Sunday July 20, 2014 Fred Piscop

Theme:  "Frat Pack" - Greek letters span across each theme entry.

 23A. *Hit that just clears the infield : BLOOP SINGLE

 25A. *Recyclable metal : SCRAP IRON. Quite a few candidates to embed PI, PSI, RHO, MU, ETA & NU.

 42A. *Clara, to Tabitha, on "Bewitched" : GREAT AUNT. The TAU is limited.

 55A. *Legislation of 2001 : PATRIOT ACT. Very very limited choices for this one and 86A, given the letter length.

 76A. *Hippo : RIVER HORSE

 86A. *Half a team's schedule : HOME GAMES

 107A. *Typical Western : SHOOT 'EM UP

 37D. *Delayed reaction : DOUBLE TAKE

 45D. *Run into : HAPPEN UPON

Reveal entry:

109A. One spans two words in each answer to a starred clue : GREEK LETTER

I'm so glad there's a reveal entry. I would not have guessed the gimmick with the "Frat Party" title alone, unless those Greek letters are circled. But Rich can't use circles on Sundays due to technical issues.

Fred Piscop is a veteran constructor and his puzzles are always super smooth and clean. I love his bio at Stan's Newsday:"...  When he’s not puzzling, he plays keyboards in a rock band, samples microbrews, and collects spelling errors in comic strips."

Fred Piscop, David Kahn, Liz Gorsk, ACPT 2011

 Across:     

1. Rad relative : NEATO

6. Take second : PLACE. Win, Place & Show.

11. Downloaded 'zine : EMAG

15. Most minigolf pars : TWOS

19. "Good Eats" host Brown : ALTON. Goofy guy. We also have 28. "Order up!" shouter : COOK

20. Party hearty : REVEL. Only heard of "Party hardy".

21. Matching __ : PAIR

22. Smooth-talking : OILY

27. City on I-5 : SANTA ANA. Know the city, not I-5 though.

30. Pequod co-owner : PELEG. "Moby-Dick".

31. Plunk (down) : PUT.  And 44. Stopped operating, with "down" : SHUT

32. It's a fact : DATUM. So is 5-letter TRUTH.

34. Inferior, in slang : CHEESY

35. eBay users, at times : BIDDERS

39. Car loan figs. : APRs. Annual Percentage Rate.

40. Ell or tee : JOINT

41. Romantic affair : AMOUR

48. Source of fries : SPUD. This is how I cook potatoes. Ignore the Szechuan peppercorn. Too hot.

49. Elisabeth of "Gracie" : SHUE

51. Silas Marner, e.g. : MISER

53. Words on an initial reference volume : A TO (A to Z, e.g.)

54. Johnny __ : REB

59. Quaker in the forest : ASPEN

61. Players in a July contest : ALL-STARS. I mentioned that the ticket was too high for me. The price for Super Bowl 2018 is at least twice ridiculous.

64. Radium co-discoverer : CURIE

65. Curt : SNIPPY

66. Silk-stocking : ELITE

67. Many mottoes are written in it : LATIN. MN has a French motto: L'Étoile du Nord.

68. Diagonal line, on some score sheets : SPARE. Bowling.

69. On key : IN TUNE

71. Toaster opening : HERE'S

72. Gin cocktails : MARTINIS. Hey, Bond again, Splynter!

75. Mary __: ill-fated ship : DEARE

78. Prefix with sex : UNI

79. Cartoon shriek : EEK

80. One of Mexico's 31 : STATE. Estado.

82. Like Solomon : WISE

83. Top : APEX

84. Calculus calculation : AREA

90. Skip the festivities, in a way : ELOPE

91. "King of the Bullwhip" star : LARUE. Lash LaRue.

93. Logician Turing : ALAN. Got a royal pardon last year.

94. Brings up : PARENTS

96. Author Allende : ISABEL. She does not like being compared to Gabriel García Márquez.

98. Loses crispness : WILTS

99. Baseball's Steroid __ : ERA.  And 40D. Steroids, slangily : JUICE. Can't stand this guy.

100. Successor to Bess : MAMIE

101. Bris, e.g. : RITE

102. Put forward again, as a claim : RE-ASSERT

112. Back : HIND

113. Used up : GONE

114. Boston College athlete : EAGLE. Gimme for Marti/Barry G/Dudley.

115. Name meaning "born again" : RENEE. Re-Nee.

116. Sport scored electronically : EPEE. Look, new clue for EPEE.

117. Sees : GETS

118. Put up with : STOOD

119. Marshy lowland : SWALE

   

Down:

1. Collars : NABS

2. Raines of old movies : ELLA. Not familiar with this lady.

3. Zillions : A TON. And 92. Not much : A BIT

4. Traffic sound : TOOT

5. "Well, it looked good __" : ON PAPER

6. Dusting may reveal them : PRINTS. Nice clue.

7. Olin of "Chocolat" : LENA

8. ERA part: Abbr. : AVG

9. "Snow White" frame : CEL

10. Sophocles tragedy : ELECTRA. Sister of  Orestes.

11. Derby town : EPSOM

12. Vehicle brand with a bulldog in its logo : MACK

 

13. Pump output : AIR

14. Golf club shaft material : GRAPHITE

15. Rest stop features : TOILETS

16. What spies may wear : WIRES

17. Curriculum suffix : OLOGY

18. One-word def. : SYN. Oh, I see, like how dictionary defines "Sexy" as "Glamorous".

24. Reptilian tail? : SAUR. OK, like Dinosaur.

26. Hammer end : PEEN

29. Drum out : OUST

32. Risk taker : DARER. Phil Mickelson, who has GUTS (42D. Nerve).

33. Make fun of : APE

34. Occasionally amended doc. : CONST. No idea. Constitution?

35. City of southeastern Iraq : BASRA

36. Urge forward : IMPEL

38. Flop : DUD

43. At full throttle : AMAIN

46. Lone Star State sch. : UT EP. University of Texas at El Paso.

47. "West Side Story" hero : TONY. Maria's boyfriend. We have Hmong gangs here in MN.

49. Dramatic outpouring : SPATE

50. Hound's prey : HARE

52. Charged : RAN AT

56. Empathetic words : I CARE

57. Word with ear or wear : OUTER

58. McEvoy of cosmetics : TRISH. High-priced.

60. Voice of the iPhone : SIRI

62. Talk like a lush : SLUR

63. Points at the table? : TINES. Great clue.

65. Shopping __ : SPREE. Come visit Mall of America, Gary!

67. New Orleans protector : LEVEE

68. Get wise with : SASS

69. "That's the general __" : IDEA

70. Not e'en once : NE'ER

71. Blackjack request : HIT ME

72. Sports doc's pics : MRIs

73. Klutzy : INEPT

74. Boxcars, for high rollers : SIXES. No idea. I'm not even a low roller.

76. The Phantom's rival : RAOUL

77. Berlin Olympics star : OWENS

81. Like some omelets : THREE-EGG. What's your typical breakfast, D-Otto?

83. It's drawn in bars : ALE

85. Dessert menu phrase : A LA MODE

87. Pace : GAIT

88. Asserts without proof : ALLEGES

89. Yoga class need : MAT

90. Mistake-fixing tools : ERASERS

94. Snuck a look : PEEKED

95. Sea divided by shrinkage : ARAL. What does "divided by shrinkage" mean? The Russians say Aral Sea has stopping shrinking.

96. Beatnik's "Got it!" : I'M HIP

97. River to the Rhone : SAONE

98. Cleaning cloths : WIPES

101. Pipsqueak : RUNT

102. Move, to a Realtor : RELO

103. Gumbo, for example : STEW

104. Mount near Catania : ETNA

105. Irish dance : REEL

106. One with rings : TREE. Tree rings.

107. __-crab soup : SHE. Never had it. How strange, she-crab.

108. Bossy Stooge : MOE. Here there, Chairman Moe!

110. Informer : RAT

111. It may be massive : EGO

C.C.

Saturday, Jul 19th, 2014, Mark Bickham

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,V,Z)

Blocks: 26

    Who would we get today, I wondered; Brad, Doug, Mark...?  Ah, Mr. Bickham, with an enjoyable, but odd-looking puzzle today, having just a smattering of single blocks in the central part of the grid; low count, too.  It was not until I started on the Down clues that I noticed the FOUR climbers, and yet they were actually easier for me than some of the shorter fill.  Triple 10 corners, and two 8-letter answers on the inside.  I had to 'cheat' and turn on red letters to find one letter - the very first one.  First time for everything, I guess....the 4 climbers:

2d. ESPN talk show : OUTSIDE THE LINES - I don't watch ESPN, so this was a WAG based on sports more than the show itself

3d. Sport with end zones : ULTIMATE FRISBEE - I have played some Frisbee golf, but not this game, sort of like football meets basketball

12d. Best Picture of 1951, with "An" : AMERICAN IN PARIS - Never saw it, but with the few crossings I had, it came pretty easily

13d. Passive disapproval : SILENT TREATMENT - I'm not saying anything....get it?

O (may The Force be with me) nward~?

ACROSS:

1. Challenge for a comedian : TOUGH CROWD - First letter wrong?  Seemed OK having "Rough Crowd", but I missed "RHU" as the Holy 1d

11. Residencia : CASA - logical WAG; sounded Spanish for 'residence', so, Spanish for house

15. Uproar : HULLABALOO 

16. In : AMID

17. Lawlessness : UTTER CHAOS 

18. Solder : WELD - I can solder - wires and copper pipes.  I was asked a week or so ago if I knew how to braze brass; never did it

19. Fourier series function : SINE - Never heard the term fourier, but once I had --NE, I figured....more on the math from Wiki

20. D.C.'s __ Stadium : RFK - Renamed in 1969 after the assassination of Robert Kennedy; we had the Triborough Bridge renamed RFK Bridge here in NYC in 2008; not sure why it took 40 years....

21. 2015 destination of the Dawn space probe : CERES - One of two proto-planets in the asteroid belt; more from NASA

22. Edge : RIM

23. Bird that grew as tall as 12 feet : MOA - went with "ROC" - only 33.3% right, but this time, my "O" counts, D-otto~!

25. Stranded, perhaps : ICED IN

27. City NE of Amsterdam : EDAM - filled via perps

29. Cry of dismay : OH DEAR - Tried OH GEEZ, but couldn't think of a color with Z besides Azure...oh those eyes...

31. Place with a seat: Abbr. : CTY - CounTY

33. Charm : FETISH - The first definition refers to 'an object regarded...as being the embodiment...of magical powers'; I am more familiar with the psychological definition.... who me~?  a fetish~!?

35. Reflect : MEDITATE

37. "Dumb and Dumberer" actress : OTERI - The third installment is due in Nov this year

38. Profs' aides : TAs - Teaching Assistants

39. "Jazz in Silhouette" composer : SUN RA - Perps and a WAG; more here

40. Blood typing concern : Rh FACTOR

42. Former Canadian film awards : GENIES - another thing that went through a renaming process; once called the "Etrogs"

43. Debussy subject : MER

44. Vistula River city : KRAKOW

46. Biol. branch : ANATomy

47. Smooth cotton fabrics : LISLEs

49. __ crawl : PUB - ah, the days gone by....

51. Scoreboard fig. : PTs

52. Piano bar standard : MISTY - "Play Misty for me...."

53. Asian festival : TET

55. Good earth : LOAM

57. "Walk __": 1964 hit : ON BY

58. One of Sophocles' Theban plays : OEDIPUS REX

61. Stagger : REEL

62. Bond holding? : DRY MARTINI - excellent 'misdirection'; gratuitous Daniel pic for C.C. - are you shaken, or stirred, C.C.? (From C.C.:  Stirred! Thanks, Splynter. Email Me Maybe, Daniel?)

63. "Gotcha" : "I SEE" - Dr. Venkman's response to Dean Yager

64. Some finals : ESSAY TESTS
       
DOWN:

1. There's a holy one every yr. : THU - I just learned it's Maundy Thursday, tho I have heard this term before

4. Singer Campbell : GLEN - Here's the only song I know; I had the 45, and played it til it skipped; "like a...like a...like a...."

5. Sultan's group : HAREM - Got it....the answer, not the women

6. Ottawa-based media org. : CBC - Canadian Broadcasting Corproation

7. Spirited : RAH-RAH

8. Norwegian saint : OLAF

9. Wielders of weapons called bowcasters : WOOKIEES - I just noticed that the word is spelled W-O-O-K-I-E-E - being in the down position, I was thrown off by the "I" and two "E"s...

10. Cuts : DOs - Haircuts kind of Dos

11. Emulated a rook : CAWED - Rook, the bird, not the chess piece; I am building a "rook table", and ran into an interesting problem - so now I have a question for the math whizzes on the blog here - see below

14. Puts together : ADDS

21. Berry hue : CERISE - had to dredge this word up from the depths

22. Change for the better : REFORM

24. Excited cry : "OOH~!"

26. Heel : CAD

28. Sorvino of "Mighty Aphrodite" : MIRA

30. Old bread, briefly : D-MARK - Deutsche Mark until the Euro in 2002 - that kind of bread

32. Bakers' buys : YEASTS - Dah!  Not doughs; but I guess they would MAKE those, wouldn't they....

34. Not well : SICKLY - Considered AILING

36. __ salad : TUNA

38. They're often busy at breakfast : TOASTERS

41. Square root of nove : TRE

42. D.C. school named for a president : GWU - A school?  In D.C.?  Named for a president?   Such a novel idea~!

45. Kia model : OPTIMA

48. Panache : STYLE -

50. Divulge, with "out" : BLURT

52. Memento __: reminder of mortality : MORI

54. Slow Churned ice cream : EDY's

56. Bone: Pref. : OSTE

58. Tribute of a sort : ODE

59. Yield a return : PAY

60. They follow the nus : XIs

 Splynter

 - The math problem - I designed the base of my Rook Table with a slope, and essentially, it's just crown moulding installed at the bottom, not the top.  I have a compound sliding mitre saw, but I was shocked to find that the two angles for the cuts ( bevel, mitre ) are NOT what I thought.  I had to go online to find them, because I couldn't do the math - so who here understands the math behind the numbers?

Friday July 18, 2014, Robin Stears

Theme: Does this puzzle go both ways?

In another variation of the letter substitution puzzle, Robin removes the letter "H" from some common phrases and inserts an "IT" in its place, and the resulting new phrases are skillfully clued. The clincher is the very witty reveal which reparses Switch Hit  to Switch H IT. As you all know by now, for me the reveal is critical to the enjoyment of this style of puzzle, and I love IT!  Robin has been with the LAT for many years going back to this PUZZLE She also is active on Twitter, and commenting on puzzles as well as having her own SITE promoting her puzzles and some books she has authored. This puzzle for me had the feel of a Friday with a low word count, no classic crosswordese and some fun 7 and 8 letter fill. ACETONE, ADOPTEE, ASUNDER, CELESTE, FERRARO, ROBERTS, CHATROOM, ETRUSCAN, LOIS LANE, SUGAR PEA.


17A. Imp who annoys the webmaster? : SITE DEVIL. (9) SHE DEVIL transformed. Odd to see this paired with its homonym as part of the theme.

24A. Security group at a protest? : SIT IN GUARDS. (11) SHIN GUARDS an appropriate fill for World Cup time, harkens back memories of college in the 60's.

34A. Quote from "Guerrilla Warfare"? : CITE GUEVARA. (11) CHE GUEVERA was another major player in the 60's media.

49A. Improved Gemini missile? : BETTER TITAN.(11)  BETTER THAN is a bit of a flat phrase but we are being consistent with a rocket from 60s. If you grew up when I did, or watched the movies you will remember the launches of the Gemini capsules. And the reveal,

57A. Swing both ways, and a literal hint to how four puzzle answers were created : SWITCH HIT.

Across:
        
1. 1980s Vicki Lawrence TV role : MAMA. The much younger Vicki played Carol Burnett's mother first on Carol's variety show and then on MAMA's FAMILY.(6:12).

5. Baylor University site : WACO. Where RG III and Brittney Greiner starred.

9. Cul-__ : DE SAC. We do not always want to use literal translations of French phrases incorporated into English. Not to be confused with 18D. Make potable, as seawater : DESALT.

14. Org. created in Baghdad in 1960 : OPEC. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

15. Emperor after Galba : OTHO. He was one of the 4 in the year of 4 Emperors, which I learned about from my Classics studying son. No operation or salad named for this one.

16. Taken : IN USE. I doubt the movies would have done very well with this title.

19. Person of influence : MOGUL. If you ever wondered, the name comes from the Great Mogul, Mughal emperor of India after the conquest of 1520s,

20. Steel plow pioneer : DEERE. A company built on a very simple premise. HISTORY.


21. Amy Adams' "Man of Steel" role : LOIS LANE. Why do the movies and TV shows always get it wrong; Lois is a brunette and Lana Lang the red-head. Once again a ginger.

23. "Baudolino" author : ECO. Author Umberto is becoming a favorite of constructors.

27. Mondale's running mate : FERRARO. Geraldine, if you forgot.

29. Cheesecake ingredient? : GAM. Pulp fiction word for an attractive female leg, probably from the Italian Gamba. Splynter are you out there? A classic.

30. Fondle : PET. Sounds weird.

31. Tasteless : BLAND. Ah, tasteless, not tasteless.

33. "Where __ you?" : WERE. A bad question to ever here from your SO.

38. Cheers : RAHS.

40. "On the Record" host Van Susteren : GRETA. No way to link this Fox news star without it ending up in political discussion.

41. Mozart's "L'__ del Cairo" : OCA.

42. Humanities degs. : MAS. Master of Arts

45. Oliver Twist, e.g. : ADOPTEE. Not my first or second thought.

52. __ mission : ON A. A Gemini one?

53. Ancient Po Valley dweller : ETRUSCAN. With a son who majored in Roman Archaeology, the pre-Roman Italian people  is another gimme.

54. Classics, e.g. : I-PODS. I am too old to understand this. (From C.C.:  This refers to iPod Classic model.)

56. Underground network : ROOTS. This clue/fill will grow on you.

60. CD alternative : T-NOTE.

61. Fleming and McKellen : IANS. An Odd Couple? James Bond and Magneto? Or Gandalf?

62. Hawk's foe : DOVE. A very vocal comparison from the 60s when the Vietnam War raged.

63. Certain car carriers : SEMIS.

64. Span. miss : SRTA.

65. Hip follower? : STER. This is an accepted suffix (mob, trick etc.) even if you do not like this type of fill. My personal favorite is easy. LOB. Anyway, hipsters abounded in the 60s.

Down:

1. Rapper Yasiin Bey, formerly : MOS DEF. I know him only from his films, certainly not his most recent name. He was born Dante Terrell Smith. Not a 60s reference.

2. Pricing word : A PIECE.

3. Astronomer's sighting : METEOR.

4. Aspire maker : ACER. Computer.

5. Distress : WOE.

6. Beach transp. : ATV. All Terrain Vehicle.

7. It may be seen on a dog : CHILI. Funny.

8. Chinese tea : OOLONG. Did you know the HISTORY? It ties into the ...

9. Chinese dish served on small plates : DIM SUM. An odd sort of Clecho.

10. __ Gay : ENOLA. I think it is time this clue was dropped.

11. Edible pod : SUGAR PEA. These are a form of snow or snap pea, not a sweet pea.

12. In bits and pieces : ASUNDER. Divorced anyone?

13. Pizza-For-One maker : CELESTE. A CSO to my son's MIL.

22. Supermarket letters : IGA. Independent Grocers Alliance.

25. Requiem Mass hymn word : IRAE.

26. Half a patio pair : TONG.

28. MLB stats : RBIS. It should never be "RBI's" as the plural is Runs Batted In, still RBI, you can have 10 RBI.

32. Grooved on : DUG. here we go back to the 60s; I am home.

33. Trendy sandwich : WRAP. So last year.

34. Place to practice netiquette : CHAT ROOM.

35. Latin 101 word : ERAT.

36. Sacred Hindu text : VEDA.

37. Not accented, as syllables : ATONIC.

38. 1955 Fonda role : ROBERTS. Hey MISTER. (2:18) A wonderful romp with Hank Fonda, Jimmy Cagney, Bill Powell and a young Jack Lemmon (no relation).

39. Polish remover ingredient : ACETONE.It is where the smell comes from. If you smell that in someone's breath get them immediately to a hospital as it is likely caused by diabetic ketosis. Or too many orange certs.

42. Diddles (around) : MESSES. Not my first thought, nor likely Dennis'.

43. Hyperbola part : ARC. Not an exaggeration.

44. Equilibrium : STASIS.

46. One of Goldilocks' complaints : TOO HOT.

47. Vitamin K source : ENDIVE.This is the one vegetable I do not like.

48. __ egg : EASTER.

50. __-frutti : TUTTI. We have to go here: LINK. (2:05).

51. "__, truth is the first casualty": Aeschylus : IN WAR. Another topic I will avoid for non-political political reasons.

55. Third degrees? : PHDS. Philosophiae Doctor(s). Nice misdirection BA-1, MA-2, PhD-3.

58. Bank acct. entry : INTerest.

59. PC-checking org., at times : TSA. Transportation Safety Administration.

Another Friday in the record books, the  Open Tournament from Royal Liverpool is here to amuse us and of course in So.Fla. We have sun and have rain. Thanks Robin and thanks Corner.

Enjoy all. Lemonade out.

Thursday, July 17, 2014 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Extra Terrestrials?

20. Protection from a bowler : CRICKET HELMET. I thought, "What does bowling have to do with cricket?" (Oh - the bowler is the one who throws the ball in cricket.)

41. Mozart and Brahms each wrote a notable one : CLARINET QUINTET. BAM!  Right off, I get a two-fer link! Mozart 34:37  Brahms 36:46

58. "Deny thy father and refuse thy name" speaker : JULIET CAPULET. Act II, Scene 2.

And the reveal:

73. Classical rebuke, and a homophonic hint to 20-, 41- and 58-Across : ET TU? "ET" x 2 ending each theme entry word. Funny, I did not notice the name of the constructor, but was speeding through and thought, "Wow, am I ever on this guy's wavelength!"  At the reveal, the thought flashed across my mind, "Wow, where do these guys come up with such great ideas?" Of course!  Our own C.C. nails it again.


Across

1. Short cuts : BOBS. Great misdirection. The short haircuts, not the the routes that your significant other always insists are "faster!"

Katie Holmes

5. Soup usually drunk directly from the bowl : MISO. I loved how this one crossed 7-Down. __ bar : SUSHI.

9. Key designation : MAJOR. Fill in the M**OR and wait for perps!

14. Common mirror shape : OVAL.

15. Load to bear : ONUS.

16. Grown : ADULT.

17. Ward with awards : SELA. You may have been surprised to see 69-Across. Hospital wing : WARD. in the same puzzle. C.C. is very careful about dupes, so I'm guessing the 17-A clue was edited by Rich.  I wonder if she originally cross-referenced them as "With 69-Across, 'Once and Again' Emmy winning actress."

18. They're hopeless : LOST CAUSES.

22. Floors in the ring : KOs. Knock-outs.

23. Tax-deferred plan, for short : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

24. Place of luxury? : LAP. Cute clue!

27. Chanced upon : MET.

30. Mike and __: candy : IKE. Jelly beans meet Good & Plenty.

32. Calder creation : MOBILE.  I think I have seen this one at the Tate Museum.

35. French bread : EURO. Nailed it!

37. Notion : IDEA.

40. Mooring area : BASIN.

44. Closing passages : CODAS. Gimme.

45. Ball or strike, e.g. : NOUN. Of course, we needed a baseball reference if this were to be a "true" C.C. puzzle!

46. Dancer Kelly : GENE.

47. Contract negotiators : AGENTS.

49. Get ready to fire : AIM.

51. ISP choice : DSL. Internet Service Provider. Digital Subscriber Line (originally "loop.")

52. Isr. neighbor : SYR. Israel / Syria.

53. She played Fantine in "Les Misérables" (1998) : UMA. Thurman.

56. Sports bar array : TVs.

65. Honolulu Harbor beacon : ALOHA TOWER. WAG.

67. 12-time NFL Pro Bowler Junior : SEAU. I looked at "Bowler" and thought, "Huh?  He played football, not bowling!" (DUH - Pro Bowl choice!!!) (I was getting bowled over by this puzzle, I guess.)

68. False front? : PSEUD-. As in PSEUDonym, meaning "false name."

70. Scientific acad. : INST.itution.

71. Aggressive : PUSHY.

72. Mmes., in Cuba : SRAs. Madames and señoras. French and Spanish equivalents of "mistress." And also 9-Down. Polite address : MA'AM. Madam.

Down

1. Pear variety : BOSC.

2. CBer's "Back to you" : OVER.

3. Island near Java : BALI. Just a stone's throw away. Map.

4. Not taut : SLACK.

5. Fabric used in adhesive pads : MOLESKIN.

6. How ties may be broken, briefly : IN OT. Overtime.

8. Cuisinart rival : OSTER.

10. Together, in music : A DUE.

11. New, in real estate ads : JUST LISTED.

12. World Cup shout : OLÉ.

13. They may be constitutional: Abbr. : RTs. Rights.

19. Symbol of happiness : CLAM. Lark also fit...

21. Ornamental fish : KOI.

25. "Men in Black" targets : ALIENS.

26. Click-N-Go pen maker : PENTEL.

27. Tourist draws : MECCAS.

28. Memorial tribute : EULOGY.

29. Food chain whose employees wear Hawaiian shirts : TRADER JOES. Consumer Reports ranks them in the top three in the nation, along with Wegman's and Publix.

31. Perfect place : EDEN.

33. Sash often tied with a butterfly knot : OBI.

34. [Just like that!] : BANG.

36. Algerian seaport : ORAN. William Schneider is one of the thousands of soldiers who passed through ORAN on his way to the front in Italy during Operation Torch in WWII.  You can read the interview about his wartime experience here.

38. Zone for DDE : ETO. European Theater of Operations. This, of course, was north of where Schneider and his group landed.

39. Blue shade : AQUA.

42. Follower's suffix : IST. Are you a dedicated Crossword Corner-IST?

43. Acrobats' garments : UNITARDS.

48. Business outfit : SUIT.

50. A.L. or N.L. honoree : MVP. American League or National League Most Valuable Player.

54. Catty remarks : MEOWS. Love it! (Except when my cat starts in at 4:00 AM!)

55. Battling it out : AT WAR.

57. Sleepyhead in an Everly Brothers hit : SUSIE. Here's an earworm for you...2:11

59. "Not a chance!" : UH-UH.

60. Lord's partner : LADY.

61. "Juno" actor Michael : CERA. He co-starred with Ellen Page, who played Juno. Quirky, fun movie.

62. Advanced : LENT. Money, that is.

63. Sunup point : EAST.

64. Skirt in a Degas painting : TUTU.

Classic image

65. iPad download : APP.

66. SEC school : LSU. CSO to Hahtoolah.

That's it from me for this week!

Marti

Note from C.C.:

 

Here is a sweet bonus puzzle from Marti. Rich could not use it because he had just scheduled one with similiar gimmick. Marti thought it's similar to last Friday's LAT. To me, the approaches are very different.

We could not provide Across Lite file because this grid has unnumbered squares. Please click here to solve on line. I hope the font and setup are clearer this time. Spitzboov had trouble with my last upload. Click here for a PDF copy (See Download on the upper right corner?). Click here for Answer Grid.

We hope you enjoy the puzzle and look forward to your feedback. 

Wednesday, July 16, 2014 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: An ordinary, unexceptional, prosaic, standard-issue, run of the mill Wednesday at The Corner.  The first word of today's theme entries can be combined with the unifier word GARDEN to present a VARIETY of in-the-language pairings.  Often with this kind of theme the generated phrase is original, clever and humorous.  Today, true to the spirit of the theme, the resulting phrases are of the GARDEN VARIETY.

The unifier first.  36 A. Commonplace, and what the start of 17-, 24-, 51- or 60-Across is : GARDEN VARIETY.  The first recorded use in a figurative sense is from 1928.   The evident reference is to something that might be found in anyone's home garden, hence, not special, unique nor exotic.  The meaning has expanded a bit to imply mediocrity.

17. Green Day's "American Idiot," e.g. : ROCK OPERA.  Released 10 years ago. A sample follows, if you're into that sort of thing.   A ROCK GARDEN, cleverly enough, is an an area landscaped with ROCKs and plants suited to that environment.

Source

24. NASCAR winner's celebration : VICTORY LAP.  One turn around the track at low speed to allow the winner to bask in the adulation of her/his adoring fans.  VICTORY GARDENs were vegetable and herb gardens planted at private residences or public parks in the U.S. and several other countries during WW II.  They took considerable pressure off of the public food supply and contributed to morale on the home front.

51. 1995 Stephen King novel : ROSE MADDER.  Story about abuse, with the main character ROSE Daniels, in which the pigment ROSE MADDER plays a peripheral role.  There are many ROSE GARDENs.  One of the famous ones borders the Oval Office and West Wing of the White House.  It was established in 1913 by First Lady Ellen Loise Axson Wilson.

 60. Spare tire : BEER BELLY.   Two slang expressions denoting excess in the midriff region, aka Dunlop's Disease, 'cuz when you sits down, yer belly done lops over yer belt.  A BEER GARDEN is an outdoor area, usually associated with a pub or restaurant where beer and food are served.  The history is quite interesting.

This clever theme presents us with four quite different VARIETIES of GARDENS.   Mediocre?  I think not.

Hi, gang, it's JzB your humble GARDEN VARIETY trombonist.  Let's see what else Robert has planted for us. 

Across

1. Place to wipe your boots : MAT.  On the floor by the door.

4. Vice squad strategies : RAIDS. 

9. "Darn!" : SHOOT.  I'm guessing this is a not-quite-sound-alike substitute for a less polite word.

14. Sister of Zsa Zsa : EVA. The third sib is Magda.

15. Flynn of film : ERROL.  Famous buckler of swashes in Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk and many more.

Source

16. Main artery : AORTA. Literally, the main artery of the blood stream.

19. Govt.-backed bond : T-NOTE.  T is for Treasury. These notes are issued in terms of 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10 years.

20. Secretary of the Interior under FDR : ICKES.  Harold L., progressive Republican deeply involved in Chicago politics, who was recruited by FDR to appeal to middle-of-the-road [Garden Variety?] voters.  No politics at The Corner, but you can read about him here.

21. Navel type : INNIE. There are two varieties.  Check them out [or in] here.

23. Commuting start? : TELE. Telecommuting. Working from home via an electronic device. 

29. First-class : STELLAR.  The best - probably because this word in its literal sense refers to stars, and they are brilliant.

31. Sales incentive : REBATE.  Money back from the seller can be STELLAR.

32. Send to the statehouse : ELECT.  In this case, as the governor.

35. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTA.  How are you, amigo?  Lots of Spanish today.

41. Shade of green : JADE.  Green-blue hue named for a gem stone.

42. German steel city : ESSEN. This western German city dates from the 9th century.  For the last 400 years it has been associated with the Krupp steel company.

43. __ energy : ATOMIC.  Kinetic, potential, chemical, mechanical, magnetic, thermal -- the list goes on.

46. Sleeveless shirt : TANK TOP.   Here's one in JADE green.

Source

54. Prefix with space : AERO.  A refreshingly honest prefix clue referring to efforts in science, engineering and business to fly in the atmosphere of Earth (aeronautics) and surrounding space (astronautics). [Wikipedia]

55. English Channel port : DOVER.  In a region famous for it's white cliffs, as in this WW II era song.

56. Fashionista Mary-Kate : OLSEN.  I guess M-K and her twin sis Ashley have become celebrities, which one wag defined as people well-known for being famous.

57. Bolt on a track : USAIN.  Love this clue.  Bolt means [among other things] to move fast, and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt certainly does that.

Source

63. Red Sea peninsula : SINAI.  A region of Egypt between the Red Sea to the south and the Mediterranean to the north.  To the East, it borders Israel.  It is mostly separated from the rest of Egypt by the Gulf of Suez.

64. Pi, for one : RATIO.  Specifically, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.

65. Tempe sch. : ASU.  Arizona State University.

66. Prop for a clown : STILT.  Nice double meaning.  Looks harmless.

 Source

67. Hacienda brick : ADOBE.  Straw reinforced bricks of clay or mud, dried in the sun.

68. Fall mo. : SEPtember.

Down

1. Inherent rights and wrongs, as of a case : MERITS.  Perhaps our legal beagles can elaborate.

2. Long-legged shore bird : AVOCET.  This had me so stumped for a while, that I doubted the perp EVA.  Finally had to go googling.

Source

3. Take on, as a challenge : TACKLE.

4. Vintage cars : REOS.  It seems that Ransom Eli Olds enjoyed naming cars after himself.  I don't think he has anything to do with this, though.

5. Dadaism founder : ARP.  Jean or Hans, depending on his audience, a French-German sculptor, painter, poet, and abstract artist.  Dada [a word of uncertain origin] rejected reason and logic, prizing nonsense, irrationality and intuition.

6. Rage : IRE. Anger.

7. Greek architectural style : DORIC. The plainest of the three classic support column styles.

Source

8. Viewpoint : SLANT.  Everybody has one.

9. "The Colbert Report" stock-in-trade : SATIRE. Political.

10. Winged stinger : HONEY BEE.

11. Gold, in Guadalajara : ORO.  Spanish gold.

12. Polo Grounds hero Mel : OTT.  Most famous crossword baseball player.

13. __ Bo : TAE.  a total body fitness system that incorporates Martial Arts techniques.  This phrase is both a portmanteau and a backronym.  I am not making this up.

18. Ship stabilizer : KEEL. Either the backbone of a ship or a vertical projection from the bottom of a boat.  It lowers the center of gravity to help keep the vessel upright, and also aids forward motion by resisting side-slipping. 

22. "... a borrower __ a lender ...": "Hamlet" : NOR.  I thought it came from Ben Franklin.  Live and learn.

24. Low-lying land : VALE.

25. "Me, Myself & __": Jim Carrey film : IRENE.   I wanted EILENE.  That's my mom.  IRENE is her twin sister.

26. In the cellar, sportswise : LAST.   Surprisingly, where the Red Sox are at the moment.

27. ABA member : ATTY.  American Bar Association and ATTorneY.

28. Pot pie veggie : PEA.  I like them, but not everybody does.

30. Was in front : LED.  Like the K. C. Royals did briefly in mid-June.

33. Rite Aid rival : CVS.   Drug stores

34. Sample : TASTE.  Is it in good taste to taste a TASTE?

36. Chihuahua cat : GATO.   Mas Español.

37. Ruckuses : ADOS.   Not often seen in the plural. 

38. Like some skill-building classes : REMEDIAL.  These classes are intended to correct a deficiency.

39. __ admiral : REAR.  The lowest of the admiral ranks.

40. Bed-and-breakfast, e.g. : INN.  Establishment offering food and lodgings.

41. Moonshine container : JAR.  I had JUG at first.

44. "Consider the job done!" : I'M ON IT.   As with this puzzle, but I'm not done yet.

45. Cleveland NBAer : CAValier.

47. Cabbagelike plant : KALE.  A leafy green.

48. Electric cars named for a physicist : TESLAS.

49. Ultimatum words : OR ELSE.  Sounds like a threat.

50. Fork over what's due : PONY UP.   The meaning is clear.  The origin - not so much.

52. Actress Winger : DEBRA.  Her break-through role was in Urban Cowboy (1980.)

Source

53. Profound fear : DREAD.

56. Clarinet cousin : OBOE.  I don't think this is valid.  Cylindrical vs conical bore is simply too great a difference in my mind, let alone single vs double reed.  But you can check it out and draw your own conclusions.

57. Naval letters : USS.  United States Ship.  I just recently learned that SS means Steam Ship.

58. Grab a stool : SIT.  In a bar or a barn?

59. "Give me __!": start of a Hoosier cheer : AN I.  For Indiana.  Why Hoosier?  There's more here than I cared to read.

61. WWII arena : ETO.  European Theater of Operations.

62. Tease : RIB.  Another word uncertain origin, perhaps from something funny being rib-tickling.

Quite a nice puzzle, despite a couple nits, and fun to blog.  Hope you all enjoyed it.

Cool regards!
JzB