Sunday January 11, 2015 Pam Amick Klawitter

 Theme: "D-Activated" -D is added to each theme entry.

23A. Excavation that went on and on? : SEVEN-YEAR DITCH. Seven-year itch. Three D's are added to starts of the second words, 4 to the first words.

44A. One-way chauffeur? : DRIVER OF NO RETURN. River of No Return. Not a familiar movie to me.

69A. Board game expert? : DART HISTORIAN. Art historian.

94A. Required course for stunt performers? : DANGER MANAGEMENT. Anger management.

117A. Stanley Cup filler? : ICE HOCKEY DRINK. Ice hockey rink.

15D. Effort to get pop elected? : DAD CAMPAIGN. Ad campaign. The only theme entry with a stray D.

68D. Moon-based cattleman? : LUNAR DROVER. Lunar rover.

Three of the original phrases in the theme set are movies. Wouldn't be cool if the other four are also movies?  That would be an incredibly tight set.

Pam used a classic Sunday grid set-up: 7 theme entries (total 95 squares), 5 Across and 2 Down.  No shock and awe non-theme fill, just clean & solid answers.

Across:

1. "__ and Son": storytelling segment on "The Bullwinkle Show" : AESOP.  No idea. All crosses.

6. Racetrack letters : STP

9. Chihuahua cheer : OLE

12. Coughed up, so to speak : PAID IN

18. In the loop : AWARE

19. Pad __: stir-fried noodles : THAI. Rice noodles.

 

21. O'Hare initials : UAL

22. Parish priest's subordinate : CURATE. I only know the verb meaning.

26. Frat newbie : PLEDGE

27. Leftover : REMNANT

 

28. Small-capped mushrooms : ENOKIS. This might be a difficult answer for some. But I use them in stir-fries occasionally.

30. Accessory for Beau Brummell : ASCOT. Wiki said "Beau Brummell is credited with introducing, and establishing as fashion, the modern men's suit, worn with a necktie. He claimed he took five hours a day to dress, and recommended that boots be polished with champagne." Nuts!

31. St. Thomas hours : AST

32. Tips to a lady, perhaps : DOFFS. Hat!

33. "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" musical : EVITA

35. C, D and E, perhaps : DO RE MI. Tricky clue for me. I'm musically illiterate.

39. First name in folk : ARLO

40. Remarkable deed : FEAT

41. L.A. commuter org. : MTA

48. Work : OPUS

49. Carte postale mountains : ALPES

50. Promote aggressively, in slang : FLOG

51. Expected 2015 Sue Grafton title starter : X IS. For what?

52. Mystery awards : EDGARS

54. Revolution period? : YEAR. Nailed it. Saw similar clue before.

55. Fiscal VIP : CFO

56. "Whee!" : YIPPEE

59. The same way : ALIKE

60. Ripped into : TORE AT

63. Carlsbad Cavern critter : BAT

64. Goes back (on) : RENEGES

66. Berkeley school, familiarly : CAL

72. Gov. Cuomo's domain : NYS. New York State.

73. Get the old gang together : RE-UNITE

75. Afore : ERE

76. Jaguar filler : PETROL

78. Dancer de Mille : AGNES. Here is our Agnes (Irish Miss)

Left to Right: Eileen (Agnes' sister) & Agnes, Nov 22, 2013

79. Stick up for : DEFEND

82. H.S. VIPs : SRs

83. O'Neill's daughter : OONA

87. Serious shortage : DEARTH

89. Bass tail? : OON. Bassoon.

90. New York county whose seat is Buffalo : ERIE. Shout-out to Abejo almost every week.

92. That is : TO WIT

93. Pie shortening : LARD

98. "Tight" NFL position : END

99. Brief missives? : LTRS. "Brief" suggests an abbreviated answer.

100. NASA approvals : A-OKS

101. Bit of education : LESSON

102. "Still Me" memoirist : REEVE. Never read it. The cover is haunting.

104. "Warrior" Oscar nominee : NOLTE (Nick)

106. Stewart of "The Daily Show" : JON

107. Fabled extraction : THORN. Which fable?

109. Shrimp dish : SCAMPI. This looks delicious. Barry G has a great seafood linguini. Click here for recipe. D-Otto, can you post your potato dumplings recipe again?

111. Soaps, say : SERIALS

115. Caribbean metropolis : HAVANA

120. Pickup capacity : ONE TON

121. Piece of work? : ERG. Gimme for all our regulars.

122. Film __ : NOIR

123. Like much beer : ON TAP

124. It's a wrap : SARONG

125. Pastoral place : LEA

126. Whitney and others: Abbr. : MTS (Mountains)

127. Sudden transitions : LEAPS

Down:

 

1. Remote cells? : AAS

2. Painting pitcher : EWER

 

3. Set aside : SAVE

4. City on Utah Lake : OREM

5. Ayn Rand and Mark Twain : PEN NAMES. Holy moley. I had no idea Ayne Rand is a pen name.

6. Surgical tube : STENT

7. "Name __ Tune" : THAT

8. Scorecard number : PAR. Golf scorecard.

9. Giving rain checks for : OUT OF. I'd prefer a partial clue.

10. Wants for : LACKS

11. Pre-coll. : EL-HI. Here it is again.

12. General MD, to insurers : PCP (Primary Care Physician)

13. Café order : AU LAIT

14. "Soon will __, yes, forever sleep": Yoda : I REST

16. "Let __" : IT GO

17. Hair removal choice : NEET

20. Socialism, e.g. : IDEOLOGY

24. He shared the peace prize with Shimon and Yitzhak : YASIR

25. About to endure : IN FOR

29. Psychic : SEER

32. Crab Key villain : DR. NO. I had no idea where he lives. It's located off the coast of Jamaica, Google shows.

34. Rooftop spinner : VANE

35. Time of reckoning : D-DAY

36. Heraldic border : ORLE. I learned from doing xwords.

37. Big name in TV talk : RIPA. So cheerful.

38. Six-time U.S. Open winner : EVERT (Chris)

39. Solvent : AFLOAT

40. Coalesce : FUSE

42. Opposite of smash : TURKEY. Easy in retrospect.

43. Value : ASSESS

45. Put on the block : OFFERED

46. Brief exile? : EX-PAT

47. Best of the best : TIPTOP

48. Look in a bad way : OGLE

53. TV booking agent? : DANNO. "Book 'em, Danno!"

55. Pluto suffix : CRAT

57. "Peer Gynt" playwright : IBSEN

58. Land on the Red Sea : ERITREA

61. Shelley or Milton : ODIST

62. What "it" is in Sandburg's "It sits looking over harbor and city" : THE FOG

65. Corny cookout plateful : EARS. Ha ha, corny indeed!

 

66. Phone home? : CRADLE. I had to google. Did not know there's a term for that item.

67. Mediterranean arm : AEGEAN

 70. Castle of dance : IRENE. Irene Castle.

71. Pine products : RESINS

74. "The Big Bang Theory" type : NERD

77. Towers : LOOMS. Towers/Looms large.

80. Long spans : EONS

81. Involuntary downward movement : DEMOTION. The possible charge for Petraeus makes me sad. He suffered enough.

84. Is shy, in a way : OWES

 

85. Bogotá boy : NINO

86. FYI kin : ATTN

88. Man cave centerpiece : HDTV

91. Do a fall chore : RAKE

92. Tiger Beat subject : TEEN IDOL

95. Greek war god : ARES

96. Ed's pal of classic TV : RALPH. "The Honeymooners".

97. Morning __ : GLORY

99. Sean with the album "Friendly Fire" : LENNON. Not familial with the song.

103. Sister of Clio : ERATO

104. Shell lining : NACRE

105. Greek ending : OMEGA

106. Taunts : JEERS

107. Pres. Jefferson : THOS. Glue entry.

108. Juliette's role in "The English Patient" : HANA. I already forgot the plot of "The English Patient".

110. Where to see étoiles : CIEL. French for "sky".

111. Satiric segment : SKIT

112. "Alfred" composer : ARNE. Only know his "Rule, Britannia".

113. Words with match or fire : LIT A.  I did not see the plural s.

 

114. Selfie, e.g. : SNAP

116. "The Ice Storm" director Lee : ANG

118. Dot follower? : COM

119. Some GI duties : KPs. KP = Kitchen Police.

Let's meet Rainman, who used to own a Cessna as well. Rainman is an avid tennis player. Please click here for a few more pictures.

 Ray and Linda

 Transit of Venus, June 2012.  It was cold at 6,000 feet near Tehachapi.

C.C.

Saturday, Jan 10th, 2015, Alan DerKazarian

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing Q, Z)

Blocks: 34

 I have not seen this constructor before, but I have seen a grid like this before - and typically not on Saturday.  Very few long-letter fills and simple corners, but a complex array of answers and clues that needed to be mined for hints made this one a healthy challenge.  Have to admit to two bad cells, both relating to "country" music - oh well.  We have two 9-letter crossings, and two 10's crossing 12-letter spanners;

21A. Quantum theory pioneer : MAX PLANCK

10D. Disaster : CATACLYSM

6D. "... forswear thin potations and to addict __ to sack": Falstaff : THEMSELVES - that's a long way to go for a personal pronoun

32A. Facetious Appalachian portmanteau : PENNSYLTUCKY - I am familiar with this type of slanderous nick-name; I lived just north of Cincinnati, near a town called Hamilton; the local yokels were said to be from "Hamiltucky"

30D. Safari coverings : SUN HELMETS - see here

41A. Smart alecks : WISENHEIMERS - learned from watching cartoons

33D. Kind of telescope : NEWTONIAN - see here

53A. Rare pro golf feat : GRAND SLAM - there's some ambiguity on this one; the Wiki

So, what do 10 and 12 have in common, but skips 11~?

ONWARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Handhold : CLASP - don't like that we start with a 'meh'; I think of a CLasp as the little thingy that closes a necklace; a handhold is more of a GRasp

6. Part of a comparison : THAN

10. Montreal Protocol concerns : CFCs - here's a little from the UN environment programme

14. "Men in Trees" star : HECHE - Anne; did not know of this TV series

15. Roadside chain, for short : HO JO - Howard Johnson's - they've vanished out my way

16. Take __ at: try to wallop : A RIP - tried "A RUN" - 50% correct

17. Sean who played Samwise Gamgee : ASTIN - that would be the character from "Lord of the Rings", which sadly I could not get in to

18. Dash : ELAN - this could also be "A RUN"

19. Arum family tuber : TARO - a crossword educated WAG

20. Egyptian menace : ASP

23. Glides : SASHAYS

26. Heart part? : COCKLE - I am still looking for the girl who will "warm the cockles of my heart"

27. Texter's "... but that may just be me" : IMO - In My Opinion

28. Fertile deposit : LOESS - WAGed

31. Elizabeth of "Martha Marcy May Marlene" : OLSEN

35. Old blade : SNEE - had this last week

36. Like some grazers : OVINE - I went with VEGAN first, and I like it better

37. Span. girl : SRTA

44. Complexity : DEPTH

47. Inscribed marker : STELA - dah~! I had an "E" at the end first

48. High-tech worker : 'BOT - Robot

49. Taken out, in a way : ON LOAN

51. Back in the day : LONG AGO

56. Daughter of Loki : HEL - unknown to me, hence one bad cell....

57. "We Three Kings" kings : MAGI

58. Joining device : YOKE

59. Ring material : ONION - semi-fooled me, but once the "---ON" was in place

62. Desierto's lack : AGUA - once I figured out this was not a personal name, but Spanish for desert....

63. Ravel's "Gaspard de la __" : NUIT - considered to be one of the most complex solo piano pieces - watch here at about 16:30 to see how he crosses his hands back and forth

64. Nice book : LIVRE - French for "book". Ugh, enough with the  foreign stuff, OK~?

65. Treated : SEEN - like doctors; I was thinking "ON ME"

66. Mdse. containers : CTNs - I C a lt f ctns @ UPS

67. Pool events : MEETS

DOWN:       


1. Chinese tea : CHA

2. Nessman of WKRP : LES

3. Be a team : ACT AS ONE

4. Turkish skewer : SHISH - kebabs~!

5. Friends you may never see : PEN-PALS - I saw that this was part of a popular discussion this week

7. Havana "How do" : HOLA

8. Trojan War hero : AJAX

9. Like some rude jokes, briefly : NON-PC

11. Cookout fare : FRANKS

12. Wait to land, perhaps : CIRCLE

13. Reserved, with "for" : SPOKEN

22. Style : LOOK - here's where I twas thinking "ELAN" first

23. Takes it slow, in a way : SIPS - I don't take it at all - Jan 8th was my 10-yr AA anniversary

24. "Yes!" : AMEN - huh; I had the "M" and "N", so I went with "I'm In"

25. Chuckleheads : YO-YOs

29. Hitch : STINT - Got it this time

34. Songwriter Green : CeeLo - had a huge hit with "F*** You"

38. 1991 "Favorite Album - Country" American Music Award winner : REBA LIVE - Reba TIME~!? Nope.  Reba VIBE~!?  Uh-uh.  Dang. 

39. 1970 sci-fi film starring Joan Crawford in her last big-screen performance : TROG - Never heard of it - IMDb       

Blue Oyster Cult had fun with her, tho ( more piano, too~! )

40. Regarding : AS TO

42. Start of a favorite-meal reminiscence : I HAD

43. 1998 "King Lear" Olivier Award winner : IAN HOLM - I know him from "Alien"

44. Doctrines : DOGMAS

45. Anger : ENRAGE

46. Harass : PLAGUE

50. "This I Promise You" band : *NSYNC - not that I heard the song, but with the "C" in place....

52. Bottled-up type? : GENIE - har-har

54. Boor : LOUT

55. Similar : AKIN

60. Scrap for Fido : ORT

61. Video game letters : NES - Nintendo Entertainment System

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Please click here for a Caesar coleslaw recipe Yellowrocks (Kathy) sent to me last night. Here is what a savoy cabbage looks like. As Kathy says, you have slice it thinly, the leaf has a kale-like quality.

Friday January 9, 2015, Frank Virzi

Theme: If you go to Chicago you must add the ELL to your plans.

Frank is back to Friday in 2015, and his first since his coincidental LEM ON ADE puzzle two days after my birthday. This is a sound rather than a visual challenge, with the last word in a common phrase altered by adding an ELL sound to create a new last word. The difficulty in constructing was enhanced by the themers all being grid spanners. Some nice 6 letter fill like DC AREA, GETS UP, I DO I DO, LYRICS and SITS ON as well as some sparkly longer ones: SHINERS, UPLIFTS, EINSTEIN, HIDEAWAY, DIET PEPSI, TRIES HARD.  As with all punny themes, you need to find humor, and I did. Let's take a look.

17A. "Pardon my sword fight"? : DON'T MIND IF I DUEL  (15). 'Don't mind if I do' is the phrase that transforms. I sussed the theme here, always good on a Friday to get the theme early.

26A. "The good news: mostly A-OK. The bad news: __"? : TEN PERCENT AWFUL (15). 'Ten percent off...'

47A. Tool for putting a Ping-Pong ball in orbit? : LAUNCHING PADDLE (15). 'Launching pad.' My favorite of the theme, as the image in my brain is cool.

62A. Big affair for E.T.? : ALIEN LIFE FORMAL (15). 'Alien life form.'  Another fun visual, and my way of always remembering the spelling of Allen's name.

Across:

1. Like some restrictive dinners : STAG. Men only, dearie. Very un-pc.

5. Andrew of "Melrose Place" : SHUE. He played Billy Campbell I am told by wiki, but I knew he has a famous older sister.

9. First, for now : AHEAD. Yes, the 5 horse was there at the top of the stretch, but...

14. Strives : TRIES HARD. Also an un-pc term when parents use this phrase to describe their disappointing child.

16. Brewery prefix : MICRO. Not to be confused with CRAFT brewery. Who would ever guess I would end up knowing about beer?

19. Refuses to release : SITS ON. I assume this clue is in the context of information, though this pic came to mind.

20. "Lifts the spirits" gp. : USO.

21. Eau Claire-to-Green Bay direction : EAST. They will all be going in that direction for the big game against Dallas, Sunday at 1:05PM, EST. The Dallas/Green Bay match-ups of the 60's were awesome. Back at the 'frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.'

22. All-purpose rides : UTES. I have never heard a person in real life use this term.

24. Ocean predator : ORCA.

33. Singer Carly __ Jepsen : RAE. She has apparently supplanted Norma and Charlotte in puzzledom. I was introduced to this Canadian by Gareth in 2013.

34. Start of some Texas city names : SAN. And some California cities as well.

35. Mrs. Robinson's daughter : ELAINE. A Friday clue for this name, though the actress should be remembered, quite the face. Coo coo ca choo.

36. Milo of "The Verdict" : O' SHEA. He died this past year.

39. Play about Capote : TRU.

41. With an __: mindful of : EYE TO

42. Words : LYRICS. Nice new fill.

44. Okla. campus with a Prayer Tower : ORU. For newer solvers, the fact that OKLA. is an abbreviation is a clue that the answer is also an abbreviation.  Oral Roberts University.

46. Author Yutang : LIN. A very interesting MAN; I wonder what he was thought of in the China of C.C.'s childhood? A Friday name. (From C.C.: Probably because Lin spent most of his time in the US, his essays were not featured in our school books then. Actually most people with relatives in the US suffered during Cultural Revolution.)

51. Boer village : STAD. From their Dutch German heritage. I am sure Gareth Bain could give a more complete perspective on these people.

52. Monthly pmt. : ELECtricity.

53. Boom holder : MAST. Not a microphone.

56. Court : WOO. Not where judges hang out.

58. "Magic Hour" author Susan : ISAACS. I did not know that book, but I love the book and movie Compromising Positions. LINK. Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia were great.

65. McGwire broke his record : MARIS. Roger whose 61 home run record went the way of Mark McGuire's bat during the dawning of the steroid age. Roger ended as a beer distributor living in Gainesville.

66. "Love every sip" sloganeer : DIET PEPSI.

67. Concert venue : ARENA.

68. Poems of praise : ODES.

69. Memo demand : ASAP. As Soon As Possible.

Down:

1. Stylebook entries: Abbr. : STDS. Standards. Like this  GUIDE.

2. Picard's counselor : TROI. She's back.

3. "__ No Sunshine": Bill Withers hit : AIN'T.

4. Averts a knockout : GETS UP. Such a simple answer. Paired with 5D. Fight souvenirs : SHINERS. Not what you buy at the concession stand.

6. Solo in space : HAN. Episode VII is on its way.

7. Source of khaki? : URDU. The word, not the cloth.

8. New Jersey township with the motto "Let There Be Light" : EDISON. Thomas Alva will live on always, especially in puzzles.

9. "Moi?" : AM I? Which is often the clue in French.

10. Retreat : HIDEAWAY. My recollection was THIS. My parents loved Broadway musicals which helped with 48D. "My Cup Runneth Over" musical : I DO, I DO. Mary Martin and Robert Preston, 1967.(6:53).

11. S.A. country at 0 degrees latitude : ECUAdor. Odd, once again. Last time we learned that the name came because it is at the Equator.

12. Father of Phobos : ARES. The Greek who who gave us our word PHOBIA.

13. Fool : DOLT.

15. Whacked, biblically : SMOTE.

18. Strong suit : FORTE. Fort or fortay?

23. "Beat it!" : SCAT. For all the non-lovers of cats.

25. NASCAR's Yarborough : CALE.

26. Chat room persona non grata : TROLL. Don't feed the trolls.

27. GPA booster : EASY A.

28. Big name in Indian politics : NEHRU. And jackets.

29. With 30-Down, a former name of Minute Maid Park : ENRON. We just had this referenced last week.

30. See 29-Down : FIELD.

31. No later than : UNTIL.

32. Freetown currency : LEONE. Freetown, the capital is used to clue the Leone, the capital of Sierra Leone.

37. Matthau's "I.Q." role : EINSTEIN. This odd movie with Meg Ryan.

38. Passbook abbr. : ACCT.

40. Drive : URGE.

43. Loosely worn garment : SHAWL. My youngest son's girlfriend knitted one for Oo for the holidays.

45. Buoys : UPLIFTS. Girls ? Up____?

49. "The Fox and the Grapes" writer : AESOP. Fabulous fox fable.

50. Beltway environs : DC AREA.

53. Household nickname : MAMA. No Papa today.

54. Apple application no longer in use : ALAR.

55. Filly's father : SIRE. DAM this was easy.

57. "The Wizard __" : OF ID. The same number of letters as OZ. Coincidence? I think not. LINK.

59. Cranks (up) : AMPS. From amplifier, or the original ampere?

60. Julio's home : CASA. Some Spanish for Lucina et al.

61. Faux pas : SLIP. And of course, French for Splynter.

63. Org. whose seal includes an eagle perched on a key : NSA. So much controversy in 2014.

64. Really big shoe : EEE. I must end with this.

Frank V. thanks for the ride. Enjoy all. Lemonade out.

Notes from C.C.:

1) Let's meet the real Big Easy, whose witty and funny comments often make me smile. Big Easy is a volunteer at a New Orleans PGA event and he gets to meet Ernie Els every year. He's one of the lucky few to have the locker room access. Now we know his beautiful wife Diane "can't eat any beans or black-eyed peas without rice."

Big Easy and his wife Diane

2) Marti sent me this incredible picture. She said:

"I made a Raw Veggie Christmas Tree for my party last week (left side of my sideboard).  The styrofoam "tree" was covered with kale, and then the veggies were anchored with toothpicks. It really was cute, but I had bought way too much kale from the local farm stand that is famous for it.  I have only had kale in salads or as a garnish, but the owner told me that you can cook it, just like any other "green."  I know you like veggies, so thought you might like the recipe I found from Bobby Flay. It was absolutely delicious, and I am going to insist on kale instead of spinach as my "go-to" side dish from now on!! (See recipe here)

Thursday, January 8, 2015 Steve Blais

Theme: "Put 'er There!"

17-Across. Film with the song "Maniac" : FLASH DANCE. Memorable song and video. 4:00

24-Across. Film in which Garbo said, "I want to be alone" : GRAND HOTEL. Classic line. 0:10

54-Across. "Unsafe at Any Speed" author : RALPH NADER. Not just about the Corvair. But Holy Cow!  The paperback sells on Amazon for $150?

63-Across. "That's news to me!" : I HAD NO IDEA. Really? $150?!?!

The reveal is situated smack dab in the middle of the grid:
38-Across. Private club ritual, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : SECRET HANDSHAKE. The SHAKE indicates that HAND will be mixed up in the other theme entries. Very clever! There was lots to like in this puzzle, so let's get started.

Across

1. Plenty : LOADS. I almost wanted "a ton," but it was too short.

6. Cologne scent : MUSK. I don't really like musky colognes. Or colognes, period.

10. "Now it makes sense!" : I SEE.

14. 2011 Cricket World Cup winner : INDIA. They beat out Sri Lanka by 6 wickets. (Sure, I knew that...)

15. Actress Gray of "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" : ERIN. TV series 1979 - 81. Never saw it. And 37-Across. Buck Rogers portrayer __ Gerard : GIL.

16. Stores in rows : MALL. I was thinking of the racks of storage bins in our garage.

19. Formally proper : PRIM.

20. Philippine tongue : TAGALOG. Never trust Google translator. Especially with languages like TAGALOG!

21. Gillette Mach3 predecessor : ATRA.

23. Uintah and Ouray Reservation residents : UTES.

29. Annoyances : PESTS.

31. Spanish demonstrative : ESO.

32. __ Coast : IVORY.

33. Golfer nicknamed "The Big Easy" : ELS. Gimme.

35. Winter coat : HOAR.

43. Lines of praise : ODE.

44. One on a penny : UNUM. "E Pluribus UNUM." Weird: when I type E Pluribus Unum into Google translate, it gives me the English translation: "Grape." Huh?? More reliable sources assure me that it means "Out of many, one."

45. Scarfed down : ATE.

46. Like a new candle : UNLIT.

48. Showed the way : LED.

50. Treats, as an icy road : SALTS.

57. Real card : RIOT.

58. Desert formation : MESA.

59. Like monastic life : AUSTERE.

61. Non-PC purchase : iMAC.

66. Actress Tushingham : RITA. Should I know her?

67. Slimming option, for short : LIPO.suction.

68. __ position : FETAL.

69. Biz bigwig : EXEC.

70. Twirled : SPUN.

71. Easy paces : TROTS.


Down

1. Elate : LIFT UP.

2. Airing in the wee hours : ON LATE.

3. Words of wisdom : ADAGES.

4. Earthquake, perhaps : DISASTER.

5. Satirist Mort : SAHL.

6. Thin, on the Thames : MEAGRE. My least fav entry.

7. Coffee holder : URN.

8. [that's what it said] : SIC.

9. Massage : KNEAD.

10. "Whose Line Is It Anyway" technique : IMPROV. Drew Carey was the original host in the US. Now it's Aisha Tyler. The cast is more or less the same. Very funny!

11. 1777 battle site : SARATOGA. Gimme.  I bet Argyle, Irish Miss and Spitzboov got this one right away.

12. Yalie : ELI.

13. Street of nightmares : ELM.

18. Husky, for one : DOG. Because "size" didn't fit.

22. Yearns : THIRSTS.

25. Embarrassed : ASHAMED.

26. It may follow eleven : NOON. Doesn't it always follow eleven?

27. Actor Estrada : ERIK.

28. Lovett of country : LYLE.

30. Spade and Hammer : SLEUTHS.

34. Subway map dot: Abbr. : STN.

36. Cavity filler's org. : ADA. American Dental Association.

38. Fermented, as milk : SOUR. So, how can you tell when sour cream has gone bad?

39. Novelist Ferber : EDNA.

40. Pen pal? : CELL MATE. Cute clue.

41. Island dance : HULA.

42. More nourishing : HEARTIER. CSO to me?

47. Medicinal syrup : IPECAC.

49. Precise : DEAD ON.

51. Didn't come clean with : LIED TO.

52. Clawed : TORE AT.

53. Advances a base, in a way : STEALS. Rickey Henderson was labeled "The Man of the Steal." (Sure, I knew that...)

55. Gets precisely : NAILS. Did you NAIL this one?

56. Appear in print : RUN.

60. Piano on a piano? : SOFT. My favorite clue.

61. Sore feeling : IRE.

62. Socialize : MIX.

64. With it : HIP.

65. "The Simpsons" shopkeeper : APU. Did everyone memorize my link to the Simpson's characters last week? I told you there would be a quiz!

I'm off to learn a cool SECRET HANDSHAKE. 0:46

Marti

Note from C.C.:

I mentioned yesterday that Bill's wife Barbara is an avid quilter. Bills sent me a few pictures. You can see more here. Love this bag. Very Vera Bradley.

 

Wednesday, January 7th 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme:  Papal Staples – each of the theme answers ends with a name adopted by multiple pontiffs.

18A. Black-eyed peas dish : HOPPIN’ JOHN. Food! A traditional good-luck New Year’s Day dish from the southern states. Any left-overs served the next day are called “Skippin’ Jenny”. How much of this did I know before I looked it up? None of it.

27A. Pretend nothing's going on : LOOK INNOCENT. Usually accompanied by whistling with your hands behind your back and drawing circles in the dirt with your toe.What? Me?

47A. Brunch fare : EGGS BENEDICT. More Food! Allegedly, one hungover New Yorker,  Lemuel Benedict, ordered the first incarnation of this dish at the Waldorf Hotel in 1894.

The bacon on the side is probably a tad unnecessary

 59A. Country star with an un-countrylike name : KEITH URBAN. He’s a real mixture – an Australian, born in New Zealand, who sings country. He’s also married to Nicole Kidman.

... tucked away at the bottom is the reveal:

56D. Religious leader associated with the ends of the four longest puzzle answers : POPE

Wow, Wednesday’s upon us already! Steve here with Gareth’s first LAT of 2015 (that didn’t take long, did it?) He slips in a couple of references to his native continent with RAND and MOGAMBO. I liked the theme and the tucked-away reveal. I did think the KEITH URBAN entry was just a little too close to POPE URBAN, whereas the other three were not people, but it didn’t bother me unduly.

Let's see what else we've got.

Across:

1. Neutral hue : ECRU. Seen in two places - the crossword and the hosiery department.

5. Book of legends? : ATLAS

10. Irreverent radio host : IMUS. I've never listened to him. From what I read, I've not missed much.

14. Become painfully dry : CHAP

15. Airboat area : SWAMP

16. Narrow margin : NOSE. How long is a nose in horse-racing parlance? At some point you stop winning by a head and start winning by a nose. I'm not sure where a horse's nose begins.

17. Hardly noticeable amount : HINT

20. Like some Netflix movies : ON DISC. A ever-dwindling proportion of their distribution.

22. Wore a belittling look : SNEERED

23. Notable gap : CHASM

26. More pleasant : NICER

31. Empty the recycle bin, e.g. : ERASE

32. Petri dish gel : AGAR

33. Cast off : SHED

37. Informal pass : NAH. I'd have gotten a clip around the ear from my Mom if she ever heard me say "nah" rather than "no thank you".

38. "Also sprach Zarathustra" composer : STRAUSS. Richard, in this case. Famously the overture music to "2001 A Space Odyssey".

41. Miner issue : ORE

42. Reunion attendee : ALUM

44. Third Pillar of Islam subject : ALMS. Sounds a little more pleasant than "compulsory charity" which is how I've seen it written before.

45. Short stroke : TAP-IN

50. Bygone Detroit brewery : STROH. I just finished reading a fascinating book about the USA's great brewing families, mostly of German origin. Stroh were one of the biggest brewers; eventually they sold out to Pabst and Miller.

52. Gas leak warnings : ODORS

53. Starts a revolution : UPRISES. I don't buy this one. I just can't hear a revolutionary leader saying "I think I'll uprise tomorrow and see who else wants to uprise with me". Nope.

55. Comparable to, with "with" : ON A PAR

62. What "will keep us together," in a 1975 hit : LOVE

63. Hamburg's river : ELBE. The town of Plzen is part of the Elbe watershed, and gives its name to Pilsner beer, which was the style of beer brewed by Bernhard Stroh when he opened his Detroit operation in 1850. I claim the prize for linking two totally unrelated clues.

64. "Transcendental" Liszt piece : ETUDE

65. Blunted blade : EPEE.

66. Downhill coaster : SLED

67. Pitching scout's device : RADAR. Official opinion varies, but the fastest pitches in Major League Baseball have been delivered at around 106 mph. That's some heat!

68. Lowly worker : SERF

Down:

1. Bounce back : ECHO. And how a RADAR gun works.

2. Uppercut target : CHIN

3. It's tender in Johannesburg : RAND

4. Market advances : UPTICKS. Are there downticks? I've only heard "downturns" - hmmm.

5. Picnic area barrel : ASHCAN

6. __-Face: duplicitous Batman foe : TWO. Harvey Dent, as portrayed by Aaron Eckhart in "The Dark Knight Rises"

 

"You really should get that looked at"

7. __ cat : LAP

8. Rock concert gear : AMPS

9. Dreidels and pinwheels : SPINNERS

10. Adds to a conversation, as a remark : INJECTS. I would use "interject" in this context, but probably that's just me.

11. "A Visit From St. Nicholas" poet Clement Clarke __ : MOORE. Also known as, and perhaps better known as, "'Twas the Night before Christmas". I had no idea of the poet's name. Thank you, crosses.

12. Seat finder : USHER

13. Delight : SEND

19. Frau's refusal : NEIN

21. Draws back in fear : SHIES

24. Hairbrush targets : SNARLS

25. Gable/Gardner classic set in Africa : MOGAMBO. More a Gardner/Kelly classic to be honest - Ava and Grace both received Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress.

27. Actress Olin : LENA. Who? I left her until the end.

28. __ hygiene : ORAL

29. Pearl Harbor locale : OAHU

30. Led to : CAUSED

34. Native Arizonans : HOPI

35. Obama attorney general Holder : ERIC

36. Bit of hail damage : DENT. DING went in, then came out.

39. Swiss luxury watchmaker : TAG HEUER. I thought they were German, but now I know better.

Yours for a mere $14,000, give or take a couple of hundred

40. Strict : STERN. IMUS and STERN in the same puzzle? Don't let them get too close to each other, they're not the best of friends.

43. Deserved : MERITED

46. Source of TV revenue : AD SALES

48. "Crikey!" : GOSH!

49. Midday tryst : NOONER

50. Compete in a bee : SPELL

51. 34-Down, e.g. : TRIBE

53. Luau strings : UKES

54. Arg. miss : SRTA. This abbr. falls into my "that's a bit 'orrible" category, but it's common enough in crosswords. A young woman in Argentina is a senorita, hence a yng. wm. in Arg. is a Srta.

57. State as fact : AVER

58. Great Barrier __ : REEF

60. Future bloom : BUD. BUD and STROH in the same puzzle? Cheers! *clink*

61. Oral health org. : A.D.A.

That's it from me. I'm off to Google "SRTA" and see what comes up first, apparently that's the way to explain crossword clues.

Steve 

Note from C.C.:

Here are two pictures from Bill G, who's been with our blog since 2009. His dog Sammy is no longer with them. Bill's wife Barbara is a retired teacher also, and an avid quilter.

Bill & Sammy

Bill & Barbara

Tuesday, January 6, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Beyond Lincoln Logs - Items that can be built from a kit.

20A. Guideline for standard operating procedures : POLICY FRAMEWORK

26A. Weightlifter's practice : BODY BUILDING

50A. Frequent feeling of culpability : GUILT COMPLEX

58A. Box of Lego bricks, e.g., or a hint to the last words of 20-, 26- and 50-Across : CONSTRUCTION SET

Argyle here. No C.C. but still two grid spanners. I hope I can get some help on the theme.

Tinkertoy construction set would build a good for frameworks.

There are lots of building construction sets out there, even a "The Walking Dead" one. LINK

You may be familiar with a "complex construction kit" if engage in X3: Terran Conflict, a computer simulation. The kit is used to link your factories.

Any other ideas?

Across:

1. Six-footer at a Super Bowl party? : HERO. Fun thing to get home in a small car.

5. Leveling wedge : SHIM

9. Trojan War epic : ILIAD

14. Sailed through : ACED

15. Oompah instrument : TUBA

16. For the __: temporarily : NONCE. That's all she wrote. Not used elsewhere.

17. Storage structure : SHED

18. Requiring a two-day trip, say : AFAR. Odd usage.

19. Ultrasound image, perhaps : FETUS

23. Go one better than : TOP

24. Old Mideast org. : U.A.R. (United Arab Republic)

25. "Papa __ a Rollin' Stone" : WAS. A tick faster version.

32. Log-splitting tool : AXE

33. Houston player, informally : STRO. Houston Astros, baseball.

34. Common rental restriction : [NO PETS]

38. Plumbing problem : LEAK

40. Toward the tiller : AFT

42. "College GameDay" number : STAT. College GameDay is an ESPN program that covers college basketball and football, going over the STATistics.

43. Still making payments : IN DEBT

46. __ mater : ALMA

49. "Little Women" woman : AMY. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy

53. Kwik-E-Mart owner on "The Simpsons" : APU

56. Assenting vote : YEA

57. Ratio involving ht. and wt. : BMI. (Body Mass Index)

65. Designer Nina : RICCI. She got her start in the Thirties.

Don't let the cold stop you from being fashionable.

66. Retro phone feature : DIAL

67. "Do __ others ..." : UNTO

68. Sunni's faith : ISLAM

69. Simplify : EASE

70. Falafel holder : PITA

71. Mower handle? : DEERE. (name)

72. Mates for bucks : DOEs

73. Small earring : STUD

Down:

1. Hinged fastener : HASP

2. Sound on the rebound : ECHO

3. Rod attachment : REEL

4. Quirk : ODDITY

5. "Don't budge!" : "STAY PUT!"

6. Peeved mood : HUFF and 62D. Peeved mood : SNIT

7. Letter-shaped support piece : I-BAR

8. Plunder : MARAUD

9. Hot spot for Dante : INFERNO

10. Big name in movie theaters : LOEW

11. On its way to the body shop : [IN TOW]

12. Legend automaker : ACURA, which is a division of Honda.

13. Newsroom furniture : DESKS

21. Corn cores : COBs

22. Most important : MAIN

26. Vacation island south of Borneo : BALI

27. Farm team : OXEN

28. Word before tired or heat : DEAD

29. Fund for the golden yrs. : IRA

30. Lite : LO FAT

31. Navig. aid : GPS

35. Catchall abbr. : ET AL.

36. Domesticate : TAME

37. Mythological underworld boundary river : STYX

39. Tapped vessel : KEG

41. Treatment for a broken heart, briefly : TLC. (Tender Loving Care)

44. Postpone the inevitable : BUY TIME

45. Stadium section : TIER

47. Delicately balanced sculptures : MOBILES. Put away for another year.

48. Gun filler : AMMO

51. Praised : LAUDED

52. Man cave hangings : PIN-UPS

53. Bitterly pungent : ACRID

54. Self-assurance : POISE

55. Cry of concession : "UNCLE!"

59. Surgery reminder : SCAR

60. "So long," on the Lido : "CIAO"

61. Shock, in a way : TASE

63. "__, Brute?" : ET TU

64. Warty hopper : TOAD

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

To blog regulars:

Please send your photo to me (crosswordc@gmail.com) if you want to be included in our Blog Photos archive. We'd love to "see" you.