Friday, May 16, 2014 Jack McInturff

Theme: Pea-picking. Each of the theme phrases picks up a "p" at the start of the last word to create a new punning phrase.

Morning all! Steve here today subbing for Lemonade - don't get confused and think we've gone back a day to Wednesday.

Super crunchy puzzle from Jack Mac - after my first pass I had precisely four words and one letter filled, and one of those words turned out to be wrong anyway! I finally got a toehold in the south-east and worked backwards. I definitely needed to see the theme to make progress, and SEVEN YEAR PITCH saved my bacon. For some reason, I decided that Bonnie spelled her last name RAITE and that left me staring at NES wondering how there was a computer manufacturer I'd never heard of until the penny dropped. Great stuff, Jack!

16A. Be a part of treaty negotiations? : GET IN ON THE PACT. 

Helping to ratify the START treaty

24A. Unexpected political upheaval? : SUDDEN PURGE

 The UK House of Commons after a particularly far-reaching purge

36A. "White Fang," for example? : WILD PROSE. This clue/answer was my absolute favorite. The subject of Jack London's novel was a wild wolfdog. Great stuff!

52A. One that keeps bumping into senators? : AWKWARD PAGE

"Thank you for not knocking anyone over today"

60A. Endless spiel? : SEVEN YEAR PITCH. I've been working some of my deals for so long that it feels like it's been seven years.

That wraps up the theme entries. Let's see what else needs some 'splaining.

Across:

1. Trick or treat, e.g. : VERB. My second-to-last fill, and only because the checho at 29A gave me a clue.

5. Center of authority : SEAT. The seat of power.

9. One on the lam, perhaps : PERP. And speaking of which, I needed all the perps I could get today.

13. DH, usually : ALER. In Major League Baseball's American League, teams are allowed to send a designated hitter to bat in the place of the pitcher. In the National League, the pitchers have to take their own cuts.

14. Novelist Jaffe : RONA

15. Mixed bag : OLIO. One of the first words C.C. taught me when I started blogging here.

19. "Silver Lining" album maker : RAITT. Spelling this with an "E" wasn't a great idea. Here's Bonnie.

20. Tulsa sch. : ORU. Oral Roberts University. We've had it a couple of times recently.

21. Satisfied sound : AAH

23. Bay State cape : ANN

29. Trick or treat, e.g. : NOUN. This gave me 1A when I finally cracked this.

31. Irish __ : SEA. Of course, my first thought here was "Miss"!

32. It helps smooth things out : SANDER

33. Palm Pre predecessor : TREO. This was a trawl through the old memory banks. It had quite some heft to it.

34. Like "la" in Fr. : FEM. A noun's feminine gender indicated by 'la' in French. Masculine nouns are 'le'. Tricky clue.

35. Smelting waste : DROSS

40. Words after give or take : A HINT

43. Nice setting : MER. Quite a lot of foreign lingo today. Nice is on the Mediterranean Ocean, so a nitpicker would tell you that "mer" means "sea" and so strictly speaking this isn't correct. Today's Owen's Law?

44. Touch : ABUT

48. Humorous : JOCOSE. Word of the day. I'm going to use it.

50. Item tied with a decorative knot : OBI

51. Shore thing : DUNE

55. Réunion, par exemple : ILE. Island under French control off the coast of Madagascar. Nice beaches!

56. Midnight indicator, maybe : XII. The roman numerals on a clock face.

57. W, for one : DIR. Because "Luxury hotel brand marketed by the Starwood Group" doesn't fit. Took me ages to see this one.

58. Champagne toast? : SALUT! And a Pinch toast - Salut, Monsieur Tinbeni!

65. Yu the Great's dynasty : HSIA. 夏 Quite some time ago.

66. "No problem" : EASY

67. Coach K's team : DUKE. It's easier than writing out Krzyzewski (and double-checking the spelling) when you want to write about Mike.

68. Bibliog. term : ET AL "Et alia", "and the rest".

69. Trick : RUSE

70. 1974 CIA spoof : SPYS. I don't recall this movie. Looking at the reviews and the ratings I think Donald Sutherland and co. might want to forget it too.

Can the critics still see us?

Down:

1. Drifter : VAGRANT

2. First lady after Lou : ELEANOR

3. Attendants : RETINUE. Nice word, and corrected my misspelling of TREO.

4. One putting a tyre into a boot : BRIT. First word in the grid for me. Blindingly obvious! (Tongue firmly in cheek). Now I put my tire in the trunk like all y'all.

5. Sellout sign, briefly : SRO. "Sold Right Out"? No, "Standing Room Only".

6. It's quite a stretch : EON

7. Pantry raider : ANT. I misread "panty" at first and wondered what answer could possibly be family-audience appropriate.

8. Lake near the Kirkwood Mountain Resort : TAHOE. Big, blue and clear.

9. They're often blocked : POP-UP ADS. Whoever invented the pop-up blocker deserves a knighthood for services to humanity.

10. She, in Lisbon : ELA. Portuguese making an appearance today.

11. Sitcom family name : RICARDO

12. Thick soups : POTAGES. I never really associated the word with describing the thickness attribute of my soup, but on reflection it's true. Nice learning moment and food!

Potage aux Patates Douce

17. Some Windows systems : NTS. My final letter fill was the "T". The Windows NT operating system. "NT" stood for "New Technology". It was developed as a more corporate-strength OS than the existing consumer-focused Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. There, got that off my IT nerd chest.

18. Sea eagles : ERNS

22. Indicator of possession in the bathroom : HERS. Hands off.

25. Failed '80s gridiron org. : USFL. The short-lived United States Football League introduced two innovations used today in the NFL - the two-point conversion and video replay to allow challenges of officials' on-the-field rulings.

26. Indicator of possession : DEED

27. Janitor's tool : DAMP MOP

28. Like much spam : UNREAD

30. Calming words : NOW, NOW

37. Agreeing words : IT'S A DEAL. Music to my ears. Now if I can get more of my "seven year pitch" prospects to sign a contract, I'll be a happy camper

38. First name in country : REBA. I ALWAYS spell Ms. McEntire's last name wrong. Except for just now, but only because I went to look it up.

39. It may be left in a copier: Abbr. : ORIG. I just checked my copier. No originals in there.

40. Mr. Clean rival : AJAX.

41. Concerned question about a sick friend : HOW IS HE?

42. Most gross : ICKIEST. Love this word!

45. Developed : BUILT UP. A little bit like Mexico City. It's very unlikely that they'll be holding the next World Cat-Swinging Championships there.

46. Word from a grumpy gambler : UNLUCKY. Most gamblers claim ill-luck when they lose, but it's never good luck when they win - it's all scientific method and study.

47. Sprouts incisors : TEETHES. I equated "sprouts" with "children" for no good reason, and was wondering why "milk teeth" wouldn't fit.

49. Home to Sean O'Casey : ERIN. Hand up for EIRE first.

53. One full of hot air : DRYER. I was missing the R and could NOT see this for the longest time.

54. Clairvoyance : ESP

59. Is more than a bystander : AIDS

61. __ Dolorosa : VIA

62. French quencher : EAU. You can't tell if it's masculine or feminine because of the "l'eau" apostrophe convention.

63. Pack animal : ASS

64. Deli choice : RYE.

That's all from me. As they say in India "It's a sari". Substitute Lemonade signing off.


Steve

Note from C.C.:

Happy 93rd birthday to Jazzbumpa's beautiful mother! Click here to read Ron's musing last year. Any special plans today, Ron?

Thursday, May 15, 2014, James Sajdak

Theme: "Dog-gone good!"

20. Loser's hoped-for path : COMEBACK TRAIL. I wonder if Rory will find his path soon?

28. Significant dry spell? : SPEAKEASY ERA. (Apologies to Tinbeni.)

45. Disruptive occupation : SIT-IN PROTEST. Anyone run into the "Occupy" tents yet?  They seem to disappear in the winter here up north...

55. Telecommuter, perhaps : STAY-AT-HOME DAD. I think of STAY-AT-HOME DADs as non-working. But telecommuting works, too, I guess!

38. A good one follows the starts of the four longest puzzle answers : DOG. But a smart one can do all these things, too. (Thanks for the fun video from Tuesday, Argyle - it was just too good not to use on this puzzle!)

Pretty straightforward for a Thursday, don't you think? The clues seemed so as well. But I'll do my best to shed light on anything that might have tripped you up.


Across:

1. Quiets : CALMS. -

6. Fund-raising target : GOAL. -

10. Combat group : UNIT. -

14. Muslim deity : ALLAH. -

15. Tom Joad, e.g. : OKIE. -

16. Gp. for leather loathers : PETA. -

17. Quench : SLAKE. -

18. Moderate, with "down" : TONE. -

19. Piece of land : PLOT. -

23. __ standstill : AT A. -

24. __Kosh B'Gosh : OSH. -

25. Comical routine : SHTICK. - (Love that word!)

31. Drift, as on the breeze : WAFT. -

34. Himalayan legend : YETI. -

35. Take a turn in the box : BAT. -Ah! Here's one that might have made you scratch your head.  All I could think of was my cats. But not just domestic cats. As it turns out, ALL cats just love a box! 2:47

36. Where surfers shop : E-MALL. Ack.

39. "Affliction" actor : NOLTE. Nick. 1997 film set in NH. Anyone see it?

41. Ex-Saudi ruler __ Saud : IBN. King Abdulaziz, first monarch of Saudi Arabia 1932-1953.

42. Such-is link : AS IT. - "Such as it is."

44. Pro votes : AYES.

50. Poem part : STANZA.

51. "Rumble in the Jungle" winner : ALI.

52. Botanist Gray : ASA.

59. "Lovely" girl of song : RITA. The Beatles' meter maid. 2:42

61. "Am __ late?" : I TOO.

62. Numbered hymn : PSALM.

63. Actor Estrada : ERIK. My only hesitation was having to remember if it was spelled with a "c" or a "K."

64. Zero : NONE.

65. Cocoon dweller : LARVA.

66. Watch part : FACE.

67. Tour stops : GIGS.

68. Whitehorse's territory : YUKON. Map.


Down:

1. Brutus co-conspirator : CASCA.

2. Deal out : ALLOT.

3. South American carrier : LLAMA. Anyone else looking for an airline?

4. Rake in : MAKE.

5. Cyndi Lauper hit : SHEBOP. I already used my music link.

6. "Check" : GOTCHA.

7. "All right already" : OK OK. I said, "GOTCHA!!"

8. English class no-no : AIN'T.

9. Eyes rudely : LEERS AT.

10. Snobbish : UPPITY.

11. "Ten Days in a Mad-House" journalist, 1887 : NELLIE BLY. Pen name of Elizabeth Jane Cochrane. She faked insanity in order to report on mad-house conditions from within.

12. Judge in 1995 news : ITO. Lance ITO of the O.J. Simpson trial fame.

13. Art in a parlor : TAT.

21. Enzyme ending : ASE.

22. Twain/Harte play : AH SIN. "Ah Sin" is the name of the Chinese character in the play. No complete manuscript of this play survived. Its content can be derived from reviews of the time. The play ultimately failed, and the enmity between Harte and Twain began. (From C.C.: "Ah" is very common in Cantonese nicknames. It's often put in front the given name of a family member or close friend. For example, we can call Marti "Ah Marti". You can't use it for a stranger or your boss though. See here. Remember, Chinese put surnames first, hence his Ah-po nickname.)

26. Slatted box : CRATE.

27. Middleton and Spade : KATES.

28. Arch home: Abbr. : ST. L.ouis

29. Japan's second-oldest university : KYOTO.

30. Diagnostic test for epilepsy, for short : EEG. Electroencephalogram.

31. Houdini's family name : WEISS.

32. Boundary : AMBIT.

33. Extraordinary : FANTASTIC.

37. Tenor who portrayed Caruso : LANZA. Mario is worthy of a second music link. 3:02

38. Ang Lee, e.g.: Abbr. : DIR.ector and Academy Award winner for "Brokeback Mountain" and "Life of Pi."

40. Healthy grain : OAT.

43. Fixing, in a way : SPAYING. (Shhh! Don't mention this one to the 38-Across!)

46. __ manifold: engine part : INTAKE.

47. Chevy SUVs : TAHOES.

48. "Strange Magic" gp. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.

49. Without complication : SIMPLY.

52. "... __ and stormy ..." : A DARK.

Snoopy wrote it so well…

53. Series of shots : SALVO.

54. Marketing pro : AD MAN.

56. Yours, to Yvette : A TOI.

57. Half a bar tool : TONG. Ack!

58. Genesis brother : ESAU.

59. Flag thrower : REF.

60. Portfolio element : IRA. Individual Retirement Account. Nary a hint of abbr., so have IRAs become one of those acronyms that are now accepted as words in and of themselves?

So, how did you do?

Marti

Note from C.C.:

Misty commented yesterday: " Las Vegas "snow-covered"? Really? Not when I've been there."

JD emailed me with a few photos. She said "here is LV covered in snow (09) with the "asses". Click here for 2 more pictures.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014 C. C. Burnikel

Theme: We all have our ups and downs; even the center of our solar system. I hope you got to see the circles in the puzzle, since they are crucial to discovering the placement and meaning of this clever and original theme. The word SUN is contained in four symmetrically-placed, multiple-word vertical theme answers, alternating in retrograde and prograde arrangement, giving us two each of  SUN RISE and SUN SET.  I guess that makes this some sort of a concealed rebus, but I'll set aside my usual disdain in deference to this beautiful construction by someone we all know, love and revolve around.

Here are the theme entries, presented from left to right in the grid, rather than numerical order, to preserve the rise and fall.

3D. Pageant for under-20s : MISS TEEN USA.   This year's pageant will be at 8:00 p.m. on August 2nd at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in Nassau, Bahamas, many hours after SUNrise.  

 Cassidy Wolfe - 2013 Miss Teen USA

32D. Admits defeat : SAYS UNCLE.  Otherwise the victim's arm could get twisted until SUNset.  This expression might go all the way back to ancient Rome.

9D. Like our secret : BETWEEN US.  Shhhh! Don't tell anyone. At least not before SUNrise.

25D. Cheating victim's cry : THAT'S UNFAIR.  A fair person would never let the SUN set on such an outrage.

And the centrally placed unifier, 14D. "Fiddler on the Roof" song suggested twice by this puzzle's circles : SUNRISE, SUNSET, which then naturally becomes today's theme song.

A nice, elegant touch is that at each rotation of the SUN, the word is broken at the first letter encountered in reading, N for the rises and S for the sets.  Looks like North and South, rather than East and West.

This is not a startlingly unusual grid, but, upon closer inspection, it does seem a bit out of the ordinary.  The symmetrically placed horizontal 6 and 8 stacks near the top and bottom don't leave room for a more typical theme placement.  The 13-letter vertical unifier is not an axis of symmetry.  The only symmetry in the grid is 180 degree rotational, around the center square.  Let's see what else is in orbit.

Across:

1. Downfall : DEMISE.  From Late Middle English via Old French, and ultimately Latin.

7. Msg. to squad cars : APB.  All Points Bulletin.  Note Abrv. in Cl. & Ans.

10. Luxury resort amenity : SPA.

13. "Savages" director Stone : OLIVER.  Not my kind of movie, but here is the trailer.

14. Unsportsmanlike sort : SOREHEAD.  Bad loser.

16. Egyptian president during the Suez Crisis : NASSER.  Gamal Abdal, Jan 15, 1918 - Sep 28, 1970.  He died of a heart attack shortly after the conclusion of the Arab League Summit Conference.

17. One-piece garments : UNITARDS.  Leotards with legs.

Source

18. Golf Hall of Famer Ernie : ELS.   He is one of six golfers to twice win both the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.

 Source

19. "Death in Venice" author : MANN.  Thomas.

21. Bugs on a highway : VWs.  Beetles.  In August you might see monarch butterflies.

Source

22. Wobble : TEETER.  Weebles TEETER, but they don't fall down.

Source

24. Gossip : YENTA.  Yiddish.

27. See 26-Down : SEA.   Plus:  26D. With 27-Across, one end of the Dardanelles : AEGEAN.  The Dardanelles is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the AEGEAN SEA to the Sea of Marmara.

28. Bird: Pref. : AVI-. So why isn't AVI-brained a common expression?

29. Tie up : TETHER.

31. Still-life pitchers : EWERS.

33. __ Martin: Bond's car : ASTON.

35. Dating service datum : AGE.

36. Summer of songs : DONNA.  Summer is hot.

37. Narc's org. : DEA.  Drug Enforcement Agency.

38. Peso spender's pronoun : USTED.  You, nominative case, formal.

40. __-turn : NO U.  Ixnay on the ooeyay.

41. Brewery supply : YEAST.   Hops, barley, malt.

43. "What a shame!" : SO SAD.

44. Size up : ASSESS.  Want to ASSESS these asses?

They're wild

46. Beehive State college player : UTE.

48. Attila follower : HUN.  Attila ruled the Huns from 434 until his death in 453.  This great warrior died of a nose bleed on his wedding night.  The recent report that his grave had been found turned out to be a hoax.

49. Overact : HAM UP.  And 45D. Overact : EMOTE.  Crossing clechos share the M.

50. Big name in antivirus software : NORTON.

52. "Dear Yoko" subject : ONO.  Song from the Double Fantasy album.

53. Rise precipitously : SOAR. 

54. Coat lining : FUR.  Silver is for clouds

57. Treatment for burnout : REST CURE. 

61. "Confidence in Motion" car : SUBARU.  

63. Has a knack for : EXCELS AT

64. Online order confirmations : E-MAILS. 

65. Designer of Hong Kong's Bank of China Tower : PEI.   Ieoh Ming Pei (born April 26, 1917) is a Chinese born American architect who likes sweeping lines and cantilevered structures.

66. Brain scan letters : EEG. ElectroEncepheloGraph

67. Far from abundant : SPARSE.   I had SCARCE.

Down:

1. "Ta-da!" : DONE.  Did you get the Ta-da?

2. Airline to Tel Aviv : EL AL.

4. Drips in the ICU : IVs. Intensive Care Unit and  Intra-Venous.  Note Abrvs.

5. Terse meeting request : SEE ME.  Usually not good news.

6. Editorial slips : ERRATA.  Mistakes in copy.

7. Chicago Loop's __ Center : AON.  Skyscraper completed in 1974, originally the Standard Oil Building

8. In on : PRIVY TO.

10. Inspiring lesson, perhaps: Abbr. : SER.  Sermon.

11. Spot for notes : PAD.  Is your iPad a note pad?

12. Website clutter : ADs.

15. "It __ hit me yet" : HASN'T.  And maybe it won't

20. Place name meaning "snow-covered" : NEVADA.  Spanish.

23. Draw wages : EARN.  I'm very disappointed that I couldn't find a picture of a cartoonist literally drawing wages.

27. Logo on some sports bras : SWOOSH.

Nike

30. Funny Foxx : REDD.  Of Sanford and Son fame.

He's not the son

31. Writer Ferber : EDNA.  August 18, 1885, July 16, 1968.  She wrote Giant, So Big, Showboat and Cimarron.

34. Skin picture : TATTOO.

 Dwayne Johnson - The Rock

39. NYC gallery district : SOHO.  South of Houston Street.

42. Champion, as a cause : ESPOUSE.

47. Deletes : ERASES.

51. "You're fired!" speaker : TRUMP.  The Donald.

55. Bing results, briefly : URLs.  Internet search engine.

56. Stratagem : RUSE. 

57. GOP member : REPublican.  No politics.

58. Program file suffix : EXEcutable.

59. "Nova" subj. : SCIence.

60. Tattered tee, maybe : RAG.  Re-use for old clothes.

62. Pipe up in the pasture : BAA.  "Is it ewe?" Tom asked, sheepishly.

An excellent puzzle by our own fearless leader.  Hope you all enjoyed this cirque du soleil.

Jazzbumpa

Tuesday, May 13, 2014 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Double Trouble - Towns whose name can mean something else.

20A. Agreement in a Massachusetts city? : CONCORD CONCORD

26A. Adobe dwelling in a Colorado city? : PUEBLO PUEBLO

49A. Hanging sculpture in an Alabama city? : MOBILE MOBILE

58A. Bovine in a New York city? : BUFFALO BUFFALO

Argyle here. A simple theme yet hard to think of additional cities. Two of the cities/items do not change their pronunciations while the other two may. Straightforward with a few exceptions.

Across:

1. Carve in stone : ETCH

5. "Nana" novelist Émile : ZOLA. "...he is used enough in crosswords to be a considered a Monday entry." Nana, on the other hand, clued as the novel/movie, is Thursday fare.

9. Diagnostic aids : TESTS

14. Scott of "Happy Days" : BAIO

15. Red-wrapped cheese : EDAM

16. One of the archangels : URIEL. All perps for me.

17. State secrets? : BLAB. State is used as a verb here.

18. Disreputable guy : ROUE

19. Capone cohort Frank : NITTI. An entry that caused problems a while ago; a test of your memory.

23. "That's awesome!" : "OOH!"

24. Charlemagne's realm: Abbr. : HRE. (Holy Roman Empire)

25. Highland refusal : NAE

32. Wanted poster abbr. : AKA. (also known as)

33. Go right or left : TURN

34. Do figure eights, say : SKATE

38. Likely to mouth off : PERT

40. Slap a sale price on : RETAG

43. Go bonkers : SNAP

44. Gelatin garnish : ASPIC

46. Attention-calling type: Abbr. : ITAL

48. See 60-Down : TIE

53. 1977 Steely Dan album : AJA. The complete album, if you have the time.(39:19)

56. "Scream" director Craven : WES

57. Noise detector : EAR

64. Take up a hem, say : ALTER

65. __ fide : BONA

66. NATO alphabet ender : ZULU

68. Pasture : FIELD

69. Baldwin or Guinness : ALEC

70. Earns with difficulty, with "out" : EKEs

71. Bakery pastries : TARTS

72. Thorny bloom : ROSE. by any other name...

73. Light-tube gas : NEON

Down:

1. Recede : EBB

2. Bath powder mineral : TALC

3. Italian "Toodle-oo!" : "CIAO!"

4. Rub elbows (with) : HOBNOB. "Prison gave Martha Stewart the opportunity to hobnob with the hoi polloi"

5. Moment of attack : ZERO HOUR

6. Sign to take out the trash : ODOR

7. Praise highly : LAUD

8. Don of "Cocoon" : AMECHE. Here in his younger days.

9. Roads under rivers : TUNNELS. Under the channel, the Chunnel.

10. Songwriter Clapton : ERIC

11. Use, as a chair : SIT ON

12. Tri- plus one : TETRA

13. Lose traction : SLIDE

21. Stable youngster : COLT

22. Sun or moon, to a poet : ORB

26. Dada : PAPA

27. They're played at luaus : UKEs

28. Wyatt of the Wild West : EARP

29. Post- opposite : PRE

30. Up to : UNTIL

31. Signs off on : OKs

35. Not a supporter : ANTI

36. Cow's fly swatter : TAIL

37. Swordplay sword : ÉPÉE

39. Boy in "A Christmas Carol" : TIM

41. Devoured : ATE

42. Competitive look : GAME FACE

45. Fraidy-cats : COWARDS

47. Rye buy : LOAF

50. Ger. neighbor : BEL. (Belgium)

51. Atmospheric pressure line : ISOBAR

52. Impudent : BRAZEN

53. Sternward : ABAFT

54. Roberts of "Pretty Woman" : JULIA

55. On the trail of : AFTER

59. Traditional Stetson material : FELT

60. With 48-Across, Western neckwear : BOLO

61. Quelques-__: a few, in French : UNES

62. Gospel writer : LUKE

63. Butter look-alike : OLEO

67. Org. with SEALs : USN. (United States Navy) They know what ABAFT means.

Argyle

Monday, May 12, 2014 Jennifer Nutt

Theme: Bye Bye - The unifying word follows just the first word today; like yet unlike Sunday.

18A. *Pre-performance audio test : SOUND CHECK. Sound waves.

25A. *Area marked with police tape : CRIME SCENE. Crime waves.

50A. *Disturbing potential, as of a gory film scene : SHOCK VALUE. Shock waves.

61A. *Best possible poker hand : ROYAL FLUSH. Royal waves.

3D. *Lasers at a rock concert, e.g. : LIGHT SHOW. Light waves.

36D. Cause a sensation, or what the first words of the answers to starred entries may do : MAKE WAVES

Argyle here.  A real quick Monday despite six theme entries. Not much to trip up on.

Across:

1. Big-eyed birds : OWLS

5. Spanish house : CASA

9. Witchy woman : CRONE

14. Toy in the sand : PAIL

15. For whom the memo is intended: Abbr. : ATTN. (attention)

16. Window sticker : DECAL

17. Frozen breakfast brand : EGGO

20. Zap, as leftovers : REHEAT

22. Carnival city : RIO de Janeiro

23. Bunny features : EARS

24. Gallery display : ART

28. New England whitefish : SCROD

30. Pipe joint : ELL

31. "Huzzah!" : "YAHOO!"

33. Singer Ronstadt : LINDA. She is one of my favorites.

 

36. Puddle-bottom earth : MUD. Great clue.

39. Objects of worship : ICONS

40. Historic timespan : ERA

41. Theater platform : STAGE

43. Bench for flock members : PEW

44. Zapped while resisting arrest, say : TASED

46. Turbaned Punjabis : SIKHS. Punjabis - Natives or inhabitants of the Punjab.

47. Quick hellos : HIs

48. Concur : AGREE

54. Lbs. and ozs. : WTs

57. "All __ Jazz" : THAT

58. Crew blade : OAR

59. Spread out ungracefully : SPRAWL

64. Athletic shoe brand : AVIA

65. Many a low-budget flick : INDIE. A film from an independent production company..

66. Bassoon cousin : OBOE

67. Steam outlet : VENT

68. Horror or romance, e.g. : GENRE

69. Sunbeams : RAYS

70. "Understood" : "I SEE"

Down:

1. La Scala production : OPERA

2. Put money (on) : WAGER

4. Gin flavoring : SLOE

5. Fidel or Raúl of Cuba : CASTRO

6. From __ Z : A TO

7. __ und Drang : STURM

8. Sharpshooter Oakley : ANNIE

9. Atlanta-based health org. : CDC. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) (CDC)

10. Fix, as a shoe : REHEEL

11. Humpback whale's home : OCEAN

12. Mother-of-pearl : NACRE

13. Lodge fellows : ELKS

19. Supplied medicine to : DOSED

21. Word puzzle that involves a quotation : ACROSTIC

26. Waits at a light, say : IDLES

27. School reunion organizer : CLASS REP. If you say so.

29. Swindle : CON

31. Shrill bark : YIP

32. Star pitcher : ACE

34. Wrath : IRE

35. Eight-time French Open champ Rafael : NADAL

37. "Blech!" : "UGH!"

38. __ Moines : DES

42. Bit of business attire : TIE

45. Demand from : ASK OF. Not quite the same, eh?

47. Windbag's bagful? : HOT AIR

49. Overdoes the praise : GUSHES

50. Glistened : SHONE

51. "Surprise Symphony" composer : HAYDN

52. Heroic behavior : VALOR

53. Vacation island off Venezuela : ARUBA

55. Package-fastening rope : TWINE

56. Fine-grained rock : SLATE

57. Math course with sines and tans : TRIGonometry

60. Sitarist Shankar : RAVI

62. "Do the Right Thing" director Spike : LEE

63. __ milk : SOY

Argyle

Sunday May 11, 2014 Robin Stears

Theme: "Body Language"-  Both word can precede "Body" in each theme entry.

23A. Bit of roomy footwear? : FAT STOCKING. Body fat. Bodystocking.

28A. Iron Man's coat? : ARMOR PAINT. Body armor. Body paint. Reminds me of the "This is not a parrot" picture Hahoola linked last time.

42A. Shrill morning awakener? : PIERCING CLOCK. Body piercing. Body clock.

 59A. AutoZone inventory? : PARTS COUNT. Body parts. Body count. A bit of a downer.

65A. Hawaii museum section? : SURFING ART. Bodysurfing. Body art. How many people can you see?

  

86A. Clothing store shoplifters? : SUIT SNATCHERS. Bodysuit. What are "body snatchers"?

97A. The old one-two? : DOUBLE BLOW. Body double. Body blow.

105A. Put down a high school subject? : SLAM ENGLISH. Body slam. Body English.

Did you get the theme easily? It stumped our own Steve.

Robin has a knack for this type of both words can follow/precede theme type. See her last LAT puzzle.  "Dance Partners", also a Sunday.

Across:

1. Cold mold : ASPIC. The ones in Xi'An often contain bits of fried tofu.

6. Remove pieces from? : UNARM. Use DISARM more often.

11. Stay-at-home ones, perhaps : DADS

15. Disappearing slope apparatus : T-BAR. I don't get the "Disappearing" part.

19. Isabella, por ejemplo : REINA. Spanish queen.

20. Largest of the Cyclades : NAXOS

21. Peace Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE

22. Poker chip collector : RAKE. If my brain works as fast as Ben Affleck's, I'll count cards too.

25. Fresh, in a way : RUDE

26. Tiger's ex : ELIN. So pretty.

27. Puts away, as a dagger : SHEATHES

30. Escalator feature : TREAD

31. Sour notes : CLINKERS. I only know clunkers.

32. "The Racer's Edge" : STP

35. Phoenix team, on scoreboards : ARI. D-backs.

36. Home to one billion : AFRICA. 4.3 billion people in Asia.

38. One vis-à-vis three, at times : SOONER. Simple in retrospect.

45. Ring of Fire danger : TSUNAMI. Love this picture Dave linked a few days ago.

46. Divvy up : ALLOT

47. Jack up : RAISE

48. Got ready to drive : TEED. Unlike Marti, Laura Davies never uses tees. She just kicks up a bit of sod and uses it as a tee.

49. 45, e.g. : RPM

50. Dole (out) : METE

51. Bits of holly : SPRIGS

53. Influence unfairly : BIAS

54. Opposite of ecto- : ENTO. Inner.

55. Boat-steering tool : OAR

56. Wood stove, for one : HEATER

58. Grade school quintet : A E I O U

67. Say "y'all," say : ELIDE

68. Acapulco beaches : PLAYAS. Had no idea that "Playa" means "Beach" in Spanish.

70. Charlottesville sch. : UVA (University of Virginia)

71. Gym series : REPs

72. Instrument played with a mallet : GONG. Also the surname of the most famous Chinese actress Gong Li.

73. Follow orders : COMPLY

76. Quipsters : WITS

80. Brown, in old ads : UPS. Sorry about my umlaut mess-up yesterday, Splynter. No Blue-Eyed Girl yesterday?

81. 1998 N.L. MVP : SOSA

82. Paroxysm : THROE

83. Pago Pago's nation : SAMOA

84. Airport arrival : SHUTTLE

89. Spotted : ESPIED

90. Least significant : MEREST

91. Fed. auditing agency : GAO (Government Accountability Office)

92. Talk trash to : DIS. Don't you ever talk about me like that! I'm the best Chinese crossword blogger in the game.

93. Deportment : DEMEANOR

95. Connection : NEXUS

100. It joined the Union in 1876 : COLORADO

103. Jamaican tangelo : UGLI. Most grocery stores carry UGLIs nowadays.

104. Sliding __ : DOOR

108. Bed board : SLAT

109. Oscar winner Hathaway : ANNE

110. Spanish bar servings : TAPAS

111. Chew the scenery : EMOTE

112. Now Look dolls, e.g. : KENs. Not familar with the "Now Look".

113. Drain cleaners : LYES

114. Oodles : SCADS

115. Less cracked? : SANER. Nice clue.

Down:

1. Chihuahua greeting : ARF

2. Seven __ : SEAS

3. Essence : PITH

4. Map of Hawaii, often : INSET. Indeed.

5. Falls : CATARACT. Plural-like singular, like Niagara Falls, I guess.

6. Release : UNCHAIN

7. Au naturel : NAKED

8. Line in math class : AXIS

9. Burgundy of film : RON. Hi there, Ron!

10. Controversial flavor enhancer : MSG

11. Lifting device : DERRICK

12. Smith graduate : ALUMNA

13. Got a C-plus, say : DID OK

14. Sibyls : SEERESSES

15. High-level disloyalty : TREASON

16. 2008 Asian Beach Games host : BALI. Have no memory of the games.

17. Similar (to) : AKIN

18. "Seasons of Love" musical : RENT

24. Cheri of "SNL" : OTERI

28. "... a grin without a cat!" thinker : ALICE

29. Self-important : PROUD

31. Stick with a net : CROSSE. In Lacrosse, right?

32. Annoying messages : SPAM

33. Domino, for one : TILE

34. Pound repeatedly : PELT

36. Berry rich in antioxidants : ACAI. See lots of Acai bowls on Pinterest.

37. Capricious : FLIGHTY

39. Country by the River Shribble : NARNIA. Got via crosses.

40. Caveat __ : EMPTOR

41. Curl around the hole's edge without going in, in golf lingo : RIM OUT. The clue describes the entry accurately.

43. School of the future? : ROE. Another great clue.

44. "Stay off my turf!" : GRR

45. Sad : TEARFUL

48. Bit of ticket info : TIER

51. Pouch : SAC

52. Ask for a hand? : PROPOSE

53. A/C unit : BTU. So pricey to ask those guys for a check up. Often they don't have the correct parts in their car, and they have to come again. I often wonder if they're telling the truth.

54. Neurofeedback readout : EEG

55. Sugar suffix : OSE

57. Pigeonholes : ASSORTS

58. Gasteyer of "Suburgatory" : ANA

59. Wade through : PERUSE

60. Hebrew leaders? : ALEPHS. Just first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

61. Turns to confetti : RIPS UP

62. Some ESPN highlights : TDs

63. It parallels the radius : ULNA

64. Unlikely derby winner : NAG

66. Wrigley Field feature : IVY

69. Increasingly sore : ACHIER

72. Cherished prize : GOLD MEDAL. I'll always remember the 15 gold medals China won in 1984. That's the first Olympics to many Chinese (China had been boycotting Olympics prior to that).

74. More than half : MOST

75. Memento from a bill-signing ceremony : PEN

76. ''Do __ Diddy Diddy'': 1964 hit : WAH

77. Pinged, in a way : IM'ED. "Pinged" made me think of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

78. Famous Amos : TORI

79. Get smart with : SASS

81. Shade of gray : STEEL

82. "Presumed Innocent" author : TUROW (Scott)

83. Calamity causes : SCOURGES

85. Choice morsels : TIDBITS. So I made Granola with Argyle's maple syrup a la this recipe. Skipped coconut flakes & used slivered almonds. I must have done something wrong, the taste was a bit bitter.

86. Men of La Mancha : SENORES

87. Eternal : AGELESS

88. Phylum or genus, e.g. : TAXON. New word to me. The plural is TAXA.

90. Sam who worked with Coach and Woody : MALONE. In "Cheers!" Never watched it.

94. Key material : EBONY. Piano key.

95. Itinerant : NOMAD

96. Hayek of "Frida" : SALMA. Saw a Frida Kahlo exhibit a few years ago. She sure knew pain &  passion.

97. Evenfall : DUSK

98. Look like a wolf? : OGLE. Lovely clue.

99. __ Bator : ULAN

100. Corrida cloak : CAPA

101. "Runaround Sue" singer : DION

102. Prefix meaning "bone" : OSTE

105. Bernard and Bonaventure: Abbr. : STs

106. Varnish ingredient : LAC

107. "__ Town Too": 1981 hit : HER. James Taylor.

The third Minnesota Crossword Tournament will be held on June 22 at The Landmark Center in Saint Paul. Please click here for more information. The puzzles are all made by our local constructors or constructors with MN ties (Andrea Carla Michaels, e.g.).  The local constructors include Tom Pepper, George Barany, David Hanson, David Liben-Nowell, Dan Kantor, Jay Kaskel & Victor Barocas (also our editor). Don G and Andy Kravis also took part in the effort. A few are our LA Times constructors. All have been published by the NY Times.

C.C.