google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner

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Feb 18, 2015

Wednesday, February 18th, 2015 Jeff Stillman

Theme: Soupçons and Smidgeons, or five featured fractions!

17A. Abe's youngest son : TAD LINCOLN. The presidents have been getting a crossword work-out over the last couple of days or so. "Tad" was Abe's nickname for his son - he was "wiggly as a tadpole" as a baby.

25A. Exhortation from Santa, in Moore's poem : DASH AWAY ALL. Clement Clarke Moore's father was the Bishop of New York, and officiated at the inauguration of George Washington. More presidential trivia!

38A. Halls product : COUGH DROP.  I needed these last week, I get the mentholyptus variety.

54A. Late-inning substitute : PINCH HITTER. Tinbeni's our resident pinch-hitting specialist.

63A. Gets the unspoken message ... which includes one of five synonyms found in this puzzle's longest answers : TAKES A HINT. I rather like how the "hint" entry is literally a hint.

Today's Wednesday Workout courtesy of Jeff Stillman. A neat enough theme, and plenty of nice fill to enjoy along the way.

Let's get to the rest ...

Across:

1. Recitals showing promise : OATHS. I enjoy how "swearing an oath" can be a good or a bad thing, depending on context and circumstance.

6. A way off : AFAR

10. Big name in PCs : ACER. I can't remember the last time I saw one of these - I confess I thought the company was long-defunct.

14. Braid : PLAIT

15. Where to get a bite on the street : CAFE. One of the great pleasures in life is people-watching from a table at a Parisian pavement café over a cup of coffee.


16. Clue weapon : ROPE. I tried "PIPE" first, that didn't work out so well.

19. Friend on "Friends" : ROSS

20. West Point newbie : PLEBE

21. Latin phrase usually shortened : ET ALIA

23. Old hand : PRO

28. Wrestling maneuver : HOLD

30. Term of respect : SIR. Especially when a wrestler has got you in a full-nelson and is trying to dislocate both your shoulders.

31. "Liar!" in a playground : IS NOT

32. Nerdy types : DWEEBS

35. Target : GOAL

37. Shipping wts. : TNS. I'm guessing this refers to the tonnage of the vessel, not the cargo, but I could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.

41. NCR product : ATM. Does anyone else make them? NCR are certainly the crossword-friendliest.

44. Reed in a hall : OBOE. We seem to have seen a lot of oboes recently.

45. Stable rides for kids : TRIKES. Fun rides for adult too.


49. Whodunit surprise : TWIST. I spell "dunnit" with a double-n. It reads like "who dune-it" to me when the "n" is singled.

51. Org. with Eagles : B.S.A. Boy Scouts of America have Eagle Scouts. It took a moment for the penny to drop here - when I see "BSA" I think motorcycles, and when I see "Eagles" I think NFL.

53. Coin with 12 stars on its reverse side : EURO. The stars are often erroneously thought to represent the number of countries in the European Community or the members of the Eurozone - they don't.

58. Like some grins : WRY

59. Crate up : ENCASE. Ready for weighing and shipping per 37A.

60. Organisms of a region : BIOTA. A learning moment for me. I'll add it to my lexicon.

62. Not fer : AGIN

68. 53-Across fraction : CENT

69. Maui music makers : UKES. The crossword orchestra comprises ukes and oboes accompanying diva arias.

70. Lingerie fabric : SATIN

71. Envelope-pushing : EDGY

72. Huff and puff : PANT

73. Bard's "between" : TWIXT. Juliet: "Give me some present counsel, or, behold, 'Twixt my extremes and me this bloody knife"

Down:

1. Go (for) : OPT

2. __ française : A LA. I was surprised when I learned that "Service à la française" in a restaurant means that all the courses are served at once, rather than one at a time. "Service à la russe"describes the serial method. Who knew that Russia created this concept?  Not me.

3. Pond juvenile : TADPOLE. Wow, this is very close to breaking one of the cardinal rules of not duplicating an answer in a puzzle, especially as it crosses "TAD", which, as we've learned, was derived from TADPOLE. Maybe this was done intentionally but I'm a little uncomfortable with it. What do you all think?

4. "This Kiss" singer Faith : HILL

5. Kept in a pen : STIED

6. Tap into : ACCESS

7. __ Schwarz : FAO. Frederick August Otto founded the store in Baltimore.

8. CIO partner : AFL. Not CIO in the top-banana geek sense of the word. The Congress of Industrial Organizations.

9. Keep up on the issues? : RENEW

10. Neat arrangements : ARRAYS

11. Nuclear reactor need : COOLANT. I'm a little sketchy on the physics involved, but given a cocktail of carbon rods, enriched uranium and water, I'm voting for plenty of water.

12. Delta-zeta connection : EPSILON. The "Alphabet Song" is a little different in Greek. Or E-Z-er?

13. Seasons a bit more : RE-SALTS. My "Oh no, really?" of the day. You don't "re-salt" an under-seasoned dish, you add more salt. Straw poll - have you ever asked anyone to re-salt something? I've asked for salt, I've mentioned that a dish needs more salt, I've wondered if I've under-seasoned something - but- re-salt? Maybe a frozen road needs to be re-salted. Best I can come up with.

18. Pistons' org. : NBA. Detroit hoopsters.

22. Worker who gives people fits? : TAILOR

23. Honorary deg., perhaps : PH.D. Shaquille O'Neal earned his the hard way. That's a big gown.


24. Fracas : ROW

26. Uppermost : HIGHEST

27. Three-time MLB home run king : A-ROD. He gave what seemed to be a genuine apology yesterday regarding his suspension for PED usage.

29. Advent mo. : DEC

33. Voting enclosures : BOOTHS

34. Deli order : SUB

36. Word with modern or cave : ART

39. Mongolian expanse : GOBI

40. Key lime __ : PIE. Could this fill be anything else?

41. Free from strife : AT PEACE

42. Hurt suddenly, as a muscle : TWINGED

43. Preparing garlic, in a way : MINCING. I wallop my garlic cloves on the chopping board with the side of a chef's knife. It peels and minces them all in one go, and is thoroughly satisfying.


46. Persian Gulf native : KUWAITI

47. Make a faux pas : ERR

48. Traditional Asian sauce base : SOY.

50. Like a string bikini : SCANTY. Scanty bikinis and satin lingerie in the same puzzle? How salacious!

52. If all goes according to plan : AT BEST

55. Hopping mad : HET UP

56. Frozen Wasser : EIS. Just right to drop in your schnapps. Look away, Tinbeni

57. Holiday entrée : ROAST. Not just for holidays in my native UK. The Sunday roast was a traditional highlight of the week's meals.


61. Turn to slush : THAW

64. Letters in a police record : A.K.A. I was originally "also known as" "Stephen", my given name. My mother always refused to take a phone call asking for "Steve".

65. Novelist Kesey : KEN

66. Eighty-six : NIX

67. Explosive stuff : TNT. Boom! Trinitritoluene. Here's the recipe:

And with that I'm done! Here's the grid, with "TAD" causing me problems:


Steve

Feb 17, 2015

Tuesday, February 17, 2015 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: Tao - As Steven Tyler sang, "Walk This WAY".

18A. Particularly welcome casino visitor : HIGH ROLLER. Highway.

23A. Court case that generates a media frenzy, say : CAUSE CÉLÈBRE. Causeway.

52A. Abe Lincoln nickname : RAIL SPLITTER. Railway.

60A. Irritate to the breaking point : DRIVE CRAZY. Driveway.

39A. "Nice job!" ... and, in another sense, a hint about the first words of 18-, 23-, 52- and 60-Across : WAY TO GO

Argyle here. What with the golf clues, I thought I'd find a fairway but like my drives, nope. The reveal was right in the middle though. Still a little crunch to 1-Across but Gail and Bruce's offering seems a tad easier than Monday's.

Across:

1. Command from a bailiff : "OYEZ"

5. Circle calculation : AREA

9. They smell : NOSES. lol

14. Like Mini Coopers : BOXY. The new BMW version and the old Austin Mini.

15. Pond croaker : TOAD. "Ribbit!"

16. Swine squeals : OINKS

17. Gave the once-over : EYED

20. Alpine song : YODEL

22. Ear-splitting : LOUD

30. Handsome god : APOLLO. 47A. Handsome god : ADONIS. Greeks.

32. Get really angry : SEE RED

33. Granada gold : ORO

34. Irritate : ANNOY

37. "CSI" facilities : LABS

38. Tee sizes, for short : SML. (small, medium, large)

42. Geese formation : VEE

43. Leafy veggie baked for chips : KALE

45. Bitten by bees : STUNG

46. Angled pipe fitting : ELL

50. __ Raiders: consumer advocates : NADER'S. (Ralph Nader)

55. Principal role : LEAD

56. Diet food phrase : [NO FAT]

66. Shredded : TORE

67. Construction beam fastener : RIVET

68. Former South Korean leader Syngman __ : RHEE

69. Golf club used for chipping : IRON. 7D. One below birdie : EAGLE. 57D. Warning from a driver? : "FORE!"

70. Blissful settings : EDENS

71. Jedi guru : YODA

72. Small change : CENT

Down:

1. Do as directed : OBEY

2. Toy with a spool : YOYO

3. Deleted, with "out" : EXed

4. Louisiana music style : ZYDECO

5. Olympics fig. : ATH. (athlete)

6. French monarch : ROI

8. Specialized, committee-wise : AD HOC

9. Bit of pasta : NOODLE

10. Frying liquid : OIL

11. NBC show since 1975, briefly : SNL

12. Barely manage, with "out" : EKE

13. Ukr. or Lith., once : SSR. (Soviet Socialist Republic)

19. Feels remorse over : RUEs

21. Bochco legal series : "L.A. LAW"

24. Forearm bone : ULNA

25. Some DVD players : SONYs

26. Sinuous swimmer : EEL

27. Less cowardly : BRAVER

28. Insurgent group : REBELS

29. '50s four-wheeled flop : EDSEL

30. 16th-century Spanish fleet : ARMADA

31. Hoi __: the masses : POLLOI

33. Heroic Schindler : OSKAR. He had a list.

35. Giants Hall of Famer Mel : OTT

36. Brewers Hall of Famer Robin : YOUNT. Shortstop and center fielder.

40. Pest in a swarm : GNAT

41. Utah city near the Golden Spike : OGDEN. The "Golden Spike" at Promontory Summit, north-west of Ogden, is where the ceremonial final spike joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads on May 10, 1869.

44. Photo blowup: Abbr. : ENL. (enlargement)

48. Sea spots? : ISLETs

49. Blueprint detail, for short : SPEC. (specification)

51. Sexy : EROTIC

53. Cable Guy of comedy : LARRY

54. The Gem State : IDAHO. It is the "Gem State" because nearly every known type of gemstone has been found there.

58. Elvis __ Presley : ARON

59. No-frills shelter : TENT. Thrown up by a pitcher.

60. Hip-hop Dr. : DRE

61. Free (of) : RID

62. "__ changed my mind" : I'VE

63. Caracas' country, to the IOC : VEN. (Venezuela)

64. Athens : omega :: London : __ : ZED. The end of the alphabet in Greek and English.

65. Assenting vote : YEA


Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Chairman Moe, who has been quiet lately. What's up, pal?


Feb 16, 2015

Monday, February 16, 2015 Garry Morse

Theme: Huh? I must have dozed off - which might be excused because of all the Z's.(9)

17A. Teen's budding facial hair, informally : PEACH FUZZ

56A. Speculation leading up to a February 22 awards extravaganza : OSCAR BUZZ

11D. Semi-autobiographical 1979 Fosse film : "ALL THAT JAZZ"

25D. Bubbly plum-flavored drink : SLOE GIN FIZZ

Argyle [yawn] here. Garry returns after his debut back in July last year. That was a Sunday but now he tackles the always tough Monday. Two 3-word 11's in the verticals and two 2-word 9's in the horizontals. I do wonder if the timely reference to the Oscars was the seed entry or just Rich's reason to publish it now.

Across:

1. Ray Charles' genre : R AND B. (rhythm and blues)

6. "Thank God" day: Abbr. : FRI.

9. Swedish autos : SAABs

14. Borden mascot : ELSIE



15. Cereal grain : OAT

16. Come from behind : RALLY

19. Place for a perm : SALON

20. One of many in a Lipton bag : TEA LEAF

22. Home buyer's debt: Abbr. : MTGE. (Mortgage)

23. Ceases : DESISTS. Cease and Desist partners; stop what you're doing and don't try it again.

26. Sister of Rachel : LEAH. Rachel and Leah were two sisters who married the same man - Jacob. Their father, Laban, was Jacob's uncle.

28. Distributes by shares : ALLOTS

29. Group nickname for Ringwald, Sheedy, Lowe, Estevez et al. : BRAT PACK

33. "Let's go!" : "C'MON!". "What do I have to do? Goose you?"

34. Name of 18 French kings : LOUIS

35. "Toto, __?": Dorothy : TOO

36. Caviar, e.g. : ROE

37. Country-drive view : SCENERY

39. Jam holder : JAR

40. Nonprofit URL ending : .ORG (organization)

41. Carpentry bit : AUGER. Type of drill.

42. Uncommon : RARE

43. Next-door resident : NEIGHBOR

45. Gabor with an echoic name : ZSA ZSA

47. Florida State player, for short : NOLE. (Seminoles)

48. Native : CITIZEN

49. Living room piece : SOFA

51. "No chance of that happening!" : "DREAM ON!"

54. Relax, in slang : CHILL

60. Open, as a jacket : UNZIP

61. Tex. clock setting : CST

62. Theater offering : MOVIE

63. Takes a nap : DOZES

64. Fancy carp : KOI

65. Former Steeler star Lynn __, who ran for governor of Pennsylvania in 2006 : SWANN. Swann ran as a Republican against the Democratic incumbent Ed Rendell. He lost by almost 850,000 votes.

Down:

1. Sales agent : REP. (Representative)

2. Bass brew : ALE

3. Govt. intel org. : NSA. [no such agency]

4. Style of wording : DICTION

5. Command : BEHEST. It would behoove you to remember this word.

6. Hoops ref's calls : FOULS Hoops=basketball

7. Demolish, as a building : RAZE

8. Chichén __ : ITZÁ

9. Yearbook sect. : SRs

10. Road travel org. freebie : AAA MAP

12. Opinion website : BLOG

13. "Auld Lang __" : SYNE

18. Pool legend Minnesota __ : FATS

21. Natural aptitude : FLAIR

23. Wrinkle-resistant synthetic : DACRON

24. Author Leonard : ELMORE. Elmore John Leonard, Jr.
    Raylan - Get Shorty - Three-Ten to Yuma - Mr. Majestyk

27. Online market for handmade crafts : ETSY. Link

29. Dumb mistake : BONER

30. Penitent sort : RUER

31. Like a woodworker's rasp : COARSE

32. Seoul native : KOREAN

34. Toy block brand : LEGO

37. Humorist Mort who wrote jokes for Kennedy : SAHL

38. To the third power : CUBED

42. Colorful post-cloudburst phenomenon : RAINBOW
44. Hockey mask wearer : GOALIE

45. Alcopop brand : ZIMA

 46. Hurricanes, e.g. : STORMS

48. Spiny desert plants : CACTI

49. Gulf War missile : SCUD

50. "Don't tell me!" : "OH NO!"

52. Relax on a porch chair, perhaps : ROCK

53. Standard Oil brand : ESSO

55. Hi-fi platters : LPs

57. Charlottesville sch. : UVA. (University of Virginia)

58. Red or blush wine, familiarly : ZIN

59. Buddhist sect : ZEN
How many CSO's did you count?


Argyle


Feb 15, 2015

Sunday February 15, 2015 Amy Johnson

Theme:  "Hail to the Chief" - Each theme answer is clued as if it's related to a US president.

24A. Presidential thoroughfare? : MADISON AVENUE.  Wiki says that Madison Square is named after President Madison. I presume it's the same for the Avenue.

39A. Presidential records? : LINCOLN LOGS. Named after President Lincoln.

54A. Presidential teams? : BUSH LEAGUE. Unrelated to President Bush. So works perfectly as a theme answer.

71A. Presidential horse? : FORD BRONCO. Ditto this one.

83A. Presidential quintet? : JACKSON FIVE. Ditto this one.

102A. Presidential resistance? : GRANT IMMUNITY. This one is the best with the original "Grant" as a verb.

3D. Presidential tweet? : WASHINGTON POST

50D. Presidential stand-ups? : GARFIELD COMICS

This type of theme works the best when the key words in the original phrases have nothing to do with the presidents. But it's impossible to come up with a set for Sundays.

I like the clue angle, and the grid only has 140 words (same as Marti's last week). You can be assured that I'll rack it up to 144.

Across:
 
1. Chauffeur's ride : TOWN CAR. Lincoln!

8. Glass-tinting element : COBALT

14. Pin sites : ALLEYS. Bowling pins.

20. Otter's prey : ABALONE. I don't think I had abalones before. You?

21. Key of Beethoven's "Für Elise" : A MINOR. Had ?MINOR. Then waited.

22. Fly under the radar : LIE LOW

23. Splits evenly : BISECTS

26. __Kosh B'gosh : OSH

27. Bigger fish to fry? : KEEPERS. Nice clue.

29. Ask : POSE. As a question.

30. Chem class suffix : IDE

31. Mayberry kid : OPIE

33. Bard's "bleak" : DREAR

34. Dieting setback : GAIN

36. Surname preceder, perhaps: Abbr. : INIT. Oh, middle initial.

37. It may be a hit : SONG

38. Brewery container : VAT

42. Spurs to action : GOOSES

45. Rookie rockers' recordings : DEMOS

46. Major __: Sherwood Forest attraction : OAK. Hey, I know it.

47. Beach house features : STILTS. I did not know those supporting posts are called stilts also.



48. Subdued : MUTED

49. Dome of the Rock floor plan shape : OCTAGON. Wiki said Dome of the Rock is "Jerusalem's most recognizable landmark".  Hahtoola & Yellowrocks must have visited the place.

53. Horatian works : EPODES

56. Botanist Gray : ASA

57. "Writing on the wall" word : MENE. Full message here:

58. What some buds detect : TASTE. Taste buds.

59. Fed. collection agency : IRS. Boomer had to get D-Otto's advice for some deduction issue.

60. Hugging duo : ARMS

61. Sandra Denton, in a hip-hop trio : PEPA. I always thought Salt-N-Pepa is a duo. No idea about their real names. So which one is Pepa?



62. Hunting wear : VESTS

63. Irish nationalist Robert : EMMET. Unknown to me.

65. Usually fuzzy tabloid pics : UFOs

66. Seacrest's show, to fans : IDOL. Ryan Seacrest.

67. Bend's state: Abbr. : ORE. Hope the ousted governor is not from Bend.

68. Mild oaths : DRATS

69. 1492 Bahamas lander : NINA

70. Children's author Asquith : ROS

74. College address ending : DOT EDU

76. Poncherello portrayer on "CHiPs" : ESTRADA (Erik)

78. Itty-bitty : EENSY

79. Trail-making mollusks : SNAILS

80. "... further __ ..." : ADO

81. Word with free or secret : AGENT

82. Addressed the nation, say : ORATED

87. SADD concern : DWI

88. Like raw silk : ECRU. I haven't had mulberries for years.

91. 1997 film apiarist : ULEE. Ulee's Gold.

92. Camembert's department : ORNE. Got via crosses. I know it starts with O though.

93. Obsessed (on) : DWELT

95. Springfield's only tavern : MOE'S

96. H.S. equivalency test : GED

97. Poet Teasdale : SARA

99. "Cloud Shepherd" sculptor : JEAN ARP. Full name for a change.


101. Spartan Stadium sch. : MSU

106. Less likely to be named homecoming king : NERDIER

108. "Because you're worth it" company : L'OREAL. Do you have The Body Shop in your area? It's owned by L’Oréal. Wish we had one in MN.

109. Late news time : ELEVEN

110. A pad may protect it : KNEECAP

111. English assignments : ESSAYS

112. Like subarctic winters : SEVERE. I wonder how those pioneers survived the Minnesota winters.

113. Certifies : ATTESTS

Down:

1. They're off-limits : TABOOS. And 25. It's off-limits : NO NO

2. San Luis __, Calif. : OBISPO

4. Marlins' div. : NLE. National League East.

5. Prepare to fire : COCK

6. Got in the game : ANTED

7. Books : RESERVES

8. Charged : CAME AT

9. Horoscope columnist Sydney : OMARR. Learned from doing xwords.

10. eBay offers : BIDS

11. "Star Wars" saga nickname : ANI. Darth Vader's boyhood nickname.

12. Spanish article : LOS

13. Hot spot, with "the" : TROPICS

14. Troubled word : ALAS

15. Like much radio : LIVE

16. Boo Radley creator Harper : LEE. Now we have a better way to clue the dreaded partial SET A.

17. Current phenomenon : EL NINO

18. Cat's "Get it?" : YOU DIG?

19. Gummy bears and such : SWEETS

28. Snow __ : PEAS

32. Perfect self, in psychoanalysis : EGO IDEAL. Too sophisticated for me.

34. Dreidel letter : GIMEL. Another unknown. One of the four Hebrew letters.



35. Battery terminal : ANODE

36. "Past Imperfect" memoirist Chase : ILKA

39. Underworld river : LETHE

40. Exodus insect : LOCUST

41. Hoops Hall of Famer Thurmond : NATE

43. Fútbol cheer : OLE

44. OH and OK : STS (States)

45. Cleans with Old English : DUSTS. Holy smokes! Never heard of Old English.


47. Olympic pool sights : SPEEDOS

48. Requirement : MUST

49. Fiends of fantasy : OGRES

51. Notable Mormon family : OSMONDS. The Donny & Marie show in Flamingo costs $90.

52. Junkanoo parade city : NASSAU. OK, Wiki says Junkanoo is "a street parade with music, dance and costumes in many towns across The Bahamas every Boxing Day  & New Year's Day". Learning moment for me also.

53. Ottoman, e.g. : EMPIRE

54. Predicated : BASED

55. "We __ please" : AIM TO. A special "Thank you" to Gary for blogging last Sunday's puzzle and Argyle for snipping several Answer Grids and taking care of the blog while I was away.

58. __ cotta : TERRA. A must-see if you visit Xi'an.



60. Uncle Henry's wife : AUNTIE EM

62. Practice with dolls : VOODOO

63. Physicist Mach or artist Max : ERNST

64. Eponymous store founder : MACY. Macy's left our ghetto area a while ago.

68. "No man is an island" poet : DONNE

71. Rages : FADS

72. Word from a proctor : BEGIN

73. Kent portrayer on the big screen : REEVE

74. Modern evidence : DNA

75. Muffin grain : OAT

77. Toothed tool : RAKE

79. Major tea exporter : SRI LANKA. Look at this list. I'm surprised that Kenya is a major tea exporter as well.

81. Some chalets : A-FRAMES

82. John Irving's "A Prayer for __ Meany" : OWEN. Hi there Owen!

83. Manage, as multiple tasks : JUGGLE. I can only focus on one thing at a time.

84. Final Olds models : ALEROS

85. Sources of aromatic wood : CEDARS

86. "Cheers" shout : NORM

87. Wrestler Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock : DWAYNE. I often confuse him with Vin Diesel.

89. Move to a new table : RE-SEAT

90. Takes by force : USURPS

93. Hardly encourage : DETER

94. Nottingham's river : TRENT

97. Court postponement : STAY

98. Needs a doctor, maybe : AILS

99. Baloney : JIVE

100. __-à-porter: ready-to-wear : PRET. I also loved the movie. Our crossword buddy Stephen Rea is in it.

103. Teachers' org. : NEA

104. Suffix meaning "little" : ULE. As in globule.

105. Calif. neighbor : NEV

107. Fourth grade? : DEE. The fourth letter in grade. (Edited letter: ABCDF grading! Holy smokes!)


Happy Birthday to Hondo (Skip)! Are you still attending the card shows in winter time? Hope you can cruise away from the cold winter soon.

Left to Right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana

C.C.


Feb 14, 2015

Saturday, Feb 14th, 2015, Brad Wilber

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 30

  Oh well, no theme this week.  So I will make one up.  We're going with a "romantic" music montage for today;  Triple 11-letter and almost triple 10-letter corners, nothing longer, and just a few proper names to annoy today - and a lot of French.  Happy Valentine's Day - for those who celebrate....  ;7P [ note: I had some trouble with the video links when I was posting the blog. ]

63. Soft Cell hit with the lyric, "Once I ran to you, / Now I'll run from you" : TAINTED LOVE


3. Campaign team member : SPIN DOCTOR

 Two Princes - Spin Doctors

44. "__ in April never came so sweet": Shak. : A DAY - do you know the connection to this video~?

Ugh.  Saturday, the 14th

DRAWNO

ACROSS:

1. Airline to Trondheim : SAS - I went with KLM to start

4. Grounds for an umpire's warning : RACKET ABUSE - thought this was a baseball umpire at first; then I thought of John McEnroe, but this guy - I've been there, only it's a goalie stick and a defenseless post

15. Nile Valley threat : ASP

16. What beeps may be : EMAIL ALERTS

17. Pandora's Tower platform : Wii - Don't know this game, but I do love Pandora - the internet radio - not the jewelry; my new phone has a L-O-O-o-o-n-g lasting battery, so I can listen for hours - makes me sad that I spent $75 on an MP3 player a month ago

18. Collar attachments : DOG LICENSES

19. Jackson's second vice president : VAN BUREN - I knew this; watched the History channel series on the presidents, and these two men had a run that was seen again with Reagan/Bush; the VP just couldn't live up to the "original"

21. Packed in more than : OUT ATE

22. One whose work is at an end? : INDEXER

23. Respecting : AS TO

24. Winnings, eventually : POT - and a referential clue at; 56d. 24-Across starter : ANTE

25. Eleanor's mother-in-law : SARA - this to me was utterly vague; I guess you had to be there to understand this was the Roosevelts.  I thought it might have been Biblical, for all I know

27. Home of Appalachian State Univ. : N CAR - been a rough academic year

31. Georgia crop : PECANS - OK, so I put COTTON in to start - does my "C" count at all, D-Otto?

34. Celebratory : GALA

36. Emulating : À LA

37. Tell : RAT

38. Triceps-strengthening equipment : CURL BAR

40. Small magazine inserts : BBs - ah. Not ADS - the gun kind of magazine

41. Montana motto word : ORO - I seem to get this a lot

42. Soloist in Tchaikovsky's "Swan's Theme" : OBOE - WAG; I doubt it was "DRUM"

43. Old connection method : DIAL-UP

45. Amt. rarely charged : MSRP - Manufacturer's "Suggested" Retail Price

47. Classic film curtain tugger : TOTO - Wizard of Oz

49. JFK, but not LAX : DEMocrat; JFK, the man, not the airport

50. "Keep dreaming!" : "AS IF~!" - sha~!

52. The Thrilla in Manila, notably : REMATCH

56. View from Yerevan, Armenia : ARARAT - the mount(ain), which is a dormant volcano, and resting place of Noah's Ark (but not the "lost" ark of the covenant)

59. Hype : BALLYHOO - OK, here's some blatant V-day hype


60. Hourly-rate offerer, often : NO-TELL MOTEL - think they're as booked as the restaurants today~?

62. Girl rescued by Uncle Tom : EVA

64. Chemin de __ : FER - um, OK.  I had to know, so I looked it up; literally, it's Frawnche for "lane of iron" - a railway

65. Dreamy looks : EMPTY STARES - meh, not quite the same in my book.  I'd like to see a girl get a dreamy look when she thinks about me - and would rather it not be an empty stare....

66. Venture : TRY

DOWN:       

1. 2009 horror film sequel : SAW VI

2. Far East fruit : ASIAN PEARS

4. Updike's "Rabbit __" : REDUX - this followed up with the next clue = Rrrrr

5. "L'elisir d'__": Donizetti opera : AMORE

6. Heat or Magic : CAGERS - I went with NBAers first; the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic, two basketball teams in Florida - neither are doing well, but then again, the Knicks....I don't care for the game, but the owner of the restaurant I'm working at does

7. Potter's heat source : KILN

8. Biblical mentor of Samuel : ELI - oh, here's the Bible clue....

9. Dish served in an edible bowl : TACO SALAD - nailed it; I like the one from Taco Bell

10. Early seal hunter : ALEUT - educated WAG, since ESKIMO wouldn't fit

11. "Kramer vs. Kramer" Oscar-winning director : BENTON

12. __ Major : URSA

13. Editorial cancellation : STET - oops, went with DELE first

14. Forum infinitive : ESSE

20. Software version : BETA

23. Desert mount : ARAB - not the desert mountain - q.v. 56a.

26. Lace protector : AGLET - that thingy on the end of your shoelaces

28. Bad reception? : CABLE THEFT - clever

29. Record protector : ALBUM COVER - what's your favorite~? 
     I am trying to decide; this one's up there


30. Speak like Vito Corleone : RASP - didn't think it would be "LISP"

31. Limo destination : PROM

32. Many a PX customer : NCO

33. DVD menu option : SUBTITLES

35. 1968 groom, familiarly : ARIstotle, JFK's 'replacement'

39. It may be pitched : ROOF

46. Rear : PARENT - I get it, but....

48. One on the stump : ORATOR

51. Off-color : SALTY

53. Sorbonne enrollee : ELEVE - more Frawnche (student)

54. Lille lasses: Abbr. : MLLES - still more Frawnche (mademoiselles)

55. Grizzled : HOARY

57. Leave the path : ROAM

58. Left __: rewarded : A TIP - eh.

59. Incan army weapon : BOLA - well, there you have it, Lemonade~!

61. Colorado Rockies schedule letters : MDT - more mountains, but in daylight saving time now

Splynter


Note from C.C.:
 
Happy Birthday to dear Marti, our multi-talented & loving Thursday Sherpa and friend.  I'll forever cherish a thoughtful letter Marti wrote to me when I asked her a rather personal question "Do you believe in God?" 

Marti has been through a lot in life. She probably went through more pains than most of us did. Yet she remains optimistic and positive. Her mere presence on the blog is a huge comfort to me. 

I'm so lucky to have you on our team, Marti. You're our sunshine.


Oh, look at this! Allen bought Marti these beautiful red roses. The cat thought it's for her.



Feb 13, 2015

Friday, February 13, 2015, Mark McClain

THEME: This is one of those times where the reveal is better than anything I can think of to describe this letter replacement puzzle, which only requires remembering how to parse reveal clues.
63A. Modernize, in a way ... and when divided into three parts, a hint to the answers to starred clues : RE TO OL (6).

This is Mark's second puzzle for me to blog; his first publication was an LAT I wrote about on October 3, 2014 which involved adding DD into phrases. He since has had other publications, and while he stopped by to introduce himself, he did so a week after the puzzle, so in case you missed it,  here are his words. About myself? I've enjoyed xwords for many years, but just started tinkering around with constructing late in 2013 and started submitting puzzles early this year. This puzzle was actually made in March 2013, but went through a revision with Rich and was finally approved in June. I've had 8 puzzles approved for publication, including one in collaboration with Brad Wilber, who has been a great source of encouragement and knowledge. We started our dialog a few months ago when he approved one of my puzzles (scheduled for December). I live in Salem, Virginia, in the mountains near the Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Parkway. Both my long-time partner Diana Christopulos and I and do volunteer work for a number of local organizations. He has a website: LINK.

In every theme answer an 'in the language' phrase which includes the letters RE together in that order, are replaced with OL, in that order- RE to OL. The placement of the RE/OL is different in each of the theme answer; some of the fill is humorous, some functional.. The inclusion of the asterisks and the reveal made this one of my faster Friday solves, but then again, I am not a very fast solver, so....Many three and four letter fill for a Friday, with some nice medium fill like AIR RAID, ‘FRAID SO, IRIDIUM, MIRAMAR, SEE THRU, SORRIER, LHASA APSO, OUT SHOOTS.  let's see the theme and more....

19A. *Site of preserved ancient gaucho weapons? :LA BOLA TAR PITS (13). La BREA Tar Pits
are in one form or another very common in crosswords.  BOLAS is a nasty weapon; I am not sure if the singular is a legitimate word.

32A. *Hip curriculum? : COOL COURSES (11). CORE Courses are the basic ones you need for your degree.

41A. *Second-hand seat? : THRIFT STOOL  (11). The Thrift STORE has become  big business in the US. They used to be second hand stores when I was a kid.

54A. *Heroine in a reprised fairy tale? : OLD RIDING HOOD (13). My favorite of the theme, and I am sure by now she is the one in bed waiting for her granddaughter.

We revealed the reveal above...

Across:

1. Word with cake or meal : OAT.

4. Doctrinal suffix : ISM.

7. Pat Nixon's real first name : THELMA. I guess she chose Pat, because like most Thelmas, she hated her name. LINK. My ex-mil, Sue, is also a Thelma.

13. Classic sci-fi play : RUR.

14. Tres equivalent : DREI. Spanish to German number 3. An outlier....(sorry brain semi-functional)

15. Clinton's birth name : RODHAM. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, did any others recall that Bill was born William BLYTHE, also 6 letters?

16. Bush spokesman Fleischer : ARI. Staying with politics, Alex....

17. Part of DAR: Abbr. : AMERican. Daughters of the American Revolution. My third and fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Sochor was a proud member; she was in her 80's, frail, and as a very small child I thought the name was literal.

18. Busy enterprise? : APIARY. It be where they have bees and Sherlock Holmes. Leading to...

22. Grouse : BEEF. Can't complain about this clue/fill.

23. Humana option : HMO. Health Maintenance Organization; I just joined their gold plus plan.

24. Cut (it) : HACK. He just couldn't hack it as a salesman.

27. Blitz : AIR RAID.

31. MLB "minors" : AAA. Triple A baseball is the highest of the minor leagues which now go from rookie to A, AA and AAA; no more D leagues.

36. Banned chem. pollutant : PCB. PolyChlorinated Biphenyl; the initialisms adding up.

37. Protective bauble : AMULET.

38. Capital SE of Tallahassee : NASSAU. Capital of the Bahamas.

40. GPS datum : LATitude. Not a CSO to the LA Times.

45. Canadian sentence enders? : EHS. But a CSO to our resident Canadian.

46. Worse : SORRIER. State of affairs?

47. __ Men: "Who Let the Dogs Out" band : BAHA.


49. Andalusian aunt : TIA. Spanish.

50. Emerald City princess : OZMA. The dedicated fans of L. Frank know this half-human, half fairy GIRL.

59. "Ditto" : I DO TOO.

61. Thought : IDEA. Not to be parsed I, DEA.

62. French handle? : NOM. Just  French meaning "name." 21D. Versailles rulers of old : ROIS. French for kings. And42D. Roast, in Rouen : ROTI. This is one time where the accent would help. Rôti.We all remember that the accent is replaced with an "s" in many americanized versions of French words as explained by Kazie..

64. Functions : USES.

65. One of quarterback Archie's boys : ELI. With Peyton, the fading Manning brothers.

66. Lover's request : KISS ME. Often followed by, "you fool."

67. Stylish, once : MOD. Ah, the days of the mods and rockers.


68. Symbiont on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" : DAX. probably the most interesting and complicated CHARACTER(s) in the Star Trek universe. Realy only one DAX but two hosts....And the similar 14D. Indian lentil stew : DAL. A much harder clue than Delta. All perps. A CSO to my twin Vidwan and Mangesh Sakharam Ghogre.

Down:

 1. Colgate competitor : ORAL B. Even with the O from OAT, my inclination was CREST.

2. Halos : AURAE.

4. Culinary author Rombauer : IRMA. So many to chose from.

5. Sexy, in some ads : SEE THRU. Click if you want to see an EXAMPLE. (for the guys)

6. San Diego Marine Corps station whose name means "sea view" : MIRAMAR. Living in So.FLa. this is a gimme (a) we have a city with the name (b) you hear "mira" a billion times when people want you to look at something or understand something.

7. Trick : TRAP. Not synonymous for me, but it was easy fill.

8. Arizona natives : HOPI. We studied this tribe extensively in my undergraduate sociology classes. And a token cross reference. 3D. 8-Down, e.g. : TRIBE.

9. Archie's wife : EDITH.


10. Himalayan canine : LHASA APSO. This breed's HISTORY is interesting. Also see Caleb and Baha men.

11. Spoil : MAR. Mira! Another one.

12. '70s White House daughter : AMY. Where is she NOW?

20. Taking everything into account : OF ALL. Huh?

25. Evergreen bean : CACAO. Of course we love chocolate, and especially the fine aroma beans from Ecuador.

26. Capital where Pashto is spoken : KABUL. With all the years of war, this should be easy.


28. Rhyme $yndicate Records founder : ICE-T. Not to be confused with Grammy host ICE CUBE. Sorry Tin.

29. Certain IRAs : ROTHS. Names for Senator William from Delaware, also home to Joe Biden.

30. Driller's prefix? : DENTI.

32. Biblical spy : CALEB. Interesting and CONFUSING part of the story of Moses, which happens to be where the cycle of reading the Torah is now. Caleb (which means dog; see Baha Men) was perhaps one of the 12 spies.

33. Home of the Beef, an indoor football team : OMAHA. How perfect; I must get an email per week from Omaha Steaks. Now we would know how to answer when Clara Peller asked her famous question.

34. Makes more baskets than : OUTSHOOTS.

35. Fund drive appeal encl. : SASE. Self Addressed Stamped Envelope.

39. Eponymous brewer Bernhard : STROH.

43. Atomic number 77 : IRIDIUM. Was that easy for you science guys? Not the part of the periodic table that I remember.

44. "'Tis true, sorry to say" : FRAID SO.

48. Certain choristers : ALTOS. Why not chorusters?

51. Subdivided : ZONED. Zoning is part of the process, but a previously zoned property can be subdivided.

52. Scratch : MOOLA. Another interesting word, and one of questionable HERITAGE.

53. Blend : ADMIX. This is a real word, on its own, why I do not know.

55. Not a happy fate : DOOM. Doctor, doctor...

56. Function : ROLE. Super-villain.

57. Mandatory item : NEED. The Avengers? Fantastic Four?

58. It can be natural : GAS. Crepitation? LISTEN? (15:17).

59. Vex : IRK. Yes, vexsome.

60. Agnus __ : DEI.  Ah, we finish with classic crosswordese.


Well this was a real admix of information which brought out the linker in me; thanks Mark and I hope you all aol golat. Lemonade, out.