Tuesday, September 22, 2015 Frank Virzi

Theme: Em Oh Town - Theme entries are required to start with M and O to live here.

17A. *Six-time '30s-'40s N.L. home run champ : MEL OTT

25A. *Donny's '70s TV co-host : MARIE OSMOND

39A. *Sense of duty, per one's personal ethics : MORAL OBLIGATION

49A. *It's often "burned" during exam week : MIDNIGHT OIL

62A. Record label founded in Detroit ... and, when divided into three words, where to find the answers to starred clues? : MOTOWN. Em. Oh. Town

Non-resident Argyle here. Our constructor has wandered into the first part of the week and it shows. Or else, I was way out of sync with him. The grid seems familiar; grid-spanner in the middle. reveal in the lower right and two long non-theme columns. Good to see MEL OTT's full name and learn some more about his career. The fill seems to be across the board and a bunch of gimmes to give you toe-holds so it should be found to be doable in the end. Let's hope.

Across:

1. Where to find screwdrivers? : BAR TAB. I doubt a tab contains the type of drink, just the price but I may be wrong.

7. Buddhist teacher : LAMA

11. Circle segment : ARC

14. Bold & Crispy Fries maker : ORE-IDA

15. Eagerly interested : AGOG

16. Sea, in Marseille : MER

18. Zippo : NADA

19. Square root of IX : III. 9/3

20. Relatives of gulfs : BAYS

21. MD-to-be's exam : MCAT. (Medical College Admission Test®)

23. Lightly burn : SINGE

27. Nickname for Ruth, with "The" : BAMBINO. George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Jr.

31. Strahan co-host : RIPA. Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan.

32. Coral island : ATOLL

33. One-named Nigerian singer : SADE. (shah-DAY)

36. Bruins' sch. : UCLA. (University of California, Los Angeles)

42. Baseball glove : MITT

43. Caustic cleaners : LYES

44. __-wip: dessert topping : REDDI

45. Swiss river : AARE

47. School periods : CLASSES

53. Cases the joint for, say : ABETS

54. Sunup point : EAST

55. Ingrid's "Casablanca" role : ILSA

59. Fashion initials : YSL. (Yves Saint Laurent)

60. Apple computer : iMAC

64. Where Antwerp is: Abbr. : BEL. Belgium

65. "Uh-uh" : "NOPE"

66. Banded together : UNITED

67. "Bambi" doe : ENA

68. Daring exploit : GEST or GESTE.

69. Gets wise with : SASSES

Down:

1. Lay an egg, so to speak : BOMB. Broadway speak.

2. Neck of the woods : AREA

3. Depend (on) : RELY

4. Hombres en la familia : TÍOs. The uncles, at least.

5. Home alarm co. : ADT. Started as "American District Telegraph" in 1874.

6. Bruce Wayne's alter ego : BATMAN

7. Island veranda : LANAI

8. Striped quartz : AGATE

9. Trendy, '60s-style : MOD

10. Andre of tennis : AGASSI

11. Protein building blocks : AMINO ACIDS

12. Sit on the throne : REIGN

13. Bawled : CRIED

22. Trio member with Stills and Nash : CROSBY

24. Ascribes : IMPUTES

25. Pepper grinder : MILL

26. Calif. neighbor : OREG.

27. When doubled, playmate of Pebbles : BAMM. "The Flintstones".

28. Yours, to Yves : Á TOI

29. Italian pork sausage : MORTADELLA. Find it at Trader Joe's.

30. Brazenly obvious : BLATANT

34. Ingredient in a black and tan : ALE. Both parts are ale or beer; one dark, one light with the dark layered on top.

35. '70s clubs : DISCOs

37. Ore deposit : LODE

38. Spanish cordial : ANIS. Wiki

40. Cassini of fashion : OLEG

41. Sea divided by shrinkage : ARAL

46. On the upswing : RISING

48. Acid or base indicator : LITMUS. Blue litmus paper turns red under acidic conditions and red litmus paper turns blue under basic or alkaline conditions.

49. Waffler's word : MAYBE

50. "A Doll's House" playwright : IBSEN

51. Oodles : HEAPS

52. "Be silent," in music : TACET

55. "How sweet __!" : IT IS. Jackie Gleason saying. (Gave up looking for a clip. Sorry.)

56. Oodles : LOTS

57. __'Pea : SWEE

58. Clause joiners : ANDS

61. Stooge with bangs : MOE

63. "Cat __ Hot Tin Roof" : ON A. And how!

Argyle

Monday, September 21, 2015 Scot Ober

Theme: QWERTYUIOP - Top row of letters on a keyboard.

18A. *Pickled peppers picker : PETER PIPER

37A. *Miss Manners' concern : PROPER ETIQUETTE

59A. *Clog-clearing company : ROTO-ROOTER

4D. *Compete, as for a role : TRYOUT

47D. *Typewriter area, letterwise, for the answers to starred clues : TOP ROW

Argyle here. This appears to be a debut at LAT but he has had one published on NYT. Not surprisingly, many letters are missing today: {FGJKVXZ}. The two columns that are themed, while shorter than some of the rows, are still longer than any of the other Down words. Overall, a good start to the week.

Across:

1. Light fog : MIST

5. "No ifs, __ ..." : ANDS or buts.

9. Italian city known for a shroud : TURIN

14. __'acte : ENTR. (intermission)

15. Come in last : LOSE

16. Have __ in the hole : AN ACE. Up your sleeve is a no-no.

17. Make laugh in a big way : SLAY

20. Deodorant choice : AEROSOL

22. Raised one's glass to : TOASTED. At sunset?

23. Play lightly, as a guitar : STRUM

24. Greek X's : CHIs. Twenty-second letter of the Greek alphabet.

25. Walked stealthily : TIPTOED

28. Bandleader Artie : SHAW

32. TV network with an eye logo : CBS

35. Reclined : LAIN. Correct today?

36. 1970s New York mayor Abe : BEAME

41. Classroom assistants : AIDES

42. In unison, in music : A DUE

43. Paranormal ability, for short : ESP

44. MD's "pronto" : STAT. From the Latin word statum, meaning 'immediately.'

45. Very, very old : ANCIENT

48. Mailbox opening : SLOT

49. Energy : OOMPH!

53. Proud member of a select group : ELITIST

57. Breathe : RESPIRE

61. Some old radios : RCAs

62. Love to pieces : ADORE

63. Grandkid spoiler, often : NANA

64. Cookie grain : OATS

65. Clearing-in-the-woods shelters : TENTS

66. Breaks off : ENDS

67. Water slide user's cry : "WHEE!"

Down:

1. Flat-topped lands : MESAs

2. Coastline recess : INLET

3. Fab Four drummer Ringo : STARR

5. Purina dog food brand : ALPO

6. Christmas carol : NOEL

7. Annual reason to reset clocks: Abbr. : DST. Daylight Saving Time ends at 2:00 AM on Sunday, November 1.

8. Do a slow burn : SEETHE

9. Spanish appetizers : TAPAS

10. Les États-__ : UNIS. (the United States)

11. Hanging on every word : RAPT

12. Slurpee alternative : ICEE

13. "The Big Bang Theory" type : NERD

19. __ rage: PED user's aggression : ROID. (PED - Performance-enhancing drugs, like steroids)

21. Expresses happiness : SMILES

24. Address book entry : CONTACT

26. Golf goal : PAR

27. Even score : TIE

28. Understand : SEE

29. Detest : HATE

30. Pts. and qts., for two : AMTS. (amount)

31. Cry one's eyes out : WEEP

32. Tax pros : CPAs. (Certified Public Accountant)

33. London native, informally : BRIT

34. Fizz in a gin fizz : SODA water.

36. __ Aires : BUENOS

38. Shelter adoptee : PET

39. Dictator Amin : IDI

40. Canadian prov. bordering Vt. : QUEbec

45. "Just want to add ..." : "ALSO ... "

46. Nary a soul : NOT ONE

48. Stable studs : SIRES

50. Biblical prophet : MICAH. Also, the sheriff on "The Rifleman".

51. Chatter endlessly : PRATE

52. "Steppenwolf" author Hermann : HESSE

53. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT

54. Miner's bonanza : LODE

55. "Bring __!": "Let's fight!" : IT ON

56. Civil suit cause : TORT

57. Tear violently : REND

58. Gay Nineties and Roaring Twenties : ERAs

60. Almond-colored : TAN

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Here is a cute picture of JD's grandsons at the Monterey Dunes. JD told me last time that "both Truman and Grady are playing both soccer and baseball. Cameron plays soccer, but has a swim class once a week and also gymnastics, which they offer at his school. Truman and Grady have a golf class after school once a week too."

Left to Right: Cameron, Grady (Truman's little brother), Dylan (Front, Cameron's little brother)  & Truman

Picture-perfect posture from Grady.

Also click here for a fun "Complete Vs Finished" explanation JD sent to me last night.

Sunday September 20, 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Title: "Amen". Wow a Saturday/Sunday double header for our lovely leader. Prolific thy name is C.C. Burnikel.

Well maybe this closes the circle after we've had A-LINE, A-FRAME, A-LIST, A-SIDE, A-BOMB, A-TEST, A-PLUS, A-GAME, A-TRAIN, yadda, yadda, yadda.  

C.C. has given us a lovely puzzle for our Sunday consideration where her clever theme is the names of men whose name contains only the vowel A: hence A-MEN. The men all seem to be very well known except perhaps for MAX PLANCK who might be more familiar to us science peeps.

I remember AMEN being the last word in the final M*A*S*H episode (title slide below) seen by 61% of America and its star is included in our A-MEN roster.

101. "The Aviator" Oscar nominee : ALAN ALDA - Yes, he was great in The Aviator, but he'll always be Hawkeye. 

For good measure in her impressive construction, she has eight of her men going across and two going down the grid. Husker here where we will meet C.C.'s A-MEN sans any e, i, o or u. 

Across theme answers

22. Novelist whose works were banned in his native land from 1968-'89 : FRANZ KAFKA - From which we get Kafkaesque - situations that are nightmarishly complex or bizarre 

24. Time's 1977 Man of the Year : ANWAR SADAT - Shared the 1978 prize with Menachem Begin and later paid with his life for doing so

40. TV host who was an Army DJ in Vietnam : PAT SAJAK - In his pre-Vanna days in Nam

59. Voice of the title character in "Kung Fu Panda" : JACK BLACK - Jack and his 'toon alter-ego

79. Neil deGrasse Tyson mentor : CARL SAGAN - I love Neil but Carl's the man!

118. Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee : GRAHAM NASH - He got inducted for being a member of Crosby, Stills and Nash (and later Young) and this 60's group

121. Three-time Oscar-winning director : FRANK CAPRA - Here directing Gable and Colbert in It Happened One Night, the first film to sweep all the major Oscar Awards

Down theme answers

39. The Packers retired his #15 in 1973 : BART STARR - Here he is presenting the the eponymous Bart Starr Award in 2014  for Leadership And Character to Aaron Rogers

54. Quantum theory pioneer : MAX PLANCK - Seen here in 1929 presenting the Max Planck medal to another guy I think was in science ;-) 

Off we go starting with the A-CROSS clues:

Across        

1. Applies gently : DABS - Brylcreem memory for those of us of a certain age

5. Lowers in intensity : DIMS

9. Record flaw : SKIP - Didja ever put a coin on the tone arm to stop this?

13. Intros may be brief ones : BIOS - The BIOS for our A-MEN would be impressive

17. Folklore monster : OGRE

18. Parlement français division : SENAT - Also contains the Assemblée nationale

19. Sunning sites : POOLS

21. Rice of Gothic fiction : ANNE - Of Vampire Chronicles fame

26. Bit of trivia : FACTOID - Always useful in this venue

27. "Yadda yadda yadda": Abbr. : ETC

29. Implied : TACIT - Possible downside

30. Covert __ : OPS - James Bond's bailiwick 

31. Mark of a hothead : TEMPER - Did you know the former Baltimore Oriole was an author?

33. Dress with a flare : A-LINE - Ah, a possible off shoot of A- theme

35. WWII Enigma machine user : U BOAT - Breaking this code, as seen in The Imitation Game, helped win the Battle of the North Atlantic

37. Call lead-in : ROBO - Get ready for election season and ROBOcalls!

42. Pizza chain : SBARRO - Found in most malls

43. Old court org. : ABA - American Basketball Association that played with a red, white and blue ball until it merged with the NBA in 1976

44. Pres. Carter's alma mater : USNA -United States Naval Academy

45. "I see" : GOT IT - or if you don't...

47. Sighs of content : AHS - Gotta love a foot rub!

48. They may be French : HORNS - Featured in Beatles' All You Need Is Love

50. Pitchers' deliveries : SPIELS - A famous TV pitchman with a strong delivery

52. ''See if I care!'' : SO SUE ME - Talk about shallow pockets!

56. Field : METIER - Max Planck's METIER was physics. New word to me!

58. Maritime raptor : ERNE - A frequent flier here

61. Old Detroit brewer : STROH

63. "Most likely ... " : ODDS ARE - ODDS ARE you'll love any C.C. puzzle!

65. 91, at the Forum : XCI - We seem to only see Roman Numerals in Super Bowls anymore

66. Favorite : PET

68. "Burnt" shade : SIENNA

70. Marked down : ON SALE

73. Cast lead-in : POD - I have three PODCASTS to which I listen regularly 

74. Model Mendes : EVA - Movie career started with Children Of The Corn V (Hey, another Roman numeral)

75. Letting fly : LOOSING - He has LOOSED the fateful lightning...

77. Rival of Djokovic : NADAL - Tennis star Rafael, whose surname follows the A-MEN theme

83. Hot streak : ROLL

85. Photo-sharing website : PICASA - I use Photobucket

88. Crustacean used in Cajun cuisine : CRAWDAD - "You get a line, I'll get a pole. We'll go down to the CRAWDAD hole" - A hit for George Jones.

89. Education, e.g. : CAREER - I had me one of those

91. Choir voice : TENOR - I was a soprano at 12

92. Gunpowder is a type of it : TEA - Tea is a C.C. specialty! This TEA is said to resemble black gun powder.

93. Former "60 Minutes" debater Alexander : SHANA - She carried the liberal banner against James J. Kilpatrick

95. Funhouse cries : EEKS

97. ''Evita'' narrator : CHE - Role of CHE Guevara

98. Improved : BETTER

103. Ref's calls : TKOS - Technical Knock Out - Out on your feet

104. General Assembly member : UN REP - Impervious to Manhattan parking tickets

105. Surprises in bottles : GENII - Or a Laotian group with big hit Yorm Jai Orn 

107. Lincoln was one : LAWYER - Riding the Illinois circuit

109. Hilo keepsake : LEI

110. Tinker with text : EMEND

112. Turn bad : ROT - We can't eat our tomatoes fast enough

114. Sci-fi memoir : I ASIMOV - Didn't Don Gagliardo have this a few weeks ago?

123. Wafflers maker : EGGO 

124. "Same here" : ME TOO - Sung around the fire at Camp Sycophant

125. Ticket prices? : FINES - An average speeding ticket will cost you $150

126. Placed : LAIN - Hear 'ya go -

127. Recently blond, say : DYED

128. Wedding venue : TENT

129. Comments : SAYS

130. Gives in to gravity : SAGS

Down

1. Remove politely : DOFF - Hats off when meeting a lady

2. Yamuna Expressway terminus : AGRA - Next stop, The Taj Mahal

3. Bric-a-__ : BRAC - Kept in our cwd friend the etagere? 

4. Mailed : SENT TO - For those still using snail mail

5. Delivers à la Steven Wright : DEAD PANS - He's the master

6. Like Gershwin's piano concerto : IN F

7. Creators : MAKERS

8. Sports page item : STAT - Statistic

9. Place to kick back : SPA 

10. Raft in an Oslo museum : KON-TIKI

11. Hawkeye fan : IOWAN -Not so popular on my side of the Missouri. 

12. Not quite win : PLACE - A PLACE bet on winning Horse #9 would get you $48.60, on second place Horse #13 would get you $10.00 and on third place Horse #1 would get you bupkis. 

13. Lamb's lament : BAA

14. Like some running tracks : INDOOR - Banked ones are the best

15. Even (with) : ON A PAR 

16. Gets started on : SETS TO - A daily cwd event for me

18. Cuts corners : SKIMPS - C.C. never SKIMPS on creativity 

20. __ Lankan : SRI - Former a Ceylonese

23. Kravitz of "Divergent" : ZOE - Yup, her dad is Lenny

25. Ticket exchange giant : STUBHUB - Best Yankee/Red Sox ticket - $1038.38

28. Sweet-talked : CAJOLED

32. Tour de France stage : ETAPE - L'E'tape du Tour is literally "stage of the  tour"

34. Pull-up targets : LATS - Latissimus (broadest) dorsi (back) muscles

36. Roger Federer's birth city : BASEL - Third largest Swiss city

37. Chicago mayor Emanuel : RAHM - Windy city's first Jewish mayor

38. Slender black reed : OBOE

41. Plans for chairs : AGENDAS 

42. Prince Albert's prov. : SASK - 3rd largest city in Saskatchewan 

44. Geek Squad callers : USERS

46. Romanov royals : TSARS - They had a rough 1918 

49. Minor gripe : NIT - None for me

51. Heat-sensitive patch : IRON ON - Saved the knees in the jeans of my yute

53. Very large amount : OCEAN -  Remember, "It's gonna take an OCEAN of calamine lotion"

55. Maker of Golf Street shoes : ECCO

57. Dauphin's father : ROI - King (ROI) Louis XIV seated and his son Louis le Grand Dauphin behind him. Nice hair!

59. Sound of keys : JANGLE - I remember a Gene Autry song where his spurs did this

60. Taunt : KID

62. Hägar's wife : HELGA - I've read that comic everyday but needed perps for her name

64. Desert partly in Arizona : SONORAN

66. Upper bod muscle : PEC - On the other side of the torso from the 34. Down LATS

67. Brush fire op : EVAC - EVACUATION - very relevant in California this summer

69. Policy of many dot-gov websites : NO ADS - The 'net is a bottomless pit of ADS

71. Seat for toddlers : LAP

72. Tinkers with text : EDITS - Similar to EMENDS

76. Flier to Shiraz : IRAN AIR

78. King topper : ACE - My ACE takes your king

80. __ art: barista's creation : LATTE 

81. Kid in the 1941 cartoon "Child Psykolojiky" : SWEE PEA - Adopted by Popeye

82. Month before Nisan : ADAR - 6th month of the Hebrew civil calendar

84. One-eyed "Futurama" character : LEELA - If C.C. says so

86. TriBeCa neighbor : SOHO - South of Houston (Hows' ton) Street

87. Greek war god : ARES

89. Colombian city : CALI - Santiago de Cali with a population over 2,000,000

90. Cabs, e.g. : RED WINES - Cabernets, etc.

94. Practical, as experience : HANDS ON 

96. Inuit craft : KAYAKS - Oh yeah, its second letter is an A

98. Stuck out : BULGED - The less said about BULGED and SAGS the better

99. Zip or zing : ENERGY

100. Emergency sorting process : TRIAGE - Used in M*A*S*H units. French for sort or sift

102. Philip Morris parent company : ALTRIA - Never heard of 'em

103. Court events : TRIALS - Do you remember the movie where Lt. Caffey wanted to plea bargain and not go to TRIAL?

105. "Our Lady of the Flowers" author : GENET - Jean GENET

106. Maternally related : ENATE - ENATIC as an adjective

108. Top-left key : ESC

111. "Dee-lish!" : MMM - MMM good! Campbell's Soup slogan since radio days of the 1930's

113. Gets rid of, mob-style : OFFS - Like during the baptism scene in The Godfather

115. NC-17 issuing org. : MPAA - Motion Picture Association of America. PG-13 seems to allow you one "F bomb"

116. Copier insert: Abbr. : ORIG - ORIGinal 

117. Enterprise vehicles : VANS - Rental car company, not Capt. Kirk's transportation

119. Coal carrier : HOD

120. All the rage : HOT - Remember Nehru Jackets?

122. "__ takers?" : ANY

Blogging C.C.'s Sunday puzzle frees up a lot of time for me and so I look forward to reading your take on our A-LIST constructor's wonderful puzzle.