Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Heads Up! The first word in each theme answer references a Head of State.

17A. Confederate slogan symbolizing financial independence : KING COTTON. 

King Charles I of England

24A. Romaine lettuce dishes : CAESAR SALADS. Food! Created in Tijuana in 1924 by Caesar Cardini.

Caesar Augustus

39A. "Happy Feet" critters : EMPEROR PENGUINS. There are King Penguins too. I believe "penguin" comes from the Welsh for "black head".

Emperor Napoleon

50A. Study guides for literature students : MONARCH NOTES. This is the slight odd-man-out of the five as "monarch" is a collective term for Kings, Kaisers, Caesars and Emperors (amongst others) - There's no "Monarch Steve I of Studio City" as much as we may like to have one.

64A. Sandwich choice : KAISER ROLL. More! Food! There are many theories around the origin of the name.

Kaiser Wilhelm I of Prussia

Happy Wednesday everyone - Steve here with Jeffrey's foray through the crowned, be-hatted or be-laurelled luminaries of historical Europe. Some nice symmetry with the theme - three plurals bracketed by a singular top and bottom. If I was to put on my purist hat (or crown) then the slight odd-man-out-ness of the "Monarch" entry would bother me, but I'll leave that hat in the closet and I'm happy!
 
Across:

1. Appliance connector, briefly : AC PLUG. The handiest gadget I've got in my travel bag is a universal adapter for my US-standard AC plug and any international socket.

7. Cairo cobra : ASP

10. Selling site with a Half.com division : EBAY

14. Point in the right direction : ORIENT

15. Bather's facility : SPA

16. No longer green, perhaps : RIPE

19. Asia Minor honorific : AGHA

20. Swipe : STEAL

21. Thin soup : BROTH

23. Plywood wood : FIR

27. Literary alter ego : MR HYDE. Growing up, I always thought Dr. Jekyll seemed more fearsome just from the sound of the name.

Egads!

30. Slowing, to the orch. : RIT. From the Italian "ritardando", gradually getting slower.

31. Great Lakes' __ Canals : SOO

32. Speak harshly : RASP

36. Co-founding SkyTeam airline : DELTA. I've flown over a million miles, and oddly only a single round trip from LAX to Atlanta on Delta.

43. Small thicket : COPSE

44. Sans serif, e.g. : TYPE. In honor of this clue let's use Helvetica as the typeface.

45. Razor-billed diver : AUK

46. "Isn't __ shame?" : IT A

47. Sudden jets : SPURTS

56. Cousin of edu : ORG. There used to be a only couple or three more cousins like .com, .gov and .mil, now there's a whole bunch.

57. Municipal ribbon cutter, often : MAYOR. Or John Lennon.

58. Rapper __ Shakur : TUPAC

62. Femme fatale : VAMP

66. List catchall : ET AL From the latin "et alia", "and others". Compare and contrast with "et cetera", "and the rest".

67. Sci-fi staples : E.T. s. They bring their own cellphones with them now.

68. Rest of the afternoon : SIESTA

69. Modernize : REDO

70. Messy digs : STY

71. How coal may be priced : PER TON

Down:

1. Launchpad thumbs-ups : A-OKs. A shameless plug for Team Oracle's stunt pilot Sean Tucker.

2. Review, briefly : CRIT

3. Long (for) : PINE

4. Inheritance : LEGACY

5. Naked : UNCLAD

6. Potent '60s-'70s Pontiac : GTO

7. Stars in Kansas' motto : ASTRA. "Ad astra per aspera" - "To the stars through adversity". Very similar to the Royal Air Force's "Per adua ad astra" - "Through struggle to the stars". Lots of Latin today!

8. Animal trail : SPOOR. That's a nice polite way of describing it.

9. Khakis, e.g. : PANTS

10. Timeline chapter : ERA

11. Deceitful sort, on the playground : BIG FAT LIAR

12. Sap sucker : APHID

13. Century units : YEARS

18. "Very funny" TV station : TBS. TBS has a place in TV history as the first "superstation" when Ted Turner took the then-unheard of step of distributing this local Atlanta station via satellite enabling the station to be received nationwide.

22. Good start? : HARD G

25. Architect Saarinen : EERO

26. In __ of: replacing : LIEU

27. Connection rate meas. : M-SEC. Measuring the speed of data connections in milliseconds.

28. Cowboys quarterback Tony : ROMO

"I can't believe I just did that"

29. Fit to be tied : HOPPING MAD. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, often, after watching Tony Romo.

33. Getty collection : ART

34. Le Carré's Smiley, for one : SPY

35. Get-up-and-go : PEP

37. Fastener with flanges : T-NUT

38. Seeks, with "for" : ASKS

40. Picasso's "this" : ESTA

41. Provide with new weaponry : RE-ARM

42. __ egg : NEST

48. "The Dick Van Dyke Show" surname : PETRIE. Rob, played by Dick.

49. Figure of high interest? : USURER. Favorite clue/answer of the day.

50. Man with a van, perhaps : MOVER

51. Emulate Cicero : ORATE

52. "Ace of __": 2000s Food Network bakery show : CAKES. Food! or Art?

53. Marriott rival : HYATT

54. Like leaf blowers : NOISY

55. RN workplaces : ORs

59. Military assignment : POST

60. Certain chorister : ALTO

61. Family group : CLAN

63. West Bank gp. : P.L.O. Mahmoud Abbas is the current leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

65. Debatable "gift" : ESP

That's all,  Folks. As Tupac would say - "It's a rap".

Steve

Tuesday, February 18, 2014 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: Woof! - Stereotypical dog names found at the back of the entries.

20A. Phrase on a treasure map : X MARKS THE SPOT. "SEE SPOT RUN."

31A. Luxury SUV since 1970 : RANGE ROVER. "Red Rover, Red Rover, let Susie come over."

41A. Sophocles tragedy : OEDIPUS REX. Rex the Wonder Dog

53A. One of the things little boys are made of, and a hint to 20-, 31- and 41-Across : PUPPY DOG TAILS

Argyle here. Heel! Mr. Morris made an appearance here back in '09. Glad he made it back.

Classic song for today. Link (2:07)

Across:

1. JFK announcements : ETAs

5. Athletic shoe brand : PUMA

9. __ Haute, Indiana : TERRE

14. Red dessert wine : PORT

15. A party to : IN ON

16. Advil competitor : ALEVE

17. Two-toned treat : OREO

18. Bibliography, e.g. : LIST. Hand up for reading it as Biography. No excuse.

19. Washer cycle : RINSE

23. Sycophant : YES MAN

24. Captain of industry : TITAN. Titans are a mythological race of giants.

26. Novelist Deighton : LEN

28. Sinking ship deserter : RAT

29. Illuminated : LIT

36. Hard-to-hit tennis server : ACER

37. Black wood : EBONY

38. Vigor's partner : VIM

39. Locale : PLACE

40. Criminal, to a cop : PERP

43. Giant Mel enshrined in Cooperstown : OTT

44. NBC late-night comedy hit : SNL

45. Pull : TUG

46. First film to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature : "SHREK"

48. "Take care of yourself!" : "BE SAFE!"

57. Take as one's own : ADOPT

59. Desert tableland : MESA

60. Pirate booty : LOOT

61. Confused struggle : MELEE

62. Cool and collected : CALM

63. Blackthorn fruit : SLOE

64. Message limited to 140 characters : TWEET

65. Lotion additive : ALOE

66. __-de-camp : AIDE

Down:

1. Glue for a model kit : EPOXY

2. Mel, "The Velvet Fog" : TORME

3. Fields of study : AREAS

4. Nor'easter, for one : STORM

5. Light lager : PILSNER

6. Part of BTU : UNIT. (British thermal unit)

7. Dance wildly : MOSH

8. Bet all players must make : ANTE

9. Fossil-preserving spot : TAR PIT

10. "The Waste Land" poet : ELIOT

11. Budget vehicle : RENTAL CAR

12. Natl. park campers : RVs. (recreational vehicle)

13. Wide shoe size : EEE

21. Actress Cuoco of "The Big Bang Theory" : KALEY. Penny, on TBBT.

22. Guide for the Magi : STAR

25. Female relative : NIECE

27. Best-seller list entry : NOVEL

28. Make payment : REMIT

30. "Jurassic Park" predator, for short : T-REX. A little puppy repeat.

31. Auto loan default consequence : REPO

32. Helps, as a 40-Across : ABETs. ...and you don't need to ante.

33. Santa's home : NORTH POLE. Warmer than here.

34. Econ. statistic : GNP. (Gross National Product)

35. YouTube clip, for short : VID

36. Pacino and Capone : ALs

39. Washington's __ Sound : PUGET

41. Peeling potatoes in the mil., perhaps : ON KP

42. Darts, commonly : PUB GAME

44. Seven-person combo : SEPTET

47. Indian currency : RUPEE

49. Tostitos dip : SALSA

50. Garlic mayonnaise : AIOLI. Do we know it now?

51. Monsoon aftermath : FLOOD

52. Makeup maven Lauder : ESTÉE

54. Gym site, briefly : YMCA

55. Negotiation goal : DEAL

56. Northern European capital : OSLO

57. Qty. : AMT. (amount)

58. Beads on the grass : DEW

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:
 
1) Happy Birthday to Santa's favorite naughty girl Lois, whose appearances on the blog always brighten up my day. Windhover, do you have a picture of you & Lois? I found none in our Blog Picture Archive.


2) Happy Birthday to Awol as well! Haven't heard much from you for quite some time. Hope all's well.

Awol

3) Glitch continues with Mensa. Please click Merriam-Webster site or Yahoo Game (Thanks, Old Sage). Both have the same format as Mensa.

Monday, February 17, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Cooperstown - Four players enshrined at the baseball Hall of Fame who also share a last name with a U.S. President.

17A. Favorite Hall of Famer of the 39th U.S. president? : GARY CARTER. Jimmy Carter and catcher.

24A. Favorite Hall of Famer of the 7th U.S. president? : REGGIE JACKSON. Andrew Jackson and Mr. October.

44A. Favorite Hall of Famer of the 17th and 36th U.S. presidents? : WALTER JOHNSON. Andrew Johnson and Lyndon B. Johnson, and pitcher.

55A. Favorite Hall of Famer of the 38th U.S. president? : WHITEY FORD. Gerald Ford and pitcher.

Argyle here. This would be a lock...if I actually remembered our presidents by their number. C.C. nailed this, easy for our senior members and crunchy for our junior members. What a Monday should be; visually pleasing grid.

Across:

1. Tubers rich in beta carotene : YAMS

5. Wasn't indecisive : OPTED

10. Bouillabaisse, e.g. : STEW. (fish and vegetables)

14. Taken by mouth, as medication : ORAL

15. Mrs. Gorbachev : RAISA

16. Dancer-turned-spy Mata : HARI

19. Tablet with a "mini" version : iPAD

20. Tummy muscles : ABs

21. Egyptian cross with a top loop : ANKH

22. Black belt activity : KARATE

27. Opposite of vain : MODEST

28. "How awful!" : "UGH!"

29. Greets with a hand gesture : WAVES

30. Hook's sidekick : SMEE. Our favorite pirates.

31. ChapStick target : LIP. Bet they've had a good year.

34. Forewarning : OMEN

35. Visits the mall : SHOPS

37. Computer support person : TECH

38. "__ and Peace" : WAR

39. Spring melt : THAW

40. Acted without speaking : MIMED

41. British rule in India : RAJ

42. "The Bachelorette" contestant, e.g. : SUITOR

49. Catching some z's : ASLEEP

50. Shed skin : MOLT

51. Tackle a slope : SKI

54. Celebrity : STAR

58. Fill-in worker : TEMP

59. Greek i's : IOTAs

60. Revered one : IDOL

61. Historic times : ERAs

62. Midterms and finals : TESTs

63. Tour de France, e.g. : RACE. Daytona 500 this Sunday.

Down:

1. Discipline using mats : YOGA

2. Many an Egyptian : ARAB

3. Red Planet explorer : MARS ROVER. First pictures sent back; the ones you weren't allowed to see.

4. Shifty : SLY

5. Borneo primates : ORANGS

6. "Sit!" : "PARK IT!"

7. 10% church donation : TITHE

8. Opposite of WNW : ESE

9. Period before the Renaissance : DARK AGES

10. Avoid, as duty : SHIRK

11. Spanish finger food : TAPAS

12. Verse writer's Muse : ERATO

13. Add a lane to, as a highway : WIDEN

18. Animal houses : CAGES. Quite a selection; needed the perps to decide with one.

23. Back woe : ACHE

25. Paradise lost : EDEN

26. Leap : JUMP

27. Mother, to baby : MAMA

29. Bowl over : WOW

30. Female pig : SOW

31. Bubbly citrus drink : LEMON SODA. CSO? I think not. (coincidental shout out)

32. Cake decorator : ICER

33. Scholar's deg. : PHD

35. Tina Fey attribute : SHARP WIT

36. Journey to Mecca : HAJJ

37. Longtime Yugoslav president : TITO

39. Shade provider : TREE

40. Hazy : MISTY. CSO.

42. Tried to hit in paintball : SHOT AT

43. Except if : UNLESS

44. What haste makes : WASTE

45. Fall bloomer : ASTER

46. Andean alpaca kin : LLAMA

47. U. of Maryland team : TERPS. Short for terrapins.

48. Leaves out : OMITS

52. Fast food tycoon Ray : KROC

53. Vegging out : IDLE

56. Weed killer : HOE

57. 39-Down with cones : FIR

Argyle

Sunday Feb 16, 2014 Mike Peluso

Theme: "Kidding Pool" - Y in each familiar phrase is changed into ING.

22A. Taking inventory at the Tropicana plant? : ORANGE COUNTING. Orange County.

39A. Miniature golf with clowns and windmills? : SILLY PUTTING.  Fun clue image. Silly putty.

57A. Boxer catching flies? : SHAGGING DOG. Shaggy dog. Fly balls.

81A. Making bad wagers? : UGLY BETTING. "Ugly Betty" is produced by the beautiful Salma Hayek.

98A. Part of a supermarket uniform? : BAGGING PANTS. Baggy pants. Despite the extreme cold weather here, some kids still drop their baggy pants. Drives me crazy.

119A. Nocturnal animal in a hammock? : ROCKING RACCOON. "Rocky Raccoon". Beatles song.

 

30D. Putting Tonka Trucks in the attic? : TOY STORING. "Toy Story". Woody!

53D. Gently tossing rifles? : GUN LOBBING. Gun lobby. 

Five changes occur in the second word, 3 in the first word. No odd man out. 

There are a few straying Y's in the theme entries. We would not have got the fun phrases had Mike excluded them from his choices.

Very smooth fill. Love those 6's (28) and 7's (14).  Stacked 6's are not easy to fill cleanly, esp if they're quad-stacked & crossed by more stacked 6's and 7's, like Mike's upper right & lower left corners.

Across:

       

1. Two-time '90s US Open champ : EDBERG (Stefan). 1991 & 1992.

7. Red-hot sauce : TABASCO. Sure a hot entry.

14. Studio sign : ON AIR

19. __ Patri: hymn : GLORIA

20. Bunker portrayer : O'CONNOR (Carroll)

21. Frolic : PRANCE

24. Tattered : RAGGED

25. Name on a tablet : BAYER. Aspirin.

26. OR hookups : IVs

27. Most thick, as fog : DENSEST

28. Rogers contemporary : AUTRY (Gene)

32. Laser pointer battery : AAAA

34. Mark successors : EUROS. Oh, German mark.

36. Inter __ : ALIA

37. "This might not be good" : UH OH. So, Don in PA, what did you do when you lost the electricity and internet connection for so long? Read lots of books?

38. Electees : INs

42. Like thrift store bread : DAY OLD. Thrift stores have bread? I go there for sports memorabilia mainly.

44. '60s-'70s Mets coach Eddie : YOST. No relation to Ned.

46. Gp. that funds psychiatric drug testing : NIMH. Stumper. National Institute of Mental Health. 

47. Black or white drink : RUSSIAN. Nice clue.

49. Seriously harms : MAIMS

52. __ Tamid: synagogue lamp : NER. Saw this before. Forgot.

53. Indian state : GOA. Wiki said it's India's smallest & richest state.

56. In-flight stat : ALT

60. Fly off the handle : ERUPT

62. Traveling with the band : ON TOUR

64. Manet's "__ at the Folies-Bergère" : A BAR. The picture looks familiar, not the name though.

65. Score : TWENTY

66. Iberian river : EBRO

68. Listing : ATILT

71. Equipment for 74-Across : SKATE. And 74. Lake Placid Olympics star Eric : HEIDEN

73. Role for Ingrid : ILSA. "Casablanca".

76. "I could __ horse!" : EAT A

78. Emphatic rebuke : NO NO NO

80. Bedding : LINEN

84. ASCAP alternative : BMI. Broadcast Music, Inc

87. H.S. subject : ENG

88. Bandleader Brown : LES

90. Vega of "Spy Kids" : ALEXA. Stranger to me also. She looks sweet.

91. Late riser : LIE-ABED

93. Jai __ : ALAI

95. Hamburger's one : EINS. Not the burger. People from Hamburg.

97. In a scary way : EERILY

104. Brief afterthoughts : PSS

106. Law school tyro : ONE L

107. Gallic phone greeting : ALLO. It's just "Wei" in Chinese.

108. Sunset dirección : OESTE. Is it pronounced the same as "West"?

109. Old draft deferment : TWO A

111. Rims : EDGES

112. Panama relatives : BOATERS. Hats.

114. __ polloi : HOI

116. Alphabetical list : INDEX

118. Tab function : INDENT

125. __ sale : ESTATE. I just love this lower left corner. So clean!

126. Tiny dividers : AMOEBAE. Or AMOEBAS.

127. Sailor's omen : RED SKY

128. Ruins : DOOMS

129. Lessees : TENANTS. Hope Marti's tenants treasure her hard work.

130. Braves' div. : NL EAST

 

Down:

1. __ trip : EGO

2. MSRP poster : DLR. OK, Dealer.

3. Flowing scarf : BOA

4. Coastal raptor : ERN

5. Cathy who played Pan : RIGBY. Drew a blank. Peter Pan.

6. Earth goddess : GAEA

7. No challenge at all : TOO EASY

8. Upscale Honda : ACURA

9. Rocker __ Jovi : BON

10. Debate side : ANTI

11. Whine : SNIVEL

12. Roman Republic official : CONSUL

13. Dot follower : ORG

14. Setting for "The Plague" : ORAN

15. Badgers : NAGS AT

16. Seraphim and cherubim, to Giovanni : ANGELI. Plural of Angelo, right?

17. Strands at Chamonix, perhaps : ICES IN

18. Sale indicator : RED TAG

21. Suppose : PRESUME

23. Photo lab color : CYAN

27. Armstrong's admission : DOPING. I was so disappointed in Lance, Jayce.

28. Actress Lindley : AUDRA. Was she a gimme to you?

29. Ryder competitor : U-HAUL

31. Frat letters : RHOS

33. Very, in scores : ASSAI

35. Rembrandt van __ : RYN

38. Pocatello native : IDAHOAN

40. Autobiography featuring Ike : I, TINA

41. Tossed : THREW

43. Lean : LIST

45. Texter's "Yikes!" : OMG. I bet Steve passed by this sign a few times. I had an "OMG, can they say that?" moment when I saw it. Those Chinese characters just mean "Happy Ending". So blatant.

48. Astro ending : NAUT

50. Old British roadsters : MGBs

51. Pierre's home: Abbr. : S DAK

54. Declines, with "out" : OPTS

55. "Back __!" : AT YA

58. "Peer Gynt Suite" composer : GRIEG (Edvard)

59. Praying figure : ORANT. Learned from doing Xwords.

61. Corral, with "in" : REIN

63. Connection point : NODE

65. Converses, e.g., slangily : TENNIES. What's your favorite sneaker brand?

66. Actress Jennifer : EHLE. Crazy spelling. I guess Zhouqin looks crazy to you too.

67. '60s counterculture event : BE IN

69. Like an unreal land? : LA LA. Hi there, LaLaLinda! Creature, too. So glad both of you are back.

70. "Until next time," in IMs : TTYL (Talk to You Later)

72. Slave : TOIL

75. Zhou __ : ENLAI. Loved him. No one compares to him.

 77. Red as __ : A BEET

79. Fancy molding : OGEE

81. Grammarians' concerns : USAGES

82. Live : EXIST

83. Bronze shade : TAN

85. Brawl : MELEE

86. Poems describing rustic life : IDYLS

89. The United States, in Nuevo Laredo : EL NORTE. The north.

92. Controversial infielder : A-ROD. Drafted by the Mariners, Mike's team.

94. Tape speed unit: Abbr. : IPS. Inches per Second.

96. Eager learners, metaphorically : SPONGES

98. Coddled : BABIED

99. King in "The Tempest" : ALONSO

100. "My pleasure!" : GLAD TO

101. Cheerleaders' cheer : GO TEAM

102. Where batters are seen : AT HOME

103. Recent rightist : NEOCON. Oh, I just told you last Sunday that I liked Washington Post. I did not know that they have a paywall. I was informed earlier this week that I used up my free Feb articles already.  Stupid NBC. Now Bill G and I can't bond.

105. __ City, Iraq : SADR

110. Be victorious in : WIN AT

111. Office component : EXCEL

113. Rhinitis docs : ENTs

115. Company name that begins with its founder's initials : IKEA

117. Merit : EARN

119. Singer? : RAT. Very clever clue. Sing-er.

120. Arabic "son of" : IBN

121. Start of a beginner's piano scale : C D E

122. Spanish she-bear : OSA

123. Signs off on : OKs

124. Big Apple news initials : NYT

I think Marti is going to attend this year's ACPT (American Crossword Puzzle Tournament). Anyone else on our blog? Don't miss the Friday night Cru Dinner organized by the super nice Mike Alpern. You'll meet lots of constructors & fellow solvers. Click here for more photos & the buffet dinner menu. Jicama in the salad, Hahtoola!

C.C.

Saturday, Feb 15th, 2014, Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Words: 70  (missing Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 33

  Either I am getting very comfortable with Saturday puzzles, or this one comes in at about a Friday, maybe even earlier level.  Brad is flying solo this week, as did his partner "DP" two weeks ago, and has what I would call a 'get out of jail free' offering today. A not-so-intimidating grid, with non-chunky corners and two grid-spanners;

17. Norwegian offerings : PLEASURE CRUISES - sort of a mini-theme going, with 31a and 45a, too - I won't go near any type of cruise like this

56. Fails to intervene : SITS ON ONE'S HANDS

ONWARD, wandor, norwad, wordan, donwar, rondaw, etc.

ACROSS:

1. "A Different World" actress : LISA BONET - spin-off from "The Cosby Show", she was once married to Lenny Kravitz and has changed her name - some interesting ones, here

10. More than ready to do : UP FOR

15. Halley's field : ASTRONOMY - as in Halley's comet - a gimme here; you too, Husker?

16. Veronese white : SOAVE - drew a blank until I had S--VE, then the light bulb came on

19. Most like a beachcomber : TANNEST - any one else think "HOMELESS" ?

20. "__ Mutual Friend": Dickens' last completed novel : OUR

21. Royal letters : HRH - His/Her Royal Highness(ness) - as in 35a.

22. Texting gasp : OMG - Oh, My, Gawd~!

23. Profile listing : HOBBY

25. "Yes!" : "I DO" - I did, but I stopped

26. St. Peter's Basilica attraction : PIETA - Michelangelo's marble statue

29. Many roomies : SIBS - Siblings; my brother and I shared a room for 12 years

30. Match : BOUT

31. The first one open on Majorca in 1950 : CLUB MED - I think the clue should be openED; I recall the TV commercials

33. Lake Geneva river : RHONE

35. Princess with a Wookieepedia entry : LEIA - Star Wars

36. "I Lost It at the Movies" author : KAEL - Pauline, never heard of her

37. Narrow vents : SLITS

39. Teaching method based on set theory : NEW MATH

42. Gent : CHAP

43. Moselle tributary : SAAR

45. "The Love Boat" bartender : ISAAC - click for Earworm~!

47. Hit the __ : HAY

48. "Precisely!" : "BINGO~!"

49. Lucy of "Elementary" : LIU - I liked her in the Mel Gibson movie "Payback"

50. Time to look forward : EVE

51. Trot : JOG

52. Aids : SUCCORS

59. Spud : TATER

60. Europe's tallest ferris wheel : LONDON EYE

61. Underhanded type : SNEAK

62. Mississippi has four : AREA CODES - nice bit of ambiguity

DOWN:

1. Telecommuter's tool : LAPTOP

2. Like about 1.5 billion people : ISLAMIC

3. His was the first number retired by the Mets : STENGEL - Casey; I am a Mets fan, but maybe C.C. has more to offer (C.C.: #37. Retired by the Yankees as well.)

4. Ireland's __ Islands : ARAN

5. Audio giant : BOSE - ah, not SONY - had the "O" first

6. Cross to bear : ONUS

7. View from The Hague : NORTH SEA

8. Graph- ending : EME - Grapheme, the smallest semantically distinguishing unit in a written language

9. Cooperstown charter member : TY COBB - Not a baseball guy; I went with "C. Young" to start - can you tell I had the "Y" first~?!?

10. There's a lot of interest in it : USURY - I have one credit card that is 19.99% - getting close to my definition of usury

11. Food cooked in an imu : POI - Hawaiian cooking - more here

12. Method : FASHION

13. Accruing fines, maybe : OVERDUE

14. Did a double take? : RE-SHOT - as in photography

18. Chafes : RUBS RAW

24. Kin of -ish : OID - Roundish object = spheroid

27. Spring bloom : TULIP

28. Distract the security guard, say : ABET

30. Pampas weapons : BOLAS

32. Assignment : MISSION - "Your mission, should you choose to accept it...."

34. Half: Pref. : HEMI - Like Dodge advertises, their "HEMI" engine just means the cylinder shape is half round at the top

36. Fuel that built the Rockefeller fortune : KEROSENE - Learned this from watching "The Men Who Built America" from History channel

37. Adjective for "Pygmalion" or "Major Barbara" : SHAVIAN - of, pertaining to, or characteristic of George Bernard Shaw or his works: Shavian humor.

38. Shower paraphernalia : LAYETTE - Baby shower, that is; an outfit of clothing or bedding

39. Hound : NAG - ah, not DOG - the verb, not the noun

40. Like owls : TALONED

41. Lock-changing tool? : HAIR DYE - nice

42. See 57-Down : CHESTS, 57. With 42-Down, spots for sailors' gear : SEA

44. Luanda's land : ANGOLA

46. Triggers a bleep, maybe : CUSSES - @$#%X~!!!

48. Icelandic singer : BJORK - I had -J-RK to start, and it worked~!

53. Org. that rejects bad eggs : USDA - literally

54. Van. alternative : CHOColate - I saw the "." after Van(illa) and so I wondered if it might be referring to Van(couver), which happens to be in the same area as....

55. Recent Yankee star named for Jackie Robinson : CANO - Robinson Cano is now with the Seattle Mariners, 10yrs, $240mil.  Yeah.

58. Scand. kingdom : NORway - not q u i t e ...a duplication of the name in 17a.

Splynter

Note from C.C.:


Happy Birthday to dear Skip (Hondo on the blog), who is a huge fan of UConn women's Basketball. He's also an expert on vintage sports cards & attends shows often on weekends. Besides Marti, Dudley & Montana, Hondo also met Irish Miss in person.

Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana

Friday, February 14, 2014, Xan Vongsathorn

Theme: U anagram U! Ryder truck rental competition.

The first & second letter of a familiar phrase is reversed to form a new word beginning with the letter "U" and clued whimsically. I guess since Valentine's Day is all about 'you', this all fits. Our second anagram based theme in a row.  So we have another variation of an anagram theme to add to the Friday fun, with a little teeny reveal. The constructor has been absent from the LAT for quite a while having had only one previous puzzle published back in 2009, though he does have 7 NYTs under his belt. Like Michael Sharp (a/k/a Rex Parker) he is from Pomona College. XAN. With two grid spanning answers we have 60 letters in the theme. This leads to a really high 3 and 4 letter word count for a Friday. There were a few fun longer fill, ADAM'S RIB, ASTEROID, I-POD NANO , SCREWED UP,  UP FOR SALE, but I leave the verdict up to you the jury, I am merely the court reporter.

17A. Vessel storing a cash stash? : URN FOR ONE'S MONEY (15). (RUN for one's money). I thought maybe we were also going to get some homonym action (EARN:URN).

25A. Layered computer connections? : USB SANDWICH (11). (SUB sandwich).

44A. Pet named for writer Sinclair? : UPTON THE DOG.(11). (PUT on the dog).  I think of it as Putting on the RITZ, (2:03) not the Dog.

58A. Tantrum that devolves into hysterical gibberish? : UNCLEAR MELTDOWN (15) NUCLEAR meltdown).

and the hint...

62A. "Lead the way!", and a phonetic hint to this puzzle's theme : YOU FIRST (8) (U first).

Across:

1. Hedge row : SHRUBS. I admit shrubbery always make me think of this LINK. (2:06)

7. Fox's "X-Files" partner : DANA. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully?

11. Rite Aid rival : CVS. A New England success story, a small local retail store Consumer Value Store started in the 60s in Woonsocket, RI, where my uncle Richard lived, eventually got in the pharmacy business and now has more stores than anyone.

14. Cozy spot? : TEAPOT. Really cute, as you put the cozy over the teapot to keep the tea warm.

15. Tiny tunes player : I-POD NANO. Another cute clue/fill.

19. Earlier : AGO.

20. Strong adhesive : EPOXY. Back when I played lacrosse we used epoxy and fiberglass tape to strengthen our wooden sticks. Now they are all some compound. "Today’s players use sticks with heads made of plastic; shafts made of aluminum, graphite, titanium, Kevlar®, or alloys of aluminum, magnesium, scandium, and zinc; pockets made of nylon mesh..." The Encyclopedia of Earth.

21. Some poker tells : TICS.

22. "Lady Jane Grey" playwright : ROWE. This play apparently was not a success, but we have seen the writer before. He put out some editions of Shakespeare's works. For fun you can read a 2008 C.C. blog.

24. Farm cry : OINK.

31. Bundle : SHEAF. A biblical word? Next to a pseudo-biblical clue?

32. Tracy/Hepburn battle-of-the-sexes film : ADAM' S RIB.

37. "You're on!" : DEAL.

38. Impact sound : SPLAT. Good comic book word.

40. Stoic philosopher : CATO.  He was of course the YOUNGER.

41. Telescope sighting : ASTEROID. Do you have a telescope Tin? This could be a reason for a quick belt. Speaking of belts...

43. Hunter of myth : ORION. Another star-crossed lover who ended in the sky.

47. Sudden blow : GUST.

50. Lined up, with "in" : A ROW.

51. Part of one's inheritance : GENE. Yes, my luck, I ended up with Rayburn.

52. Tend : SEE TO.

55. Oft-bruised item : EGO.

63. Actor Hugh : LAURIE. A really fine comedian, he was always very popular in my brother the medical researcher's house.

64. Gathered dust : SAT. For three letters, this took a while.

65. 2012 N.L. East champs : NATS. Nationals, success did not seem to suit them.

66. Had dinner : SUPPED. Wouldn't it be DINED and the other supper?

Down:

1. Handle for a chef? : STU. I fought against this what I guess is just a pun, but once the USB revealed the U, and I already had the S and T...

2. Juno, to Homer : HERA. Roman is to Greek as...

3. Chimed : RANG.

4. On the market : UP FOR SALE. Another U turn for me.

5. Discontented cry : BOO. Hoo thought of this first? I did not? Bah!

6. Scattered : STREWN.

7. T. Rex, e.g. : DINO. Flintstones?

8. Summit : APEX. The old Acme Apex challenge.

9. Getting into the wrong business? : NOSY. Stick your nose where it does not belong...

10. Nav. bigwig : ADMiral.

11. "Emperor of the Air" novelist : CANIN. I thought this was particularly obscure, and I would never have gotten this answer but for it being filled before I saw the clue. I have seen the movie Emperor's Club, and being a prep school product I knew a little about his work, but not his name. ETHAN. The film was also filmed at Emma Willard (from yesterday's comment by IM about Scent of a Woman).

12. Certain tee : V-NECK.

13. Sauces for sushi : SOYS. Are there more than one soy sauce for sushi? Did you remember sushi means rice?

16. Denier's words : NOT I.

18. Column with a slant : OP ED. I will not OP EN that argument door.

23. Big galoot : OAF.

24. Electrician's unit : OHM. Yes, my nephew is a master electrician, who wires lots of kitchens; their anthem is Ohm Ohm on the Range.

25. Rib-eye rating gp. : USDA. United States Department of Agriculture.

26. Witches, but not warlocks : SHES. Simple, but tricky.

27. Knocked out : BEAT. Nope, do not see these as synonymous unless you know you are fighting.

28. Character found in kids' books : WALDO. I would have loved the clue to be 'sometimes found'  but I applaud the concept.

29. Peak of Crete : IDA. Interesting HISTORY in mythology, but I think of CHARLEY WEAVER. And the odd coincidence that Emma Willard School is on Mount Ida overlooking Troy, NY.

30. Victim of curiosity : CAT. Killed no less!

33. Made a mess of : SCREWED UP.

34. Surprise strike : RAID.

35. "__, Sing America": Hughes : I TOO. The poem by Langston Hughes, the ORIGINAL. (1:09).

36. Low bell sound : BONG. I wonder if this was the author's clue...

38. Dip, as in gravy : SOP.

39. Nectarine core : PIT.

42. Symbol of boredom : RUT. Are we in an anagram rut?

43. "Well, looky here!" : OHO. Meh.

45. "Six Feet Under" son : NATE. Never watched this SHOW.(4:28).

46. High-tech troublemakers : TROLLS. How funny, a shout out to my Friday fans.

47. Italian port on its own gulf : GENOA.

48. In its original form : UNCUT. Are they talking circumcision here?

49. Help beneficiary, at times : SELF. Libraries and book stores are overflowing with self help books, but if you buy them is it really self help?

51. Blokes : GUYS. It was nice to NICE CUPPA.

52. First name in the freezer section : SARA. Nobody does not like Sara Lee.

53. Once, in days past : ERST. Did it take you a while to get this one?

54. CPR specialists : EMTS. Emergency Medical Ttechnicians.

56. Hiker's supply : GORP.

57. Boo-boo : OWIE.

59. A, in Stuttgart : EIN.

60. St. Anthony's Cross shape : TAU. Greek to me.

61. Nancy Drew's guy : NED.

Well I want to wish our dear friend, constructor, blogger, poster, ski bum, wine connoisseur and house renovator the happiest of birthdays and perhaps an early spring. Thank you marti for all you have done for me and the Corner. For the rest of you I hope you enjoyed our visit and the puzzle, until next time Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Lemonade said it all. Thank you, dear Marti, for being there for me and the Corner. Happy Birthday!

Marti & her husband Allen

Thursday, February 13, 2014 Susan Gelfand

Theme: "Green Anagrams"

17-Across. "Sommersby" actress : JODIE FOSTER. Forest green.

28-Across. Shortcut, perhaps : DIAGONAL LINE. Nile green.

39-Across. Freaked out : GONE APE. Pea green.

49-Across. Measure used by navigators : NAUTICAL MILE. Lime green.

65-Across. Packaged produce buy, and a literal description of the ends of 17-, 28-, 39- and 49-Across :

MIXED GREENS.

Whenever I see something like "mix" in the reveal, I immediately look for anagrams. I start with the shortest - "pea" - and then work on the longer words.  But L-I-N-E had me stumped for the longest time - I just couldn't think of a green color with those letters. Light finally dawned, but there were other challenges for me in this one (as a Thursday puzzle should…)

Across:

1. Asian noodles : RAMEN.

6. Quick looks : PEEKS.

11. "The __" : WIZ.

14. Poke __ in : A HOLE. Odd partial.

15. Game console button : RESET.

16. __ polloi : HOI.

19. 1992 figure skating silver medalist : ITO. Midori.  A clue with at least part of her name would have helped!!

20. What "will be" will be? : ARE. Tricky: what "ARE" now, will be later...

21. Actress Dolores __ Rio : DEL. Big starlet in the '20s-'30s.

22. Post-blizzard creation : SNOWMAN. Which I will not be making on Friday...

24. "The Federalist Papers" co-writer : HAMILTON. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison. They promoted the ratification of the US Constitution.

27. Part of UNLV: LAS. University of Nevada LAS Vegas.

33. Kobe's home : JAPAN. Not KOBE Bryant - he was born in Philadelphia. But the city in the Hyogo prefecture. (Home to Kobe beef. - Argyle))

36. Energy : VIM.

37. Environmental sci. : ECOL.ogy

38. Hosp. areas : ORs.

43. Org. for analysts : APA. American Psychological Association.

44. Dickens clerk : HEEP. Uriah, to friends, from "David Copperfield."

46. __ Aviv : TEL.

47. Plant circulatory tissue : XYLEM.

53. Some govt. lawyers : DAs. District Attorneys. English is so capricious. Why isn't the plural spelled "attornies"???

54. Kind of memory : AUDITORY.

58. Golfer and his buddy, say : TWOSOME.

62. Barbecue item : RIB.

63. Never, in Nuremberg : NIE.

64. Trash holder : BIN. Anyone else want "can" at first???

68. Word before or after blue : SKY.

69. Paris pupil :  ÉLÈVE.

70. Picture : IMAGE.

71. "Mr. __ Passes By": Milne play : PIM.

72. A.J. Foyt, e.g. : RACER.

73. Flies alone : SOLOS. Dudley!

Down:

1. Hindi for "king" : RAJAH.

2. Now, in Nicaragua : AHORA.

3. Surfing equipment : MODEM. Anyone else want "board"???

4. Ransom __ Olds : ELI.

5. Locker room exchange : NEEDLING.

6. Opening words : PROLOG. I thought it was "prologue"?

7. Some RPI grads : EES. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Electrical Engineers. Spitzboov & Splynter - any others out there?

8. Body shop figs. : ESTS. Estimates.

9. Sharp : KEEN.

10. Easy pace : STROLL.

11. Playfully kooky : WHIMSICAL.

12. Minute amount : IOTA.

13. Utah national park : ZION.

18. Crumbly cheese : FETA.

23. Corduroy ridge : WALE.

25. Biographer Tarbell : IDA. Most notable for "The History of the Standard Oil Company." (Hmmm…note to self, do NOT put that on your reading list!)

26. Extended short story : NOVELLA.

29. Singer/actress Peeples : NIA. Best known for her role as Nicole Chapman in "Fame."

30. Energize, with "up" : AMP.

31. "Not a chance" : NOPE.

32. Character actor Jack : ELAM.

33. Doe in many films : JOHN.

34. Specialty : AREA.

35. Lewis Carroll, for one : PSEUDONYM.

40. Non-Rx : OTC. Over the Counter.

41. Museum funding org. : NEA. National Endowment for the Arts.

42. Bookplate words : EX LIBRIS. Latin for "From the library of…"

45. Educ. collaborators : PTAs.

48. As of now : YET.

50. Glucose, to fructose : ISOMER.

51. Geese : gaggle :: crows : __ : MURDER.

52. Beatnik's "Gotcha" : I DIG.

55. "Barry Lyndon" actor : O'NEAL. Ryan. Did not know this film. All perps.

56. Musical nickname related to jewelry : RINGO.

57. Survey answers : YESes.

58. Cook's meas. : TBSP. Tablespoon. None of my cookbooks have this as the abbr.

59. Collaborative Web project : WIKI.

60. Kunis of "Black Swan" : MILA. Great film. Have you seen it? It gives me a whole new appreciation for the gruelling training that ballerinas have to go through.

61. Corporate VIP : EXEC.

66. Holiday starter : EVE.

67. Rock genre : EMO. Characterized by expressive lyrics. Short for "emotive."

I'm all in for now. If I didn't cover all your questions, let me know!

Hugs,

Marti