Monday, May 5, 2014 Kevin Christian

Theme: You may have a concussion - Are you seeing stars everywhere?

20A. Where to see stars in school : ASTRONOMY CLASS

37A. Where to see stars in the service : MILITARY UNIFORM

53A. Where to see stars in theaters : HOLLYWOOD MOVIE

¡Hola! Argyle here on Cinco de Mayo. This near pangram(missing a Q), has the unifier in the clues today, like a little twist of lime to give it some zest.

Across:

1. Mar. 17th honoree : ST. PAT.

6. Amazed : AWED

10. Gray timber wolf : LOBO

14. Pasta sauce brand : PREGO

15. Sonny's partner : CHER

16. Et __: and others : ALIA. (neuter plural)

17. Word before PG or PG-13 : RATED

18. Sacred : HOLY

19. Bismarck is its cap. : N. DAK

23. "__ will be done ...": Lord's Prayer : THY

24. Summer zodiac sign : LEO. The big cat in the sky.

25. Of the flock : LAIC

26. Actress Taylor, familiarly : LIZ. I had LIV at first. Must have been thinking Tyler.

27. Hearty dish : STEW. Is there a special dish for Cinco de Mayo?

29. Concealed : HID

32. Knives' sharp sides : EDGES

35. "Gone With the Wind" plantation : TARA

36. Yoko from Tokyo : ONO

41. Chinese chairman : MAO

42. Get beaten : LOSE

43. "Honest!" : "NO LIE!"

44. Capone and Capp : ALs

45. Voice below soprano : ALTO

46. Pres. between HST and JFK : DDE

47. __ gin fizz : SLOE

49. Regret : RUE

50. Unit of work : ERG

57. Coffee, in slang : JAVA

58. __ Crunch: cereal brand : CAP'N

59. Tolerate : ABIDE

60. "Um, excuse me ..." : "AHEM..."

61. Fired : AXED

62. Memoranda : NOTES

63. __ avis : RARA

64. One lacking experience : TYRO

65. John of tractors : DEERE

Down:

1. Jack who ate no fat : SPRAT. His wife ate no lean.

2. Garbage : TRASH

3. Trivial, as a complaint : PETTY

4. New __: modern spiritualist : AGER

5. Slate of errands and chores : 'TO DO' LIST

6. Sound evoking "Gesundheit!" : "ACHOO!"

7. Hemingway's "For __ the Bell Tolls" : WHOM

8. Slippery : EELY

9. Launder, as a suit : DRY CLEAN

10. Polynesian porch : LANAI

11. Like some conservative teaching methods : OLD SCHOOL

12. Prejudice : BIAS

13. Mighty tree : OAK. I hear he was just an acorn when he started.

21. Pince-__ glasses : NEZ

22. Attorney's field : LAW

26. Floral necklace : LEI

27. Authority : SAY SO

28. "That's a good point" : "TRUE". Usually followed by "but".

30. Crucifix letters : INRI. (Latin: Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum)

31. Bowl-shaped roof : DOME

32. Actress Thompson : EMMA

33. Rotary phone part : DIAL

34. Handle superficially : GLOSS OVER

35. Home run jog : TROT

38. Prowling feline : ALLEY CAT

39. Extremely popular : IN DEMAND

40. Enemy : FOE

45. "You've got mail" company : AOL

46. Firecracker that doesn't crack : DUD

48. Andean animal : LLAMA

49. Sonata movement : RONDO. English from Italian, from French (a little circle, appropriately)

50. Online party request : EVITE

51. One on horseback : RIDER

52. Canada honkers : GEESE

53. "That's funny!" : "HA-HA"

54. Like crayons : WAXY

55. Abbr. on a phone's "0" button : OPER. (operator) Do they still exist live?

56. Double-reed instrument : OBOE

57. Cookie container : JAR

Argyle

Sunday May 4, 2014 Wren Schultz

Theme: "Never Mind" - IT is removed from each theme entry.

23A. Mashed potatoes feature? : CENTER OF GRAVY. Center of gravity.

34A. Signature clothes-washing move? : CREATIVE WRING. Creative writing.

51A. Bear with backup musicians? : SMOKEY AND THE BAND. Smokey and the Bandit.

69A. Heads-up from your co-star about a former mate in the wings? : EX STAGE LEFT. Exit stage left.

87A. Home of robot jugglers and digital clowns? : ELECTRONIC CIRCUS. Electronic circuits.

104A. Stylist's jobs? : BUILDING PERMS. Building permits. 

Reveal entry:

118A. "Never mind," and a hint to this puzzle's theme : FORGET ABOUT IT

69A is an odd man out in that it's the only them entry where the first word has IT dropped. Rich must like the answer a lot to allow for the inconsistency. Argyle sent me this clip to share with you.

I think this is Wren Schultz's debut puzzle. Congratulations! Sunday's grid is at least twice as hard to make as the weekday grids. Not sure if this is our Wren.

Across:

1. "100 Years...100 Movies" org. : AFI (American Film Institute)

4. Bill and Hillary, e.g. : ELIs. They met at Yale.

8. Gives a boost, say : AIDs

12. Direction from Columbus, Ohio, to Columbia, S.C. : SSE

15. Mister Rogers' network : PBS

18. Fall back on : RESORT TO

20. "True __": 2010 Best Picture nominee : GRIT. By the Cohen Brothers. Native Minnesotans.

21. Sound qualities : TIMBRES

25. Board at a station : ENTRAIN

26. Prefix with meter : ALTI

27. Nebraska native : OTOE

28. Martini garnish : OLIVE

30. Wheat whiskers : AWNS. Does Quinoa have AWNs also? Our local Star Tribune has a fantastic Quinoa Salad the other day.

31. Jefferson and others, religiously : DEISTS

37. Marine eagle : ERN

38. Rap sheet letters : AKA

40. BTWs, in letters : PSS

41. Casually considered, with "with" : TOYED

42. Walk unsteadily : LIMP

44. Takei role : SULU

47. "__ I know ..." : AS FAR

58. Simpson judge : ITO (Lance)

59. Cookie sellers : SCOUTS. Wish they would find some other creative outlets.

60. Night sky feline : LEO

61. Stoked : FUELED

62. 86-Across, overseas : LTD. And 86. 62-Across, in the States : INC

63. Shot : PHOTO

64. Poker variety : OMAHA. Ben Affleck was just caught counting cards at the Hard Rock Casino last Thursday.

66. Dismissal : OUSTER

68. Picturesque Japanese peak : FUJI

69.  "A Jug of Wine ..." poet: OMAR

75. Granola cousin : MUESLI. Sweet Argyle sent me a bottle of New York maple syrup. I used a bit to marinate my salmon the other day. Delicious! Will make some granola next week.

77. Take in : ADOPT

78. Put up : ERECT

79. China's Chou En-__ : LAI. Loved him.

80. Tried it : HAD A GO (at)

84. Innovative musician Brian : ENO

85. Crime scene clues : PRINTS

90. Sweater type : V NECK

92. In : COOL

93. Decimal opening : HEXA. Six.

94. "Peg Woffington" author : READE (Charles). Never heard of the book or the author.

97. Flips, e.g. : DOS. Flip is hairstyle?

100. Have some grub : EAT

101. Moon and Starr: Abbr. : QBs. Bart Starr. Warren Moon. Great clue.

109. Tennis rival of Roger : RAFAEL (Nadal)

111. Sticky situation : MESS

112. Helicopter part : ROTOR

113. Wide sizes : EEES

115. O'Neill's "__ Christie" : ANNA

116. Briefs : CLUES IN. Not underwear.

122. Nomeite, for one : ALASKAN

123. Salad dressing initialism, à la Rachael Ray : EVOO. Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

124. Cut off : ALIENATE

125. Business card abbr. : TEL

126. Game show purchase : AN "E"

127. Bring under control, with "in" : REIN

128. Watch over : TEND

129. Lawn roll : SOD

Down:

1. Skee-Ball locale : ARCADE

2. Antenna : FEELER

3. Left for the day, maybe : ISN'T IN

4. Poetic preposition : ERE

5. Copier size: Abbr. : LTR

6. Accord starter : I, TOO. I'd prefer this clued as a partial.

7. Start to celebrate? : SOFT C. The first letter in celebrate.

8. Goes along : AGREES

9. George's lyrical brother : IRA (Gershwin)

10. Torn-up turf piece : DIVOT

11. PDA pokers : STYLI. Parse it as "Poke-rs".

12. "Wildboyz" co-host : STEVE-O. No idea. They look ridiculous.

13. Muscular : SINEWY

14. CPR pro : EMT

15. Shrimp kin : PRAWN

16. "__ John Malkovich" : BEING

17. Govt. nos. : SSNs

19. Spunkmeyer of cookie fame : OTIS

22. Pippi's do : BRAIDS

24. Trail food : GORP.  Read here. "Good Old Raisins and Peanuts" makes sense to me.

29. ICU sight : IV TUBE

32. Chat up : TALK TO

33. What's up? : SKIES. The clue is calling for singular SKY, isn't it?

35. Right hand: Abbr. : ASST

36. Checks in the accounting office : RE-ADDS

39. Actress Poehler : AMY

43. Where to get dates : PALMS. Date palms.

45. Old TV dial letters : UHF

46. Romanian coin : LEU. Learned from doing crosswords.

48. List on the left : FILE MENU

49. Acts like an opposite? : ATTRACTS. Nice clue.

50. Piece for a hood : ROD

51. "Kinderszenen" composer : SCHUMANN. Got via crosses. I know nothing about classical music. Anything western was forbidden when I grew up.

52. Milk for kids? : MOO JUICE

53. Unlikely lint-gatherer : OUTIE

54. "No ice, please" : NEAT

55. Qatar's capital : DOHA

56. Calling for a lookup? : ALOFT. Oh, like this. Are you going to get a new cat, Dave?

57. Not masc. or fem. : NEUT

59. Sunscreen letters : SPF

64. Rust, e.g. : OXIDE

65. Turkish bigwig : AGA. Or BEY.

67. Like an inner tube : TORIC

69. Mideast flier : EL AL

70. Legendary tree site : EDEN. Tree of Knowledge & Tree of Life.

71. Anderson of "WKRP in Cincinnati" : LONI

72. Distinctive time : EPOCH

74. Some NFL linemen : RTd (Right Tackles)

76. Mideast currency : SHEKEL. Israeli currency.

78. List in a subsequent printing, perhaps : ERRATA

79. Actress Tyler : LIV

81. Sound common to Boston and New York : ACCENT. I can't tell the distinctions between those two. 

82. Pontiac muscle car : GTO

83. Goal for explorer Coronado : ORO. Gold is "Kim" in Korean, as in Kim Jong-Il or Kim Jong-un.

85. "Up" studio : PIXAR

88. Ye follower, often : OLDE

89. Average mark : CEE

91. War precipitators : CRISES

95. Name of six popes : ADRIAN

96. Singer Warwick : DIONNE

98. Old trail terminus : OREGON

99. Barrie baddie : SMEE

101. City of Botany Bay flier : QANTAS. Acronym for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services".

102. 1800s Mexican leader Juárez : BENITO. I forgot this guy. We had him before.

103. Scheduled : SLATED

104. Ball focus : BELLE

105. Standard : USUAL

106. Errand runner : GOFER

107. Erase all doubt about : PROVE. Have any of you seen "Doubt"?  Is Father Flynn bad or innocent?

108. Attack : SET AT

110. Man-goat deity : FAUN. Satyr in Greek.

111. Doc-to-be's exam : MCAT

114. Clearance event : SALE

117. Reggae relative : SKA

119. "Vive le __!" : ROI

120. Rubbish receptacle : BIN

121. Heavy ref. : OED (Oxford English Dictionary)

C.C.

Saturday, May 3rd, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,X)

Blocks: 33

    A great puzzle from our Saturday Stalwart, Sr. Silk - we had to wait a bit since his last (Apr 5th; almost a month~!)  I liked this puzzle because I cheated, W.A.G.ed and actually knew some things, too - and that means I learned something.  Nifty little pinwheel design with double-word-only stacks in a spiral pattern, plus a couple more 9- and 10-letter words on the inside as well.  The "it looks easy" 4-4-5 across the top was deceiving, to say the least; some of the longer fill:

18a. Bonobo, e.g. : CHIMPANZEE - Also a musician

28d. Australian red formerly called Hermitage : SHIRAZ WINE - a guide for those who can partake of the alcoholic grape

47a. It needs to be refined : CRUDE METAL - Because CRUDE OIL was not enough - how about some crude metal hair band music?

3d. Out of order : ON THE BLINK - When I was growing up, it was usually the TV that suffered this malady

Flowers Onward~! (From C.C.: The blue-eyed girl?)

ACROSS:

1. Trudge : PLOD - Um, OK, so, TREK, WALK, STEP....

5. Sonoma County seat Santa __ : ROSA - A WAG off the "O"

9. Square : PLAZA - anyone else in "dweeb" mode here?  Oh, that kind of square

14. Late great? : LENO - Ah, the V-8 can - DUCK~!

15. Sci. subject : ASTRonomy - For some reason, I was pre-qualifying this as a "high school" subject, and not Science in general

16. Eponymous golf promoter Samuel : RYDER - His famous Ryder Cup is the prize for the winning team of USA vs. Europe players

17. FYI relative : ATTN.

20. Brief disclaimer : IMHO - Seen frequently here at the Blog, "In My Humble Opinion"

21. Provider of sound testimony? : EAR-WITNESS

22. Saw things : TEETH - Nailed it - did not fool me with "seeing"

24. Priceless? : FREE - Yup

25. Crayola color since 1949 : BRICK RED

28. Diving duck : SMEW - I tried TEAL

32. Uses a management training technique : ROLE PLAYS

34. Title imaginary friend in a Neil Diamond hit : SHILO - I have spent my music links

35. Fast ship : CLIPPER - "Fast ship? You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon?"

36. DVD staple : TRAILER - Annoying, actually - and I do not have Star Wars on DVD - just VHS ( for shame )

38. Silicon Valley college : MENLO - all perps

39. Tempo notation : ALLA BREVE

41. Slow : POKY

42. Liver delicacy : FOIE GRAS

43. "The Wizard of Oz" farmhand : ZEKE

44. San Diego State athlete : AZTEC - Total cheat on my part - Googled it

53. Policy pro : WONK - New word for me; these two across clues messed up the whole SE

54. Transcends : RISES ABOVE

55. Prefix with Aryan : INDO

56. Free __ : AGENT

57. "The Last King of Scotland" tyrant : AMIN

58. Caution to a German shepherd, say : NEIN - Ah, not "HEEL" - that would be a German Shepherd - ah, you deceiver, Barry Silk~!

59. Longtime NFL coach Schottenheimer : MARTY - WAG/perp for me

60. Stop : REST

61. Uruguay's Punta del __ : ESTE

DOWN:


1. Braid : PLAIT

2. "I can do it" : LET ME

4. Phrase in much computer-generated mail : DO NOT REPLY

5. Speed : RACE - RUSH was my first try

6. Federal inspection org. : OSHA

7. Cook quickly : STIR FRY

8. Compete in a strength contest : ARM WRESTLE

9. Jabber : PRATE

10. "Coal Miner's Daughter" subject : LYNN - Loretta

11. Shop shaper : ADZE - LATHE was too long, so I pondered RASP and FILE

12. You might catch a few : ZEES - Had it, removed it, put it back in

13. Father of Deimos : ARES - Greek Gods

19. Patchy : PIED - when this filled, I had to duck again

23. Semiaquatic heavyweight : HIPPO

26. Largest OH airport : CLEveland - Cincinnati's airport is actually in Covington, KY

27. Place to enjoy a sharp drinker? : KARAOKE BAR - musically "sharp", but most of the time, 'atonal' is a better way to describe it

29. Noteworthy events : MILESTONES

30. Abbr. on some city limit signs : ELEVation

31. Had on : WORE

32. Ottawa-based law gp. : RCMP - One of those "ooh, I know this one~!" answers

33. Stick on a fridge door : OLEO - another bit of misdirection that did not get past me - a stick of margarine, not a magnet

34. Tel Aviv native : SABRA

37. Syncopated piece : RAG

40. 1962 hit with the lyrics "the truth could mean I'd lose you" : LIE TO ME

42. Disaster relief org. : FEMA

43. Piquant : ZESTY

45. Split up : END IT

46. Designer fragrance : ck ONE

47. Squeeze : CRAM

48. Baltic seaport : RIGA - No more maps for you~!

49. End __ : USER

50. Noticeable progress : DENT - I am making a dent in my list of things to get done around here, and it feels good, too.  The rental apartment at mom's house is vacant again, so that needs to be cleaned up, I just replaced the valve cover gasket on my car, and changed the plugs; today I tackle the thermostat.  Now the battery idiot light came on in the other car -  the list never seems to get shorter....

51. Dollar alternative : AVIS - Rental car places

52. Nearly six-week period : LENT - An educated WAG

Splynter

Friday, May 2, 2014, Gareth Bain

Theme: C'mon boys, saddle up and let's go get 'em.

The letters EM are added to 4 in the language phrases with an extremely clever reveal. We are back basking in the complicated mind of our favorite South African veterinarian, GARETH Bain, who as you can see from the Interview linked has been with us almost from the beginning of the switch to the LA Times, which coincided with his getting published in the US. The reveal HOLD 'EM, is reminiscent of his first puzzle where the letters ON were removed, with the reveal NIXON. I really enjoy how he locks onto these words and phrases and builds a puzzle. He also obviously works very hard to use a varied fill drawing from many parts of pop and historic culture. He also manages to make the puzzles very accessible to Americans despite his own background. We also get some interesting animal information. Finally, there is some really fun long down fill (to keep from being confused with the across where the theme is) like DAIRY FARMER, KODAK MOMENT. It is so obvious how much effort he puts in to his grid, still finding time for his work and blogging at Crossword Fiend.

19A. Organized group of female monarchs? : EMPRESS CORPS (12). A nice visual of Queen Elizabeth hosting a bunch of female world leaders; more interesting than a bunch of news people.

30A. Ingredient in a concrete American flag? : RED CEMENT (9). A simple penny becomes another visual.

40A. Plastic leg bone? : FAKE FEMUR.(9).Fake fur no more.

53A. Line of hunky monarchs? : HEMAN DYNASTY.(12). I am not an expert on the Han Dynasty, but we have C.C. and others to fill in the blanks. (Note from C.C.: My hometown Xi'An (called Chang'An then) was the capital city of Han Dynasty. Xi'An was the capital city to four Chinese dynasties: Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang. Hence my given name Zhouqin. Chinese written characters are called "Han characters", and over 90% of Chinese are ethically Han people). (Correction: ethnically. Thanks, Big Easy!)

and the reveal

57A. Poker variety ... and what the four longest across answers do? : HOLD 'EM.

Across:

1. It comes from goats : MOHAIR. We begin in the animal kingdom, but my mind goes to this LINK.

7. Old hand : PRO. Gareth was 22 and just beginning in 2009, now he is an old pro.

10. Margery of nursery rhyme : DAW. An old time British (Steve?) nursery rhyme that I heard in my early days. WATCH. (0:53).

13. Reason to be at sea? : ENIGMA. This is the idiom, being at sea, as lost confused.

14. Leak slowly : SEEP.

15. Pub choice : ALE. For Tin and my children.

16. Colorful freshwater fish : TETRAS.

17. 1994 Schwarzenegger film : TRUE LIES. Some very funny parts with Jamie Lee Curtis.

21. Waterskiing challenges : WAKES. from the boat pulling you.

24. Role for Ronny : OPIE. The old Andy Griffith Show gets lots of puzzle exposure.

25. Blood __ : TYPE. Clecho alert!

26. Blood system letters : A B O.

27. Pelion neighbor : MT. OSSA. There is also one in Tasmania, but we climb here in GREECE.

29. Vulpine critter : FOX. More animal info, one of the many groups ending in INE, reminiscent of a recent puzzle.

33. Overwhelming amount : SEA.

35. Feel a strong desire (for) : STARVE. Affection anyone?

36. Former German chancellor Adenauer : KONRAD. I do remember DER ALTE.

39. Fancy carp : KOI. The goldfish of the rich.

43. Mooch : BUM When I smoked it was often OP cigarettes.

45. "Cows of Our Planet" cartoonist : LARSON. The far Side guy.

47. Mesozoic, e.g. : ERA.

48. Old folk song composer, often: Abbr. : ANON. A shout out to our trolls.

50. Bread often served with ghee : NAAN.

51. Hat material : STRAW.

56. Catholic recitation phrase : AVE MARIA. Latin.

61. Chess components : MEN. Even the Queen; very un-pc.

62. Parker array : PENS. Old time company.  LINK.

63. Restless feeling : UNEASE.

64. Hill occupant : ANT. If it is three letters, it is ant.

65. Anti-aging treatment target : SAG. I will not link any pictures out of respect.

66. Named : TERMED. This was tricky, even thought it makes sense.

Down:

1. Ran into : MET.

2. 1992 U2 song : ONE. Do you really remember songs by the year? LISTEN.(4:36).

3. Popular song : HIT. Perfect follow up to the song. Do you...

4. Correspond : AGREE.

5. Mosque VIPs : IMAMS.

6. Gravelly sound : RASP. Janis Joplin?

7. Don't give up : PERSIST.

8. Practices one of the environmental three R's : RE-USES. I was not familiar with this CONCEPT.

9. Barrel-conscious gp. : OPEC. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

10. Jersey owner, maybe : DAIRY FARMER. Jersey Cows, unrelated to Gary Larson, but nicer clue/fill.

11. Syria's most populous city : ALEPPO. Not Damascus. LEARN.

12. Thomas Hardy setting : WESSEX. All you need to know and MORE.

14. Squish : STEP ON.

18. Nephew of Abraham : LOT. I wonder if he learned to hate salt? Anyway, did anyone see NOAH?

20. Dull repetition : ROTE. Not Kyle or Tobin....

21. Cola __ : WARS.

22. Help in a heist : ABET.

23. Ideal time to snap? : KODAK MOMENT. Really great fill.

27. Bovary title: Abbr. : MME. Abbreviation of the French Madame.

28. Starting from : AS OF.

31. HUN neighbor, to the IOC : CROatia. The International Olympic Committee like three letter Country names.

32. Baleful : EVIL.

34. Capt.'s course : ENE.

36. Knowledge : KEN. From the Scottish I believe and unrelated to Barbie.

37. Mystique : AURA.

38. Billiards backspin : DRAW. Another example of the wonderfully diverse knowledge in a GB puzzle.

40. Wearing a lot : FRAYING. A fun reverse clue, where the wear is on a tear.

41. Yoga class regimen : ASANAS. A new yoga STUDIO opened 100 feet from my apartment.

42. Hawaiian coffee-growing region : KONA. I wonder where all of our Hawaii readers are hiding.

43. Grand __ : BAHAMA. Freeport, very close to Fort Lauderdale.

44. Spotty : UNEVEN.

46. Lead singer of the Irish rock group The Corrs : ANDREA. Hmm, U2, the Corrs...

49. Where many vets served : NAM. Too many died.

51. Peach pit : STONE.

52. "House of Payne" creator __ Perry : TYLER. TV show from the very successful producer/actor. LINK.(2:37)

54. Snoozes : NAPS.

55. Turned (off) : SHUT.

58. Sire's mate : DAM. Our final animal clue of the day.

59. Legal closing? : ESE. Legalese.

60. Club __ : MED. Short for Mediterranean and the first of the all-inclusive vacation sites.

I had such a good time I may have gotten carried away; thanks Gareth and I hope you all enjoy the tour.  Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

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.

I look forward to seeing some of you there. You'll love this year's puzzles!

Left to right: Tom Pepper; Marcia J. Brott; George Barany; David Hanson; DK, C.C.; Andrea; Boomer & Victor Barocas

June 2013 

Thursday, May 1, 2014 Mary Lou Guizzo

Theme: Triple-O

17. Canadian city named for a historic battle site : WATERLOO, ONTARIO. Home of the BlackBerry smart phone. I saw the three O's here and suspected a theme was in progress. Tic-tac-toe row? Hugs, on an envelope? Reading after resetting? Out of office?

25. Stressed commuter's complaint : IT'S A ZOO OUT THERE. Nice zippy fill. And yep, it fits the theme.

43. "Enough kid stuff!" : I'M TOO OLD FOR THIS. My sentiments, exactly.

57. Totally lacks pep : HAS NO OOMPH AT ALL.  I always say "I'm too pooped to pop." (And that has six O's!!!)

65. Triatomic gas in a thinning layer ... and, symbolically, what appears in this puzzle's four longest answers : OZONE. Chemical symbol O3.

I liked the conversational feel of # 2 and #3, and I do like the word OOMPH. "Honestly officer, I wasn't speeding. I was going OO MPH!"

Marti here, to 'splain the rest.

Across:

1. 2003 NFL rushing leader __ Lewis : JAMAL. He helped win Super Bowl XXXV as a rookie with the Ravens.

6. "Shoot!" : DARN.

10. Pro-prohibition org. : WCTU. (Tinbeni, cover your ears.) "Women's Christian Temperance Union."

14. Olds compact : ALERO.

15. EKTORP sofa seller : IKEA. Ektorp is a mansion in Haningen, Sweden. I am not sure if that is why the IKEA sofa is so-called. Doesn't look too much like mansion material to me...

Ektorp sofa

16. 1800s law-enforcement family name : EARP.

20. Mom, to auntie : SIS.

21. Merits : EARNS.

22. John who sang "Daniel" : ELTON. My music link!

23. "Star Trek" spinoff, briefly : TNG. "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

24. Part of a stable diet? : OAT. Mr. Ed, can you eat just one?

34. Horned beast : RHINO.

35. Main points : GISTS.

36. Statesman Hammarskjöld : DAG. Anyone growing up in the fifties remembers him. He died in a plane crash that is still shrouded in mystery.

37. Fine things? : ARTS. The fine ARTS. Traditionally they consisted of painting, sculpture, music, poetry and architecture. Now "Fine ARTS" also includes film and performance art.

38. Scrabble squares : TILES.

39. Kitchen timer sound : DING. I have a new LG Double oven range that plays musical chimes and tunes for me. Love it!

40. Acting as : QUA. Loose translation of the Latin.

41. Canonized fifth-cen. pope : ST LEO.

42. Best : OUTDO.

46. Narc's find : PCP. Short for 1-(1-phenylcyclohexyl)piperidine), also called Phencyclidine. Known on the street as Angel dust, KJ (kristal joint), Ashy Larry, illy, or wet.

47. "Yo!" : HEY. Adrian!

48. Rouge target : CHEEK.

51. Orbiting phenomenon : ZERO G.ravity.

54. Red leader : MAO.

60. "The Time Machine" race : ELOI.

61. Move like a monarch : FLIT.

62. Bare : NAKED.

63. Peel : ZEST.

64. Dieter's calculation : FATS. I'll take mine unsaturated, please.


Down:

1. Benchley thriller : JAWS.

Dum-dum, dum-dum, dum-dum….

2. Jai __ : ALAI.

3. Team with a skyline in its logo : METS. Total WAG for me.

4. Is for two? : ARE. Didn't fool me this time!

5. Medici known as "the Magnificent" : LORENZO. He was the patron of artists like Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo.

6. Gucci rival : DIOR.

7. Senegalese-American rapper : AKON. Other than his rap fame, he holds the Guinness #1 record for top-selling ringtones.

8. Popular '20s cars : REOS.

9. Indian bread : NAN.

10. Prosperity : WEALTH.

11. Market vehicle : CART.

12. Jazz combo, often : TRIO.

13. Informed about : UP ON.  Is it just me, or did a lot of today's clues seem really straight-forward?

18. Vacación destination : LAGO. I visited LAGO Como last summer while I was on vacanza in Italy. Same word in Spanish and Italian for "lake."

19. Milk sources : TEATS.

23. Salon goals : TANS.

24. Giant Mel et al. : OTTS.

25. Samarra native : IRAQI.

26. Finger-tapping sound : THRUM.

27. Pull a chair up to : SIT AT.

28. Disney's "Darby __ and the Little People" : O'GILL. I don't remember this 1959 movie, but it starred Sean Connery as the love interest of Darby's daughter.

29. Pie-eyed : OILED. I only know the term "well OILED" as a substitute for "drunk."

30. Make __: employ : USE OF.

31. Mrs. Roosevelt : EDITH.

32. "Amazing" illusionist : RANDI. Debunker of paranormal charlatans.

"The Amazing Randi"

33. Pop-up frozen fare : EGGOS.

38. Firebird option : T-TOP.

39. Tax : DUTY.

41. Successful, in slang : SOCKO.

42. Pizzeria herb : OREGANO.

44. "Let's see what you got!" : OPEN IT.

45. "Yikes!" : OH-OH!

48. Café sign word : CHEZ.

49. Healthy : HALE.

50. Those, in Tijuana : ESOS.

51. "J'accuse" author : ZOLA.

52. Throw out : EMIT. Hands up for "toss?"

53. Sch. research papers : RPTS.

54. Shortfin or longfin predator : MAKO.

55. Architect William Van __ : ALEN. You may know him as the architect of this N.Y. icon.

Chrysler Building

56. Merrie __ England : OLDE.

58. Broadway opening? : OFF. "Off-Broadway" gave rise to the "Obie" awards. (O-B.)

59. Toon spinner : TAZ.

The Tasmanian Devil

And that's my spin on today's puzzle!

Marti

Wednesday April 30th, 2014 Steve Blais

Theme: Multiple Meltdowns. Each theme entry features some form of personal crisis.

17A. What an angry mermaid might do? : GO OFF THE DEEP END

26A. What an angry Santa might do? : HIT THE ROOF

46A. What an angry Humpty Dumpty might do? : GO TO PIECES

59A. What an angry witch might do? : FLY OFF THE HANDLE

Good morning everyone - Steve here with Mr. Blais' latest. Four solid theme entries and one possible unifier hidden away at 57D. I enjoyed the cluing style for the theme, and I had a couple of missteps here and there but nothing too dramatic. Let's see what else we've got.

Across:

1. Minor error : LAPSE

6. Catcall : JEER. Sports fans are prone to do this after a 1A.

10. Vishnu incarnation : RAMA. Just one of his ten avatars.

14. "This Old House" carpenter Norm : ABRAM

15. Like many a shoppe : OLDE. Often seen with "Ye" and "Gifte" also.

16. Color of Death's dart, in "Venus and Adonis" : EBON. Nice clue for the poetic "black". I didn't realize that Shakespeare wrote the poem.

20. Not many : SOME

21. Pop's bro : UNC. Do you cry "Uncle" if he's got you in a headlock?

22. Hard to figure out : KNOTTY

23. "Baseball Tonight" airer : ESPN. Originally the "Entertainment and Sports Programming Network". Pretty much just sports now.

25. Not good : POOR

30. Frozen dessert franchise : TCBY. All crosses, I'd never heard of this chain.

34. Part of NCAA: Abbr. : ATH. From the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

35. Don't exist : AREN'T

36. Pong developer : ATARI

37. Supermodel Cheryl : TIEGS. Multiple cover appearances for Sports Illustrated and Time magazines.

39. 1860s govt. for four years : CSA. This was my last fill in the grid - I had CIA for no good reason at first, and then saw that ONIET wasn't going to cut it.

40. Still in bed : NOT UP

41. Accustom : ENURE

42. Western Wyoming county : TETON. Home of the Grand Teton National Park.

44. __-Foy, Quebec : STE

45. Tabula __: blank slate : RASA

48. Opportunity, metaphorically : DOOR. "As one door closes another opens".

50. Backside : REAR

51. Verdict challenge : APPEAL

54. Spot for a facial : SPA

56. Pool float : RAFT

62. Undecided : TORN

63. Smallest Great Lake by volume : ERIE. Lake Ontario is the smallest by area.

64. Where subs are assembled : DELIS. Because "Naval Shipyards" doesn't fit.

65. __' Pea : SWEE

Scooner Seawell Georgia Washenting Christiffer Columbia Daniel Boom

66. Actress Meg : RYAN

67. Skilled : ADEPT

Down:

1. Internet connectivity frustrations : LAGS

2. Peek-__ : ABOO

3. Titan who gave fire to humans : PROMETHEUS. Zeus was annoyed about this, and shackled him to a rock to have his liver eaten anew each day by a raven. Not one to be trifled with, that Zeus fellow.

4. Least risky : SAFEST

5. "Unbelievable" techno-funk band : EMF. This was their first single and topped the charts in many countries including the USA, but not their native UK.

6. Philosopher Locke : JOHN

7. Gas alternative: Abbr. : ELEC

8. Former "Tonight Show" announcer Hall : EDD

9. Be strongly pervaded with : REEK OF. Usually in a bad way.

10. Keep apprised of one's activities, as a superior : REPORT TO

11. Assist with a crime : ABET

12. Chamonix peak : MONT. I confidently filled in ALPE first. I've skied Mont Blanc from Chamonix. The village is pretty.

13. Garcia of "Ocean's Eleven" : ANDY

18. Pitch-changing pro : TUNER. I was thinking baseball for the longest time. Nice misdirection.

19. Brian who produced or co-produced several Talking Heads albums : ENO. Brian's been popular in recent puzzles.

24. Terrible twos, one hopes : PHASE

25. Chips-to-be : POTATO

26. Fan's opposite : HATER. Plenty of the anti-Lakers variety here in Los Angeles.

27. Turner memoir : I, TINA

28. Parish head : RECTOR

29. First stage : ONSET

31. String-pulling game : CAT'S CRADLE. It's been a long time since I played this game - I'd almost forgotten about it.

32. Ogre : BRUTE

33. "Holy mackerel!" : YIPES

36. Lennox of the Eurythmics : ANNIE. The foodie anthem: "Sweet dreams are made of cheese, who am I to dis a Brie? I Cheddar the world and the Feta cheese. Everybody's looking for Stilton"

38. Elementary level : GRADE ONE. Hmmm - not sure about this one as clued. Wouldn't "First Grade" be more correct? I think of "grade one" as "of the best quality".

43. Book club leader for 15 years : OPRAH

46. One following a course : GOLFER. Following very approximately in my case. I've seen parts of golf courses rarely visited by humans. I once had to climb down a cliff in Wales to retrieve my driver from the rocks below - my hands were so cold it flew out of my grip when I teed off. We repaired to the clubhouse for medicinal whisky and a fireside seat shortly afterwards.

47. Worked for : EARNED

49. Big ape : OAF

51. Times to call, in ads : AFTS. Afternoons.

52. Field machine : PLOW

53. Flammable pile : PYRE

54. Branch of Islam : SHIA

55. Hammer part : PEEN

57. Lose one's cool : FLIP. This could be the theme unifier, but it's not noted as such. I'm going to call it anyway.

58. Quiz : TEST

60. Do one's best : TRY

61. Aquafresh tube letters : ADA. Toothy smiles all round.

And with that, I'm done!

Steve.

Note from C.C.:

Here are a few beautiful photos from JD's Puerto Rico trip. (Correction: Costa Rica trip.)  Please click here for more pictures and her notes. She made a whole album of 97 brightly-colored pictures.

 

 

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 Jack McInturff

Theme:Don't Lose It - KEEPER can follow the first word of the entries.

18. Generic product : STORE BRAND. Like the mercantile retailer in an oater, STOREKEEPER.

26A. Xbox One, for one : GAME CONSOLE. GAMEKEEPER Perhaps there is one employed at Downton Abbey?

37A. Referee's call : "TIME OUT!". Then he may request the TIMEKEEPER put 3 more seconds on the clock.

47A. Image on many tie-dyed shirts : PEACE SYMBOL. Meanwhile, back at the oater, a different idea of a PEACE KEEPER.

 

62A. Angler's "I don't have to throw this one back," and hint to the first word of 18-, 26-, 37- and 47-Across : "IT'S A KEEPER". Say, do we have any anglers here?

Argyle here. I say this puzzle is a keeper.

Across:

1. Cabbage side : SLAW

5. Airplane maneuver : CLIMB. Can't hardly be called a plane if can't CLIMB, right Dudley?

10. Cookbook amts. : TSPs

14. Go it alone : SOLO. Also, airplane related.

15. Wild West movie : OATER

16. Peter Fonda's beekeeper : ULEE

17. Nursery school adhesive : GLUE

20. Southern Florida "trail" that's a portmanteau of the two cities it connects : TAMIAMI

22. Generating, as interest on an account : EARNING

23. Move covertly : SLINK

25. Bert's buddy : ERNIE. from Sesame Street.

30. Indiana hoopster : PACER. They are members of the Central Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association.

31. Aegean island : IOS. But a search brings up iOS now; a phablet from Apple?

32. Computer input : DATA

36. Hold the title to : OWN

41. Young fellow : LAD

42. Barely makes, with "out" : EKES

44. Toyota __4: SUV model : RAV

45. Desert stopover : OASIS

51. Woodland deity : SATYR

54. Singer Lisa et al. : LOEBS

55. Readying a field, say : PLOWING

58. Fortified position : BASTION

64. Rooney of "60 Minutes" : ANDY. RIP

65. Sly look : LEER

66. Packed like sardines : IN OIL

67. Subject of adoration : ICON

68. Family chart : TREE

69. Group in pews : LAITY. Don't preach to the choir; preach to the laity.

70. Old-timey "not" : NARY. Nary a nit. Not likely.

Down:

1. NCO rank : SSGT. No mention a service branch can save a nit. (maybe)

2. Kinks girl who "walks like a woman and talks like a man" : LOLA

3. University grad : ALUM

4. Cry of distress : "WOE IS ME!"

5. Like some rays and dust : COSMIC

6. Spanglish speaker, often : LATINO

7. "Who am __ argue?" : I TO

8. Little more than : MERE

9. La __ Tar Pits : BREA

10. Show embarrassment : TURN RED

11. Done in, as a dragon : SLAIN

12. Old Finnish cent : PENNI

 

13. Marsh plant : SEDGE

19. Belgian composer Jacques : BREL. We've had him before but not often.

21. Make aware : ALERT

24. Evel on a bike : KNIEVEL. We've had him before but not often his last name.

26. Stare unsubtly : GAWK

27. Pimply condition : ACNE

28. U.S./Canada's __ Canals : SOO. Part of C.C.'s theme not too long ago.

29. Sch. whose mascot is Brutus Buckeye : OSU

 

30. "The Raven" poet : POE

33. Furthermore : ALSO

34. Wagger on the dog : TAIL. Cute.

35. Promos : ADS

38. 401(k) kin, briefly : IRA

39. Apple product : MAC. So is iOS.

40. Burial places : TOMBS

43. Surreptitious data-collecting computer program : SPYWARE

46. Choose not to vote : ABSTAIN

48. Estrada of "CHiPs" : ERIK

49. "Amen!" : "SO BE IT!"

50. Every September, say : YEARLY

51. Like milk on the floor : SPILT

52. Modify : ALTER

53. "We're off __ the wizard ..." : TO SEE

56. Playwright Simon : NEIL

57. Rowlands of "Gloria" : GENA. An old video of the song.

59. Ancient Andean : INCA

60. Fragrance : ODOR

61. Part of a B'way address : NY, NY. But truthfully, many places have a 'Broadway".

63. Hawaiian dish : POI

 

Argyle