Saturday, Jan 3rd, 2015, Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,K,V,Z)

Blocks: 30

 Welcome to another year of Saturday setbacks~!  I was so pleased to be able to fill in the first four across answers, sensing I might be on Brad's wavelength, only to crash and burn at the longer fills and caving in to red-letter help in the bottom half. [sigh] Oh well....Still, a great challenge, a little heavy on the proper nouns(*), and some clever misdirection, but all in all, a fun puzzle.  6x8 triple-word corners, two 11-letter, and one 13-letter spanners;

33. Carolina bisque tinted orange by roe : SHE-CRAB SOUP - Once the "--SOUP" part appeared, it was only a matter of time before I remembered this - the Wiki

36. Popular news group : MEDIA DARLINGS

39. It can be used to make gin : DISCARD PILE - Clever; alternative version of "gin", this time the card game; the clecho at 32a. "It can be used to make gin : SLOE" refers to the fruit used in drinks such as "Sloe Gin Fizz"

 ~!

ACROSS:

1.* Its construction created Lake Nasser : ASWAN DAM - nailed it; always good to start off with the correct fill at 1a.~!

9. Certify : ATTEST - and again....

15.* "Wuthering Heights" backdrop : THE MOORS - and then "fail" - went with "CIVIL WAR", since I have no clue when, where or what this book is about

16. Want : DEARTH - "fail" - went with DESIRE - but was 28.5% correct

17. Word not usable with an indefinite article, such as "magic" or "dust" : MASS NOUN - I had the two "N"s, and that led to --NOUN, and from there it was an educated WAG; you don't vacuum up "a" dust, or use "a" magic ( but you might have 'a' magic wand - but now it's changed to an adjective.)

18. Made up : UNTRUE - ah, not UNITED - this is the pretend, 'fake' made up, not the end-of-a-tiff made up

19. Heave-hos : OUSTERS - meh

20. Word with level or devil : SEA - I started with "SUB", which half worked

21. Bizarre : ODD

22. Snicker follower : SNEE - snickersnee - a large knife; unrelated to the next clue

23. [snicker] : HEH - which is a mini-laugh

25.* Skyler's sister on "Breaking Bad" : MARIE - if you say so; all perps

27. CPA's concern : TAX LAW

30. Darn things : SEW - cute

40.* Bobby Darin record label : ATCO

41. "Shame on thee!" : "FIE~!" - whoops, went with "TSK~!"

42. Weightlifting technique : SNATCH - clean and jerk did not fit; I have to admit to a little "snicker" at this answer - such a DF mind....

47. Academic administrators : DEANS

49. Lofty letterhead abbr. : ESQuire

51. Tolerated : BORE

52. LAX posting : ARRival - duped; went with ETA

53. Smidge : TAD

55. Business, informally : BEE'S WAX - As in the phrase "Mind your own ---"

58. Chemical relative : ISOMER - isoTOPE did not fit, and it took waaay too long to remember this word

60. Act out, say : RE-CREATE - I always get a laugh out of shows like "UFO files" that always include a "dramatic re-creation" of the events occurring on 'that night'

61. Deferential bow : SALAAM

62. Ravel, vis-à-vis "Pictures at an Exhibition" : ARRANGER - here's the Wiki; if you play the "promenade", you'll recognize it

63. Like Miss Marple's attire : TWEEDY - uh, OK

64. Speech disruptions : STUTTERS - Dah~!  I had this, changed it to stAMMers

DOWN:    

1. No greater than : AT MOST

2.* "Entourage" publicist played by Debi Mazar : SHAUNA - I watched the show - liked it - but it never seemed to get 'dramatic'; this character I don't recall - but when I saw her pic, I remembered her from "Goodfellas" - IMDb

3.* "Far From the Madding Crowd" region : WESSEX - this is where the puzzle started to bog down on me with the proper nouns, and that sucks the life out of it when you don't have a clue

4.* Brewery bought out by Heineken : AMSTEL - a WAG from the "A"

5. Zilch : NONE - not NADA

6. Access point : DOOR

7. Frantic, perhaps, with "in" : A RUSH - "in a rush"

8. ISP with a butterfly logo : MSN

9. In tandem, musically : A DUE

10. Brunch hr. : TEN A.M.

11. Pic on a pec : TATtoo

12. Computer self-diagnostics list : ERROR LOG

13. Bookish : STUDIOUS

14.* Benchley novel : THE DEEP

20.* Shepherd of "The View" : SHERRI - mostly perps

24. Joint risks? : ESCAPES - ah - the "joint" here being jail; I had knees in mind first, then I thought this was a reference to eloping - that kind of joint 'escape'

26. LPGA part: Abbr. : ASSN - Ladies Professional Golfing Association

28. One side of the Bering Strait : ASIA - I threw in USSR, but that's kinda dated now

29. Berth place : WHARF

31. Squash court features : WALLS

34. Whirled : EDDIED

35. __-aimé: beloved, in French : BIEN - can't get away from the Frawnche

36. Tool for making precise crosscuts : MITER SAW - yeah, true, but I tend to associate a 'miter' with 'angle' cuts; my Sliding Compound Miter Saw

37. Salad green : ESCAROLE - whoops - I put in CURTSY for deferential bow, and forgot to change it, so the "R" was blocking my "L" ( and be careful when spelling curTSy )

38. No View, No Touch Trap maker : D-CON - becoming a crossword staple

39.* Max Ernst, for one : DADAIST

43. Without : ABSENT

44. Tugboat's fee : TOWAGE

45. Evidence of major impact? : CRATER

46. Bewitching types : HEXERS - ah, just the spell-casters, not the "hot girl" kind

48. Farm addition? : STEAD - Dah~! Went with STAND (60% correct) - more popular, and aggravating, down here on L.I. - I'll be upstate in Spitboov country today

50. Pyramid hopper in a 1980s arcade game : Q*BERT

54. Multitude : ARMY

56. Almond relative : ECRU - ah, the color, and usually associated with my favorite gratuitous image

 ecru pantyhose

57. Sum, in a different form : ERAT - remember your Latin; Sum, Esse (which I went with first), Fui, Futurus - "state of being" - I am so pleased I recalled that this is known as "declension"

59.* Novelist Rita __ Brown : MAE

60. Univ. peer leaders : RAs - Resident Assistants

Splynter

Friday, January 2, 2015, John Lampkin

Theme: You had to be a big shot didn't ya. LISTEN. (4:03)

I ended the year with John Lampkin, and I begin with another from the clecho king. This time the theme seems simple, the second word, or second part of a known word or phrase is a synonym for boss. The clecho part is that each are clued with "TOP" meaning the best or the boss. The grid is filled with sparkly stuff like  AT FAULT, AURORAS, BAD CALL, DOLLS UP, HAYSEED, I’M TOAST, SPARROW, SPEEDOS, TEARFUL, COPY DESK and SUSPENSE.

17A. Top horticulturist? : BUSHMASTER. This SNAKE breaks into parts for the theme. It is part of the viper family.

27A. Top orthopedist? : BONEHEAD. Any bonehead know orthopedists deal with bones.

36A. Top dairyman? : CREAM CHEESE. Like wheel below, this one needs a "Big" before it to project the same meaning as the rest of the theme.

47A. Top entomologist? : FLYWHEEL. You had to know John would get something buggy into the grid. A flywheel is a rotating mechanical device that is used to store rotational energy. Flywheels have a significant moment of inertia and thus resist changes in rotational speed. The amount of energy stored in a flywheel is proportional to the square of its rotational speed. Energy is transferred to a flywheel by applying torque to it, thereby increasing its rotational speed, and hence its stored energy. Conversely, a flywheel releases stored energy by applying torque to a mechanical load, thereby decreasing the flywheel's rotational speed. per wiki.

Picture and captions from John Lampkin: 

I don't pretend to be a FLY WHEEL myself, but I do enjoy photographing them! This bee-mimic Robber Fly captured a beetle and landed on my friend Doug's pant leg. The other members of our group who were 20 feet away were wondering why I was photographing Doug's crotch. Anything for a shot.

57A. Top cinematographer? : FILM LEADER. The TERM is also about movies but I did not know it.

Across:

1. Like Sherlock's game : AFOOT. An A word that is really used, and for a detective story lover, this was a great way to start.

6. Jerk : BOOB. This meaning for the word boob has long been supplanted by the slang word for female breast, which makes JL's intersecting 6D. Museum work : BUST so amusing. The king of the cross-reference strikes again. I found the clue/fill slowed me down big time.

10. Medical ending : OSIS. For some reason HALITOSIS popped into my head, even though HYPNOSIS, OSMOSIS and TUBERCULOSIS are clearly more common.

14. Sierra Nevada tourist attraction : TAHOE. A truly awesome place to visit with the mountains, the lake and the casinos.

15. Bruin's home : UCLA. This took much longer than it should have, perhaps a product of growing up near Boston, though my first answer was CAVE.

16. Leave in a bad way : DUMP. Ah the heartbreak of it all. Any great stories of broken romances? 35D. Like some goodbyes : TEARFUL.

19. East in Ecuador : ESTE. How odd that of all the Spanish speaking countries, JL picked Ecuador. We have clients involved in a big project there.

20. Puncture opening? : ACUpuncture.

21. Lay : PUT. Not sure, Lay Down?

22. Main signal : SOS. In this case the bounding main of the open seas.

24. "I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity" writer : POE. An interesting and tragic figure. You can read more HERE.

25. Less inclined to ramble : TERSER.

29. Get a leg up ... and down : STEP.

30. Pearl Buck heroine : OLAN. How lucky can I get, we just had this.

32. Playground retort : CAN SO. Can not.

33. Comparable to a beet : AS RED.

35. Private meetings : TRYSTS. Well usually private and naughty.

38. Emulates a fan : ADORES.

40. Lessen : ABATE.

41. Go __ : TO POT. Or Colorado?

42. Rosa's rosa, e.g. : FLOR. Is this flower in both Spanish and Italian?

43. Cut, in a way : ETCH.

49. Homburg kin : FEDORA. Hats off to John, who actually wears hats for getting this fill in the grid.

51. City VIP : ALDerman.

52. Lamp opening? : ELL. The letter, silly.

53. Cannes confirmation : OUI. Must have some French for Splynter.

54. Even so : YET.

55. Applications : USES.

60. Verdant : LUSH. Usually associated with growing things.

61. "Young Frankenstein" Fräulein : INGA. The incomparable Teri Garr and her knockers.

62. "If only!" : I HOPE.

63. I-76 in Penn., e.g. : TPKE.

64. Handy : NEAR.

65. "Good Lord!" : OH GOD.

Down:

 1. Chances for a walk in the park? : AT BATS. Some baseball misdirection as the park is the ball park. It is safe to say John likes to be misleading, as in another baseball clue 27D. Mistake at home, perhaps : BAD CALL.

2. Tap : FAUCET. So simple but I started out struggling in the NW corner.

3. "And I'm Cleopatra" : OH SURE. followed by...

4. Awed response : OOH. Now if the next clue were Buckeye state, we would have quite a progression. We also have 59D. Spa sound : AHH.

5. Home of Arizona State : TEMPE. I have quite a few cousins who got degrees there.

7. Calendar pg. : OCTober.

8. Nellie __, character in Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books : OLESON. This was all guesswork.

9. Low-grade peer : BARON. Downton Abbey will be back soon.

10. Lyric tribute : ODE.

11. Film genre : SUSPENSE.

12. "My goose is cooked" : I'M TOAST. Two cooking references. Two I references.

13. Small trunks : SPEEDOS. Joe Manganiello anyone?

18. Dawns : AURORAS. Better than my old friend Eos.

23. It may be told in anger : SECRET. 34D. Rage below the surface : SEETHE. 46D. More than dislike : HATRED. Mini-theme? Hmm, some issues JL?

26. Field chirper : SPARROW.

28. Yokel : HAYSEED. Fun fill.

31. Apollo 11's Eagle, briefly : LEM. Thanks JL for the CSO.

36. News editing site : COPY DESK. Where is our newswoman? Do they still have these.

37. Starz rival : HBO. Is this still an initialism for Home Box Office?

38. Liable : AT FAULT. Florida has no fault divorce and car insurance.

39. Dons fancy duds : DOLLS UP. Fun phrase.

42. One may be in your lap : FELINE. The perfect clecho for the Corner. For CED.

44. One may be in your lap : TOY DOG. For Manac.

45. Sleazeball : CREEPO. So many variations of the word creep, but I did not know this one.

48. Puckish : ELFIN. Just watched the final of the Hobbit Trilogy. Filled with Elves who were not ELFIN. I also rewatched ELF for Christmas.

50. Farm sequence? : EIEIO. Old MacDonald would be proud of so many O words.

53. "A Book of Verses underneath the Bough" poet : OMAR.

56. Ship, to the captain : SHE. On the bounding main.

58. JFK alternative : LGA. Three letter airport codes. MSY, MCO, ORD are trickier to suss.

Well another year has begun with a challenging but doable Friday (only 74 words and 34 blocks, so we had to work hard). Thank all for the good wishes after my wedding and have a great year.

Lemonade out.

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Thursday, January 1, 2015 Jeffrey Wechsler

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.

Note from C.C.:
 
Happy 6th year wedding anniversary to Marti and her husband Allan! Marti said "... we were married on New Year’s Day of 2009.  So every year we get to celebrate our anniversary with a hangover." (Added Note: Gosh, sorry Allen, I'm hopeless!)

Marti  & Allen

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.

Somewhere underneath this lot there's a mound

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 

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.

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)."

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

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