Wednesday, March 5, 2014, John R. O'Brien

Theme: I MUST BE DREAMING.  The first word of each two-word theme answer phonetically gives us part of James Bond's Identity number: 007, usually rendered as Double-O-7, phonetically DOUBLE OH SEVEN.  In the cold imaginary universe of this series of spy novels and movies, the Double-O ID is only given to operatives who have killed in cold blood in the course of completing an assignment, and are licensed to do so again in the future, as necessary.  Per Wikipedia, in the back story preceding Casino Royal, the first Bond Novel, Bond is awarded his 007 for having twice done so.  Not until the third novel Moonraker, does the 00- designation indicate a license to kill.  We have to permit our novelists these kinds of little inconsistencies over the course of a long series.

16A. Outing for four : DOUBLE DATE.  Two couples on one adventure.  Opportunities limited only by your imagination.

24A. "Don't tell me!" : OH BROTHER! A colloquial expression of wonderment or disbelief.  I don't recall hearing it much in recent decades.

49A. World waters : SEVEN SEAS.   Which seas are counted depends on where and when you ask. Here's a brief run down from the National Ocean Service.

And for a unifier, we have the creator of the 007 series:  63A. Author suggested by the starts of 16-, 24- and 49-Across : IAN FLEMING.  Wikipedia tells us: While working for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War, Fleming was involved in planning Operation Goldeneye and in the planning and oversight of two intelligence units, 30 Assault Unit and T-Force. His wartime service and his career as a journalist provided much of the background, detail and depth of the James Bond novels.  Just the right kind of experience to give us these stories.

BTW, If you're wondering about the title, it's contained in this snippet of dialog from the movie GOLDFINGER.

Pussy Galore: “My name is Pussy Galore.”  

Bond: “I must be dreaming.”                             

And, as a bonus, if you had circles in the corner squares, they would help you notice that by proceeding clockwise starting in the NW, they contain the letters spelling BOND.  All very tidy.

Hi gang, Agent JzB on duty, licensed to guide you through today's intrigue.  With a little luck, nobody will get hurt.

But first, today's theme song.

Across:

1. Humanities degs. : BAS. Bachelors of Artses.

4. Bullpen stats : ERAS.

8. Not exceeding : UP TO.  As my father used to ask me, "What are you not exceeding, now?"  Usually it was my potential.

12. "__ way!" : ATTA.  ATTA boy or girl - OK.  ATTA way - ???

14. Soft tissue : FLESH. Mandatory Monty Python link.

15. Consequences of most missed birdie putts : PARS.  I could do worse.

18. __-Z: classic Camaro : IROC.

 1989 Model

19. Make beloved : ENDEAR.

20. Pixar film in which Richard Petty had a voice role : CARS.

22. FDR power project : TVA. Tennessee Valley Authority, a dam good idea.  Note Ints. in cl & ans.

23. Some Iberian kings : REYES.  Spanish kings.  The Portuguese ones are REIS.

26. Soak (up) : SOP.

28. Days gone by : YORE.

29. Took out for a while : BORROWED.   Like if your DOUBLE date is to the library

34. Dvorak's last symphony : NINTH.

37. Three-part snack : OREO.  Stacked snack, suitable for dunking.

38. Delight : ELATE.

41. Work with an artist, perhaps : POSE.

42. Make sense : ADD UP.

44. "Hawaii" novelist : MICHENER.

46. Decorative sewing case : ETUI.   Meh!

48. Star quality : EGO. More a characteristic than a quality, IMHO.

53. Meet competitor : RACER.

58. Hero in the air : ACE.

59. Patio furniture protector : TARP.

60. Concert hall cry : ENCORE.

61. "Copacabana" temptress : LOLA.  As I understand it, Barry Manilow is a wonderful person.  But, alas, his music makes me gag, so no link.

65. __ vera lotion : ALOE.  It's vera soothing.

66. Mr. T's TV outfit : A-TEAM.   Mr. T. Played the part of Sgt. Bosco 'B.A.' Baracus in all 97 episodes of this TV series from 1983 to '87.  He's in the bottom left of this cast picture, which also includes Melinda Culea, who played newspaper reporter Amy Amanda Allen.  Though her Triple A initials were impeccable, this character only lasted through 25 episodes.  She wanted more action, and George Peppard, evidently scarred for life by his appearance in Breakfast At Tiffany's, wanted no female lead.  Looks as if he was licensed to kill her part.

67. "A Streetcar Named Desire" director Kazan : ELIA.

68. Quick swims : DIPS.

69. Frosty coating : HOAR.  An ancient adjective, dating from before the 12 century, meaning grey with age, here transformed into a noun.  The frost coating makes the grass look like old grey hair.  I am taking this personally.

70. Cong. bigwig : SEN.  Congressional, Senator.

Down:

1. Justice Ruth __ Ginsburg : BADER.  Appointed by Clinton.

2. Advice to a sinner : ATONE.  Repent and be saved.  If you have already repented, please disregard this notice.

3. Quiet room : STUDY. 

4. Former times, formerly : ELD.  Back in the day, back in the day.

5. Get through to : REACH.

6. Take __ at: try : A STAB.  As in trying to get past the Black Night.

7. Amontillado, for one : SHERRY.  A Poe choice.

8. News gp. : UPI. United Press International

9. Acropolis temple : PARTHENON.

Source

10. Hidden treasure : TROVE.

11. Boxer De La Hoya : OSCAR.  Could have been clued differently this week.

Source

13. Busy as __ : A BEE.  Watts up, little buzzer!

14. Not agin : FER.  Ah'm agin this kinda fill.

17. Rodeo ring : LASSO.   Of rope, not fire.

21. Shortly : SOON.

24. Autobahn auto : OPEL.

25. Baloney : TRIPE.  Words not worth the air used to express them.

27. Haven't paid off yet : OWE.

29. Something to wrap around one's neck ... or maybe not : BOA.  A scarf or a choking snake.  Choose wisely.

30. Traffic reg. : ORD.  Regulation and ordinance.

31. Improve, as a downtown area : REDEVELOP.  Gentrification, perhaps.

32. Travel plan : ROUTE.  Did you ever go this way?

33. Water holder? : DAM.  Cf 22A.

35. "The Waste Land" poet's monogram : TSE.  Thomas Stearns Eliot.  tl;dr.

36. "... and sat down beside __ ..." : HER.  Miss Muffet and the arachnid antagonist; could have been clued differently this week.

39. Gifts for grads or dads : TIES.  Neckties.  Who needs them?

40. Heart chart, for short : ECG.  ElectroCardio Gram.

43. Pre-euro Irish coin : PUNT.  For in those days, football had not yet been invented.

45. Lena of "The Wiz" : HORNE.

47. "Swords into plowshares" prophet : ISAIAH.  Chapter 2, Verse 4:  He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

49. Dieter's lunch : SALAD.  Yum!

50. Bacteria in rare meat, maybe : E COLI.   Yucch!

51. Muse for Shelley : ERATO.  The muse of poetry, especially love or erotic poetry. 

52. Sleep lab subject : APNEA. 

54. Cartoon supplier of anvils and explosive tennis balls : ACME.  Alas, poor coyote.

55. Hoses are often stored in them : COILS. Roll 'em up.

56. Adopted son on "My Three Sons" : ERNIE.

57. Sister of Goneril : REGAN.  Cordelia, too.  Kng Lear's Daughters.

60. Scary movie street : ELM.  Did you avoid these nightmares?

62. DDE rival : AES.  Dwight David Eisenhower and Adlai Ewing Stevenson II.

64. "__ out!" : FAR.  An expression from the 60's, the era of Sean Connery - the only REAL James Bond.

So we come to the end of this adventure.  Looks like this might be John's first entry in the L. A. Times.  Hope you all enjoyed the BONDing experience.

Cool regards!

JzB

Tuesday, March 4, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

  

First word starts with a F, middle word starts with an A, and last word starts with a T.  

18. Eternally : FOR ALL TIME

31A. "Let's move on to something else" : "FORGET ABOUT THAT"

37A. Building safety procedure : FIRE ALARM TEST

44A. Some studio-based educators : FINE ART TEACHERS

59A. What 3/4/2014 is, and a hint to 18-, 31-, 37- and 44-Across : FAT TUESDAY

Argyle here. Throw me some beads. A timely puzzle with two grid spanners and some interesting fill. Not much trouble.

Across:

1. American Revolution supporter : WHIG. "Early activists in the colonies called themselves "Whigs", seeing themselves as in alliance with the political   in Britain, until they turned to independence and started emphasizing the label Patriots." - Wikipedia

5. Cracked fixture across from Independence Hall : BELL

9. Suitor : SWAIN. Most dictionaries show a reference to Old Norse.

14. Loser in a fable : HARE

15. Ice formation : FLOE

16. Garden violet : PANSY

17. Big name in door-to-door sales : AVON

20. Moral precept : TENET

22. Arctic inhabitant : INUIT. The preferred term for Eskimo.

23. Suffix with Manhattan : ITE

24. In the know : HIP

27. Soak up some rays : TAN

28. URL letters : WWW

35. Davis of "Do the Right Thing" : OSSIE. Directed by Spike Lee. (1989)

36. Geologic periods : EONs

42. Obstruct : CLOG

43. Paper tray unit : SHEET

51. Brief missions? : OPs. (operations)

52. Drill sergeant's address : "SIR!"

53. Barbecue residue : ASH

54. On the __ vive: alert : QUI. (literally: long live who?)

55. Debate focus : ISSUE

57. Took a cut : SWUNG. Baseball.

64. Ill-considered : RASH

65. Word before circle or child : INNER

66. Shore phenomenon : TIDE

67. Attacking the task : AT IT

68. Reply to "Who wants to clean up this mess?" : "NOT ME!"

69. Cry of pain : [YEOW!]

70. Ballpoints : PENs

Down:

1. "Consider this scenario ..." : "WHAT IF ..."

2. Must : HAVE TO

3. One with pressing chores? : IRONER

4. One in a pool : GENE. On another day, it might be STENO.

5. Pal 4 life : BFF. (Best Friends Forever)

6. "Xanadu" band : ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra)

7. Loughlin of "Full House" : LORI. Full House was a hugely popular ABC sitcom which ran for 192 episodes.   Link

8. Crude shed : LEAN-TO

9. Support for a broken digit : SPLINT

10. Power unit : WATT

11. "Give me __!": start of a Hawkeye's cheer : AN I. (Iowa Hawkeyes)

12. Philosophy suffix : ISM

13. Bill, the "Science Guy" : NYE

19. Waikiki feast : LUAU

21. This and this : THESE

25. "__ miracle!" : IT'S A

26. Beach bucket : PAIL

28. Villagers below the Grinch's cave : WHOs

29. Have a yen for : WANT

30. Oz. and kg. : WTs. & 40D. Oz. or kg. : MEAS. (Dept. of Weights and Measures)

32. Steep-walled canyon : GORGE. Interesting usage for this word. Dict.

33. Creature : BEAST

34. Pearly whites : TEETH

37. Turn, as pancakes : FLIP. Today is National Pancake Day at IHOP. Get a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes.

38. Electrical particles : IONs

39. "Cheers" actress Perlman : RHEA. She met her match when she met Lilith's mother.

                  LINK

41. Geek Squad pros : TECHs

42. Money VIP : CFO. (chief financial officer)

45. Guarantee : ASSURE

46. Go up : RISE

47. Unlikely to disappoint : TRUSTY

48. Compare apples to apples? : EQUATE

49. Takes to jail : RUNS IN

50. Tourist attractions : SIGHTS

55. News piece : ITEM

56. Actress Falco : EDIE. IMDb bio.

58. Food truck offering : WRAP

59. Snorkeling aid : FIN

60. Year, south of the border : AÑO

61. Tunneler's explosive : T-N-T

62. Ruckus : ADO

63. Evergreen with elastic wood : YEW

I'll leave you with some mood music. Link

 

Argyle

Monday, March 3, 2014 David Poole

Theme: Say What? - Speak right up, or some other word for speak up front.

18A. Prohibition era saloon : SPEAKEASY

26A. John Kerry's domain : STATE DEPARTMENT

43A. Supermarket convenience : EXPRESS CHECKOUT

57A. Complete ninny : UTTER FOOL

Argyle here. Straightforward cluing but a few too many tough answers. YRMV (your results may vary). Two good grid spanners. AUDIT is a nasty word to use at this time of year.

Across:

1. Rosary counters : BEADS

6. Fall faller : LEAF

10. Long hike : TREK

14. Review of business books : AUDIT

15. Girl in a J.D. Salinger short story : ESME. "For Esmé—with Love and Squalor"

16. Wound-up fire engine item : HOSE

17. Jim who sang "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" : CROCE

                         LINK

20. Budget accommodations : HOSTELs

22. Chafing dish heaters : STERNOs

23. Basilica recesses : APSEs

25. Spanish "a" : UNA. (f.)

33. Flirt with : HIT ON

34. Tops, as cupcakes : ICES

35. Stephen of "The Crying Game" : REA

36. From the U.S. : AMERican

37. Dwindled : WANED

39. "The Wizard of Oz" lion Bert : LAHR. Hello, old friend.

40. Little, in Lyons : PEU. Little, in Lille: PEU. un peu de Francais.(Feb 17, 2011)(Feb 28, 2014)

41. Fictional plantation : TARA. GWTW

42. In __ fertilization : VITRO

47. Tolkien giant : ENT

48. Le __, France : HAVRE. Church of St. Joseph

49. Rodeo rider, at times : LASSOER

53. Put on an extra sweater, say : GET WARM

59. Alvin of dance : AILEY. Unknown to me. He founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City and died in 1987.

60. Midday : NOON

61. __ Reader: alternative media digest : UTNE. A magazine founded in 1984 by Eric Utne and Nina Rothschild Utne. They live in Minneapolis and get away to a 100-acre Wisconsin farm for weekends.

62. Sunday song : PSALM

63. PDA entry : APPT. (appointment)

64. Lewd look : LEER

65. Itty-bitty : EENSY

Down:

1. Composer of fugues : BACH. I had no idea fugues were so long. The Well Tempered Clavier(1:52:33)

2. Multinational currency : EURO

3. Big fusses : ADOs

4. Absolute ruler : DICTATOR

5. Increase the slope of : STEEPEN

6. Tenant : LESSEE

7. Psychic's claim : ESP

8. Iowa State home : AMES

9. Showcased : FEATURED

10. Aries : THE RAM

11. Chestnut horse : ROAN

12. Petro-Canada rival : ESSO

13. Janitor's janglers : KEYS. A little alliteration.

19. Adoptive parents of Superman : KENTs

21. '60s hallucinogen : LSD

24. Popeye's favorite veggie : SPINACH

26. Physical condition : SHAPE

27. "It takes a licking ..." watch : TIMEX

28. Wolfed down : ATE UP. Misdirection?

29. King beater : ACE. (not the Queen)

30. Muse for a bard : ERATO

31. India's first prime minister : NEHRU

32. Fortunetelling card : TAROT

37. Opposite of thrifty : WASTEFUL

38. Horace's "__ Poetica" : ARS. A poem (c20 b.c.) by Horace, setting forth his precepts for the art of poetry.

39. "Ditto" : "LIKE-WISE"

41. Choir member : TENOR

42. DVD forerunner : VCR TAPE

44. Take exception to : RESENT

45. Boxer "Marvelous" Marvin : HAGLER

46. Adam's mate : EVE

49. Roman moon goddess : LUNA

50. Perched on : ATOP

51. "Quit it!" : "STOP!"

52. Repetitive learning : ROTE

54. Actor Alda : ALAN

55. Kinfolk: Abbr. : RELs. Acceptable for genealogy research.

56. "Goodness gracious!" : "MY, MY!"

58. Single in a wallet : ONE. If down to a single single, get thee to the ATM.

Argyle

Sunday March 2, 2014 Robin Stears

 Theme: "Dance Partners" - Both words in this theme entry can proceed "Dance".

 23A. Admirer banned for overzealousness? : FORBIDDEN FAN. Fan dance, yes! What is "Forbidden dance"?

  

41A. Where "Hissing 101" is offered? : SNAKE SCHOOL. Loved the clue. Snake dance. School dance.

44A. Contemporary poetry competition? : MODERN SLAM. Modern dance. Slam dance.

69A. Something the plumber's never seen before? : EXOTIC CLOG. Exotic dance. Clog dance.

73A. Hardly hipsters? : SQUARE FOLK. Square dance. Folk dance.

95A. San Diego mascot's topper? : CHICKEN HAT. Read here about the Chicken. Chicken dance. Hat dance.

100A. Follow the Scarlet Speedster? : SHADOW FLASH. Scarlet Speedster is the nickname of Flash. Shadow dance. Flashdance.

122A. Eating contest winner's paunch? : VICTORY BELLY. Victory dance. Belly dance.

Such an apt puzzle title. And so many dances! This puzzle should delight our Yellowrocks, who's the president of their square dance club.

Across:

     

1. Page 1 or 3, usually : RECTO. Right-hand page (Odd-numbered). Vs. Verso.

6. Perplex : BEMUSE

12. Digital readout abbr. : LCD

15. Workout target : FLAB

19. Hitching post? : ALTAR. Nailed it.

20. Cocky self-reference end : AREN'T I.  Oh, I'm so ...., aren't I?

21. Sushi tuna : AHI

22. Rolling rock : LAVA

25. It's read monthly : GAS METER. Not magazine!

27. Farmer: TILLER

28. Begets : SIRES

30. Comparatively poor : NEEDIER

31. Table d'hôte alternative : A LA CARTE. Still remember you first day in Paris? I went to a party in a Paris suburb and ended up missing the last Métro.

34. Coveted annual honor : OSCAR. Timely.

36. Tuscaloosa-to-Huntsville dir. : NNE

37. Stretch named for a leader, perhaps : ERA. Clinton era, e.g.

40. Not even part-time : IDLE. So, IDLE here is an adjective, right?

48. Curse : EVIL EYE

49. .jpg file contents : IMAGE. I'm saddened by the passing of PK, Dave. But you loved her and took great care of her.

Dave & PK

50. Scintilla : SHRED

52. Imitate a hot dog? : PANT. The HOT dog, not food.

56. Like the worst excuse : LAMEST

58. Beersheba locale : NEGEV. Not familiar with Beersheba. Wiki says:  it's the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev".

60. Dolphins' order : CETACEA. Whales belong to the same order. Learning moment to me. This word looks like some kind of disease.

63. Picked up a split, say : SPARED. Bowling.

65. Handel work : MESSIAH

68. Shop _ you drop : TIL

75. __ & Perrins: Worcestershire sauce : LEA. Never heard of it, but I'm so happy Robin finds a new clue for LEA.

76. Macho sort : REAL MAN. Don't be deceived by the Macho look.

78. Shoppe sign words : YE OLDE

79. Some printers : INKJETS

81. Flower children? : SEEDS. Sweet clue.

83. Long-faced : SULLEN

87. "Meh" : SO SO

88. Grateful, maybe? : ASHES. Oh, she means Grate-ful.

90. Marsupial sometimes called a bear : KOALA

91. Ancient fertility goddess : ASTARTE. The Phoenician goddess.

104. Wind in a pit : OBOE

105. Frat letter : RHO

106. Not 'neath : O'ER

107. Assist with : DO FOR

108. Victuals : ALIMENTS

112. Apportion : PRORATE

114. Hamlet and Ophelia, e.g. : ROLES. Not enough space for LOVERS.

116. Payday, for one : NUT BAR. Never had this.

120. Nostalgic, in a way : HOMESICK. This is horrifying. Those ethnic separatists are Muslims. China has 56 ethnic groups. Han is the largest. Over 91% of the Chinese are Han, including me.

125. __ uproar : IN AN

126. Kingston Trio hit for whose hero Boston's CharlieCard was named : MTA

127. Daughter of Zeus : ATHENA

128. __ Gay : ENOLA

129. Standard Oil brand : ESSO

130. "Errare humanum __": Seneca : EST. To err is human.

131. Looked impolitely : LEERED

132. One-named Swedish pop singer : ROBYN. First time encounter with this lady.

Down:

1. Finn's vessel : RAFT

2. Sci-fi people : ELOI

3. Shift neighbor : CTRL

4. Sitar accompaniment : TABLA

5. Bay window : ORIEL

6. Good, in some cases : BAD

7. Preposition with multiple homonyms : ERE. Air, Heir, Aer.

8. Criminal intent, in law : MENS REA

9. Not qualified : UNFIT

10. Rubbernecks : STARES

11. Article in Die Zeit : EINE. Die Zeit= The Time. German national weekly newspaper well-regarded for its journalistic quality, a la Wiki.

12. Jet __ : LAG

13. Pulpit locale : CHANCEL. I'm surprised I know this word.

14. Part of CDC : DISEASE

15. Skedaddled : FLED

16. Bodega patron : LATINO

17. Skin care brand : AVEENO. I like their tinted moistuizer.

18. Rodeo prop : BARREL

24. Pull the plug on : DRAIN. Literally.

26. "Heavens to Betsy!" : MERCY

29. Dry Italian wine : SOAVE

32. They're burned on purpose : CDs

33. Pledge of Allegiance ender : ALL

35. Road mark cause, maybe : SKID

37. Disney's "__ and the Detectives" : EMIL. No idea.

38. Italia's capital : ROMA

39. Biblical Rodin work : ADAM

42. Pre-performance feeling : NERVES

43. Air filter acronym : HEPA. I have to Google: High-Efficiency Particulate Absorption.

45. Cast out : EGEST

46. Inhale and exhale : RESPIRE

47. Flavor enhancer : MSG. Have you tried Chinese dumplings, D-Otto? Trader Joe's has a veggie version that I really like.

51. Sewer line? : HEM.  Nice clue.

53. X-__: tool brand : ACTO

54. Playwright Simon : NEIL

55. "Confess!" : TALK

57. Musical "don't play" : TACET

58. Snidely Whiplash fearer : NELL. Drew a blank.

59. Ancient Dead Sea land : EDOM

60. "See ya!" : CIAO. I seldom use this word in daily conversion,  too similar to Chinese F word.

61. British noblemen : EARLS

62. Wayne nickname : THE DUKE. The only Republican Orson Welles really admired.

64. Some TVs : RCAs

66. Carpet meas. : SQ YD. Square Yard.

67. Petitions : SUES

69. The Whiffenpoofs of a cappella fame : ELIs

70. Alien: Pref. : XENO. As in Xenophobia.

71. Cork sources : OAKS

72. Deep cuts : GASHES

74. Record holder? : FELON. Another nice clue.

77. Bridal bio word : NEE

80. Steinbeck hero Tom : JOAD

82. Key that cancels : ESC

84. Comic actor Bert : LAHR

85. David and Goliath's battlefield : ELAH. The Valley of Elah.

86. Defense gp. : NATO

88. Janis' comics mate : ARLO

89. First Super Bowl MVP : STARR (Bart)

92. What jerks serve : SODAS

93. Betray : TWO-TIME. Chilling when you discover your husband has another email account.

94. Touches : AFFECTS

96. Block and tackle, e.g. : HOISTER. Had to consult Argyle. He said "Block and tackle is used to hoist things up".

97. Creator of Watson : IBM. Hi there Chicago!

98. Cedar Rapids college : COE. I learned from doing Xwords.

99. G on a sax? : KENNY. Kenny G.

100. Oscar role for Meryl : SOPHIE. Sophie's Choice.

101. Long-legged waders : HERONS

102. Kitchen emanations : AROMAS

103. Ice cream-making supply : HALITE. New trivia to me.

109. Café con __ : LECHE

110. Rutabaga or yam : TUBER. One of our readers told me that real African yams are white-fleshed. So all these years I've been just eating sweet potatoes, even if they're marked "Yams" in our grocery store.

111. Gregg user : STENO

113. Gambling town on I-80 : RENO

115. Like an oeil-de-boeuf window : OVAL. French for  "bull's eye". Another learning moment to me.

117. Shapeless mass : BLOB

118. Friend : ALLY

119. Actor Gosling : RYAN

121. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls" : KAT

123. Number of Beethoven operas : ONE. Fidelio.

124. "Far out!" : RAD

Mike Alpert told me yesterday that you don't have to be a ACPT competitor to attend the Cru Dinner. I hope some of our NY area readers can make it. Precious opportunity to mix and mingle with other solvers & constructors. The Saturday Stud might be there if his work schedule works out.

Splynter

C.C.

Saturday, Mar 1st, 2014, Mark Bickham

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 30

    Eerie - I sensed we were getting a Mark Bickham puzzle yesterday....and he did not disappoint~!  This one was another white-wash to start (and hopefully not an omen to us NE dwellers come Monday), but in the 'hunt and peck' style of crossword solving, I got through to the "Ta-DA~!" in just over my allotted time.  Two grid-climbers paired with two 11-letter climbers, two triple-10 corners, and two inner triple 10's, to boot~!   Phew~!  Some of our longer fill:

1a. Title puppet dragon of '60s-'70s kids' TV : H.R. PUFNSTUF - a children's show just before my time, from Sid & Marty Krofft; they also produced the Krofft Supershow, which IS what I watched on Satuday mornings; it featured a segment called Wonderbug, which featured a character named C.C.~! (OK, it was a guy, but....)

3d. Chevrolet Camaro cousin : PONTIAC FIREBIRD - the Flaming Chicken, and one of my all-time favorite cars - the '77 version - I think it had the coolest rims, ever. And I grew up with Knight Rider, not Smokey and the Bandit~!

11d. Party person : POLITICAL LEADER - ah, not the "PAR-TAY" kind of party

12d. To summarize : IN A NUTSHELL

22d. It precedes the late news : PRIME-TIME TV

29d. Fictional threat to secret-keeping : X-RAY VISION - I did not give enough weight to the "fictional" part of the clue; I stared at -RAY-ISION (and in the down, it's even harder) for way too long; it's only when I tried TEX at 28a. that the V-8 can nearly clubbed me

63a. Highly rated individuals? : LOAN SHARKS - HAR-HAR~!! - I've seen enough TV crime drama to know that the interest is usually usury

ONWARD  rabbit  ONWARD  rabbit  ONWARD  rabbit  ONWARD
bunny bunny foot foot ONWARD

ACROSS:

11. Trading place : PIT

14. Supercilious : ABOVE IT ALL

15. Angular : BONY - I was going to link a picture of a skinny model, but they're too disturbing, even for me

16. Ristorante offering : MINESTRONE

17. Words after take or gain : A LAP - my first guess, but "take a lap" didn't seem right to me

18. Experience slightly : TASTE

19. Senseless : ASININE

21. Bee: Pref. : API - as in APIarists, also known as a beekeepers

23. One-eighties : UIES - short for U-Turns, but oh, which spelling to go with? I tried UEYS to start - BZZZT~!

25. Back porch luxury : HOT-TUB - I have been in a back porch hot tub; the porch was part of a house on a ski resort; quite an experience to relax outside at night surrounded by snow AND in your swim suit

26. Lady's love : TRAMP - the Disney movie

28. Bandleader Beneke : TEX - I went down the alphabet list; teD, tiM, toM, but stopped....

30. Ravel's "Gaspard de la __" : NUIT

31. Tiny parasites : LICE - nice - the plural got me; I went with NITS, but that's a crossword parasite

32. Alarms : SCARES

34. Oshkosh hrs. : CST - Winnebago county, Wisconsin and Central Standard Time - for another week, that it's CDT

36. Alternative to satellite : AM/FM

37. Name of eight popes : URBAN - and one New Zealand-born country music star

38. Lionized actor? : LAHR - Bert Lahr, who portrayed The Cowardly Lion

39. 30% of venti : SEI - A WAG, but I did know it was foreign numbers

40. Characteristic of some jacks : ONE-EYE

41. Zeno's home : ELEA

42. Hunter's setting : TRAP

44. "Slumdog Millionaire" star __ Patel : DEV - the "V" was my last fill

45. Comeback : RALLY

46. Frank : WIENER

48. In __: unmoved : SITU

50. 2002 British Open champion : ELS

51. Words spoken while stretching, perhaps : I'M BORED - ah, that type of stretching; I do healthy stretches before work and playing hockey

53. Old Toyota model : SUPRA

55. Tara of "American Pie" : REID - I thought it was this girl, but she's Alyson Hannigan

56. Great Plains dweller : PRAIRIE DOG - all I needed was the "G" at the end to make an 'educated' WAG

60. Raison d'__ : ÊTRE

61. Historical transition point : END OF AN ERA

62. Movie format : DVD

DOWN:

1. Omelet ingredient : HAM - Mark BickHAM~?!?

2. Diamond stat : RBI - for some reason, I was looking for a pitcher's stat on this clue, but diamond refers to anything baseball; I know there are a few of you out there who are keyed up for the new season

4. Iris holder : UVEA - DAH~!!! The eye part, not a VASE for the flowers (and that's fl-OW-ers, not Fl-OH-ers)

5. Spill the beans : FESS UP

6. Tucci's "Road to Perdition" role : NITTI - all PERPS

7. Rep in the city : STREET CRED - REPutation, and CREDibility

8. Eastern path : TAO

9. Prismatic bone : ULNA

10. Bygone Crayola shade : FLESH

13. Laid-back : TYPE-B - I'm OK with NOT being "Type-A"

15. Xhosa's language group : BANTU - complete WAG; well, I did have the "T"

20. Accelerator particles : IONS

21. Country album? : ATLAS - cute; no music here

24. "Can Do!" group : SEABEES - from the US Navy's Construction Battalion, or "CB"s

27. Part of an org. : MEM

32. Overhead light? : SUN - D-oh~!!! This took WAY too long for me to fill

33. From Okla. City to Tulsa : ENE

35. Airline conveniences : TRAYS

38. Pastoral place : LEA

40. Letters under TUV, perhaps : OPERator, on the old dial phones

43. Battery post : ANODE

45. Indonesian currency : RUPIAH - OK, I cheated - I have a MONEY table in my dictionary, and since I had R-P--H, I looked, and there it was - and yes, from Indonesia, no less~!

46. Condé Nast technology magazine : WIRED

47. Sicken : REPEL

49. Bailiwicks : TURFS - my one 'meh' answer for the day; I would have preferred some vague clue about artificial grass

52. Popular 1958 spy novel : DR. NO

54. "General Hospital" Emmy winner Sofer : RENA

57. Nabokov novel : ADA

58. Where "Shazbot!" is a curse : ORK - from the TV show Mork & Mindy

59. Natural __ : GAS

Splynter Splynter Splynter Splynter Splynter Splynter Splynter

Note from C.C.:

There are still spots left for the Cru Dinner on Friday March 7, 2014.  Please click here for more information. The dinner traditionally kicks off the ACPT and is a great opportunity to meet with constructors and fellow solvers.

I think you can still attend the dinner without being a ACPT competitor, right, Mike Alpert? Can our Splynter go there? (Mike is the organizer of the Cru Dinner.)

Brendan Emmett Quigley, Mike Alpert, Tyler Hinman