with -lithic : PALEO. Paleo- A prefix that means "prehistoric" (as in paleontology) or "early or primitive" (as in Paleolithic).

42. On point : APT

43. Hustlers chasing rustlers : POSSE. "Cut 'em off at the pass!"

45. Word with duty or pride : CIVIC

46. Like a hermit : ALONE

47. Personal shopper's asset : TASTE

48. For the bond-issue price : AT PAR

49. Bearded Smurf : PAPA

54. Went unused : SAT

55. TSA employee : AGT. A shout-out to Dennis.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear JD, who joined the blog a few months after I started it. Over the past few years, JD has kindly shared with us many adorable pictures of her grandsons. Click here for more.

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

Monday, January 13, 2014 Jeff Stillman

Theme: Get Off the Fence - If you make the last word of the theme entries, you can get off the fence.

20A. Noncash executive compensation : STOCK OPTION

27A. Close boxing match outcome : SPLIT DECISION

50A. Folgers competitor : TASTER'S CHOICE

58A. Randomly determined NBA draft choice : LOTTERY PICK

Argyle here. I'm ambivalent about today's offering. Well done certainly with a couple of good columns but still left me feeling flat. I hope it's only me.

Across:

1. Business attire : SUIT

5. Somewhat : A BIT

9. Punches hard : SOCKS

14. Tolstoy's "__ Karenina" : ANNA

15. Jazz singer Horne : LENA

16. Packing rope : TWINE

17. Hot spot connection : WI-FI

18. What gears do : MESH

19. Addition to a school, say : ANNEX

23. Siamese or Abyssinian : CAT

24. Solo in "Star Wars" : HAN

25. Seminary deg. : TH.D. Doctor of Theology

26. Dog tags, for instance : IDs

33. Part of a foot : TOE

34. Norway's capital : OSLO. You know, the city in Czechoslovakia.

35. Low soccer score : ONE/NIL

38. Aquatic plant : ALGA

40. Work wk. end for many : FRI.

42. "__ Lama Ding Dong": doo-wop hit : RAMA. Still rockin'.

                          LINK

43. Enter : GO INTO

46. Hurricane rescue op : EVAC. operation/evacuation.

49. Omnivorous Looney Tunes devil, familiarly : TAZ

53. Greek letter between phi and psi : CHI

55. Airline approx. : ETA

56. Tee or blouse : TOP

57. Sandwich meat : HAM

64. "Me, too" : "AS AM I"

66. Use a piggy bank : SAVE

67. Overflow with, as charm : OOZE

68. Prelude, for short : INTRO

69. Hawaiian strings : UKEs

70. Thief's haul : SWAG

71. Explosive experiment : N-TEST

72. Felt tips and ballpoints : PENS

73. Dumbo's wings : EARS

Down:

1. Log cutters : SAWs. The tool, not the person.

2. Condo division : UNIT

3. "Inside" facts, briefly : INFO

4. Meditative exercise regimen : TAI CHI

5. Teardrop-shaped nutlike snacks : ALMONDS. Oh, what I misread this clue as.

6. Answering machine cue : BEEP

7. Part of MIT: Abbr. : INST. (Massachusetts INSTitute of Technology)

8. South Seas getaway : TAHITI

9. Substitute (for) : STAND-IN

10. "To thine __ self be true" : OWN. Hamlet Act 1, Scene 3.

11. Ohio city : CINCINNATI. Home of WKRP. Short snippet(1:31)

12. Work on dough : KNEAD

13. Titillating cellphone messages : SEXTs

21. Green Hornet's sidekick : KATO

22. Extremely : "OH SO". "too too"

27. Male deer : STAG

28. Game on horseback : POLO

29. Valid : LEGITIMATE

30. Christmas toymaker : ELF

31. Gadget used on an apple : CORER

32. "__ the fields we go" : O'ER

36. PC alternative : iMAC

37. Relax in a hammock : LAZE

39. California's Santa __ : ANA

41. ICU drips : IVs

44. Poet whose work inspired "Cats" : T.S. ELIOT

45. Director Preminger : OTTO

47. Woman on stage : ACTRESS

48. Bok __: Chinese cabbage : CHOY

51. Consumes avidly : EATS UP

52. Take a stand against : OPPOSE

53. Series of links : CHAIN

54. Lacks : HASN'T

59. Word before five or ten : TAKE. How long a break should be.

60. __-steven : EVEN. Just a rhyming phrase.

61. State known for its caucuses : IOWA. The Iowa caucuses have been the first major electoral event of the nominating process for President. New Hampshire is the earliest primary.

62. Business bigwig : CZAR

63. Gunpowder holders : KEGS. A favorite of early Westerns and cartoons.

65. "__ Doubtfire" : MRS. How is your sense of humor today? Mrs. Doubtfire recut as a horror movie.

                          LINK

Argyle