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

Sunday January 12, 2014 Ed Sessa

Theme:  "Storm Front Coming" - The end of each theme entry could be blowing in the wind.

 

23A. *"Brace yourself" : HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT. Love this butterfly hair clip.

41A. *Signal surrender : RAISE A WHITE FLAG. Spitzboov sent me this Annin flag when I became a US citizen.

August 16, 2010

56A. *1965 Rolling Stones hit : GET OFF OF MY CLOUD. Here is the clip.

66A. *Pasta choice : ANGEL HAIR

71A. *Image on a North American flag : MAPLE LEAF

84A. *Sloshed : HIGHER THAN A KITE. This is a new expression to me.

101A. *The company one keeps, often : BIRDS OF A FEATHER

 
Reveal entry:

121A. Bob Dylan classic, and what this puzzle's starred clues' answers' endings could be: BLOW' IN IN THE WIND 

What a great theme, Ed! So unexpected. Perfect reveal entry. I love puzzles with a big "Aha" in the end.

The stars are used in the theme clues as there are quiet a few long non-theme entries, esp 19A & 127A. Constructor and editor do not want solvers to get confused as to which are theme answers.

Across:

1. Anti-DUI org. : MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)

5. Plays with, as a toy mouse : PAWS AT

11. Dove purchase : BAR. Oh, soap.

14. Burning up : AFIRE

19. Motel patron, usually : OVER-NIGHTER.

21. Get __ for effort : AN A. I thought it's AN E.

22. Setting for 103 World Series games : BRONX. This might be Rich's clue. He's Yankees fan, by the way!

25. With 34-Across, pitcher who holds the major league record for career appearances : JESSE. And 34. See 25-Across : OROSCO. 1,252 game. No google, who's Met's #57 now?

26. Ugly looks : SNEERS

27. Within: Pref. : ENDO. Opposite of ECTO.

28. Vaudeville presentation : REVUE

30. Reconcile, with "up" : MAKE. Once the trust is gone, it's hard to make up.

32. Former auto financing org. : GMAC

38. Classic movie motel : BATES

46. Mideast sultanate : OMAN

47. Gut course : EASY A

48. Internet chat option : SKYPE. Does any of you skype?

49. Court setting : BAIL

50. Alaska's __ Sound : NORTON. Learning moment for me.

52. Shakespearean villain : IAGO

54. "The Flower of My Heart," in an old song : ADELINE. "Sweet Adeline".

61. Barn roof gadgets : VANES

62. Support for a start-up co. : SBA (Small Business Administration)

63. Egg __ yung : FOO

64. Skin suffix : DERM

65. Kipling's young spy : KIM

75. Ballot word: Abbr. : IND (Independent)

76. Genetic chains : RNAs

78. Stellar sort : GEM

79. Down the tubes : BAD

81. Spiritual essences : SOULS

89. Chrysler Building style : ART DECO. Guess who owns Chrysler Building now?

91. Bounder : ROUE

92. Of a battery terminal : ANODAL

93. Busy as __ : A BEE

94. Runner-up : LOSER

98. Turkish empire founder : OSMAN

100. Move, to a Realtor : RELO

104. Hands over : CEDES. I remember vividly the day when Hong Kong was handed back to China.

105. Like licked lollies : STICKY

106. __ Helens : MT ST

107. Gillette shaver : ATRA

109. Ancient fabulist : AESOP

111. Straddling : ATOP

114. __-weensie : EENSIE

118. Composer Boccherini : LUIGI. Total stranger to me.

125. Museum Folkwang city : ESSEN

126. For keeps, to Keats : E'ER

127. Ski patrol, at times : RESCUE PARTY

128. 1980 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award recipient : SEUSS. Unaware of this trivia.

129. The "10" in "first and 10": Abbr. : YDS

130. French card game : ECARTE

131. Speed Wagons, e.g. : REOS

Down:

1. Mineralogist Friedrich : MOHS. Mohs scale.

2. Warwickshire river : AVON

3. A stet cancels it : DELE

4. DJ who first promoted "Weird Al" Yankovic : DR. DEMENTO. Faintly recall his name.

5. City in southern Belarus : PINSK. Only know MINSK.

6. MLB VIP Scott Boras, e.g. : AGT. Agent for Prince Fielder, Matt Holliday, Barry Zito, etc.

7. Question of recognition : WHO

8. Lid malady : STYE

9. Long, long time : AEON

10. Walk wearily : TRUDGE

11. "Phooey!" : BAH

12. "Tyranny and __ are never far apart": Bentham : ANARCHY

13. __ of return : RATE

14. Solemnly renounce : ABJURE

15. Innocent : FREE OF BLAME. OK, read here. You might be appalled that he's fined for so much for having 3 kids. But rules are rules. Zhang is probably the most well-known Chinese director in the world.

16. Cyclades island : IOS. And 45. Apple product : iPAD. Fair and balanced.

17. Hosp. employees : RNS

18. PC file extension : EXE

20. Writer Ephron et al. : NORAS

24. Plum tomatoes : ROMAS. Food! What's your secret to make chicken breasts tender and juicy? I'm gonna try this one.

29. Raised one's hand, say : VOTED

31. Pitching stat : ERA

33. Parrot's cry : AWK

35. Done in : SLAIN

36. Wouk's mutinied minesweeper : CAINE. "The Caine Mutiny".

37. Leers at : OGLES

38. Loud bell sounds : BONGS

39. Lab slide creature : AMOEBA

40. Highland wear : TARTAN

42. "I highly doubt that!" : AS IF

43. Start and end of a trademark cartoon credo : I YAM

44. Like some poultry stuffing : SAGY. Never used this word before. I like stuff chivy, not sagy.

 

47. Swaddle : ENFOLD

51. Team with the football : OFFENSE

53. Anxious med. condition : OCD

55. One "trapped by his sinful talk," in Proverbs : EVIL MAN. Got via crosses.

57. Awe-ful sound? : OOH. Nice.

58. Armstrong's carrier : LEM. Neil, not Lance.

59. Paganini's hour : ORA

60. Caller with a mask : UMP

65. Actor Wynn : KEENAN

67. Posh prisons, metaphorically : GILDED CAGES. Also a new expression to me. Makes sense.

68. NPR journalist Shapiro : ARI

69. Like Haydn's "Surprise Symphony" : IN G. Always needs crossing help.

70. "Go, team!" : RAH

72. NYC airport : LGA

73. Withstood : ABIDED

74. Natasha __, Boris' partner in spydom : FATALE

77. Mass delivery: Abbr. : SER (Sermon)

80. Birthplace of Apollo : DELOS

81. Swedish imports : SAABS

82. Trip around the world : ORBIT

83. Where embryos grow : UTERI

84. Ox foot : HOOF

85. Underground support : ROOT

86. Behind : TUSH

87. Blood pigment : HEME

88. '50s conflict : KOREAN WAR. Our 92-year-old neighbor Andy is a Korean vet.

90. Is excessively sweet : CLOYS

95. Tasted or tested : SAMPLED. I wish I could sample D-Otto's potato dumplings.

96. Juvenile newt : EFT

97. Cut again : RE-SAW

99. First name at old Notre Dame : ARA (Parseghian)

102. Geese flocks in flight : SKEINS

103. Wear : ATTIRE

104. Obnoxious sort : CREEP

108. Titter : TE-HEE

110. Comply : OBEY

112. A hundred smackers : ONE C

113. Galileo's birthplace : PISA

115. Medieval address : SIRE. "Your Majesty".

116. Digging : INTO

117. Ice cream name : EDY'S

118. "__ Miz" : LES

119. Mileage, so to speak : USE

120. Pocatello sch. : ISU (Idaho State University).

122. Surg. centers : ORs

123. ATM initials : NCR

124. Mummy discovered by Howard Carter in 1922 : TUT

C.C.

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