Wednesday, June 4th, 2014 Mike Peluso

Theme: Precious Stones - The start of each theme entry can follow "diamond" to create a sparkle-related noun.

Hi gang! Steve here with Mike P's latest.  Pretty smooth sailing; I didn't see the theme until the reveal which gave me that nice "Oh! I see!" moment.

17A. *Computer logic game named for a warship : MINESWEEPER. Diamond Mine. Pre-internet, this was one of the biggest PC-based time-vampires (Solitaire was the other).

24A. *Loose-leaf organizer : RING BINDER. Diamond Ring

37A. *Upscale golfwear brand : CUTTER AND BUCK. Diamond Cutter. The immensely-talented Annika Sorenstam was one of their most famous pitch-people.

46A. *Recruiting specialist : HEADHUNTER. Diamond Head. This seems to be the odd man out of the theme entries as it's the only one not directly related to the gemstone itself - it's a volcanic cone overlooking Waikiki beach in Honolulu.

58A. Phoenix-based ballplayer, and what the start of each answer to a starred clue can be : DIAMONDBACK. Arizona's team. Quick, C.C. - excluding the ambiguous Yankees and Mets, how many other Major League Baseball teams are named for their state, not their city?
(From C.C.: 8? How do you classify the Twins then? It's named after the Twin Cities.)

Tidy enough theme and no trip-ups or gaffes for me, as smooth sailing as a Wednesday could be. What else caught my eye?

Across:

1. Elevators, in Leeds : LIFTS. Gimme, for me. I lived in Leeds when I was a little kid. The city's major department store, Schofield's, had a lift operated by an attendant; thrilling for a 5-year old.

6. Milo of "Ulysses" : O'SHEA.

11. Squelch : GAG

14. Classic soap : IVORY. I was thinking along the "Days of Our Lives" lines first.

15. Complete, for short : THORO

16. Gold, in them thar cerros : ORO. Loved this clue.

19. Novelist Umberto : ECO

20. Place to pick up litter? : PET STORE

21. "__ better to have loved ...": Tennyson : 'TIS

23. Radical '60s gp. : SDS. "Students for a Democratic Society" group. The original was dissolved in 1969; it formed anew in 2006.

29. Electrical measure : OHM. Physics geek joke: Resistance is Futile (if <1 Ω)

31. Formal talk : LECTURE

32. Blue shade : AQUA

34. Fed : G-MAN

36. Elevator innovator : OTIS. I can't recall if he made the Leeds lift; it was a long time ago!

40. Indochina country : LAOS

41. Elevated for driving : TEED

42. "Draft Dodger Rag" singer Phil : OCHS. I knew the singer, didn't know the song.

43. Entertainer : ARTISTE

45. Durable wood : ASH

49. eHarmony.com abbr. : SWM. Single White Male. Seems it should be "caucasian" these days.

52. Leaves at Starbucks? : TEA

53. Like herb gardens : AROMATIC. Herb. Erb. No, I still can't say "erb".

56. Serious hwy. violation : D.U.I. What's the difference between "Driving Under the Influence" and "Driving While Intoxicated"? Some states seem to have one, some the other.

61. NASDAQ debut : I.P.O. Initial Public Offering of stock in a company, aka Get Rich Quick for a few.

62. Like some seals : EARED

63. Minolta competitor : LEICA

64. Mark, as a survey box : X-IN

65. PowerPoint unit : SLIDE

66. WWII surrender celebration : V.E. DAY. Cue street parties and public displays of affection. This coming Friday marks the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings on D-Day, 1944.

Down:

1. Favors one side : LIMPS. Because "crooked match-fixing referee" doesn't fit.

2. Like some college walls : IVIED

3. Assortment in a formatting menu : FONTS

4. Cuatro menos uno : TRES. Math class en español today.

5. Fed. Reserve, for one : SYST. The banking system in the U.S. There are 12 Federal Reserve banks identified by the letter/number combination on the banknote. A1 is Boston, L12 is San Francisco. I learned them all when I moved here for no good reason.

6. '90s "SNL" regular Cheri : OTERI

7. Polished look : SHEEN

8. Old school dance : HOP

9. Before, to Blake : ERE

10. __ valve: heart part : AORTIC. The other three are the mitral, tricuspid and pulmonary. Quick research shows that "mitral" has appeared once in the LAT crossword back in 2007. The others are still eagerly awaiting their debut. Aortic leads the pack with a mighty ..... two, including today.

11. Splits the tab : GOES DUTCH. Do the Dutch "Go English" and do they have a couple of pre-battle drinks to get "English Courage?".

12. Welding flash : ARC

13. Slime : GOO

18. Fishhook attachment : WORM

22. Communicating regularly : IN TOUCH

25. Endocrinologist's concern : GLAND

26. Give a little : BEND

27. Estrada and Satie : ERIKS. Cue some relaxing piano music from M. Satie.

28. Legal thing : RES

29. Slim, as chances go : OUTSIDE

30. Bowler, e.g. : HAT. When I first started work in an office in London's financial district, the "City gent" uniform was pinstripe suit, furled umbrella, old school tie and a bowler hat. Within about five years, no-one was wearing one anymore.

32. Without __ in the world : A CARE

33. Entry at Bartleby.com : QUOTATION.  “The nice thing about doing a crossword puzzle is, you know there is a solution.” - Stephen Sondheim.


34. There's always a hole in one : GREEN. Pithy play on words with "hole in one".

35. West of Hollywood : MAE

38. Caesarean rebuke : ET TU

39. Fenway team, on scoreboards : BOS. The Red Sox.

40. "Well, __-di-dah!" : LAH

44. Oakleys or Ray-Bans : SHADES. Seems a little odd that there's no "slangily" clue modifier here, but no hesitation with the answer.

45. Elvis' middle name : ARON

47. Under control : TAMED

48. Cut into : ERODE

49. Unemotional : STAID

50. Book of Shadows religion : WICCA. Thank you, crosses.

51. Emmy-winning sportscaster Jim : MCKAY. Funny, I'm a sports nut and I don't think I've heard of this gentleman.

54. 16th-century yr. : MDLV. or 1555 if you prefer. I amused myself mightily a couple of weeks ago by coming up with a 15x15 crossword composed entirely of roman numerals, then C.C. did some digging and found out that it had been done before by Peter Gordon under the heading "The World's Worst Crossword". Dang!

55. Have __ in one's bonnet : A BEE

56. New Jersey fort : DIX. The Romans would call it Fort 509.

57. Press initials : U.P.I. Washington-based news bureau United Press International.

59. Suffix with adverb : IAL. Magisterial, e.g.

60. The 58-Acrosses, on scoreboards : ARI. Cute finish tying into the theme with the final down. Arizona.

Note from C.C.:

Mike's puzzle today was accepted way before my  DIAMOND HEAD was published last Dec. I had been eagerly waiting to see how Mike tackled his grid. We both had 5 entries, but Mike had a tough 13-letter in the middle. I had an easy grid spanner. Noticed how our first three theme entries had the same clue numbers?

Tuesday, June 3, 2014 Greg Johnson

 Theme: Quiet Time - Keep it down low.

17A. "Please let me get my beauty rest" : "I'M TRYING TO SLEEP"

30A. "Too much noise" : "KEEP IT DOWN"

49A. "No one can know" : "IT'S A SECRET"

65A. "Junior needs his nap time" : "DON'T WAKE THE BABY"

41A. Warning that often precedes 17-, 30-, 49- and 65-Across : "SHH!"

Argyle here with our constructor from Zelienople, Pa.(8-13-2013) A fun and unique puzzle today. Eighty words but not that noticeable and two very noticeable grid spanners. The unifier smack in the middle.

Across:

1. A Swiss Army knife has many of them : USEs

5. Halley's __ : COMET. Its next appearance should be in 2061.

10. Crow calls : CAWS

14. Peel in a cocktail : ZEST

15. Stylish : SWANK

16. Nueve preceder : OCHO. Spanish 8, 9

20. Half of a 45 : SIDE A

21. Title for a superior : SIR

22. Loosens, as restrictions : EASES

23. Place for a massage : SPA

25. Hymn finale : AMEN. Sometimes said when the sermon finally ends.

27. Kitchen amts. : TSPs

36. Need to remit : OWE

37. Shopping aid : CART

38. "My __ Amour": Stevie Wonder hit : CHERIE

39. __ toast : MELBA

43. Remove from the board : ERASE

44. Bistro, e.g. : EATERY

46. Ages and ages : EONS

48. Joe and Rose Kennedy's youngest : TED

51. Exceedingly : VERY

52. Burn a lot ... or slightly : CHAR

53. Pink or purple : HUE

55. Wyoming neighbor : IDAHO

58. Altar agreement : "I DO"

61. Make a case : ARGUE

68. Fashion designer Marc : ECKO. Not familiar with him.

69. "Super!" : "NEATO!"

70. U.S. native : AMER. This should generate some comments.

71. Like the ground after a campfire : ASHY

72. Climbing rope material : NYLON

73. Bard's instrument : LYRE

Down:

1. Israeli guns : UZIs

2. Truck stop rig : SEMI

3. Storefront sign abbr. : ESTD. (established)

4. Emotional strain : STRESS

5. Long-running TV crime drama : CSI

6. Possesses : OWNS

7. O. Henry's "The Gift of the __" : MAGI

8. Lure into a crime : ENTRAP. Lure into a corner : rope-a-dope.

9. Ref's decision : TKO. (technical knockout)

10. Lettuce-washing aid : COLANDER

11. Poker "bullets" : ACES

12. Sledding shout : "WHEE!"

13. Soaks (up) : SOPS

18. Run off at the mouth : YAP

19. Does a slow burn : SEETHES

24. Wanted poster initials : AKA. (also known as)

26. Audio jack label : MIC. (microphone)

27. Marisa of "The Wrestler" : TOMEI. She'll always be Mona Lisa Vito to us.

28. Workout output : SWEAT

29. Trapper's goods : PELTS

31. "This can't wait" hosp. areas : ERs

32. Bygone anesthetic : ETHER

33. Speak with pomp : ORATE

34. More sage : WISER

35. Down-and-out : NEEDY

37. Where models stand by models : CAR SHOW

40. Plastic shovel, for one : BEACH TOY

42. Soil chopper : HOE. Is it safe to transplant the tomatoes yet? Maybe.

45. Supporting vote : YEA

47. Ultimate degree : NTH

50. "Holy moly!" : "CRIKEY!". Australian.

51. Spoken : VERBAL

54. Seven-member Mideast fed. : UAE. (United Arab Emirates)

55. Overhead exclamation point, in comics : IDEA

56. HMO staffers : DOCs

57. Egyptian royal cross : ANKH

59. Business agreement : DEAL

60. "Beetle Bailey" bulldog : OTTO

62. Like wild boar meat : GAMY. Who here has had wild boar meat?

63. Over, in Germany : ÜBER

64. Brontë's Jane : EYRE

66. Cape NNW of Cod : ANN

67. Dearie : HON. (presumptuous terms of endearment)

Argyle
 

Notes from C.C.:

1) Here is a pretty picture of Chickie's great-granddaughter Cecelia Rose (nicknamed Cece), who was born on Wednesday May 28, 2014. Cece lives in Tacoma, WA and she's the first great-grandchild for Chickie.

36- hour old Cece

2) Happy birthday to dear Owen! When I talked with him last November, he mentioned he preferred to forget his birthday (not surprising after his poem on Sunday). He also said "... knowing how I tend to lose interests in things, I'll be mildly surprised if I'm still around then. But I get so much positive feedback from our supportive group that this might be an exception."

He's still here, entertaining us every morning with his wits, humor & hard work. Thank you, Owen! Now I don't feel a LAT crossword is complete until it's been Owenized.

Owen & Brenda (Feb 28, 2009)

Monday, June 2, 2014 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: What are the odds? - Well?

17A. Baby book milestones : FIRST STEPS

23A. Backup player's backup : THIRD STRINGER

39A. Hershey's chocolate-and-peanut-butter products : FIFTH AVENUE BARS

52A. Bliss : SEVENTH HEAVEN

63A. Penultimate bowling game division : NINTH FRAME

Argyle here. A nice straightforward Monday.

Across:

1. A rather long time : AGES

5. Be of use to : AVAIL

10. Greenside golf shot : CHIP

14. Kauai cookout : LUAU

15. Alabama civil rights city : SELMA

16. Titled nobleman : LORD

19. Baghdad's country : IRAQ

20. Even if, briefly : ALTHO

21. Prepares, as a violin bow : ROSINS

27. Dusk-dawn link : 'TIL

28. Steeped brew : TEA

29. Low mil. rank : PVT.

31. Commotions : ADOs

35. Actor Kilmer : VAL

37. Road Runner chaser __ Coyote : WILE E.

43. Prepare beans, Mexican-style : REFRY

44. Square dance lass : GAL. CSO YR.

45. Island in a computer game : MYST

46. NHL tiebreakers : OTs

47. Zadora of "Hairspray" : PIA. Not her usual blond hair.

50. "Wait a __!" : SEC

58. Fill with bubbles : AERATE

59. Purple flower : LILAC

61. Cold War country: Abbr. : USSR

66. Hired hood : GOON

67. Baseball bobble : ERROR

68. Sport __: family cars : UTEs. (sport-utility vehicle)

69. Sharpen : HONE

70. Steed stoppers : REINS

71. Spanish muralist José María : SERT

Down:

1. __ Romeo: Italian sports car : ALFA

2. Feeling of remorse : GUILT

3. Target in alien-attack films : EARTH

4. Japanese fish dish : SUSHI

5. Long-eared beast : ASS

6. Doggie doc : VET

7. On the ball : ALERT

8. Non-domestic beer, e.g. : IMPORT

9. Film collie : LASSIE

10. Hang on (to) : CLING

11. Boisterous behavior : HORSEPLAY

12. Savings option, briefly : IRA

13. ASAP kin : PDQ. Was your solve PDQ? (pretty damn quick)

18. Lawsuit basis : TORT

22. Amazed : IN AWE

24. Distinguished soprano, say : DIVA

25. Pole or Croat : SLAV

26. Campground users, briefly : RVers. (recreational vehicle)

30. Driver's license prerequisite : TEST

31. Frizzy do : AFRO

32. Loses on purpose? : DIETS

33. Summer, at ski resorts : OFF-SEASON. but not without some excitements.

34. Orchestra sect. : STR. (strings)

36. Chair support : LEG

38. Tech co. known as Big Blue : IBM

40. All keyed up : HYPER

41. Poet Ogden : NASH

42. Peter Fonda title role : ULEE. (Ulee's Gold)

48. More absurd : INANER

49. Clothes : ATTIRE

51. Young cow : CALF

53. Sci-fi pioneer Jules : VERNE

54. Artist Rousseau : HENRI. Bio.

55. Computer invader : VIRUS

56. Tickle pink : ELATE

57. Snitch, when identifying the bad guys : NAMER

60. "__ la vie!" : C'EST

61. "That smells disgusting!" : "UGH!"

62. Jack of "Barney Miller" : SOO

64. Freight measure : TON

65. Baseball round-trippers: Abbr. : HRs. (home run)

Argyle

Sunday June 1, 2014 Gia Christian

Theme: "The Sound of Victory" - V sound is added to the end of the first word in each theme entry.

22A. Traveler's nightmare due to a road crew strike? : PAVE AS YOU GO. Pay as you go.

27A. Wait on a knight? : SERVE GALAHAD. Sir Galahad.

52A. Rocky in a serious mood? : GRAVE SQUIRREL. Rocky the Flying Squirrel. The base phrase is "Gray squirrel".

88A. Make statues of leading reps? : CARVE SALESMEN. Car salesman

113A. Computer maintenance tool? : DRIVE CLEANER. Dry cleaner. Do you clean your keyboard with Gas Duster? I think I might have ruined our last keyboard that way. The spray was so powerful that  a few keys did not re-bounce easily.

121A. Throw out all your stuff? : SAVE NOTHING. Say nothing.

 

3D. Ancient greeting? : WAVE BACK WHEN. Way back when.

65D. Crack up during a jackknife? : DIVE LAUGHING. Die laughing.

I mentioned this before: sound addition is more interesting and challenging than simply letter string addition. You need to be really imaginative.

Gia Christian is Rich's alias name, it's an anagram of "Again It's Rich". I love when theme entries intersect, Rich makes it so easy. He did it in his last Sunday also (Nora Pearlstone byline). The only time I made it happen, I was so excited!

  

Across:

1. Cal. sequence : M T W T F. Cool cluster of consonants.

6. One pulling in pushers : NARC. Pushers the drug dealers. Yellowrocks might have seen these professional pushers when she visited Japan.

10. They're grabbed on corners : CABS

14. Fashionable fold : CUFF

18. "__ Ben Jonson": literary epitaph : ORARE. Misspelled in the inscription as O RARE.

19. Similar: Pref. : HOMEO

20. Other, in Oaxaca : OTRA

21. Paris possessive : A TOI

24. Checking aid : REIN

25. Glacial lake : TARN

26. 1954 Emmy winner for Best Female Star of a Regular Series : EVE ARDEN. "Our Miss Brooks".

30. Credit report item : DEBT

31. "Just like that!" sound : SNAP

33. Domingo, e.g. : DIA. Domingo = Sunday. Not the tenor.

34. Enviable mark : A PLUS

35. List of candidates : SLATE

37. Stake for Keats?: Abbr. : ANAG. Stake and Keats are anagrams.

39. Faux pas : SLIP

42. Unacceptable : NOT OK

44. They aren't major players : COGS

46. Social worker's backlog : CASELOAD

49. Actress Rowlands : GENA. Loved "The Notebook"

50. Legendary rescue boat : ARK

56. Pepper's title: Abbr. : SGT. Sgt Pepper.

57. Hems, say : SEWS

59. Dressy accessories : TIE CLIPS

60. Letter-shaped fastener : T NUT

62. Baseball commissioner before Ueberroth : KUHN (Bowie). OK, TTP, Husker Gary & Buckeye Bob, what did this guy achieve? He's before my time (2001).

63. Eighth Avenue subway in New York : A TRAIN. Never been to NY.

64. Joined : SIGNED UP

68. Wee hr. : ONE AM

70. 2000 Gere title role : DR. T

71. Chickadee cousin : TIT

73. Deli specialty : KNISH

74. System used in home decor : FENG SHUI. Cantonese and Hong Kongese are very into Feng Shui.

77. Largest Bay Area county : SONOMA. New trivia to me.

80. Kind of round : OVAL

81. Dated : SEEN

82. Bag on the back : RUCKSACK. Oh, I Just call it backpack.

84. __ Park: Queens area : REGO

85. Log shaper : ADZ

91. Villain Luthor : LEX.  And 95. Singer McEntire : REBA. And 6D. Reagan biographer Peggy : NOONAN. And 89D. Kilmer of "Top Gun" : VAL. And 98D. Wallace of "E.T." : DEE. And 118. Jazzy James : ETTA. All straightforward clues.

92. Ancient mountain crossing, say : TREK

94. Where keyboard users can get tips : PIANO BAR. Rich plays piano. Lots of constructors are musicians.

97. Got on : FARED

99. Gooey stuff : GLOP

100. Small-runway aircraft acronym : STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing). Gimme for Dudley.

103. Pale wine : BLUSH

106. Jewish folklore creature : GOLEM

108. Part of KJV: Abbr. : VER. KJV = King James Version. We had this clue before.

110. Wine seller : SHOP

112. Turkish general : AGHA

117. Became harder to bear : WORE THIN

119. Rajah's spouse : RANI

120. Serious surprise : JOLT

123. Revered one : ICON

124. Bassoon kin : OBOE

125. Continental boot? : ITALY

126. Nearing the hour : TEN TO

127. Personnel office array : PENS

128. Curve : BEND

129. Substance in the sea's H2O : NACL

130. Element #18 : ARGON

 

Down:

1. Tourists' rentals : MOPEDS. I never rented a moped.

2. Tour : TRAVEL

4. Buy for, as dinner : TREAT TO

5. Trepidation : FEAR

7. Asia's __ Darya river : AMU

8. Rules, briefly : REGS

9. Murmured from a cote : COOED

10. Oregon State city : CORVALLIS. Beavers. The Ducks are based in Eugene.

11. Exactly, with "to" : A TEE

12. Two-masted vessel : BRIG

13. Capital SW of Muscat : SANA'A

14. Mail-order purchase enclosure, often : CATALOG. Don't order flowers/plants/seeds from Michigan Bulb. Awful!

15. Pac-12 team : UTAH UTES

16. Really cheap : FOR A SONG

17. Discovery : FIND

19. Doglike scavenger : HYENA

23. Active campus gp. during the Vietnam War : SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)

28. Rebel : RISE UP

29. Hosp. staffer : LPN

32. Racing safety vehicle : PACE CAR

36. Breakfast food : EGG. OK, tell me what's your typical breakfast in the summer?

38. Like old Paris streets : GAS-LIT

40. High school suffix : IOR. Oh, like Junior or Senior.

41. Story opener : PART I

43. Kit __: candy bar : KAT

45. Span. lass : SRTA

47. Newspaper ad meas. : SQ IN (Square Inch)

48. Leader after Mao : DENG. In fact, Hua Guofeng succeeded Mao in 1976, but was ousted by Deng in 1978. This is like cluing OBAMA as "President after Clinton".

50. Would like from : ASK OF

51. Meet with the old gang : REUNE.

53. River islet : AIT

54. "Rigoletto" composer : VERDI

55. Blockhead : LUNK. I need to use this word.

58. Stocking mishaps : SNAGS

61. Domingo, e.g. : TENOR

64. Old porticos : STOAS

66. Dictionary note subject : USAGE

67. Showy flowers : PHLOX. I think JD has this in her garden.

69. PC time meas. : MSEC

71. Gertrude Stein confidante Alice B. __ : TOKLAS. Her lover. Lots of juicy gossip in this book.

72. Many newspaper ads : INSERTS

75. Sloppy stack : HEAP

76. Strip of gear, as a ship : UNRIG

77. Walkout walk-in : SCAB. Nice clue.

78. Year McKinley was reelected : MCM.  1900.

79. 1966 A.L. Fireman of the Year Jack : AKER . Relievers are called "Firemen". I have no memory of this guy at all. Seattle Pilots! Long long time ago.

82. Fixed up : RENOVATED

83. Event to be played in Pinehurst, N.C., in 2014 : US OPEN. Gimme for Argyle.

85. DOJ enforcer : ATF

86. Contest that's over in seconds : DRAG RACE

87. Prepare to shoot at : ZERO IN ON

90. Cornhusker's st. : NEB

93. Temperature units : KELVINS. Learning moment to me.

96. Poppycock : BLATHER

101. Sighed line : OH WELL

102. Senseless : LOONY

104. Eastern faith : SHINTO. Literally "way of the gods". Japanese "To" = Cantonese "Tao". Shin = Gods. In Chinese, it's SHEN.

105. "Please hold" equivalent : HANG ON

107. Not usually an opportunity for advancement : McJOB

109. Amber, for one : RESIN

111. With 116-Down, shared equitably : PRO. And 116. See 111-Down : RATA

113. Plumbing problem : DRIP

114. Hoop site : LOBE. Hoop earrings.

115. North Carolina school : ELON. Rich saves Musk references for Saturdays.

122. Little sucker? : VAC. Nice clue. Little indicates abbreviation.

C.C.

Saturday, May 31st, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing Q,Y)

Blocks: 26

  Ahh, such a joy to see a puzzle from Mr. Silk~!  I did not get off to a blinding start, and there were a few geographical proper names that slowed me down, but a few perps and WAGs, and it was done, and in pretty good time.  Low block count, and triple 10-letter pinwheel pattern, with nothing longer than 8 letters on the inside.  Some of the longer fill today;

1a. California/Arizona border reservoir : LAKE HAVASU - So we start with West Coast geography; I had to wait.  I was pretty sure it was "LAKE" something, or something "LAKE"

14d. Type of headlight : SEALED BEAM - pretty dated, now

28d. Winter soil phenomena : ICE NEEDLES

57. Number that's physically impossible to write out in standard form : GOOGOLPLEX- that's 10 to the 10 to the 100 - more here

Onward to the Stanley Cup~!!!
 

ACROSS:

11. Has yet to settle : OWES

15. "Let a new chapter begin" : I'VE MOVED ON

16. Salinger's "__ Stories" : NINE

17. Yellow sticky, often : NOTE TO SELF - I tore off the skin from the back of my fingernail on a cardboard box yesterday, and said out loud "note to self; don't do that again"

18. With 3-Down, Wingey Wallace's comic strip girlfriend : ETTA - coupled with 3d. See 18-Across : KETT

19. __'acte : ENTR - Crossword staple

20. Pkg. measures : WTs - I can't wait for UPS to go back to being a "parcel" company; this time of year in my center, it's all patio furniture, grills, mowers, A/C units, dehumidifiers, hammocks, trampolines, etc.

21. Wife of Jacob : RACHEL - educated WAG on my part, and I was pleased to see it was correct

23. Ominous time : IDES

25. Smiley creator : LE CARRÉ - spy novel character; more here

26. Treated with malice : SPITED

29. 57501 preceder, on envelopes : PIERRE, SD - Great fill; I knew we were looking for a geographical location;  I know that NY zips are 1----, CT is 06---, Jacksonville FL is 32---, and Cincinnati, OH is 45---; I'm looking to move to 98207.  Map here

30. Place : LOCUS

31. __ ball : MATZO

32. A little freedom? : LIBeration

33. Lea grazers : EWES

34. Star of the 1931 film "M" : LORRE - got with perps

35. Film : CINE

36. Yet, poetically : E'EN

37. Toon lead singer in a leopard-print leotard : JOSIE - ah, Josie and the Pussycats - nothing subliminal here....I did not know they made a movie, too - IMDb

38. Outlook : VISTA

39. Building and grounds : PREMISES - COMPOUND worked, too - but are we talking drug dealer estate?

41. Comprehend : FATHOM - Nice

42. Post-reaping sights : SHEAVES

43. Japanese sandal : ZŌRI - I was trying to find a pic of James BOnd in Japanese garb from "You Only Live Twice" that included these sandals

44. Bunches : OODLES

45. Thrice, in Rx's : TER - I tried T.I.D., which was almost there; the Latin is "ter in die"

46. Egyptian Christian : COPT - another crossword staple, but I had to wait on perps for a reminder

50. Nonexistent : NULL

51. Blew up : BOILED OVER

54. "Gotcha" : "I SEE"

55. Liven up : INVIGORATE

56. Experiment : TEST

DOWN:

1. __ drive : LINE - baseball for C.C. - Of course, I am keyed up for the NY Rangers hockey team, who are on their way to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 20yrs - and that last time, they brought it home~!

2. "The company for women" company : AVON

4. Honored retiree : EMERITUS - nailed it

5. Selling fast : HOT

6. Swore : AVOWED

7. Sleeveless garments : VESTS

8. Summer quaffs : ADES

9. Nuevo __: Peruvian currency : SOL - the only letter I got wrong was the "S"; I went with "N" to start

10. Remove restrictions from : UNFREEZE

11. Like many a garage : ONE-CAR

12. Enthusiastically : WITH RELISH

13. Signs, as an agreement : ENTERS INTO

22. Start to bat? : ACRO - ACRObat

24. __ Arc, Arkansas : DES - another geographical

25. Petrol purchase : LITRE - I watch my BBC Top Gear, so I know that gasoline is "petrol" across the pond, and bought by the litre - in fact, there was a Fiskers Karma in the Riverhead Home Depot parking lot yesterday, and I knew it right away

26. Weighs options : SLEEPS ON IT

27. Dominant team : POWERHOUSE - The Chicago Blackhawks tied their NHL series with the LA Kings last night, so we still have one last game to decide who we are playing next Wednesday

29. Trojan War figure : PARIS

31. Law recipient : MOSES - Ah, THOSE  Laws

34. Takes a bath : LOSES BIG

35. It merged with Travelers in 1998 : CITICORP - I remember the name because of this NYC skycraper, and here's a little story on why it was built on stilts

37. Tease, in slang : JIVE

38. Irreg. spelling : VARiation

40. Xylophonist's tool : MALLET

41. Antecede : FOREGO

43. 1983 Woody Allen title role : ZELIG

45. TV watcher's convenience : TIVO

47. Like zero : OVAL

48. Best of the Beatles : PETE - Pete Best was the original drummer

49. Big natural history museum attraction : T-REX

52. Bride in 1969 news : ONO - More Bealtes

53. N.Z. currency : DOLLar

Splynter

Friday, May 30, 2014, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Cross reference mania: "THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A..."

Wow, JW is back and delivering what I anticipate will be a much talked about, much loved and much hated puzzle.

First, by use of perps and intuition you must solve the cross-referenced 29A, 35A and 49A to get to the title of the song (story). Only then can you begin to solve the 8 things which this old lady swallowed. This puts a real premium solving all the perps, which were not all easy, though we do have a goodly amount of 3 and 4 letter fill to help get that done. I did not recall this SONG but in reading the article I do have a vague recollection of the Jeff Goldblum line in the movie. 81 words with an average length of 4.84 is not at all Friday like, but there are many new and interesting fill and some nice decent length ones like ADRENAL, AS BIG AS,  ELITISM,  EMPANEL, LAGASSE,  LIONESS,  MADDENS,  MARIANA,  MASCARA, TWO-TONE, HITS WITH,  STEM CELL. It was just a very odd puzzle for me to complete. The challenge  to the constructor to fit the refrain in the grid and then add each creature, in order as they are recited was daunting. I do not see any customary symmetry, but I am still so naive when it comes to gridding. Of course Friday is the day for experimentation and ingenuity, and this must have been fun if you knew the song. We will have some songs as well, enjoy.

29A. With 35- and 49-Across, start of a refrain whose ending words appear in sequence in the answers to starred clues : THERE WAS AN.(10).

35A. See 29-Across : OLD LADY WHO.(10).

49A. See 29-Across : SWALLOWED A. (10).

6A. *See 29-Across : FLY.(3). The rhyme has all these weird finishes, like here, "Perhaps she'll die."

17A *See 29-Across : SPIDER.(6).or here, "It wiggled and jiggled and tickled inside her."

19A. *See 29-Across : BIRD. (4).

20A. *See 29-Across : CAT. (3).

58A. *See 29-Across : DOG.(3).

63A. *See 29-Across : GOAT.(4).

71A. *See 29-Across : COW.(3)

72A. *See 29-Across : HORSE.(5).

Notice the absence of short theme entry symmetry.

Across:

1. Whimpers : MEWLS. A word I associate with puppies and kitties.

9. Cooperative group : TEAM. My son works where there are no bosses, only team leaders.

13. Hindu nectar : AMRITA. Luckily, I started doing all the downs, so I had this from the perps as I had no memory of this Hindu (Sanskrit) version of ambrosia.

15. Suitor : BEAU. Are only men suitors?

16. Pierce player : ALDA. Hawkeye, Alan on M*A*S*H.

18. Pool equipment : RACK. Always fun excuse to LINK a pretty one.

21. High-tech card contents : MEMORY.I think my own internal one needs an upgrade.

23. Toned down : MUTED.

24. "Star Wars" saga nickname : ANI. From I the Phantom Menace, also known as baby Darth.

25. Web store icon : CART.

26. Quad Cities city : MOLINE. Davenport and Bettendorf. in Iowa; and Rock Island and Moline in Illinois. Easy for some, but not for me.

27. French income : RENTE. The "E" makes this difficult because they call their government pension, "RENTE."

32. __ bloom: pond buildup : ALGAL. Algae.

33. Additionally : TOO.

34. San Jose Earthquakes' org. : MLS. Major League Soccer. World Cup in Brazil this year, and no Landon Donovan for the US.

41. Dough extruder? : ATM. Automated Teller Machine.

44. It may follow T. : REX. Nice CSO to all the dinosaurs out there reading this.

45. "Washington Week" moderator Gwen : IFILL. No politics, but I like IFILL as FILL.

54. Actress Raymonde of "Lost" : TANIA. Did not recall her, but I was not a big fan of the show. She has a bit of a Penelope Cruz look going on.

55. Withstood the ordeal : BORE UP. When it is good to be bored.

56. Matterhorn's range : ALPS. For his usual biographer, marti, a CSO.

59. "Just me," formally : IT IS I. An old debate in these parts.

60. Immature : CALLOW. I used to get in trouble questioning why they call kids immature or CALLOW YOUTH, which made no sense to complain about since they were just kids.

62. Article in El Diario : UNA.  One is Spanish; does anyone here keep a diary?

64. Decline : WANE.

65. Sign of fish : PISCES.

67. Youngest Brontë : ANNE. A very talented but  doomed FAMILY.

68. Chimps, e.g. : APES. Read all about our closest cousins HERE, no monkeying around.

69. Make a point of : STRESS. I cannot stress the importance of paying attention.

70. Prepare scallops, in a way : SEAR. Try some NOW?


Down:

1. Cosmetic product : MASCARA.

2. Put on a jury : EMPANEL. Back in the courtroom.

3. "On __": Stephen King memoir : WRITING.

4. Cover : LID.

5. Subject of recent medical research : STEM CELL. A little SCIENCE.

6. Dread : FEAR.

7. Like many doilies : LACY. I read this as "dollies" and could not think of a single lacy dolly. Well, there was

8. Guffaw : YUK.

9. Roman slate : TABULA. Latin, famous from TABULA RASA, meaning a clean slate.

10. Upper-class rule : ELITISM. People who read Latin and stuff.

11. Major endocrine gland : ADRENAL. More Latin, meaning to the renal.

12. Really ticks off : MADDENS. Only John is famous.

14. Field : AREA.

15. Stew basis : BROTH. Now there are a million stocks you can buy pre-made, see KNORR.

22. "Rocky III" actor : MR. T. Every fool 'no dat.

23. Do some yard work : MOW. and if we add an "E."

26. Call from a Persian : MEOW. Not the Shah, but a kitty.

28. Eastern "way" : TAO.

30. LAX listing : ETD. Estimated Time of Departure.

31. Mr. Rogers on a horse : ROY. Often partnered with DALE. 52D. Low-lying locales : DALES. Often partnered with hills, or CHIP.

36. Let go : DROP.

37. Kareem, formerly : LEW. Alcindor, of UCLA basketball fame.

38. Let go : AXE. I get this fill often.

39. Gives suddenly, as bad news : HITS WITH. Am I the only one who went to this...

40. Son-gun connection : OF A. I wonder when weapons replaced female dogs.

41. Comparable to, sizewise : AS BIG AS.

42. Like some sporty shoes : TWO TONE.

43. __ Islands: Guam locale : MARIANA.

46. Draft __ motor: gas furnace component : INDUCER.

47. Hunting 20-Across : LIONESS.A really extruded (yes I like the word) convoluted way of relating to the above CAT, but all cats hunt.

48. "Kicked-up Sandwiches" author : LAGASSE. He does a series of KICKED-UP stuff.

50. Bluegrass guitarist Flatt : LESTER.

51. Him, to Henri : LUI. Straight French.

53. The whole shebang : ALL.

57. Boston __ : POPS. Musical Interlude.

Since memorial day is actually tomorrow.

60. Mob boss : CAPO. Italian for captain.

61. From the top : ANEW.

64. Female in WWII : WAC. Women's Army Corps.

66. "No more seats" sign : SRO. Standing Room Only.

Well I know you all are glad to see me back on Friday, but keep your seats, hold the applause and hang on for the Saturday special presented by Splynter. Lemonade out.