Tuesday, May 12, 2015 Bruce Haight

Theme: It's the berries

39A. Word that can follow the starts of 17-, 26-, 50- and 58-Across : BERRIES

17A. Scary R.L. Stine series for kids : GOOSEBUMPS. Gooseberry - Wiki.

26A. Panamas, e.g. : STRAW HATS. Strawberry.

50A. Witchcraft and such : BLACK ARTS. Blackberry.

58A. Symbols of Democratic victories : BLUE STATES. Blueberry.

Argyle here. All theme entries are in plural form. Very consistent.

The two longest entries are not theme related but are in the columns so not a problem. Three of the berries may be on your breakfast table but gooseberry, not so much.

Across:

1. Like a sluggard : LAZY

5. Bottomless pit : ABYSS

10. Diving duck : SMEW

14. Woodwind with nearly a three-octave range : OBOE

15. Popeye's nemesis : BLUTO

16. Water-draining aid : EAVE. Perhaps in the sense it spaces the rain out from the base of the wall.

19. Barely makes, with "out" : EKES

20. Construction beam : I-BAR

21. Invention protection : PATENT

23. __ the races : OFF TO. Preakness prediction?

29. Crossword constructor's chore : CLUING

31. "Fiddlesticks!" : "OH, DARN!"

32. Small boys : TADS

33. Scoundrel : ROUE

35. New York governor before Pataki : CUOMO. Tricky...Mario is the father of current governor Andrew.

38. Hosp. heart test : EKG. Here we go again.

41. Squishy lowland : FEN

42. R&B singer __ Marie : TEENA

44. Toon Snorkasaurus : DINO. The Flintstones' pet.

45. Way off in the distance : AFAR

46. Magazine with an annual list of the world's 2,000 biggest public companies : FORBES

48. In a wise way : SAGELY

53. Succinct : TERSE

54. Get a new actor for : RECAST

55. Fictional reporter Lane : LOIS

57. Memo abbr. : ATTN.

64. Like racehorses : SHOD

65. Grimm brutes : OGREs

66. Smitten to the max : GAGA

67. Parade honoree : HERO

68. Meddlesome sort : YENTA

69. Unrestrained indulgence : ORGY

Down:

1. Shipboard diary : LOG

2. Blood typing system : A-B-O

3. Field trip destination : ZOO

4. Adamant affirmation : "YES, IT IS!"

5. "Take a Chance on Me" group : ABBA

6. Makes fuzzy : BLURS

7. "Delicious!" : "YUM!"

8. "The Racer's Edge" : STP

9. Steel-wool scrubber : SOS PAD

10. Sheer, informally : SEE-THRU

11. Seller's suggestion : MAKE AN OFFER

12. Javelin throw, for one : EVENT

13. Adam and Mae : WESTs

18. "... the __ blackness of the floors": Poe : EBON

22. Gulf War defense acronym : AWACS. A(irborne) W(arning) A(nd) C(ontrol) S(ystem)

23. Nonet minus one : OCTET. 9-1=8

24. Speck of snow : FLAKE

25. Experimental margin of error : FUDGE FACTOR

27. Trap victim? : TOURIST

28. Germany's longest river, to Germans : RHEIN. (the Rhine)

30. Univ. senior's exam : GRE. (Graduate Record Examination)

34. Ham sandwich and a soda, e.g. : ORDER. "Would you like some fries or chips with that?"

36. Lunch and dinner : MEALS

37. How ham may be served : ON RYE

39. Sounds from pounds : BARKS

40. Daybreak goddess : EOS

43. "Sorry, that's impossible" : "NO CAN DO"

45. In the distant past : AGES AGO

47. Dugout assistant : BATBOY

49. Quarreling : AT IT

50. In-your-face : BRASH

51. River in Hades : LETHE. Its water caused forgetfulness of the past.

52. Wintry precipitation : SLEET

56. Peak of Greek myth : OSSA. In Greek mythology, the Aloadaes are said to have attempted to pile Mount Pelion on top of Mount Ossa in their attempt to scale Olympus.

59. Shirt size abbr. : LGE

60. Coffee dispenser : URN

61. Roofing sealer : TAR

62. __ on your face : EGG

63. Put into words : SAY

Argyle

Monday, May 11, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: This could be awhile - How long is awhile? Einstein wants to know.

18A. Place for legislative debate : HOUSE FLOOR. HOUR

24A. Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance baseball event : DOUBLE PLAY. DAY

40A. Fairies and pixies, e.g. : WEE FOLK. WEEK

51A. Work on casually, as an engine : MONKEY WITH. MONTH

61A. Durations ... and what this puzzle's circles literally represent : TIME FRAMES

Argyle here. This is a C.C. book end puzzle. Obvious if you have the circles but still doable if you don't. Neat progression of the time frames, too. I felt it could have worked as a Tuesday puzzle also. An alternate reveal could have been SPLIT TIMES but I'm not sure how large a segment of our solvers are familiar with the term.

Baseball's Sad Lexicon. Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance were baseball players for the 1910 Chicago Cubs and excelled at the double play. Shortstop to second baseman and on to the first baseman. Two outs.

Across:

1. Hardy's "__ of the D'Urbervilles" : TESS. She gets her full billing today.

5. Diva delivery : ARIA

9. Conform as needed : ADAPT

14. Ancient mystical letter : RUNE

15. Put on staff : HIRE

16. Like the '80s look, now : RETRO. The metro look started in the 90's.

17. Kirkuk's country : IRAQ

20. Infield fly : POP UP

22. Online ha-ha : LOL

23. Firing range purchase : AMMO

28. Arctic deer : CARIBOU. New studies show that Caribou and Reindeer are actually two different animals. I knew that.

30. Make corrections to : EMEND

33. Bracketology org. : NCAA. The famous college basketball playoffs.

34. Clobber : DRUB

37. Dump emanations : ODORS. I gotta bite my tongue.

39. Computer program glitch : BUG

42. Pirouette point : TOE

43. "Operator" singer Jim : CROCE

45. Fair to middling : SO-SO

46. Scourge : BANE

47. Battery current entry point : ANODE

49. Played the siren : SEDUCED

54. How-to segment : STEP

57. Snaky swimmer : EEL

58. Look daggers (at) : GLARE

65. Irish New Age singer : ENYA. Enya's manager said that she is working on a new album but that was 2011.

66. Get together : UNITE

67. Furniture hardwood : TEAK

68. Some flat-screen TVs : RCAs

69. Exposed : BARED

70. Miss from Mex. : SRTA. (señorita)

71. Email folder : SENT

Down:

1. Lose one's footing : TRIP

2. 100 cents, in Germany : EURO

3. Spring bloom named for its resemblance to a mythical creature : SNAPDRAGON

4. Giant redwood : SEQUOIA

5. "That feels good!" : "AHH!"

6. __ Grande : RIO

7. "Good for me!" : "I RULE!"

8. Greek fable writer : AESOP

9. Kennel cry : [ARF!]

10. Postponed : DELAYED

11. Tiny bit of matter : ATOM

12. School year-end dance : PROM

13. Snowblower brand : TORO. Company Web Site.

19. Vogue rival : ELLE

21. Pint server : PUB

25. Foreshadow : BODE

26. Fishing decoys : LURES

27. Wild way to run : AMOK

28. ''Fast Money'' channel : CNBC

29. Integra automaker : ACURA. A division of Honda.

31. "Forget about it!" : "NOT A CHANCE!"

32. Unmanned spy plane : DRONE

35. Blurry craft in tabloid pics : UFO

36. Given to micromanaging : BOSSY

38. Papaya discard : SEED

40. "The Things __ for Love" : WE DO

41. MGM co-founder : LOEW. Founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Pictures.

44. Vie : COMPETE

46. "Downton Abbey" servers : BUTLERS

48. Cabinet dept. concerned with power : ENER.

50. Archaeologist's project : DIG

52. Shelley contemporary : KEATS

53. Hunter Fudd : ELMER. "Shhh! Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits".

54. Concert re-entry request : STUB

55. Singer Turner : TINA

56. Arab League bigwig : EMIR

59. Seacrest of "American Idol" : RYAN

60. Los Angeles-to-Atlanta direction : EAST

62. Prepared dinner for : FED

63. Have dinner : EAT

64. Calypso cousin : SKA

Argyle

Sunday May 10, 2015 Melanie Miller

Theme: "L-iminated"- L is removed from each theme answer.

23A. Comment after a big raise? : THE POT THICKENS. The plot thickens.

42A. Faux furs left out in the cold? : FROSTED FAKES. Frosted Flakes.

60A. Chicago athlete in Denver? : MILE HIGH CUB. Mile high club.

84A. Gem named for a dinosaur? : BARNEY STONE. Blarney Stone.

99A. Fair-haired castaway? : BEACHED BLOND. Bleached blond. Lots of girls sported silver hair last summer. Not easy to be DYED (Covered the gray, say) in silver gray. Very complicated procedures. 

120A. Running buddy's question? : YOUR PACE OR MINE? Your place or mine?

33D. Green Giant deal? : PEA BARGAIN. Plea bargain.

56D. Slacks for the boardroom? : POWER PANTS. Power plant.

 

The stray L's in MILE HIGH CUB  and BEACHED BLOND might bother some purists, but they're fun phrases.

Lovely grid arrangement. No cheater square! Hard to do that on a Sunday.

Across:

1. Padlock part : HASP

5. Boldly forward : PERT. 18D. Gets boldly forward with : SASSES. Clue echoes.

9. Yrs. before college : EL-HI

13. Only major league team without a no-hitter to its credit : PADRES. I did not know this trivia. I asked Boomer. He answered "Marlins". We're no good.

19. Polynesian getaway : OAHU

20. Small number : A FEW.

21. Aslan of Narnia, e.g. : LION. As Marti linked last week, Met Gala featured a China theme this year. So much fun for me to watch each red carpet interpretation of various Chinese flowers/animals.

22. Parthenon dedicatee : ATHENA

26. Range ropes : REATAS. Or RIATAS.

27. Mosaic part : TESSERA. New word to me. Its plural is Tesserae. Not *S.

28. Didn't let go of : KEPT

30. Takes the wrong way? : ROBS. Fun clue.

31. Scholarly piece : PAPER

34. Assign : ALLOT

37. Express sorrow : CRY. So is SOB.

38. Garden annoyance : MOLE

39. Dark clouds, perhaps : OMEN

40. Prison canary? : RAT. Nailed it. We also have 77. Field scurrier : MOUSE

45. Row : SPAT

46. Recess retort : AM SO

48. Cargo unit : TON

49. "Pshaw!" : FIE

50. Dwindle : SUBSIDE

52. Start of many a tribute : ODE TO

54. Pertinent : APROPOS

59. Greenhouse gas regulator: Abbr. : EPA

63. Pad : ABODE

64. Satisfied, as a debt : REPAID

66. Yucatán native : MAYAN

67. Arrived suddenly : BLEW IN

68. Bit of kelp, say : ALGA. I eat Wakame often. Kelp is too tough. It's good for veggie miso stock though.

70. Come down hard : TEEM. Like rain. Not a word I use.

72. Asian cuisine : THAI. Lemonade is lucky.

74. Do a farming job : SEED

75. Uncouth : COARSE

81. One hoping to find a school : ANGLER. School of fish!

83. Skylark sound : TRILL

86. Life : PEP

89. Physically aware : SENSATE. Not a word I use.

91. Fathered : SIRED

92. Unprocessed information : RAW DATA. Big gimme for all of us.

94. Hatch, e.g.: Abbr. : SEN. Orrin Hatch.

95. Helena-to-Lincoln dir. : ESE

96. Islamic official : IMAM

98. Rural roadside stops : INNS

105. Don Ho's instrument : UKE

106. Doctor's order : STAT

107. Bonnie Raitt, for one : ALTO. Got via crosses.

108. Gathering that may involve a wagon : TEA. What wagon? We call it tea cart. 

109. Calls for : NEEDS

111. So last week : PASSE

112. Captures : NABS

113. Sea raptors : ERNS

115. Computer output device : PRINTER. What printer are you using? Ours is HP Envy. So so.

118. Food label reader, perhaps : DIETER. I cook by feel and instinct.

126. Preposterous, as an idea : INSANE

127. Shipbuilding tool : ADZE

128. Little red schoolhouse lady : MARM

129. Steady : EVEN

130. Brahms' symphonies, e.g. : TETRAD. No idea. I'm a classic music idiot.

131. Tenderfoot : NAIF

132. Shampoo additive : ALOE. I tried this clue for ACAI once. Rich did not use it.

Down:

1. Like some wings : HOT

2. Warm-bath reaction : AAH. I'll say "Ahh" only when it's hot.

3. Yachting pronoun : SHE

4. Out-of-style Boy Scout shelters : PUP TENTS. By the way, do any of you remember the big Chinese earthquake in 1976? Over half a million people died. I have faint memory of sleeping outside in a big tent. Wiki mentioned under Damage that "Tremors were felt as far away as Xi'an approximately 760 km (470 mi) away."  I was 5 at the time.

5. Gently touches : PATS

6. Little newts : EFTS

7. Zaps : REHEATS

8. Dancer's move : TWIRL

9. FDR was one : ELK. Unknown trivia. Because the clue is an abbreviation, I though the answer might be DEM.

10. Moment of dishonesty : LIE

11. Protest on the road : HONK

12. Cricket, for one : INSECT

13. Bowlful next to the chips : PARTY DIP

14. Put away : ATE. I put EAT first. Fooled by the tense.

15. Hindu duty : DHARMA. How do they decide where to put H? I have trouble spelling Gandhi also.

16. Seized again : RETOOK

17. Allow : ENABLE

24. "... sadness comes __ me": Longfellow : O'ER

25. Baby moose : CALF

29. Factory-built home : PREFAB

31. Western chasers : POSSE. And 99. 31-Down quarry : BANDIT

32. Energize : AMP UP. I tried PEP UP.

35. Former Sandinista leader : ORTEGA

36. Like the Cheshire Cat's grin : TOOTHY

40. Send forth : RADIATE

41. 2001 French romantic comedy : AMELIE. Loved the movie.

43. Tracked winter vehicle : SNO-CAT

44. Wild : FERAL

47. Trick reaction : OOH. Did you try "Doh"?

51. Bart Simpson, e.g. : IMP. Hi there Spitzboov!

53. Reduce in intensity : DIM

55. Quite hefty : OBESE. And 117. Hefty volume : TOME. One of our blog readers read "Dream of the Red Chamber", a hefty Chinese classic. I was totally impressed.

57. Jim Davis canine : ODIE

58. Summon, with "for" : SEND

61. Buildup of fluid : EDEMA

62. Tip a tam : UNHAT. Not a word I use.

65. British noblemen : EARLS

67. Standout : BIG NAME. I just learned that our Steve lives in the same area as Miley Cyrus. And he sees her from time to time at their local coffee shop & Trader Joe's.

68. 97-Down pair, frequently : ACTS. And 97. Play with songs : MUSICAL

69. Passed-down learning : LORE

71. Smidgen : MORSEL

73. Inuit wear : ANORAK

76. Cut back : SLASH

78. Choral parts may be sung in it : UNISON

79. Not agitated : SERENE

80. Discriminating ability : EYE

82. Jack __, treasury secretary since 2013 : LEW. Known for his loopy signature.

84. Spree : BENDER

85. Cold War missile prog. : SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative)

87. Old lab heaters : ETNAS

88. Kid's adhesive : PASTE

90. Struggled for balance : TEETERED

93. Removed pieces from : DISARMED

100. Five-time Tony nominee Stritch : ELAINE

101. Ideally : AT BEST

102. Marquee partner : CO-STAR

103. Fig tree variety : BANYAN. Have you seen fig trees in person?

104. "Transcendence" actor : DEPP. Never saw the movie. Johnny Depp & Brad Pitt are not my type.

110. Many a TV series : DRAMA

111. In accordance with : PER

114. Vending machine buy : SODA

116. First-century emperor : NERO

119. Bambi family member : ENA. Aunt Ena.

121. Israeli weapon : UZI

122. Field official : REF

123. Creeping evergreen : IVY

124. Wedding page word : NEE

125. Stamp out : END

C.C.

Saturday, May 9th, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing J,X)

Blocks: 30

Dammit~!  I was doing so well with this one, but the NE corner had too many proper names for me to get any kind of start, and therefore, I had to cheat - and still struggled.  Oh well.  What a shame, too, because the SW corner had such a warm, fuzzy* feel to it.  I was feeling pretty sure we were getting a Silkie, and I did well on the last one, so I was overly confident today.  Triple 10-letter corners across, and triple 8-letter downs.  Two 12-letter spanners;

30a. Character in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" : QUESTION MARK - I got this via perps, but I got fooled by the "?" in the title - not the name of a person from the film....

39a*. Pie order : ANCHOVY PIZZA - I do love pizza, but have to admit, I have not had anchovy

Delaward~!

ACROSS:

1. Grooming tool : RAZOR BLADE - I let this one go to start; my friend Heather is a very popular dog groomer here on the North Fork of L.I., and so I was "sorta" stuck in that frame of mind

11. Holding pattern nos. : ALTs - Altitudes, the height in feet that a plane 'holds' over an airport - who else went with "ETAs"~?

15. Disappears : EVAPORATES - like my confidence in finishing without a cheat

16. 1974 N.L. batting champ Ralph : GARR - baseball for C.C.

17. Huge success : MONSTER HIT - Everything seems to be a 'monster hit' today

18. Morales of "Criminal Minds" : ESAI - doubled up from yesterday

19. In Paris, in Paris : ICI - Frawnche for "here"

20. For whom New York's Queensboro Bridge was renamed : ED KOCH - took me a second to remember this

21. Diamond discovered in the '60s : NEIL - ugh.  duped.  big time. 

22. Tight ends? : TEES - T ighT, get it~?

24. Weather report abbr. : SSE

25. Casual qualifier : SORTA

26. Child player : STREEP - oh.  JULIA Child, got it.  IMDb

29. "Camelot" Tony winner, 1961 : BURTON - OK, I cheated.  Shoulda known this

34*. Try to win : WOO - I tried to win the blue-eyed beauty who worked at the 39a. restaurant

37. Do a fixer-upper job : REPAINT - I am done with the repaint job at aMano restaurant, but there's more to be done at A Lure

38. Fed. property overseer : GSA - General Services Administration - the Wiki - I was thinking "HUD", but was pretty sure the "U" was not going to work

42. Family secret, perhaps : RECIPE

43. Best in a restaurant : OUTEAT

47. Creator of Heffalumps : MILNE - Winnie the Pooh

48. Fighter acronym : MIG - and more Cold War initials at 53d. Sputnik letters : CCCP

51. "M*A*S*H" actor : FARR - I think HuskerG is a big fan of "Klinger"

52. Surfeit : GLUT

53. Warning : CAVEAT - Latin "let him beware"

56. Realize : SEE

57. Bonanza : LODE

58. Capital on I-77 : CHARLESTON - West Virginia; takes me about 7mins to do the I-70 thru Wheeling on my way to Cincinnati

60. Through : OVER

61. Term coined by Hugh Hefner : CENTERFOLD - I did not know this

62*. Bonds : WEDS

63. Winnings : PRIZE MONEY

DOWN:

1. Pays : REMITS

2. Relative of a stilt : AVOCET - this bird has legs; and this one; and this one

3. Comparatively kooky : ZANIER

4. Photo __ : OPs - "opportunities"; I so hesitated to put this in, but it was correct

5. Learning method : ROTE

6. Gave rise to : BRED

7. Literary symbols of daybreak : LARKS - ah, not "COCKS"

8. One of a literary trio : ATHOS - The Three Musketeers

9. Prepare for takeoff, maybe : DE-ICE

10. O.T. book : ESTHer

11. 18 for graduating high school, e.g. : AGE NORM - today's "fun sponge"; I get it, but it just would not come to me, being in the 'down'

12. Combat game : LASER TAG - I have played the game in a local arena, played it in the woods with friends, but I find paintball to be a lot more exciting

13. Quislings : TRAITORS - Cheated.  I did, however, use the actual dictionary, and not Google

14. Colombo's country : SRI LANKA - Dah~!  I was stuck in South America for too long

23. Et __ : SEQ - more Latin, used in law, "and the following"

25. "Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak" writer : SUN-TZU

27. Atlas section : EUROPE

28. Bug : PEEVE

29. 1951 Reagan co-star : BONZO

31. Mole, maybe : SPY

32. 31-Down strategy : TAP - Wiretap, e.g.

33. Only Super Bowl won by the Jets : III

34*. Virtuous feeling : WARM GLOW

35*. R.E.M. hit, with "The" : "ONE I LOVE"

36. Blocked : OCCLUDED - like clouds

40. Ones saying "warmer," perhaps : HINTERS - "you're getting cold, colder, ice cold, warm, warmer, warmer...."

41. Justice Dept. agency : ATF

44. City near Bethlehem : EASTON

45. Specialized cactus branch : AREOLE

46. In : TRENDY

48. "Real Time" host : MAHER

49. 14th-century Russian prince : IVAN I

50. "Still Standing" co-star Jami : GERTZ

54. Sailor's direction : ALEE

55. Time spent in one's seat : TERM - political term

59. It's nearly 700 mi. south of Sea-Tac : SFO - Nailed it, but I knew Sea-Tac is the airport in Washington state

Splynter

Friday, May 8, 2015, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Cast your bread upon the water and out comes a pun puzzle.

Well after marti had another puzzle run with Jeffrey ending last Thursday, he is back to Friday with a puzzle right up my carbohydrate loving alley. As we discussed earlier in the week with the WHERE/WARE/WEAR/WERE  sound, a puzzle based on sound-alike humor can be under-appreciated by those who speak very differently from the constructor. For me, while 16 across was easy, I do not say 'HALLA' I use the "CHHH" sound, so the HOLIDAY transfer was not there, but it really did not slow me down. All of the puns require some regional accent but I found them all very entertaining, especially in the context of the limited field of types of bread. Jeffrey fills out the theme with two grid-spanners (my guess is RYE sense of humor was the inspiration) and a built-in reveal which I did not need. The rest is fairly straight-forward with lots of 6's and a couple of 7s and 8s. The list is ACTION, ARARAT,  HANNAH,  LOOK TO,  MISHAP,  NOISES,  OOLALA,  OPPOSE, ORANGE,  PASTOR,  RAMMED,  RIYADH,  ARCHAIC,  BETIDES, ARRANGED, ERIC IDLE, with some also returning fill from recent puzzles. It played like a Thursday for me.

16A. Good feelings during Jewish bread celebrations?:  CHALLAH DAY CHEER (15).  HOLIDAY Cheer was enough for me to get his idea, if you have not had French Toast made from Challa you are missing a real treat.

25A. Cautionary tale about Greek bread? : PITA AND THE WOLF (14). PETER and the Wolf is a crossword regular (see yesterday)  and the boy who cried wolf still gets much play. My favorite of the fill, if not of the bread. Pita is so thick.

45A. Baker of only one type of Indian bread? : NAAN CONFORMIST (14). NONconformist. Is there a variation in saying NAAN? I like it infrequently.

62A. Ability to laugh at deli bread ... and at three other answers in this puzzle? : RYE SENSE OF HUMOR (15). WRY Sense of Humor. I grew up with caraway seeds.

 I cannot think of any English muffin, brioche, croissant, baguette or focaccia pun so on to the rest.

(ooo, maybe something about a CROSS AUNT?!?)

Across:

1. Flock leader : PASTOR. Not of sheep...no religion no politics, no picture of Tammy Faye. This was easier because of yesterdays clue/fill.

7. Old : ARCHAIC. What a nice old word.

14. Film genre : ACTION. When asked who the best present day action movie star is, Dolph Lundgren suggested perhaps it is this STAR.

15. Co-creator of the Rutles, a parodic band : ERIC IDLE. The parodic addition seems unnecessary.

18. iComfort maker : SERTA. SEALY has the same number of letters. Anyone else tempted to put in APPLE?

19. Spiritualist's sighting : AURA.

20. Greek peak : OSSA. I do not associate Greece with snow; this is near Mt. Olympus?

21. Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer : LIN. The now almost forgotten Jeremy is replaced by MAYA.  Not to be confused with 40A. Draw, as a portrait : LIMN.

23. Newspaper thickener : ADS. Especially on Sundays.

33. Scores : MANY.

34. Big opening : MAW. Usually associated with a voracious animal's mouth.

35. Calf neighbor : TIBIA. Muscle and bone.

36. Scraps : ORTS. Those little leftover pieces of food, I think from German. Not to be confused with 49A. Conquistador's treasure : ORO. Spanish for Gold.

37. Commandment word : SHALT.

41. Home of minor league baseball's RubberDucks : AKRON. A cool unknown. LINK. Damn, Styx is playing there tonight.

43. Friend of Eeyore : ROO. Kanga's little one in Pooh's world.

44. Signs of island hospitality : LEIS. The bad double entendres are too easy.

50. Decorative swimmer : KOI. They often look like huge goldfish but are variations of Carp.

51. Mont Blanc, par exemple : ALPE. Fill for marti.

55. "A good deed __ ever forgot": "Huckleberry Finn" : AIN'T. Unremembered but easy fill.

57. Blush cause : SHAME. "Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to."  Mark Twain,

65. Planned : ARRANGED.

66. Hit with force : RAMMED.

67. Happens to : BETIDES. Another great word from the past, often with woe, "One of these was punctuality and woe betide anyone who arrived late in school without a very good reason for being so." Fraser, Christine Marion NOBLE BEGINNNINGS

68. Fight : OPPOSE.

Down:

1. D.C. fundraisers : PACS. Political Action Committees are already gearing up for 2016.

2. Pine : ACHE. Not the tree, the yearning.

3. Take the lead : STAR.

4. Slope : TILT.

5. "C'est magnifique!" : OO LA LA. Linda.

6. Genetic messenger : RNA.

7. Ancient landing spot : ARARAT. We had this Mount back in a Gareth Thursday in April.

8. King Saud University city : RIYADH. Did you remember where the H goes?

9. Speculative bond rating : CCC. Oh my, not a good bond, but an extra C shout out for the Corner?

10. Jaunty greeting : HI HO. Be careful...

11. Summer quaffs : ADES. A CSO; thanks JW!

12. Martinique et Réunion : ILES. We have volcanoes and islands this week.

13. Michael of "Arrested Development" : CERA.

15. URL ending : EDUcation.

17. Disney's Montana : HANNAH.    THEN.       NOW.

22. Pet food creator Paul : IAMS. The story. LINK.


24. Place for quiet, at times : SET. Quiet on the set! Rolling!

25. Yukon warmer : PARKA. Last week ANORAK, this week...

26. Mural beginning : INTRA. I was playing intramural tag football when Kennedy was shot.

27. 1980s-'90s heavyweight champ : TYSON. He was not impressed with PACQUIAO MAYWEATHER fight, and consumers have filed a class action LAWSUIT based on the undisclosed shoulder injury.

28. Grumpy, say : DWARF. More Disney; or not Disney

29. Hesitant thought : WILL I. or won't I?

30. Theatrical honors : OBIES. Off Broadway. (OB)

31. Control, in a way : LIMIT.

32. Followers : FANS.

33. Halloween effect : MOAN. I hope more often than that in your home.

38. Seek guidance from : LOOK TO.

39. Brand for greenskeepers : TORO. Lawnmowers etc.

42. Sgt., for one : NCO.

46. Grand Marnier flavor : ORANGE. A shout out to Amy?

47. Malfunction indicators, perhaps : NOISES. When you start your car and you hear things it often leads to a ...

48. Thing gone wrong : MISHAP.

51. Many an 8-Down native : ARAB.

52. Harp relative : LYRE. Back after LYRA yesterday.

53. Sassy : PERT.

54. Actor Morales : ESAI. He is crossword staple.

56. Composer Rorem : NED. He is crossword staple also.

58. Hardest part : HUMP. Get over the....

59. It's used in rounds : AMMO.

60. Springfield watering hole : MOE'S. Speaking of rounds...CSOs abound for our Chairman.

61. Paris : terre :: Bonn : __ : ERDE. Earth.

63. Word with game or point : END. Which we are near....as we pace...

64. Not to : FRO. Cute

When  you have a bread puzzle you are bound to have some crumby clues (LMAO), but I had a fine time and one of my faster Fridays. Damn, I am missing Styx, lemonade out.

Thursday, May 7, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Anagram

17-Across. Washington landmark : CAPITOL BUILDING.

Night image

38-Across. Escher's "Relativity" is an example of it : OPTICAL ILLUSION.

Kind of like the stairs at Hogwarts

61-Across. 9-Across treatments : TOPICAL STEROIDS.

What else can I say?

Did you see the common letters as you were solving? I had to go back and look for the theme when I was done. Pretty straight forward, and just a hint of deviousness in the clueing, so I was wondering if I had the wrong day of the week?!

Across

1. __ of Cleves : ANNE.

5. Ink, so to speak : TATS.

9. Skin problem : RASH. Get out those TOPICAL STEROIDS.

13. Genuine : REAL.

14. "How much wood __ a woodchuck chuck ..." : WOULD. ("...if a woodchuck could chuck wood. A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.")

16. "__ Wood sawed wood": tongue twister opening : ESAU. Did he beat the woodchuck, though? I wonder if our resident thespian Ol' Man Keith knows this one?

20. Hidden supply : STASH.

21. Major installation? : ARMY BASE. Here's a bit of that devious clueing I mentioned. Not an art exhibit or a new kitchen, but the home of a high ranking officer.

22. Pianist Dame Myra __ : HESS. Most famous for her luncheon concerts during the London blitz.

25. Site of South America's westernmost mainland point : PERU. The key word is "mainland."

26. Fairy tale patriarch : PAPA BEAR.

30. Latin dances : SALSAS.

34. Saccharide suffix : OSE. Glucose...fructose...sucrose...(am I being verbose?)

35. Legal write-up : BRIEF.

37. Elizabethan strings : LUTE.

42. Provided with an email dupe : CC'ed. Shoutout to our leader!

43. Poke around : SNOOP.

44. Many corp. logos : TMs. Trademarks

45. Apollo home : HARLEM. The Apollo Theater in Harlem.

48. "The Wolf of Wall Street" director : SCORSESE. I didn't catch that one - any good?

50. Prominent theater sign : EXIT.

52. Suture securer : KNOT.

53. Impeded : SLOWED UP.

57. Bandleader Shaw : ARTIE.

64. NASCAR route : OVAL.

65. Incline : SLANT.

66. __ school : PREP.

67. Use a blowtorch on : WELD.

68. James of jazz : ETTA. And a partial clecho:

69. James portrayer : SEAN. Connery. Bond.


Down

1. Hammer-throw trajectories : ARCS.

2. With 59-Down, "Very clever!" : NEAT. And 59-Down. See 2-Down : IDEA.

3. Popular wine source : NAPA. Lately I have latched onto Chilean wines - their Carménères originate from Bordeaux.

4. Prophet in 2 Kings : ELISHA.

5. "Tea for __" : TWO.

6. Former Time Warner division : AOL.

7. Big wind : TUBA. Another little misdirection.

8. Drink noisily : SLURP.

9. Popular energy drinks : RED BULLS.

10. China setting : ASIA. Were you fooled? We have had this clue many times before.

11. Comic __: typeface : SANS. Hint: Unless you are applying for clown college, do not use this font for your resume!

12. Whopping : HUGE.

15. Places to see FDR : DIMES.

18. "Doctor Who" broadcaster : THE BBC.

19. Constellation named for an instrument : LYRA. Beautiful old celestial map showing Lyra on the right.

23. Shot contents : SERA. Did you really want "ryes," Tin?

24. Some voyages : SAILS.

26. Shelter resident : POOCH. And another partial clecho:

27. Shelter org. : ASPCA.

28. Hero in a Prokofiev work : PETER. The wolf always gets second billing.

29. Rider's handful : REINS.

31. Hotel choice : SUITE.

32. Elemental bits : ATOMS.

33. "Common" asset : SENSE. It' s the least common one...

36. Congregation : FLOCK.

39. New York airport name until 1963 : IDLEWILD. It was renamed after the assassination of JFK.

40. "On Golden Pond" bird : LOON.

41. Big fuss : UPROAR.

46. Suit : EXEC.

47. Mythical gold maker : MIDAS.

49. Barbershop sharpeners : STROPS.

51. Bridal shop netting : TULLE. I always wonder what they are hiding under there?

53. Put in the overhead bin : STOW.

54. "All you need," in a Beatles song : LOVE.

55. Australian export : OPAL.

56. Hurdle for a jr. : PSAT.

58. Flag : TIRE.

60. "World Series of Poker" channel : ESPN.

62. Explosive initials : TNT.

63. Greek vowel : ETA.

After Zeta

Marti, over and out!

Wednesday, May 6th 2015 Michael Dewey

Theme: All About Eve-n The word EVEN is wrapped around each theme entry.

20A . Toy with a heating element : EASY BAKE OVEN. Wow, this old classic has gone all hi-tech and politically correct. It didn't look like this when I bought one for my daughter back in the 90's - it was pink in those days and it definitely didn't have a boy on the box. 

35A. Fairy tale villain : EVIL QUEEN. The antagonist in Snow White and other tales, and definitely a 22-Down in this incarnation:

45A. 1961 Rick Nelson hit : EVERLOVIN' I wasn't familiar with this song, and I can't say I'm surprised. It wasn't exactly a smash hit - it made the Billboard Top 20 in the US but only at #16.

55A. Neither ahead nor behind ... and what 20-, 35- and 45-Across are literally doing : BREAKING EVEN. A good thing after a weekend in Vegas, less so if we're announcing the company's annual results.

Morning! Thanks to Michael for this one; the theme entries split "EVEN" on a 1-3, 2-2 and 3-1 letter-count basis and a 3-2-1 word countdown, so a pleasing progression by the numbers; and a pangram to boot so plenty to like for a midweek offering.

I was having a little trouble with the west, so the theme reveal definitely gave me a leg-up there. When I thought a pangram was emerging that gave me another helping hand towards the end. Good stuff.

 Let's see what else catches the eye (Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen obviously does!)

Across:

1. Common lunch hr. end : ONE PM

6. Lowers, as lights : DIMS

10. Drift gently : WAFT

14. Half an Evergreen State city : WALLA. Walla Walla, Washington. In the news as recently as Monday for making Global Yodel's list of the 15 most underrated cities in the US.

15. Fancy entrance : ARCH

16. Clickable image : ICON. Part of the WIMP quartet of user interface concepts introduced by Apple, "borrowed" from Xerox PARC research lab. Windows, Icons, Mice, Pointers

17. Bit of dental work : INLAY

18. Indian noble : RAJA

19. On deck : NEXT. No problem for C.C. I'm sure. Next batter up in the on deck circle at the ballpark.

23. Like "las" in Sp. : FEM. I had to look closely to see whether that was an L or an I, then some head-scratching before "Aha! Feminine".

24. Out of the reach of : BEYOND

27. Country where Quechua is an official language : PERU

30. Erstwhile TV ministry : PTL. No clue, needed the crosses. I didn't live in the US when this show was on the air, and to be honest I wouldn't have watched it anyway.

33. White Label Scotch maker : DEWARS. "Nailed it" says Tinbeni.

38. Camera setting : F/STOP. Controls the size of the aperture on a manual camera. Apparently the "F" stands for "focal ratio".

39. Carol contraction : 'TIS the season to be jolly, falalala ...

40. "Not my decision" : UP TO YOU

42. Hoppy brew, briefly : IPA. Cheers! Not much in the way of Food! for me today, so a liquid diet instead.

43. Satellite-launching rocket stage : AGENA. Developed by Lockheed and named for the alternate name of the star Beta Centauri because this upper stage would "ignite in the sky".

47. Nightly news fodder, with "the" : LATEST

49. "__ only a game" : IT'S. Not to the fans it's not. My English Premier League team Chelsea clinched the championship on Sunday so big smiles from me! Here's my Facebook profile picture today:

50. Marshy areas : FENS

51. Public figure? : NOTARY

53. Bungler : OAF

61. Clown of renown : BOZO. I had COCO first; that caused a little slowdown in the southwest.

64. Met or Nat : NL-ER. Another gimme for C.C! The New York Mets and the Washington Nationals in Major League Baseball's National League. For some reason I thought the Mets were in the AL, so I was left wondering how "TREADY" at 48D was a word.

65. Jazz singer O'Day : ANITA. Thank you, crosses.

66. Crumbled ice cream topping : OREO

67. 2013-'14 Magic Johnson Award winner Nowitzki : DIRK. Dallas Mavericks All-NBA power forward.

68. Eastern faith : ISLAM

69. Sticky goo : GUNK. Had "G", wanted "GLOP", saw sense.

70. Urges : YENS

71. Writer Zora __ Hurston : NEALE. Thank you, crosses.

Down:

1. Baby's boo-boo : OWIE

2. Family nickname : NANA

3. Plumbing joints : ELLS. I'm assuming ells are short for elbows, but I can't find anything to back that up.

4. Lighthearted : PLAYFUL

5. "I'll think it over" : MAYBE

6. Nyctophobe's fear : DARK. From the Greek nyktos, "of the night".

7. "Dies __": hymn : IRAE

8. Low-paying position, in slang : MCJOB.

9. Cut off : SHAVED

10. Gathers choice parts from : WINNOWS. Nice word.

11. Celebrated pilot : ACE

12. Cunning critter : FOX

13. Demolition aid : TNT. Boom!

21. Stimulate : AMP UP

22. Good-looker : EYEFUL

25. Hardy's "The Return of the __" : NATIVE

26. Pop over : DROP IN

27. "She loves me not" piece : PETAL

28. Greg of "B.J. and the Bear" : EVIGAN. All crosses, again. I'm relieved I knew AGENA otherwise the "G" would have been a big empty square when everything else was finished.

29. Take on successfully, as a challenge : RISE TO

31. Béret bearer : TÊTE. The grave accent on the first 'e' and the national stereotype is your hint that we're looking for a French word here.

32. Pope after John X : LEO VI

34. Bridge measures : SPANS

36. Deep-space energy source : QUASAR

37. Duma vote : NYET. Fourth language of the day. English, Spanish, French, now Russian.

41. Director Welles : ORSON

44. Tablet relative : NETBOOK. Lower-cost, simplified laptops running a browser such as Chrome.

46. Side with the ball : OFFENSE. Interesting. True for American Football, less so in other sports such as soccer where the offense and defense are on the field at the same time.

48. Hot, for now : TRENDY

52. New England collegian : YALIE

54. Born-__ : AGAIN. No doubt fans of the PTL Show at 30A

56. "Show Boat" composer : KERN

57. Really gets to : IRKS

58. TV handyman Bob : VILA. More crosses. Not a good "name" day for me today.

59. List-shortening abbr. : ET AL. Et alia in full. I like how list-shorteners seem to be abbreviated - also "et cetera".

60. Reputation : NAME

61. Marshy area : BOG. Second marsh of the day.

62. Tulsa sch. named for an evangelist : O.R.U. Oral Roberts. Born-again, PTL and this one make a evangelical trifecta.
.
63. "__ in the Art of Writing": Ray Bradbury collection : ZEN. When I corrected my "COCO" clown at 61A I tried BOBO instead. Then I saw I was left with "Ben in the Art of Writing" and asked myself "Who the heck is Ben?" The penny finally dropped.

That's it from me. Here's the grid:

Steve

Tuesday, May 5, 2015 Marti DuGuay-Carpenter

Theme: GOING POSTAL - The first word can precede STAMP.

17. Inevitable future event : DATE  WITH DESTINY. Date stamp. 

22. Slicing-dicing appliance : FOOD  PROCESSOR. Food stamp.

39. What an ant can't move, in song : RUBBER TREE PLANT. Rubber stamp. 

51. 1983 Murphy/Aykroyd comedy : TRADING PLACES. Trading stamp.

60. Philatelist's pride, and what the first words of 17-, 22-, 39- and 51-Across can be : STAMP COLLECTION. 

A first class puzzle from Marti - we should really letter have it. Did you hear about the unstamped letter? You wouldn't get it.

Melissa here.

Across:

1. Letters in a bachelor's ad : SWM. Single white male.

4. Bette's "Divine" nickname : MISS M. Bette Midler.

9. Carried on, as war : WAGED

14. "Caught you!" : O-HO

15. Chilling : ON ICE

16. Words of sympathy : I CARE

20. Partner of crafts : ARTS. Beautiful style of architecture.

21. Love, in Roma : AMORE. Italian. 

In the kitchen with love

28. Drag to court : SUE

29. Audiophile's components, collectively : STEREO

31. Glitzy wrap : BOA

34. Applies messily : DAUBS. I tried slops - daubs seems dainty to me. I looked it up. I was wrong.

38. Idi of Uganda : AMIN

43. Ottoman title : AGHA. Wiki.

44. Two under par : EAGLE

45. Prefix with classical : NEO

46. Like glee club music : CHORAL. Tried cheery first.

49. Ques. response : ANS

57. Has __ up one's sleeve : AN ACE

58. Killer whale : ORCA

66. Divining deck : TAROT

67. Attorney general under Reagan : MEESE

68. Debate side : CON

69. Agricultural coupling devices : YOKES

70. Possible "How'd you hurt your knee?" response : I FELL. Aw.

71. Mimic : APE

Down:

1. Baking __ : SODA

2. Fishing spot : WHARF

3. "Eureka" in California, e.g. : MOTTO. This prompted me to look up Oregon's state motto, where I currently live. Alis Volat Proprils (She Flies With Her Own Wings). I like it. What is your state's motto?

4. Work on a lawn : MOW

5. Pasta suffix : INI. Fettuccini.

6. Shankar gave George Harrison lessons on one : SITAR

7. Jerk : SCHMO. Schmuck.

8. French red wine : MEDOC. New to me.

9. Most knowing : WISEST

10. Play part, or play a part : ACT

11. Happy, in Le Havre : GAI. French - I had no idea. Shore excursion near Paris.

 

12. Directional suffix : ERN. Western.

13. Susan of "The Partridge Family" : DEY

18. Those, in Tijuana : ESOS

19. "__ Tu": 1974 hit : ERES. 

23. "Bro!" : DUDE. Don't taze me, Dude. Doesn't have the same ring.

24. Bartlett or Bosc : PEAR

25. Notary's imprint : SEAL

26. TV financial maven Suze : ORMAN

27. French queen : REINE, French word for "queen," not the name of a French queen.

30. Not duped by : ONTO

31. Bric-a-__ : BRAC

32. Should, with "to" : OUGHT

33. Detest : ABHOR

35. All-purpose vehicle, for short : UTE. Utility vehicle.

36. Push-up top : BRA

37. Part of a line: Abbr. : SEGment

40. Silents siren Theda : BARA

41. Israeli airline : EL AL

42. Clinton transportation secretary Federico : PENA

47. Makes fit : ADAPTS. See above.

48. "The Mod Squad" role : LINC. Looks a little like Lenny Kravitz.

 

50. Loch Lomond local : SCOT

52. Mother of Ashley and Wynonna : NAOMI. The Judds.

53. Treble symbol : G CLEF

54. Martinique volcano : PELEE

55. "All My Children" vamp : ERICA

56. Baskin-Robbins utensil : SCOOP

59. Green Gables girl : ANNE

60. Muddy pen : STY

61. Eastern "way" : TAO

62. Old couples carrier : ARK. Clever.

63. Stooge with bangs : MOE

64. Night class subj. : ESL

65. Animation collectible : CEL

Pardon me while I get back to googling Lenny Kravitz ....

Melissa

Note from C.C.:

Our beautiful Melissa is back! She will be blogging once a month. Melissa took a long break from the blog to take care of some family matter. She's sorely missed.