Theme: "The Joke's On Me"
Ooof!! When I saw all the cross-references leading me to a Bible verse, I really thought my goose was cooked. But slowly, they started filling in and I had to smile:
1-Across. See 58-Across : GIGGLE.
7-Across. See 58-Across : GUFFAW.
15-Across. See 58-Across : BURST OUT LAUGHING.
34-Across. See 58-Across : CHORTLE.
38-Across. See 58-Across : CRACK UP.
49-Across. See 58-Across : TITTER.
58-Across. Psalm 100 excerpt suggested by six puzzle answers and graphically represented by certain black squares in this puzzle : MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE.
Unusual grid, with left-to-right but not top-to-bottom symmetry. Jeffrey also used a 16*15 grid, both the reveal entry and 15-A have 16-letters. Can you see the "smiling face" in the middle of the grid?
62 blocks of theme is a lot for a weekday puzzle, and necessarily led to a bit of dreck in the fill. But overall, an enjoyable solve.
Across
13. How many golf clubs are sold : AS A SET.
14. Member of Buck Showalter's MLB team : ORIOLE. Can you guess that I struggled with this one?
19. Put __ on: restrict : A CAP.
21. __ profit: make money : NET A. Two awkward partials in a row.
22. With 20-Across, "American Beauty" rockers, familiarly : THE. And 20-Across. See 22-Across : DEAD. The Grateful Dead. Did I really need to come across an extra cross-referential clue in the grid?
23. Gets harder to climb : STEEPENS.
27. Pester : NAG.
28. Valleys : HOLLOWS.
30. Can't stand : DETESTS.
32. Prefix with -pod : TRI. Tripod.
33. Oils and such : ART.
42. Baseball's Piniella : LOU. Nailed it, once I had the L, O and U from perps in place...
43. Measure typically given in knots : AIR SPEED. Dudley, what AIR SPEED do you usually fly at?
46. "Discreet Music" composer : ENO.
47. They can be lifesavers: Abbr. : EMTs. Emergency Medical Technicians.
50. Focus, with "in" : ZERO.
51. Greek cheeses : FETAS.
53. Swear : CUSS. Not aver or avow this time.
54. Withstand : REPEL.
55. Nick working at night? : SANTA. We all know that his real name is Argyle...
57. Crush competitor : FANTA. Does Santa drink Fanta?
64. Pub order : ALE.
65. Like "Gilligan's Island" characters : MAROONED.
66. Do yard work : MOW.
67. "Success!" : YES! [With or without a fist pump.]
68. Bicuspid : PREMOLAR.
69. Yakima-to-Spokane dir. : ENE.
Down
1. Pampas cowboy : GAUCHO.
2. Beersheba's land : ISRAEL.
3. [I don't believe it!] : GASP.
4. Prime meridian std. : GST. Greenwich Sidereal Time. A variant of Greenwich Mean Time used in astronomy for locating specific stars.
5. Regulus is in it : LEO.
6. Technique-building pieces : ÉTUDES. From the French word for "study."
7. Incited : GOADED.
8. Second-smallest S.A. country : URU.guay.
9. Pear-shaped fruit : FIG. Do you give one?
10. Warm alpine wind, in Austria : FÖHN. Without the umlaut, it would be spelled "foehn" in English. A gimme...
11. Klingons, e.g. : ALIENS.
12. Attacked : WENT AT.
15. Spa area : BATH. Hmmm, this could have two meanings. In many spas, a bath is sometimes filled with mineral water or mud, and it could be offered as a special service. -OR- We could be talking about Bath, England. The spas there date back to Roman times.
16. Support on the links? : TEE. hee?
17. Running measure : LAP.
18. Suppresses : GAGS.
23. Not entirely, informally : SORTA.
24. Like an early evening sky : TWILIT.
25. Comparatively warm? : NEARER. In the children's treasure hunt game, you say "Warmer" when they are getting near the hidden object, or "colder" when they are moving farther away from it. Didn't we just have a reference to this game?
26. Valuable cello : STRAD.ivarius. The Italian family was renowned for their violins, violas, cellos and other stringed instruments.
29. USPS item : LTR. United States Postal Service, letter.
31. List-limiting letters : ETC.etera, etcetera, etcetera...
34. Score symbol : CLEF. Thanks for the pic yesterday, Steve!
35. Realty transaction : HOME SALE.
36. Amusing DVD feature : OUTTAKES. Sometimes they are even funnier than the movie. 8:33
37. "The Grouchy Ladybug" writer Carle : ERIC. Lucina, did you read this to your students?
38. Accent pair? : CEES.
39. Tap your foot, say : KEEP TIME. I can assure you, that when my husband is tapping his foot before we got out for the evening, he is not keeping time...
40. Folly : UNREASON. Ugh. Valid, but not your everyday word.
41. Dirty __ : POOL. Because "Harry" wouldn't fit!
44. Disco __ of "The Simpsons" : STU. Have you memorized all the Simpsons characters yet? (He's in the third row, fourth from the right, next to Maggie Simpson.) If you go to this web site and mouse over the faces, it identifies each one. Quiz, to follow.
45. Gal.'s eight : PTS. Pints.
48. Levelheaded : SANE.
50. Philosopher known for a paradox : ZENO. of Elea. Think of "Achilles and the Tortoise."
52. Prepare for mailing : STAMP. I simply hit "send."
54. Getaway goal, for short : R AND R.
56. Somewhat open : AJAR.
57. Boxer's woe : FLEA.
58. Might : MAY. "It ___ rain this afternoon." Either works.
59. Rock worth mining : ORE.
60. __ Kippur : YOM. Day of atonement for those of the Jewish faith.
61. Rock's __ Fighters : FOO. They just released Sonic Highways in November last year. (Yes, check your calendar - it was last year!) Link away.
62. Not in the bk. : UNL.isted. Telephone book.
63. Field grazer : EWE.
Marti, out.
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Jan 1, 2015
Dec 31, 2014
Wednesday, December 31st 2014 Alex Miller
Theme: I'Ve got an idea!
20A. King who supported Molière : LOUIS XIV. The Sun King didn't support him enough to intervene when the comedy "Tartouffe" was banned for five years for being overly critical of the Catholic church. Even French kings didn't mess with the cardinals if they had a hankering for some measure of longevity.
31A. Colorful mnemonic : ROY G. BIV. I always thought that this wasn't exactly the most memorable mnemonic, which kind of defeats the purpose.
49A. City name meaning "spring mound" : TEL AVIV. A learning moment for me.
61A. Maker of Smart Target acne treatment : PROACTIV. It didn't exist when I was a spotty teen, fortunately I wasn't badly afflicted. Even so, my mother told me to use more soap and scrub my face with a pumice stone!
and tying the four theme entries together:
38A. Northeastern educational octet ... or, in a way, what the ends of 20-, 31-, 49- and 61-Across comprise : IVY LEAGUE. Phonetically I-V. If you want a mnemonic for the eight schools: BC-CD HAPPY. Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale.
Steve here, checking in for the last puzzle of the year. I think this is Alex's LAT debut. If that's the case, congratulations! It's fun to see that we're at the end of the year MMXIV, where the "year end" so happens to be today's theme. I don't know if Rich intended this when he slotted this puzzle in for New Year's Eve, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me if he did.
This wasn't totally plain sailing for me today, there were some unknowns, some self-inflicted stumbles, a groan or two and a WAG but everything came together in the end. All good fun. The 8-letter downs were all great. Thanks, Alex!
Across:
1. See the sites? : SURF
5. Parker who played Davy Crockett : FESS. I stayed at Fess's hotel in Los Olivos a few years ago before he passed away. The evening was spent in the lounge singing around the piano with him, his wife and the other guests. She had a great voice - she was a nightclub singer when they first met.
9. Vagabond : TRAMP
14. Dept. with a sun on its seal : ENER. Makes sense, I guess. Crosses for me.
15. Future D.A.'s hurdle : LSAT
16. Putting green features : HOLES. Hopefully the ones made for the purpose, not random gopher creations.
17. Tiny pond plant : ALGA. There can be some big ones - the sea-dwelling giant kelp can grow up to 50 feet long. There are kelp beds off the coast here in California.
18. Holiday lights site : EAVE. I jumped in feet-first with TREE here. That slowed things up for a while.
19. Slate of VIPs : A-LIST
22. Highfalutin sorts : SNOBS
23. Hoi __ : POLLOI
24. Egg-white omelet's lack : YOLK
26. Blotter letters : AKA. There's no better way to get a feel for a strange town than from reading the local police blotter.
28. Ryder Cup team : USA. Cluing this as "Losing Ryder Cup team" would have been too easy. The Europeans are on something of a winning streak.
29. "Mystery!" network : PBS
33. Line to tear along: Abbr. : PERF.
35. "Constant Craving" singer : LANG. Canadian singer/songwriter K.D.
37. Pontificate : ORATE
41. Big mess : SNAFU. Now here's an acronym I'm familiar with - Situation Normal - All "Fouled" Up!
44. Isle of Mull neighbor : IONA. Home of the wonderfully-named "Bay at the Back of the Ocean".
45. Beauties : GEMS
51. Naval off. : ADM. I had the "D" and tried CDR first, but I didn't like it much. I didn't like this any better, to be honest.
53. Welcoming accessory : MAT
54. Carpentry tool : AWL
55. Some, in Seville : UNAS
57. Two-gamete cell : ZYGOTE. Great Scrabble word too!
59. Blow away : AMAZE
63. Limber : AGILE
64. Snack in a stack : OREO
65. Singles bar conversation starter : LINE
66. Easily corrupted : VENAL
67. Badly need a bath : REEK
68. Squared up : EVEN
69. Anaheim's Honda Center, e.g. : ARENA. It was the Arrowhead Pond before Honda paid for the naming rights. I do miss the days when sporting venues were given a name and kept it.
70. Kings and queens : BEDS. Nice clue!
71. They may be tacked on : FEES
Down:
1. Blubbery baby? : SEAL PUP
2. Free : UNLOOSE. Personally, this one fits in my "well, it's a word, but not one you'd actually use" pigeonhole.
3. Like some verbs and gas : REGULAR
4. Hardly hardy : FRAIL
5. With some wiggle room : FLEXIBLY
6. Hollywood's Morales : ESAI
7. Shrewd : SAVVY
8. Canonized mlle. : STE. A French mademoiselle may become une sainte if she behaves herself.
9. Gift recipient's sentiment : THANK YOU
10. Lampshade-shaped chocolate : ROLO
11. Woodcutter who knew the magic words : ALI BABA
12. Camper's dining gear : MESS KIT. Painted myself into a corner with MESS TIN as my first effort.
13. West Coast hrs. : PST
21. Food for dunking : SOP
22. __-mo replay : SLO
25. Princess Leia's last name : ORGANA. Crosses to the rescue. I didn't know Ms. Earmuffs' family moniker.
27. City thoroughfare: Abbr. : AVE
30. Whistle wetter : SALIVA
32. First name of TV's Dr. House : GREG
34. World Cup org. : F.I.F.A. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Not a stranger to allegations of corruption.
36. Classical lead-in : NEO
39. Horn banned from the 2014 World Cup : VUVUZELA. And praise be that they were banned. I watched most of the 2010 World Cup with the sound muted. I don't know how the players managed to stay sane.
40. "Zounds!" : GADZOOKS. Wonderful Word of the Day!
41. RR stop : STA
42. Many an Enya fan : NEW AGER.
43. Hoarder's cry : ALL MINE
46. Showing strong feeling : EMOTIVE. I fell into the gerund clue trap and had "EMOTING" at first.
47. Day play : MATINEE
48. Justice replaced by Kagan : STEVENS
50. Having four sharps : IN E
52. One-named R&B singer : MYA. I'm going out on a blaze of glory with the wonderful "Lady Marmalade" cover from "Moulin Rouge". Cover the eyes of any minors, work through the 15-second ad and enjoy this.
56. Bender : SPREE
58. Treble staff symbol : G-CLEF. Here's the clef and the key signature for E Major from 50A
60. Logician Turing : ALAN. A heroic character.
62. Clarinet insert : REED
63. Actress Gardner : AVA
64. Ball : ORB
And there we are. The highlights of 2014 are here every day at the Corner. Unlike most other media today, it's impossible to pick out any "Top 10" moments from the 365 days of this year. Each and every one of us, commenters, solvers, anons, snarky anons, constructors, bloggers all keep this place alive and a go-to part of our days. Here's to everyone who visits and everyone who contributes - but one - special exception - a shout-out to C.C. who created this place and made us all welcome.
A Happy New Year to all of you.
Steve
20A. King who supported Molière : LOUIS XIV. The Sun King didn't support him enough to intervene when the comedy "Tartouffe" was banned for five years for being overly critical of the Catholic church. Even French kings didn't mess with the cardinals if they had a hankering for some measure of longevity.
31A. Colorful mnemonic : ROY G. BIV. I always thought that this wasn't exactly the most memorable mnemonic, which kind of defeats the purpose.
49A. City name meaning "spring mound" : TEL AVIV. A learning moment for me.
Somewhere underneath this lot there's a mound |
and tying the four theme entries together:
38A. Northeastern educational octet ... or, in a way, what the ends of 20-, 31-, 49- and 61-Across comprise : IVY LEAGUE. Phonetically I-V. If you want a mnemonic for the eight schools: BC-CD HAPPY. Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Yale.
Steve here, checking in for the last puzzle of the year. I think this is Alex's LAT debut. If that's the case, congratulations! It's fun to see that we're at the end of the year MMXIV, where the "year end" so happens to be today's theme. I don't know if Rich intended this when he slotted this puzzle in for New Year's Eve, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me if he did.
This wasn't totally plain sailing for me today, there were some unknowns, some self-inflicted stumbles, a groan or two and a WAG but everything came together in the end. All good fun. The 8-letter downs were all great. Thanks, Alex!
Across:
1. See the sites? : SURF
5. Parker who played Davy Crockett : FESS. I stayed at Fess's hotel in Los Olivos a few years ago before he passed away. The evening was spent in the lounge singing around the piano with him, his wife and the other guests. She had a great voice - she was a nightclub singer when they first met.
9. Vagabond : TRAMP
14. Dept. with a sun on its seal : ENER. Makes sense, I guess. Crosses for me.
15. Future D.A.'s hurdle : LSAT
16. Putting green features : HOLES. Hopefully the ones made for the purpose, not random gopher creations.
17. Tiny pond plant : ALGA. There can be some big ones - the sea-dwelling giant kelp can grow up to 50 feet long. There are kelp beds off the coast here in California.
18. Holiday lights site : EAVE. I jumped in feet-first with TREE here. That slowed things up for a while.
19. Slate of VIPs : A-LIST
22. Highfalutin sorts : SNOBS
23. Hoi __ : POLLOI
24. Egg-white omelet's lack : YOLK
26. Blotter letters : AKA. There's no better way to get a feel for a strange town than from reading the local police blotter.
28. Ryder Cup team : USA. Cluing this as "Losing Ryder Cup team" would have been too easy. The Europeans are on something of a winning streak.
29. "Mystery!" network : PBS
33. Line to tear along: Abbr. : PERF.
35. "Constant Craving" singer : LANG. Canadian singer/songwriter K.D.
37. Pontificate : ORATE
41. Big mess : SNAFU. Now here's an acronym I'm familiar with - Situation Normal - All "Fouled" Up!
44. Isle of Mull neighbor : IONA. Home of the wonderfully-named "Bay at the Back of the Ocean".
45. Beauties : GEMS
51. Naval off. : ADM. I had the "D" and tried CDR first, but I didn't like it much. I didn't like this any better, to be honest.
53. Welcoming accessory : MAT
54. Carpentry tool : AWL
55. Some, in Seville : UNAS
57. Two-gamete cell : ZYGOTE. Great Scrabble word too!
59. Blow away : AMAZE
63. Limber : AGILE
64. Snack in a stack : OREO
65. Singles bar conversation starter : LINE
66. Easily corrupted : VENAL
67. Badly need a bath : REEK
68. Squared up : EVEN
69. Anaheim's Honda Center, e.g. : ARENA. It was the Arrowhead Pond before Honda paid for the naming rights. I do miss the days when sporting venues were given a name and kept it.
70. Kings and queens : BEDS. Nice clue!
71. They may be tacked on : FEES
Down:
1. Blubbery baby? : SEAL PUP
2. Free : UNLOOSE. Personally, this one fits in my "well, it's a word, but not one you'd actually use" pigeonhole.
3. Like some verbs and gas : REGULAR
4. Hardly hardy : FRAIL
5. With some wiggle room : FLEXIBLY
6. Hollywood's Morales : ESAI
7. Shrewd : SAVVY
8. Canonized mlle. : STE. A French mademoiselle may become une sainte if she behaves herself.
9. Gift recipient's sentiment : THANK YOU
10. Lampshade-shaped chocolate : ROLO
11. Woodcutter who knew the magic words : ALI BABA
12. Camper's dining gear : MESS KIT. Painted myself into a corner with MESS TIN as my first effort.
13. West Coast hrs. : PST
21. Food for dunking : SOP
22. __-mo replay : SLO
25. Princess Leia's last name : ORGANA. Crosses to the rescue. I didn't know Ms. Earmuffs' family moniker.
27. City thoroughfare: Abbr. : AVE
30. Whistle wetter : SALIVA
32. First name of TV's Dr. House : GREG
34. World Cup org. : F.I.F.A. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Not a stranger to allegations of corruption.
36. Classical lead-in : NEO
39. Horn banned from the 2014 World Cup : VUVUZELA. And praise be that they were banned. I watched most of the 2010 World Cup with the sound muted. I don't know how the players managed to stay sane.
40. "Zounds!" : GADZOOKS. Wonderful Word of the Day!
41. RR stop : STA
42. Many an Enya fan : NEW AGER.
43. Hoarder's cry : ALL MINE
46. Showing strong feeling : EMOTIVE. I fell into the gerund clue trap and had "EMOTING" at first.
47. Day play : MATINEE
48. Justice replaced by Kagan : STEVENS
50. Having four sharps : IN E
52. One-named R&B singer : MYA. I'm going out on a blaze of glory with the wonderful "Lady Marmalade" cover from "Moulin Rouge". Cover the eyes of any minors, work through the 15-second ad and enjoy this.
56. Bender : SPREE
58. Treble staff symbol : G-CLEF. Here's the clef and the key signature for E Major from 50A
60. Logician Turing : ALAN. A heroic character.
62. Clarinet insert : REED
63. Actress Gardner : AVA
64. Ball : ORB
And there we are. The highlights of 2014 are here every day at the Corner. Unlike most other media today, it's impossible to pick out any "Top 10" moments from the 365 days of this year. Each and every one of us, commenters, solvers, anons, snarky anons, constructors, bloggers all keep this place alive and a go-to part of our days. Here's to everyone who visits and everyone who contributes - but one - special exception - a shout-out to C.C. who created this place and made us all welcome.
A Happy New Year to all of you.
Steve
Notes from C.C.:
1) I echo what Steve said earlier: "The highlights of 2014 are here every day at the Corner". Thanks for your daily visits & contributions. I'm very grateful for your loyal support.
2) In yesterday's blog, Rainman asked how to make a link at the blog Comments section. I know several newbies want to know the steps also. Please click here for the instructions. Feel free to ask regulars for help if you encounter any problem. It's tricky at first and may take a few practice.
Dec 30, 2014
Tuesday, December 30, 2014 Greg Johnson
Theme: Pack it in - Four containers that can be packed.
17A. Stunt pilot stunt : BARREL ROLL
24A. Quaint dating-and-dining event : BOX SOCIAL. Was there one in "Music Man"?
49A. Man cave celebration : CHEST BUMP
59A. Social agency employee : CASE WORKER
Reveal entry:
38A. Moving company service, and what the starts of 17-, 24-, 49- and 59-Across may be used for : STORAGE
Argyle here. Time to pack up another year. Solid Tuesday.
Across:
1. Heavy book : TOME
5. High-end Honda : ACURA
10. Roof edge : EAVE
14. Shepard who hit golf balls on the moon : ALAN
15. In a huff : UPSET
16. Headed for overtime : TIED
19. __ d'oeuvre : HORS
20. Still in the store : UNSOLD
21. Kanga's creator : A.A. MILNE
23. Cuba libre liquor : RUM with coke and some lime.
26. Quite a few : A LOT
28. Buddhist sect : ZEN
29. Singing syllable : TRA La La
30. Like a stage performance : LIVE
31. Eye-roller's reply : "I BET"
33. Mess makers : SLOBS
37. Microbrewery brew : ALE
40. Japanese carp : KOI
41. Remove insulation from : STRIP. From wires.
43. __ stick : POGO
44. You can see Lincoln on one : CENT
45. Aunt, en español : TIA
47. No longer burning : OUT
48. Bailiff's cry : "OYEZ"
53. Cease : END
54. Hold : POSSESS
55. Obtain via threats : EXTORT
58. Actress Kudrow : LISA
62. "Fly-Fight-Win" org. : USAF
63. Tequila plant : AGAVE
64. Winery prefix : OENO
65. Eyelid problem : STYE
66. Videos that go viral, e.g. : MEMEs
67. Rhône-Alpes city : LYON
Down:
1. "Forbidden" perfume : "TABU"
2. "The Good Earth" mother : OLAN
3. NASA's Curiosity, e.g. : MARS ROVER
4. Along the way : ENROUTE
5. "__ Lang Syne" : AULD
6. EMT procedure : CPR
7. Troupe for the troops: Abbr. : USO
8. Enjoy some downtime : RELAX
9. "Finally!" : "AT LAST!"
10. Guided by good : ETHICAL
11. Garlicky mayo : AIOLI. Mayo with attitude.
12. Actress Bloom of "High Plains Drifter" : VERNA. And of "Animal House".
13. Eponymous Ford : EDSEL. Eponymous is something or someone that gives its name to something else.
18. Shade source : ELM
22. Code creator : MORSE
24. Charlie Parker jazz genre : BEBOP
25. Like old-time schoolhouses : ONE-ROOM
26. Cry of dismay : "ALAS!"
27. Happy tune : LILT
28. Skin blemish : ZIT
32. Prepare to advance after a fly ball : TAG UP
34. "Roger that!" : "OKEY-DOKEY!"
35. Femur, e.g. : BONE
36. __ bath: therapeutic soak : SITZ
38. Rancor : SPITE
39. Picked up : GOT
42. "You can come out now" : "IT'S SAFE"
44. Word before group or freak : CONTROL
46. '70s-'80s scandal that inspired "American Hustle" : ABSCAM
49. Academically above average : C-PLUS
50. Raise, as a flag : HOIST
51. College application part : ESSAY
52. Meter reading : USAGE
53. Prefix with skeleton : EXO
55. Meadow females : EWEs
56. Gambling town near Tahoe : RENO
57. 1982 Disney sci-fi flick : "TRON"
60. "Casablanca" piano man : SAM
61. Night before : EVE. Hoist the party flag. We have a barrel of rum and case of ale. Also, some Tia Maria, tequila and find some wine for the oenophiles. Don't forget the hors d'oeuvres. Do the Hustle. Maybe strip later(nothing tabu) and sing some lilts. Tra La La. Play it, Sam. Play "Auld Lang Syne".
Argyle
Note from C.C.:
Here is a picture of Dudley and his wife from their Nantucket voyage last Saturday. He said "It
was taken for us by a passing airport employee, a kind hearted fellow,
at sunset when we were preparing to leave. Marti helped me edit the
frame a bit (she’s clever like that)."
Dec 29, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014 Jerry Edelstein
Theme: Think Global - Rather succinct reveal today.
57. The third "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie (and where you might find the first part of 18-, 24-, 34-, 40- and 48-Across) : "AT WORLD'S END". Trailer(2:55)
18. Large-group legal proceeding : CLASS ACTION. World class.
24. Lens for a panorama : WIDE ANGLE. Worldwide.
34. Wooing period : COURTSHIP. World Court, formally The International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. Informally, being judged on a global basis.
40. Secure method of payment : BANK DRAFT. World Bank, like The World Court, is a United Nations international institution.
48. Craft with an outboard : POWERBOAT. World power. Yes, I tried motorboat first.
Argyle here. Jerry has had a good year, like his puzzle on Tuesday couple of weeks ago. You might say this is his year's end puzzle. Clearance on 3-letter entries (27).
Across:
1. "Big" fast-food sandwich : "MAC". "Two all-beef patties,...."
4. Ump's call with outstretched arms : "SAFE!"
8. Halloween sheet wearers : GHOSTS
14. Prez on a penny : ABE
15. Cuba, por ejemplo : ISLA
16. Abdul and Zahn : PAULAs. Entertainer and newscaster.
17. Philandering fellow : CAD
20. King toppers : ACEs. In cards.
22. Pulitzer winner James : AGEE. A posthumous Pulitzer Prize(1958) for " A Death in the Family"(1957).
23. Colo. neighbor : KANS. (Kansas)
26. Omelet need : EGG
27. Clock-setting std. : GMT. (Greenwich Mean Time)
28. Bomb trials, briefly : H TESTS
31. Iranian religion : BAHA'I
37. Waterfront org. : ILA. (International Longshoremen's Association)
38. Gems that come mostly from Australia : OPALS
39. Lab eggs : OVA
43. Conductor's wand : BATON
45. "Certainly!" : "INDEED!"
46. Elbow poke : JAB. wink, wink...nudge, nudge.
47. Baseball's Cobb and football's Law : TYs. Tajuan "Ty" Law.
54. Tip-top : A-ONE
55. Earnest request : PLEA
56. Wheel shaft : AXLE
60. Supermarket franchise initials : IGA. (Independent Grocers Alliance)
61. Attractive : PRETTY
62. Writer Ferber : EDNA
63. __ Moines : DES
64. "Honor Thy Father" author Gay : TALESE
65. Nikita's no : NYET
66. Palindromic "before" : ERE
Down:
1. Rain forest parrot : MACAW
2. Ancient calculators : ABACI
3. Handed over, as land : CEDED
4. Attack, to Fido : "SIC!"
5. Like italics : ASLANT
6. "Fried Green Tomatoes" co-screenwriter Fannie : FLAGG
7. Tripod for a canvas : EASEL
8. Transcript no. : GPA
9. Comic Buddy who played Costello in "Bud and Lou" : HACKETT
10. Power failures : OUTAGES
11. Weapon in the David and Goliath story : SLINGSHOT
12. New Mexico art hub : TAOS
13. Tax form ID : SSN
19. Catch sight of : SEE
21. Maker of the Genesis game system : SEGA
25. French pal : AMI
28. Day's 24: Abbr. : HRs
29. DVR brand : TIVO
30. Stretch across : SPAN
31. Netanyahu of Israel, familiarly : BIBI
32. Actor Alda : ALAN
33. Part of a hotel bathroom set : HANDTOWEL
34. Tax whiz, briefly : CPA
35. Clumsy type : OAF
36. Final: Abbr. : ULT. (ultimate)
38. Old California fort : ORD
41. Major speech, as at a convention : KEYNOTE
42. Arid expanses : DESERTS
43. Place for a cocktail : BAR
44. "Mamma Mia!" group : ABBA
46. __ d'Arc : JEANNE
48. Opposite of COD : PPD. Collect on delivery/postpaid
49. Jimmy of the Daily Planet : OLSEN
50. Like a neglected lawn : WEEDY. Can neglect till spring now.
51. Zinc __: sunblock ingredient : OXIDE
52. Rags-to-riches author Horatio : ALGER
53. Kid around with : TEASE
54. Gillette razor : ATRA
57. Fitting : APT
58. Caustic chemical : LYE
59. "Can't Help Lovin' __ Man" : DAT. This is from the 1993 Toronto cast recording.
Argyle
Dec 28, 2014
Sunday, December 28, 2014, C.C. Burnikel
Theme: "The Sixth Sense"- I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 8....
Today I get to ESPouse some comments on this ESPecially fun puzzle by our Extra Special Puzzlemistress C.C.!
ESP Testing in Ghostbusters. Remember which subject did well?
Seeing SPIRIT and SPEED early sent me down a blind theme alley but then I saw the very clever ESP grouping split between two words as either ...E SP... or ...ES P... Seven Across and two Down. Coupled with her always fun cluing made for an enjoyable time on this last Sunday of 2014.
Theme Answers:
23A. Nonconformist : FREE SPIRIT
33A. Roadwork warning : REDUCE SPEED
45A. Candy that comes in three colors : REESES PIECES - E.T's favorite!
70A. X Games pursuits : EXTREME SPORTS - Knock yourself out! Probably will.
89A. Position held three times by Henry Clay : HOUSE SPEAKER - LBJ knocked heads together and got more things done than as VP.
103A. Athlete's setback : ANKLE SPRAIN
117A. Pledge drive talk, essentially : SALES PITCH - Like during this fabulous show
15D. Colorado Gold Rush area : PIKES PEAK - The temp dropped 50˚F as we rode the Cog R.R. to the top
80D. Polite acceptance : YES PLEASE
...and the Reveal:
97D. One with the ability hidden in nine puzzle answers : PSYCHIC - The reveal! How come they aren't getting rich by betting on football or playing the lottery?
Across
1. Holed, as a putt : SANK - "It's in the hole!" Caddyshack
5. Gives and takes : SWAPS
10. Unlit : SOBER - Clever.
15. Showy display ; POMP - Hey, whatever floats your boat...
19. Neat as : A PIN - A wifely trait that my daughter's didn't get
20. ____ firma : TERRA - Some of California's TERRA sometimes is not so firma
21. Butt (in) : CHIME
22. Google Nexus competitor : iPAD
25. Predecessor of Begin : RABIN
26. Superman's cover : KENT - Really? The glasses and the curl fooled you?
27. Choice cut : FILET
28. Went for a seat : RAN - My best friend's son ran for and now has a seat in the U.S. Senate
29. British aristocrat : EARL - My favorite contribution by an Earl
30. Get hot on Twitter : TREND
31. Longtime Guardian cartoonist Asquith : ROS
37. Equally hot : AS MAD
39. Rosemary relative : OREGANO
41. Tolkien forest giant : ENT - We might as well learn it. It's not going away
42. "Moneyball" Oscar nominee : BRAD PITT
44. Boneheads : NINNIES
48. "Gimme __!": start of a Rutgers cheer : AN R
49. "10538 Overture" band : ELO
51. Good buddy : PAL
52. HDTV brand : RCA - Now made by S. Korean Company, On Corp, in China
53. Pulls a fast one on : SNOWS - Can anyone say Bernie Madoff?
56. Don McLean song that begins "Starry, starry night" : VINCENT
58. Large spitz : AKITA - Built for when it 53A's
62. Parts of teacups : EARS - A tea connoisseur like C.C. would know
63. Central Utah city : OREM
65. Pomegranate color : RED - I only learned last week how to eat a Pomegranate
66. Dragon roll ingredient : EEL
68. Room to chill : DEN - Mine's my sunroom
69. Still undecided, briefly : TBA - Like times for televised college football games
73. Permitted : LET - In tennis LET serves are not permitted
74. Huge load : TON
75. Uni, in sushi bars : ROE
76. You, to Goethe : SIE
77. Tax-sheltered accts. : IRAS - This is the time of year we wished they were Roth IRA's
78. They may be placed : BETS - A scene where the guy on the left BETS on 22 Black on Bogie's advice.
79. Delivery expert, briefly : OB/GYN - Leonard, "Raj you should be an OB/GYN like your dad". Raj, "My God Leonard, I can't even look a woman in the eye!"
81. Canal transport : GONDOLA
83. Forward : PUSHY
84. "Ich bin __ Berliner" : EIN - JFK gave Berlin hope 36 years before the wall came down
86. Has too much, briefly : ODS
87. Styling stuff : GEL - Yeah, it really works on you!
88. Pop holder : CAN - It was glass in my ute and I got 2 cents for returning them
94. Troop support mission : AIR DROP - These kept Berlin alive in '48 and '49. Update: The Berlin mission was an AIR LIFT. The planes landed in Berlin. Here is the story of Operation Little Vittles where candy was air dropped to the children. Argyle.
98. Looks for flaws in : INSPECTS - Did anyone ever get one of those bikini inspector jobs?
99. "The Royal Tenenbaums" director Anderson : WES
101. Eavesdrops, with "in" : LISTENS
102. Stretch : SPELL - Whether is a bad SPELL of weather
107. Ottoman governor : BEY - Why do I think they weren't elected?
108. "You __ right!" : ARE SO
110. Olympian war god : ARES
111. Auction group : LOT
112. Stern with a bow : ISAAC - How cool is this clue?
114. South Pacific capital : APIA - Looks pretty good from the cold prairie in December
115. Tea grade : PEKOE
119. Brings together : WEDS
120. Revise, as text : EMEND - Certainly part of this process
121. Map fleck : ISLET
122. Spice Girl Halliwell : GERI
123. Hebrides tongue : ERSE
124. Fellas : DUDES
125. Insincere : PHONY
126. Teeny amt. of time : NSEC - Time it takes for the idiot behind me to honk his horn when the light turns green. .000000001 sec
Down:
1. Paella ingredient : SAFFRON - Who but Donovan has used this word in a song?
2. Existing independent of experience, in logic : A PRIORI - True by definition - All triangles have three sides? Yes. All tall people like basketball? Nope!
3. Eponymous market analyst : NIELSEN - We hated being a NIELSEN family
4. Joint where kids are welcome? : KNEE - even on artificial ones
5. Son of a Gun! vinyl protectant maker : STP
6. Oddballs : WEIRDOS - Big Bang is making Oddballs more mainstream
7. Pianist Claudio : ARRAU - No chance for me
8. Royal issue : PRINCE - There's probably one in the POMP picture above
9. Held court : SAT
10. Junkyard metal : SCRAP - Watch out for that dog!
11. Midwest hub : O'HARE - a "gots to have" even when just connecting through O'HARE
12. Fundamentalist region : BIBLE BELT - I think I live in the buckle of that belt
13. Longtime Brit. music label : EMI
14. Second-home income, perhaps : RENT
16. Feature of club nights for wannabes : OPEN MIC
17. Official order : MANDATE
18. Safeco Field summer hrs. : PDT - Beautiful home of the Seattle Mariners close to the Puget Sound
24. Stretches to the limit : STRAINS - cloth can just take so much
29. Where el sol rises : ESTE
31. Extremists : RADICALS - One man's radical is another's champion
34. Ernest Moniz's dept. : ENER - The present Secretary of Energy
35. 2001 scandal subject : ENRON - Substitute Kenneth Lay for Bernie Madoff from above
36. Who and No: Abbr. : DRS - or J or Dre
38. Rehab hurdle : DTS - My dad went through these
40. Chews (on) : GNAWS
43. National Humor Mo. : APR
46. Blunted blades : EPEES - Could someone look up how often we've had this word in 2014?
47. Construction site sight : SANDPILE
49. Continually : EVER -"ForEVER and EVER, Hallelujah, Hallelujah" are words in of one of the most beautiful vocal pieces ever penned
50. Citrus drink : LIME SODA - Usually Lemon/Lime
53. Squabble : SET-TO
54. Big wheel : NABOB - Would have remained in obscurity without Spiro Agnew needing alliteration with Nattering and Negativity
55. Borneo rainforest denizen : ORANG - My daughter's friend was told to stay behind the orange line when walking by the ORANG cages while working at the Omaha Zoo. They were smart, strong and had long arms.
57. Words to live by : CREED
59. Wastes time : IDLES
60. Brush targets : TEETH - Joann tell the grandkids "It's time to tickle the ivories"
61. Fidgeting : ANTSY - Ever teach a Kindergarten class?
63. Good Grips kitchenware brand : OXO
64. Google Maps offering: Abbr. : RTE
66. Depression __ : ERA - That ERA left a lasting impression on most of our parents and grandparents
67. "The X-Files" extras : ETS -Spielberg had the one that liked REESE'S PIECES "phone home" in his movie
70. Two-time British Open champ : ERNIE ELS - It's said his swing is identical to Michelle Wie's. Not much else ;-)
71. Belarus capital : MINSK
72. __ exam : ORAL - Never had to take one
78. Cake pan trademark : BUNDT
81. Gets buff? : GOES NAKED
82. Role-playing game beasts : OGRES
83. Carrot cousin : PARSNIP - I've never crossed the path of this veggie
85. Pres. advisory team : NSC - JFK and the NSC said no to missiles in Cuba and Khrushchev blinked
88. DXV ÷ V : CIII - If the forum has DXV togas and V senators, how many does each get?
89. "To each __ own" : HIS - this song was #1 for three performers in my birth year
90. Hypothetically : ON PAPER - Where making this made sense
91. Handles for surfers : USER IDS
92. National org. with the slogan "everychild. onevoice" : PTA
93. "Babe" extras : EWES - Did they say their lines sheepishly?
94. Twelve Steps support group : ALA TEEN - Could'a used that growing up
95. Money-back lures : REBATES - Just take 'em off the price and save some paper
96. Plot size, perhaps : ONE ACRE
100. Make waves, in a way : SPLASH
104. Danish coin : KRONE
105. Victoria Quarter city : LEEDS - Third largest city in the UK. Been there, Steve?
106. Rich boy in "Nancy" comics : ROLLO - Richie Rich was in a different venue
109. Rebuttal piece, perhaps : OP-ED
113. Fire __ : SIGN - Ares, Leo and Sagittarius
114. Leave wide-eyed : AWE
116. Feathered six-footer : EMU - Not that's a REAL Big Bird!
117. Nurse : SIP
118. Muddy home : STY
My ESP tells me I'd better get busy with my chores! Thanks for a lovely Sunday exercise, C.C., and all you do for us "Denizens Of The Puzzle"!
Husker Gary
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