Monday, December 8, 2014 C.W. Stewart

Theme: "You can't stick that on me, copper!" - We have a wide variety items that can be sticky.

17A. Secretary of state before Hillary Clinton : CONDOLEEZZA RICE

26A. Score symbol that usually has a stem : MUSICAL NOTE

49A. Digit-shaped sponge cakes : LADY FINGERS

61A. Spot between a rock and a hard place ... or a hint to the ends of 17-, 26- and 49-Across : STICKY SITUATION

Argyle here. Big bonus points for 17-Across! After a rough week, we could use a little respite.

Across:

1. "__ Mia!": ABBA musical : MAMMA

6. Bit of baby talk : "DADA"

10. Defensive trench : MOAT

14. So all can hear : ALOUD

15. Apple MP3 player : iPOD

16. Makes mistakes : ERRS. So 33A. Correct a pencil mistake : ERASE

20. Approx. landing hours : ETAs

21. To be, to Caesar : ESSE

22. Golf shoe feature : CLEAT

23. Theater level : LOGE. Often box seats.

25. Changes for the better : AMENDS

31. Shirt with a band's logo, maybe : TEE

32. __ shower: pre-wedding event : BRIDAL

35. Throw in the first chips : ANTE

36. Dude : BRO

37. Swabbing tools : MOPS

41. New England fish : SCROD. All cod are scrod, but not all scrod are cod. How odd.

44. Flagged down : HAILED

46. Word repeated before "black sheep" : BAA. "Have you any wool?"

51. Performed better than : OUTDID. Sometimes yourself

53. __ close to schedule : ON OR

54. Shenanigan : ANTIC

55. Cowpoke's pal : PARD. A corruption of PARTNER, I guess.

57. Target practice supply : AMMO

64. Backsplash material : TILE. But what material is the tile?

65. Truth or __?: party game : DARE

66. Tied up in knots : TENSE

67. Aegean and Irish : SEAs

68. Fr. holy women : STEs

69. Polishes text : EDITS

Down:

1. Self-defense spray : MACE. Learning moment: a chemical spray originally used in riot control, 1966, technically Chemical Mace, a proprietary name (General Ordnance Equipment Corp, Pittsburgh, Pa.), probably so called for its use as a weapon, in reference to a mace.

2. More often than not : A LOT

3. "__ Lisa" : MONA

4. Saturated hillside hazards : MUD SLIDES. How's it looking, California?

5. Kerfuffle : ADO

6. Fuel for semis : DIESEL. The truck type of semis.

7. "Dawn of the Planet of the __" : APES

8. Sleep lightly : DOZE

9. Wood-shaping tool : ADZ

10. Travis or Haggard of country music : MERLE

11. Point in the proper direction : ORIENT

12. Pinball player's place : ARCADE

13. Dangerous fly : TSETSE. All the fly today.

18. Not prohibited : LEGAL

19. High points : ACMEs

24. South American tuber : OCA

25. "One thing __ time" : AT A

26. Management deg. : MBA

27. Coffee vessel : URN

28. Obedience school command : SIT. Spot on.

29. Far from cool : NERDY

30. Gold, in Granada : ORO

34. Moved to a new country : EMIGRATED

36. Hunk's physique : BOD

38. Encouragement for a flamenco dancer : ¡OLÉ!

39. Part of mph : PER

40. '60s radical gp. : SDS. (Students for a Democratic Society)

42. Mouse sound : CLICK

43. "Far out, man!" : "RAD!"

44. Bhagavad-Gita student, likely : HINDU

45. "I'll take that as __" : A NO

46. Blows one's own horn : BOASTS

47. Em, to Dorothy : AUNTIE

48. Leader of the Huns : ATTILA

50. Strong points : FORTES

52. Cuts into cubes : DICES

55. Exam for high school jrs. : PSAT

56. Suffix with million : AIRE

58. Knee-showing skirt : MINI

59. Lion's share : MOST

60. Vending machine bills : ONES

62. QB's gains : YDs

63. Had a bite : ATE

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy Birthday to Ron (Jazzbumpa), who taught me by example what hard work is. I saw him up close agonizing over every little clue of the two puzzles we worked together. I also see him spend hours on his every write-up. Thank you so much, Ron!

 Ron and his wife Gloria

2) Happy 81st Birthday to Misty's husband Rowland! You and Misty showed us what true love is.

December 7, 2014 Alan Olschwang

Theme:  "Double Shift" - The highlighted red letter in its theme answers is shifted two places to the right.

 23A. eHarmony, e.g.? : MEAT MATE MARKET. Meat market.

 

 28A. Pride of a pride protector? : MEAN MANE STREAKS. Mean streaks.

 34A. Made a healthier menu selection? : WENT WITH THE FLOW FOWL. Went with the flow.

 59A. Organized effort to get a different judge? : RESCUE RECUSE MISSION. Recuse mission.

 66A. Ashes? : GREAT GRATE EXPECTATIONS. Great Expectations.

 78A. Contest in which tires are hurled? : SPEAR SPARE THROWING. Spear throwing.

 

 96A. Makes meticulous roster moves? : TREADS TRADES CAREFULLY. Treads carefully.

104A. Precious river stone? : NEIL NILE DIAMOND. Neil Diamond.

117A. How to eat lots of soup? : BLOW BOWL BY BLOW  BOWL. Blow by blow. Double action in this answer.

Amazing theme. I can't imagine the amount of work Alan Olschwang did to make this happen. 

Heavy themage too. Total 115 theme squares, including a tricky 17-letter middle entry. I'd definitely need 144 words & 78 black squares (this one has only 140 words and 70 black squares).

Across:

 

1. Shock : DAZE

5. Some barks : SHIPS. I had no idea that "barks" are ships.

10. Model material : BALSA

15. Sticks figure : RUBE

19. Former Wall Street acronym : AMEX (American Stock Exchange)

20. Philosopher __-Louis Bergson : HENRI. Not into philosophy. Never heard of the guy.

21. First of 12 : ARIES. I thought of ENERO first. Nuts.

22. Up to no good : EVIL

25. Member of a trendsetting family? : JONES. Nice clue.

26. Valley : DELL

27. Brazen : SHAMELESS 

30. Party planner, briefly? : POL. Outwit me.

31. Pueblo pronoun : ESO

33. Stuns, in a way : TASES

41. Sticks : MIRES

45. Second part of a Latin conjugation : AMAS

46. Bone, to Benito : OSSO

47. Curved fastening bar : U-BOLT

49. Designer sportswear label : GANT. Known for its shirts.

50. Volcano feature : RIM

51. High-ranking NCO : M-SGT (Master Sergeant)

53. Vent with vehemence : RAGE. And 64. Vent with vehemence : RANT

55. Stopped producing : RAN DRY

57. Draws out : ELICITS 

62. Andalusian address : SENORA

63. Unaligned: Abbr. : NEUT (Neutral)

65. Common odds ending : ONE. Oh like 10 to 1.

71. L.A.'s __ Center : AON

73. __ test : BETA

74. Slips into : DONS

75. Throughout : DURING

82. Colorful bird : TANAGER

83. Bobby's "Dallas" wife : PAMELA. Certain old TV just does not appeal to me. "Dallas" is one of them.

84. Mtg. : CONF

85. William the pirate : KIDD

86. Singer Peeples : NIA

87. Score symbol : CLEF

88. Cutting-edge company? : X-ACTO

91. __ Lackawanna Railway : ERIE. The clues feel extra tough today.

93. Like some tires : BALD

94. Brayer group? : ASSES

100. Old-style street show : RAREE

102. Traveler's insurance?: Abbr. : TSA. Because they insure that you travel safely?

103. Really got into : DUG

109. Nearly wipes out : DECIMATES

115. Arabian Peninsula nation : OMAN

116. One way to stand : ALONE. Or APART.

118. Aforementioned : SAID

119. Spanish castle city : LORCA. Must be a gimme for Splynter. He knows all about castles.

120. Smartphone function : EMAIL

121. __ balls: chocolaty snacks : OREO

122. 1979 disco classic : YMCA

123. Teutonic town : STADT

124. Aladdin's helper : GENIE

125. Seine tributary : OISE

Down:

1. Some power producers : DAMS

2. Asian nurse : AMAH. Lots of Amahs in Hong Kong are from the Philippines. They speak English and their salary requirement is reasonable. Perfect for expats working there.

3. Sweater letter : ZETA

4. Lets off the hook : EXEMPTS

5. "Okay to proceed?" : SHALL I?

6. Point on a mall map? : HERE. You Are Here.

7. Writing supplies : INKS

8. Car radio features : PRESETS

9. Spot order? : SIT. And 117D. Spot order? : BEG

10. Cabo locale : BAJA

11. "East of Eden" son : ARON. The other son is Cal. Both love the same girl.

12. Office phone button : LINE TWO

13. Is omniscient : SEES ALL

14. Staff members: Abbr. : ASSTS

15. Makes new plans for : RE-DESIGNS

16. Visual layer : UVEA

17. Take in : BILK

18. Swell pair? : ELLS.

24. Calico call : MEOW

28. Animated TV barkeep : MOE. "The Simpsons" .

29. "Man on the Moon" group : REM

32. Reinforce : SHORE UP

34. Peddled stuff : WARES

35. Hockey Hall of Famer Francis : EMILE. Another fill for Splynter. Never heard of the guy.

36. Singing? : NAMING NAMES. Great entry/clue.

37. Clothes : TOGS

38. Only pres. born in Missouri : HST

39. Japanese pufferfish for risk-taking eaters : FUGU. Alien to me as well.

40. U.K. decorations : OBEs

42. Antenna pickup : RADIO SIGNAL

43. Company infamous for shredding : ENRON

44. "Funny Girl" composer : STYNE (Jule)

48. Port-of-Spain's island : TRINIDAD

51. Airport city near Montreal : MIRABEL. Wiki told me it's home to the Montréal–Mirabel International Airport.

52. Paycheck reduction for most : STATE TAX

54. Joined the cast of : ACTED IN

56. Shock : ASTOUND

58. One of two N.T. books : COR. Corinthians.

59. Harrison of the stage : REX

60. History course topics : ERAS

61. Pin cushion? : MAT And 71. Watchdog org.? : ASPCA. Nailed both.

63. Just around the corner : NEAR

67. Old verb ending : ETH

68. Talk about sin, in a way : CONFESS

69. "Star Trek" spinoff, briefly : TNG

70. Gun lobby gp. : NRA

72. Whitish gems : OPALS

76. Sam of "The Piano" : NEILL. Holly Hunter was amazing in that movie.

77. "Six Days of the Condor" author James : GRADY. Saw the movie "Three Days of Condor".  Not familiar with the author.

79. Some ballot items : REFERENDA

80. Twice tetra- : OCTA

81. Oak or elm : WOOD. Not TREE.

82. Top-__: best : TIER

85. Optima, e.g. : KIA

89. Got really full : ATE A LOT. Still not my old self, but my appetite has returned. Gosh, this flu is stubborn. A special "Thank you" to reader Sandy in LA for her cold/flu remedy tea.

90. Aptly named coffee lightener : CREMORA. Never used it. Google showed Borden Cremora and Nestle Cremora. So "Cremora" is a common word, not a brand?

92. Colts' former home : RCA DOME. Demolished in 2008.

93. Bete noire : BUGABOO

95. Unfortunate : SAD

97. Itinerary entry: Abbr. : ETD

98. Fit for consumption : EDIBLE

99. Vaporous : FUMY. Have you seen this word before, Yellowrocks? I'm so glad your son helped you set up the trees & curtains.

101. Muscat money : RIALS

104. More than curious : NOSY. I'm thankful Terry Gross is nosy at times.

105. Sunni leader : IMAM

106. Of the flock : LAIC

107. Backed up, in a way : ON CD. Passé.

108. Bar order : NEAT

110. Actor McGregor : EWAN

111. Second-century date : CLII. 152.

112. Spelling on TV : TORI

113. Woolly moms : EWES

114. Wild plum : SLOE

Happy Birthday to Windhover, who was once an active member of our blog. Hope you and Irish are doing well and enjoying the hard but bucolic life.

 

C.C.

Saturday, Dec 6th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,V)

Blocks: 31

Starting off December's Saturdays with a Silkie, and a good one at that - and what I mean is, it was still difficult, but there was enough to work with that I did in fact finish, but with red-letter help and over my preferred time limit - but that was due to a ZEALOUS approach to the SW corner; I pretty much shot myself in the foot down there.  Oh well.  Two triple nine corners, and two long 14-letter fills;

28a. 2000s best-seller subtitled "The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" : "FAST FOOD NATION" - I pondered "SUPER-SIZE ME", but that was the movie about eating McDonald's everyday, every meal, for one month - more here

45a. It contains a due process clause : FIFTH AMENDMENT - DAH~!!  I was pretty confident that this was the SIXTH amendment - I watch a lot of "Law & Order" - because I know that the FIFTH amendment contains the right against self incrimination; found out that NY was the only state that requested 'due process', and that the 14th Amendment contains such language, too

42a. onward~!

 ACROSS:

1. Breakfast fare : SWEET ROLL - "----BAGEL" was working, so long as I had AGHA in place of RANI

10. Excuse : ALIBI

15. Disposable : THROW-AWAY - put it right in, decided to take it out; then the first "W" returned, and so it went back in

16. Mauritian coin : RUPEE

17. Chocolate-covered snack : RAISINETS - don't like 'em, but Goobers are good; referential clue - 47d. Maker of 17-Across : NESTLÉ

18. Tyrannical types : OGRES

19. Packed away : ATE - I can pack away a bag of Goobers no problem

20. Current : TIDE - Dah~! Not "LATE"

21. Revere : HONOR - not ADORE

22. Dry, in a way : WIPE - as, say, your windshield - see 35a.

24. Beethoven's "Archduke," for one : TRIO - did not quite understand this; here's the Wiki

26. Ones working at home, maybe : UMPS - baseball's 'home'

32. Besides : TOO

33. Alternative to shaving : NEET - NEET or NAIR? Had to wait

34. __-Cat : SNO - I'll bet Mr. Silk cringes when he has to use this in a grid

35. Cause of a wet blade : DEW DROP

39. Easter tradition : DYED EGG - I went with "EGG HUNT"

41. Prefix with lateral : UNI -unilateral

42. Working hard : AT IT - I was at it from 2am to 7am this morning at UPS, and from 12:15am to 9:30am every night this past week - only 13+ days to go~!

44. Hammer setting : EAR - ah, that hammer

50. "I'm just sayin'," in texts : FWIW - For What It's Worth

51. Reason for a warning : GALE

52. Persian Gulf capital : DOHA - shout-out to Doc~!  I had to wait on perps

54. Slate, for one : eZINE

56. Bk. before Job : ESTHer

59. Female lobster : HEN - I figured it was HEN or COW, had to wait again

60. Gem : STONE - worked for "Slate" at 54a, too, which messed me up

61. Zealot : EXTREMIST - also the title of a Joe Satriani album; here's a cut from "Surfing with the Alien"

63. Kingdom east of Australia : TONGA - Dah~! I put in SAMOA, and the "A" was good, but only 20% worth

64. Some priests : CELIBATES

65. Olympic event since 1968 : SKEET

66. There's one in the London Chancery Bldg. : U. S. EMBASSY

DOWN:

1. __ vote : STRAW

2. Experimenter's question : "WHAT IF...."

3. It may precede 16501 : ERIE, PA - very good - the zip code; I was pondering Roman numerals - but 10,000 =¯X; and that's not crossword acceptable

4. Daughter of Hyperion : EOS

5. Fool : TWIT - ah, the straight-up use of the word, IMHO

6. Eastern royal : RANI - AGHA was a possibility

7. Had because of : OWED TO

8. Eventually : LATER ON

9. Lille lily : LYS - Frawnche

10. Buck add-on : A-ROO - Buck-a-roo

11. Bit of wheel hardware : LUG NUT - important bits, I might add

12. "You can depend on me!" : "I PROMISE~!"

13. Pub game : BEER PONG

14. -osis : -oses :: -y : -__ : -IES - plural endings, as in neurosis, neuroses, pony, ponies

21. Flavored, as roasted chicken : HONEYED - I've heard of honey-glazed, so this was close enough

23. Cornerstone abbr. : EST'D - when the stone is too small to fit "established"

25. Named : IDed

27. Get lovey-dovey, in Leeds : SNOG - if you've seen Harry Potter....

29. Regular religious reading : TORAH

30. Movie scenes : FOOTAGE - ah, good clue

31. Select group : A-TEAM

35. Behind : DUFF - the noun, in this case; seasonal gratuitous image

36. 1944 battle site : ENIWETOK - wow, what a fill - new one for me; the WIki on this Pacific Atoll

37. Place to get connected : WiFi ZONE - Dah~! the "X" from my erroneous "SIXTH" stopped me from seeing this

38. Strong cotton : PIMA - a lesson in fiber-producing plants

40. __ Scott v. Sandford: 1857 Supreme Court case : DRED - learned from paying attention in high school, I think

43. Fax forerunners : TELEXES - more pluralizing

46. Minor pain : TWINGE

48. Pitches a gem against : NO HITS - more baseball for C.C.

49. Luther's 95 __ : THESES - and yet more pluralizing

53. Restless : ANTSY

55. Undiluted : NEAT - There you go, Tin~! No "three-letter words" today~!

57. In good shape : TRIM - Dah~!  Not "HALE"

58. "Sunny" singer Bobby : HEBB - that one "ugh" moment, where I could not tell which letter to start this clue with and end the "Biblical Book" abbr. clue with as well - WAG the "H"

60. D and C, in D.C. : STs - streets; clever - nothing to do with "District" and "Columbia"

61. Old French coin : ECU - been popular, lately

62. Kid's cry : "Maa~!"

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Lucina, the first blog regular I've met in person. Lucina is very close to her three sisters and they travel to different parts of the country/world together every year. They also have very similar personalities: all bubbly, cheerful and happy. You can see more pictures here.

C.C. & Lucina, Mall of America, Oct 1, 2012

Friday, December 5, 2014, Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: There is no "I" in Team unless you put it there.

A variety of in the language phrases where the first word ends in "ER" but is not a comparative word, have an "I" added to make each a new phrase comparing things. Finding words ending in "ER" that are not descriptive like STRONGER or FATTER was the key to set up this return to Friday from our old friend marti. I feel like John Wayne cast in a new western, back in the saddle again. I really like all the visuals from the theme answers. We have many letter words and initialisms and a slew of intermediate fill such as AIRSEA, APOLLO, CAMERA, C CLAMP, DERIDE,  ENTIRE, ICEAGE, KIGALI, NUTMEG, SHABBY, ELECTEES and PORTABLE to keep all of us on our Friday toes. So let me know your initial reaction to this latest from the mind of our divine miss m.

17A. Baseball, vis-à-vis jai alai? : POKIER GAME (10). (POKER GAME) I guess the word relates to slow poke, where someone or something moves slowly. I guess I learned this word HERE.

27A. GE range, vis-à-vis an Easy-Bake toy? : TOASTIER OVEN (12). (TOASTER OVEN).

44A. SpongeBob's underwear, vis-à-vis Mickey's? : BOXIER BRIEFS (12). (BOXER BRIEFS) Since Bob is square, this makes perfect sense. I changed to this style of underwear 15 years ago. TMI?

59A. Jeep, vis-à-vis a Cadillac? : BUMPIER CAR (10). (BUMPER CAR). The suspension certainly is not intended for a smooth ride in a Jeep.

Across:

1. SEC nickname : BAMA. Nick and his Crimson Tide need only to survive a mediocre Missouri team to make it to the first final four.

5. Seating choice : AISLE.  Yes, now that I am no longer young this is my seat of choice.

10. Skills : ARTS. A practitioner of the secret ways.

14. Islamic leader : IMAM.

15. What recon may provide : INTEL. Cyberspeak for intelligence data; not related to 26A. "Hooked on Bach" company : KTEL.

16. Famille member : PERE. Father in French, only tangentially related to 39A. Hemingway and others : PAPAS.

19. Award for Jessica Tandy : OBIE. The theater award for Off-Broadway (OB=obie) performances, I think started by the Village Voice.

20. Poetic preposition : ERE. I hope you did not err here.

21. Short time, shortly : NSEC. Now if you had not read the author, the next two fill would tell you this is created by our marti who loves these type words. She did a puzzle themed by them, and who does not love a good C Clamp?  I cannot find any support for N-SEC, which I assume is for nanosecond. Wiki and the dictionaries say the abbreviation is ns. Or maybe there are more kinds of seconds that I do not know, being very limited in my scientific knowledge.

22. Wood shop tool : C CLAMP.

24. Scoff at : DERIDE. Hmmm....maybe I can work this word into my comments.

33. Spread : STREW.

36. "A Challenge for the Actor" author : HAGEN. We usually get UTA as we did yesterday.

37. Commercial ending? : IZE. Commercialize. Something Ms. Hagen did not do with her craft.

38. Appear dramatically : LOOM. Though she often did this.

40. Letters on a cross : INRI.  Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum. Like this puzzle, there is no letter "J" in Latin, so this phrase translates to Jesus of Nazarene King of the Jews. Pontious Pilate is credited with attaching this name.

41. Tulsa sch. : ORU. Oral Roberts University.

42. Shell rival : MOBIL.

43. Ryan of "Bones" : O'NEAL. Ryan as a fun ex-con and father of Temperance Brennan.

47. __ block : CITY. Luckily the perps were solid because my mind went to LEGO.

48. Certain evergreen seed : NUTMEG. Coming from Connecticut helped here.

52. One taking a shot : CAMERA. Really clever cluing.

55. Grub : EATS. A cowboy reference?

57. One or more : ANY.

58. "Sin City" actress : ALBA. She is always worth a look. LINK. (1:49)

62. Buck : STAG. The message learned in this AD.

63. Its second movement translates to "Play of the Waves" : LA MER ('The Sea' in French). This orchestral WORK from Debussy was hidden from me for a long while, each answer I had was lamer than the first.

64. First name in design : COCO. Chanel. No baseball player clue for marti.

65. Socks : HOSE. Unless you consider the Pale Hose?

66. Delight : ELATE.

67. Hill workers : ANTS.

Down:

1. Human, e.g. : BIPED. Walking on two legs.

2. Love abroad : AMORE. Italian.

3. Auto attachment? : MAKER. Automakers are scrambling to recall all the vehicles with the deadly airbags.

4. "__ being unreasonable?" : AM I.

5. Like some rescues : AIR SEA.

6. "Picnic" playwright : INGE. He wrote  PLAYS and screenplays.

7. Mus. direction : STACcato. JzB?

8. 10-Down vehicle : LEM. Thanks for the CSO, from this Lunar Excursion Module. Excursion on the Moon is such a cool concept.

9. Ins : ELECTEES. Not the outs.

10. Mission program : APOLLO. The promise JFK made to the world.

11. Self-named sitcom : REBA. Gone but not FORGOTTEN. (6:10)

12. Cut : TRIM.

13. Percolate : SEEP.

18. Fund : ENDOW. The lifeblood of private universities and schools come from alumni endowments.

23. Large Hadron Collider acronym : CERN. This may be Friday, but this clue is too misleading, as the home of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research. The name CERN is derived from the acronym for the French Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire. The combination of the secondary nature of the relationship and it being a French acronym seem very unfair, but I confess I had it filled before I saw the clue. I had to google to get the information. How many of you knew CERN? I like learning new things, but one level at a time.

25. It's checked when it's done : ITEM.

26. Capital of Rwanda : KIGALI.  I did not recall this. MAP.

28. Inferior : SHABBY. A Friday answer for sure.

29. Piglike animal : TAPIR. I think I linked this picture before.

30. Grape site : VINE. This clue/answer grew on me.

31. Poet friend of T.S. : EZRA. Pound, not a friend of mine.

32. 10-Down first name : NEIL. Armstrong.

33. Challenging roommate : SLOB.

34. 1989 Lawn-Boy acquirer : TORO.

35. Gravy base : ROUX. I regret that my mother did not teach me her gravy secrets.

39. Easily moved : PORTABLE.

40. Part of MIT: Abbr. : INSTitute.

42. Yom Kippur War prime minister : MEIR. Golda, her HISTORY.

43. Helpful : OF USE.

45. Film with Manny the Mammoth : ICE AGE. Never seen any of them.

46. Complete : ENTIRE.

49. "Heart of Georgia" : MACON. It literally is the in the center of the state. LINK.

50. Sign into law : ENACT.

51. Wrap relatives : GYROS. Eat up guys.

52. Get money for : CASH.

53. "__ Rhapsody": Brahms vocal work : ALTO. Showing off her musical taste, sorry marti, I do not know this PIECE.

54. Many CEOs have them : MBAS. Masters of Business Administration.

55. Stone of "The Help" : EMMA. Is she a redhead? Her mouth always looks a little off to me.

56. Miffed, with "in" : A PET. Never heard of this IDIOM.

60. Flier with Chicago H.Q. : UAL. United Airlines

61. Kelly Clarkson label : RCA. Radio Corporation of America. 

I am not sure why I would care what record company she is signed to, but this was filled before I saw the clue so it did not matter. As always, marti delivered a nice challenge and wit and education.

The end of the year looms near so get ready for whatever holiday(s) you celebrate. Lemonade out.

Thursday, December 4, 2014 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Female Vocalists

Usually when I am doing a puzzle that I will blog, I try to see where the theme is going as I solve. This one totally eluded me until I came to the reveal at 37-Across. "Feature shared by the women vocalists concealed in 17-, 29-, 45- and 59-Across" : ONE NAME. I loved this puzzle - a tribute to 4 extremely talented and brilliant females. And best of all, it gives me an excuse to link more than one YouTube video!

17-Across. Oft-pickled fish : ATLANTIC HERRING. CHER's successful career has spanned nearly fifty years, and she is still going strong. Even after 21 studio albums, she still came up with something new to top the charts, with "Believe."

29-Across. Educational stage : GRADE LEVEL. ADELE is the baby of the bunch, with her breakthrough album released only in 2008. I've been a big fan ever since she caught my attention with "Rolling In the Deep."

45-Across. Keep out : DENY ACCESS.  ENYA started her career in 1980. She gained worldwide recognition with her "Watermark" album in 1988 containing the hit "Orinoco Flow."

59-Across. Comes to terms : NEGOTIATES A DEAL. I can't believe that SADE has been around since the 80's.  Her "Smooth Operator" debuted in 1983.

Update: There is a bonus one-named singer hiding in the theme entries. ONE NAME hides NENA, who famously sang "99 Luftballons." [With a big tip of the hat to Jerome for spotting that one!]

Across

1. Barge, for one : SCOW.

5. Go up to one's ankles : WADE. And 30-Down. Wade's opponent : ROE. Well, I guess if I were a fish egg, I wouldn't want anyone tromping all over me, either.  ;-)

(Of course, some anon. will correct me and say the clue/answer refers to the famous 1973 Supreme Court case involving the right to abortion. I like my version better.)

9. Saw to a seat : LED IN. Thank goodness, it wasn't "ushed"...

14. Launder : WASH.

15. Obi-Wan portrayer : ALEC.

Guinness

16. Maine college town : ORONO.

20. Kit for Mr. Fixit : TOOL SET. Anyone else want TOOL "box," before checking perps??

21. Bygone : OLD.

22. London facilities : LOO.

23. Otologist's concern : EAR.

24. Cartoon still : CEL.  This collectible CEL of 25-Across. Studious-looking dwarf : DOC. goes for $2,125.

DOC

26. Strikes out : FANS. I believe this is a baseball term, implying the "fanning" motion of the batter as he attempts to hit, but misses, the pitch charged as the third strike.

33. Part of a Latin trio : AMO. He is, of course, the lead singer. Amas plays bass and Amat is on drums. ;-)

34. Subatomic particle : MUON.

35. Colleague of Sonia and Clarence : ELENA. Supreme Court justices Sotomayor, Thomas and Kagan.

36. Musical dir. : RIT.artando. Gradually decrease the tempo to let morons like me keep up with the beat.

40. P & L column : YTD. Year To Date.

41. Not from around here : ALIEN.

43. Word in a dramatic warning : IDES. "Beware..."

44. Shout for the picador : OLÉ.

48. Bargains : BUYS. And they are often 50-Across. Bargain bin abbr. : IRR.egular.

49. Blvd. cousin : AVE.nue.

51. Big __ : SUR.

53. "So that's your game!" : OHO. This and 55-Across were my two writeovers. I had "Aha!" at first.

54. Had a little lamb : ATE.

55. "Just walk away" : LET IT BE. I wanted to LET IT go...

62. Razz : TAUNT.

63. Ordering aid : MENU. Eyeglasses help, also.

64. Sea birds : ERNS.

65. "Waiting for Lefty" playwright : ODETS.

66. Cad's comeuppance : SLAP.

67. Fries, say : SIDE.



Down

1. Rescue acronym : SWAT. Special Weapons And Tactics.

2. Roman statesman : CATO.

3. Capital once called Christiania : OSLO.

4. They have very big calves : WHALES. I laughed out loud when this one filled in.

5. Super Soaker, e.g. : WATERGUN. It was originally called the "Power Drencher."

6. Ended a flight : ALIT.

7. Cal. page : DEC.ember.  Where did this year go???

8. Bounced off the walls : ECHOED. Oh, sounds.  I was thinking of a kid on a sugar high.

9. "Downton Abbey" title : LORD.

10. Drop the ball : ERR.

11. 1964 Ronettes hit : DO I LOVE YOU. Sorry, Ronettes: Cher, Enya, Adele and Sade have already upstaged you!

12. How an embarrassing question may be asked : INNOCENTLY.

13. "Mission aborted" : NO GO.

18. Org. chronicled in "The Puzzle Palace" : NSA. National Security Agency.

19. Glamour rival : ELLE.

24. More crafty : CANNIER.

25. Sci-fi author Lester __ Rey : DEL.

26. Capacitance unit : FARAD.

27. Well in the lead : A MILE AHEAD. How is your favorite team doing this year?

28. Passé : NOT IN VOGUE. So last year!

31. Jeans choice : LEES.

32. Stows, as cargo : LADES.

34. "__ Lisa" : MONA.

38. Much of 19- and 48-Down : ADS.

39. Really drops the ball : MESSES UP.

42. Potato spot : EYE. Because "couch" was too long.

46. Credit card issuer : CITI. VISA? Amex? Nope...

47. Beats badly : CREAMS.

48. Magazine with many white dresses : BRIDES.

52. Actress Hagen : UTA.

53. Aware of : ON TO. "OHO, I'm ON TO your tricks!"

54. Court figures: Abbr. : ATTs.

55. Horne on stage : LENA. Horne. Too bad, Lena: you'd be up at the top of the page if you had just one name.

56. Garr on screen : TERI. Sorry Teri, you too. And you don't sing, either. But I do admire your work for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.

57. Wedding choice : BAND. 58-Down. "What __ could it be?" : ELSE. Well, it could have been "gown" or "ring" or "food" or...

60. Prov. where the CN Tower is located : ONT. There are two CN towers in Canada, but Alta. was too long.

61. Bus. card number : TEL.ephone. Call me, maybe. (Fun lip sync performance from an unexpected group.)

TaTa!
Marti

Wednesday, December 3rd 2014 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: "Alpen Mix" - The first word of the four theme answers is an anagram of these five letters.

17A. Geometry subject : PLANE FIGURE. I'm on one. An Airbus A320, according to "the safety card in the seatback pocket in front of me".

28A. Vertical window dressings : PANEL CURTAINS. I'm not an interior designer, so a new phrase for me. What other kinds of curtains are there?

47A. Carrier based in Kathmandu : NEPAL AIRLINES. Small letter-counting hesitation between LINES and WAYS and then no problem. I'd love to be on an NAL plane to Kathmandu right now, but UAL back to LAX for me.

61A. Place for some exiled prisoners : PENAL COLONY.

Hi all - Steve here, en route home from a visit to Mexico. I still don't understand why there isn't an internet cable trailing out of the back of the airplane and I can still do this! Thoroughly enjoyable puzzle from Gail and Bruce, and I was able to make a fifth anagram from the letters - "Alpen" is a muesli from the UK, so a perfect "mixture" theme title (for me, anyway!).

No "reveal" entry either leaving us to figure it out for ourselves - I didn't see the theme until I was finished, so it was a nice "aha" when I looked for it. Word of the day for me was QUIRKINESS - it was my final fill and all the nicer for trying to puzzle out an odd letter combination.

Across:

1. Quizmaster's request : ANSWER. Seems a little curt for a "request".

7. Enjoy the sun : BASK. I have to confess I've been doing a bit of this over the last few days.

11. Four times a day, in an Rx : QID. OK, if you say so. No clue.

14. Whodunit plot element : MOTIVE. Professor Plum in the library with the lead pipe. Is there a motive in "Clue"? It's so long since I've played the game. It's called "Cluedo" in England, by the way.

15. Aunt Bee's grandnephew : OPIE

16. Verse starter? : UNI. Universe.


19. Portfolio holding, briefly : IRA

20. Upset : SORE

21. Cards with pics : ID'S

22. Cuban bandleader __ Prado, "King of the Mambo" : PEREZ. Here's a quick taste of "Mambo No. 5" in "True Stereo". I think the vocal track needs a little work though.

24. Western tie : BOLO

26. Haughty look : SMIRK

32. LPGA garment : SKORT, Great clue for an odd wardrobe item

34. "Do it, __ will!" : OR I

35. Lose one's cool : SNAP

36. Bud : PAL

37. Where many pioneers headed : OUT WEST

41. U.K. record label : EMI. "Electric and Music Industries Ltd." founded in 1931. (Yes, I had to look that up).

42. More than enough : A LOT

44. Scoreboard letters : RHE. I'm slowly learning. Runs, Hits, Errors. Baseball! Here's the scoreboard from my hometown Dodger Stadium:

45. Initial stage : ONSET

51. Autumn stones : OPALS

52. "What __?" : OF IT

53. "Never needs sharpening" brand : GINSU

55. Certain Ivy Leaguer : ELI

56. Senator Cochran of Mississippi : THAD. Nice to meet you Mr. Thad Cochran.

60. Special forces weapon : UZI

65. Sneaker part : TOE

66. Work on film : EDIT

67. Carol opening : ADESTE. I read today that there's actually a statute dating from 1938 in New York (usually ignored) that you can't sell Christmas trees until December 1st. I'd like to see a statute that you can't play Christmas carols on any public PA until December 24th, and you must stop on December 26th. Bah humbug!

68. '60s antiwar org. : S.D.S.

69. Knocks : RAPS

70. Stacked like Tupperware : NESTED. Not mine, however hard I try. Jumbled in the cupboard with mismatched lids. How does that happen?

Down:

1. Music boosters : AMPS

2. Brief legal plea : NOLO. I think it's short for "Nolo Contendere" but I'm not going to commit to that until I consult with my attorney. I know my rights.

3. Rating symbol : STAR

4. Place offering two-ounce servings : WINE BAR. 2 ozs? That's not even a taste!

5. December 24, e.g. : EVE. Today you can play Adeste Fideles in public, according to Steve's Law.

6. Send an amended 1040, say : RE-FILE

7. Swampy spots : BOGS

8. Calcutta Tech grad on "The Simpsons" : APU

9. Respectful title : SIR

10. "That's yours now" : KEEP IT

11. Eccentricity : QUIRKINESS

12. Memo leadoff : INRE. I'd really like to use this intro, but somehow it doesn't seem appropriate in an email. If we ever went back to typewriters and inter-office memoranda I'd jump at the chance.

13. Cameron of "Bad Teacher" : DIAZ

18. Much-admired one : IDOL

23. Significant stretches : ERAS

25. Not fooled by : ON TO

26. "Fine by me" : SURE

27. Hosp. diagnostics : M.R.I.S

28. Rides during chukkers : POLO PONIES.

29. Cringe : COWER

30. Parents' selection : NAME

31. Polish partner : SPIT

32. Wing measurement : SPAN. They're measured by the bucket in Buffalo, I hear.

33. Farmers' market veggie : KALE

38. River to the Caspian : URAL

39. What we have here : THIS. Cue "Cool Hand Luke" clip.

40. Singer Braxton : TONI

43. Pub hardware : TAPS

46. Plants with stinging hairs : NETTLES. A summertime hazard all over England when I was growing up. You can make nettle soup, but it never tasted of much.

48. "Time After Time" singer : LAUPER. She has a great voice. I'd link the YouTube video but it comes up with a really annoying kids' video game ad first, so I'll spare you that.

49. Take it easy : LOLL

50. Promiser's caveat : IF I CAN. Seems a little squirrelly to add a caveat to a promise.

53. Inner workings : GUTS

54. Tommy Hilfiger rival : IZOD

55. Works on a sub : EATS

57. Quizmaster, e.g. : HOST. Two quizmasters today.

58. Get in on the deal : ANTE

59. Like purple hair : DYED

62. Child expert LeShan : EDA

63. Something in the air, perhaps : NIP

64. Laudatory work : ODE

That's it from me today. California's getting some welcome rain, let's see how many mudslides are triggered - hopefully nothing serious.

Steve

Tuesday, December 2, 2014 Bernice Gordon

Theme: Sound Alikes - Except for the first letter, all four start with _UMBLE.

17A. Modest abode : HUMBLE HOME

53A. Windblown desert plant : TUMBLEWEED

11D. Folding feature of an old roadster : RUMBLE SEAT

28D. Hogwarts headmaster : DUMBLEDORE

Argyle here with Bernice Gordon, age 100, whose birthday is next month. Fun words, ten letters long, two across, two down. Each set has a compound word, one open, one closed. Good mix in the field, easier than Monday's.

Across:

1. Netherlands export : EDAM

5. "500" initials on Wall Street : S AND P. (Standard and Poor) Index of 500 top companies.

10. Important time periods : ERAs

14. Outfielder Crisp nicknamed for a cereal box character : COCO

15. Acting award : OSCAR

16. Night in Nantes : NUIT

19. Armory supply : AMMO

20. Galena or hematite : ORE

21. Currier's partner : IVES

22. One in a congregation : MEMBER

24. Winnebago owner, briefly : RVer. (recreational vehicle)

25. Defendant in a defamation case : LIBELEE. But no SLANDEREE in the dictionary.

26. More orderly : TIDIER

29. Weak : FEEBLE

30. Grads : ALUMS

31. Tusked porcine animals : BOARS

32. Spot for rest and relaxation : SPA

35. Gimlet fruit : LIME

36. Urge forward : DRIVE

37. Help to withdraw : WEAN

38. Neighbor of Isr. : LEB. (Lebanon)

39. Attorney general under Reagan : MEESE

40. Map out : CHART

41. Seize, as a chance : LEAP AT

43. Grab greedily : SNATCH

44. __ City: Oz locale : EMERALD

46. Tiny energy source : ATOM

47. Title for Bovary and Butterfly : MADAME. Say 39D. Respectful address : MA'AM

48. Landed : ALIT

49. ROTC school near D.C. : VMI. (Virginia Military Institute)

52. Good buds : BROs

56. To be, to Bizet : ÊTRE

57. Prop for Picasso : EASEL

58. Inland Asian sea : ARAL

59. Like Easter eggs : DYED

60. Gin berries : SLOES

61. Lock maker : YALE

Down:

1. Reverberate : ECHO

2. Sullen : DOUR

3. Top : ACME

4. Unruly group : MOB

5. In any way : SO EVER. Usually with "what". Update: Dictionaries prefer "SOEVER" but Google shows much more use of "SO EVER".

6. Peter of Peter and Gordon : ASHER. The red head.

7. Cpls. and sgts. : NCOs

8. Aswan or Hoover : DAM

9. Opening night showing : PREMIERE

10. Tooth cover : ENAMEL

12. Actress Anouk : AIMEE

13. Put away for the future : STORE

18. Exists : LIVES

23. Recedes to the sea : EBBS

24. Hoarfrost : RIME

25. Sailor's time off : LEAVE

26. Hard to believe, as a story : TALL

27. Nastase of tennis : ILIE

29. Force unfairly (on) : FOIST

31. Naan, for example : BREAD

33. Jardin du Luxembourg, par exemple : PARC. It is located in Paris.

34. Lit. collection : ANTH. (anthology)

36. Seriously reduces : DEPLETES

37. "Kapow!" cousin : "WHAM!"

40. 100 bucks : C NOTE

42. Wiped off the board : ERASED

43. Motion picture frames : STILLS

44. Fix firmly : EMBED

45. Title role that won Borgnine a 15-Across : "MARTY". Initial release: April 11, 1955 (New York City)

46. "Tiny Alice" dramatist Edward : ALBEE. Tiny Alice, a three act play, premiered on Broadway on December 29, 1964.

48. "Are not" retort : "AM SO"

49. Wang known for wedding gowns : VERA

50. Supper, e.g. : MEAL

51. Out of a job : IDLE

54. Delta rival: Abbr. : UAL. (United Airlines)

55. Method : WAY

Argyle