Monday, October 5, 2015 Brock Wilson

Theme: Art Form - Three mediums a sculptor might use.

17A. In a precarious situation : ON THIN ICE

26A. Like a lake during a dead calm : SMOOTH AS GLASS

43A. Permanent : CARVED IN STONE

59A. Art form in which the ends of 17-, 26- and 43-Across may be used : SCULPTURE

Argyle here(a second time; Hit a wrong button and, POOF!, my write up was gone. Oh, well.) Brock's second time also. (Debut little over a year ago.) As I was saying ... we go from transient(ICE) to fragile (GLASS) to solid (STONE). Theme entries are three part. Plethora of four letter entries. Fill is across the board. Two long columns stitch it together.

Across:

1. Having been cut, as grass : MOWN

5. Stage showoffs : HAMS

9. "The Prince and the Pauper" author Mark : TWAIN

14. The "E" in Q.E.D. : ERAT

15. Parisian gal pal : AMIE

16. Salon dye : HENNA

19. Fats Domino genre, briefly : R AND B. (rhythm and blues)

20. Tales of __: misfortunes : WOE. See 23-Across.

21. Market shelves filler: Abbr. : MDSE. (merchandise)

22. Ambles : MOSEYS

23. Pabst brand : STROH'S. The story behind the brand. Forbes

25. Swimmer's path : LANE

32. Dessert with icing : CAKE

34. Mr. Rogers : FRED

35. __ Beta Kappa : PHI

36. Really mess up : RUIN

37. Dude : FELLA

39. Resting atop : UPON

40. State south of Wash. : ORE. (Washington/Oregon)

41. Jury member : PEER

42. Struggle (through), as mud : SLOG

48. Exiled Roman poet : OVID

49. "Right away!" : "IN A SEC!". Demand and response?

52. Added financial burden for drivers : GAS TAX

55. Bag for a picnic race : SACK

57. Massage reaction : [AAH!]

58. Pretended to be : ACTED

61. Glisten : SHINE

62. Mr. Peanut's stick : CANE

63. Pac-12 member : UCLA. 59D. 63-Across, for one: Abbr. : SCH. (school)

64. "The Great" king of Judea : HEROD

65. Rec room centerpiece : HD TV

66. Number one : BEST

Down:

1. Cat conversation : MEOWS

2. "To be, __ to be ..." : OR NOT

3. One being pulled behind a boat : WATER SKIER

4. High degree, in math : NTH

5. "Don't touch that!" : "HANDS OFF!":

6. "London Fields" author Martin : AMIS. London Fields is a black comic, murder mystery novel published in 1989.

7. "Three Blind __" : MICE

8. "Get my point?" : "SEE?"

9. Big crowd : THRONG

10. "Pop goes" critter : WEASEL

11. Novelist Brontë : ANNE. "But he that dares not grasp the thorn Should never crave the rose." She was the youngest and least known of the Brontë sisters.

12. "500" race, familiarly : INDY Indianapolis 500.

13. Hauls off to jail : NABS

18. Texter's "I think ..." : IMHO. (in my humble opinion) IMAO (In My Arrogant Opinion)

22. Live __: Taco Bell slogan : MÁS. LIVE MORE

24. Black cat, to some : OMEN

25. Soup servers : LADLES

27. Fearful : TREPID

28. Her face launched a thousand ships : HELEN. Thus, 1 millihelen is the amount of beauty needed to launch a single ship.

29. Puréed fruit served with pork : APPLESAUCE. Apple orchards around here are having a very good year.

30. "Scram!" : "SHOO!"

31. Perform a ballad : SING

32. Gator's kin : CROC

33. Ghostly emanation : AURA

38. Section describing the United States Constitution's amendment process : ARTICLE V

39. Annapolis inst. : USNA. (United States Naval Academy)

44. Cast a negative ballot : VOTE NO

45. Dodged : EVADED

46. New Jersey fort : DIX

47. Like a GI scraping plates : ON KP

50. Viscounts' superiors : EARLS

51. Glance sideways during a test, maybe : CHEAT

52. Serious cut : GASH

53. Throbbing pain : ACHE

54. Mix in a glass : STIR

55. Large amount : SCAD

56. Marie, to Donny's sons : AUNT. The Osmonds.

60. Place for a soak : TUB. [AAH!]

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

 
Crosswords LA Tournaments will be held on Oct 24, 2015 (Saturday) at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. You don't need to be a wizard solver to participate. As you can see, they have four brackets for different skill levels. Doubles are always fun. Or you can just be a spectator, solving at the same time with other competitors but your grids won't be scored.

It's an annual charity event Elissa Grossman started in 2009 to raise money for Reading to Kids. I hope our readers in SoCal area will attend the event and support the cause. As Elissa said, "with only a few destined to really have a shot at the tip top, it's more about camaraderie among like-minded puzzle enthusiasts."

How fun to mingle with crossword constructors, bloggers and fellow solvers? And have crossword-themed snack? Our Steve attended it a few years ago, and he might be there this year.

Sunday, October 4, 2015 Amy Johnson

Theme: "Playing With Your Food"- One word in each theme entry is replaced by its homophone.

23A. Diet for ice cream lovers? : A MONTH OF SUNDAES. A month of Sundays.

39A. Farce set in a sandwich shop? : RYE COMEDY. Wry comedy, new term to me.

60A. Top for a beach cookout? : MUSSEL SHIRT. Muscle shirt.

85A. Cake recipe overhaul? : TORTE REFORM. Tort reform.

102A. Thanksgiving week for a baker? : LIFE OF PIE. Life of Pi.

122A. Affair for dessert-loving bovines? : BULL MOUSSE PARTY. Bull Moose Party.

15D. Group that thrived during the borscht years? : BEET GENERATION. Beat Generation. I never had borscht.

52D. Period of terror induced by a brat? : WURST NIGHTMARE. Worst nightmare.

Sweet, yes? Perfect puzzle for our Steve, who loves food and witty wordplay. There's a limited supply of food homophones, hence four desserts.

I like Amy's grid design. Putting 14's in Downs eased up fill a bit. The four 8's non-theme fill are all sparkly.

I'm curious to know where you finished last in this puzzle. Which is your last filled answer?

Across:      

1. Chariot-riding god : ARES. Easy start.

5. Athletic org. since 1894 : USOC (United States Olympic Committee). I thought of USGA. Same year.

9. They might be game : FOWL. Got via crosses. So dumb.

13. Monastery head : ABBOT

18. Two-thumbs-up review : RAVE

19. Obeyed a court order : STOOD

21. Olympic sword : EPEE

22. Hymn to Apollo, say : PAEAN

26. George who was the A.L. batting champ in three different decades : BRETT.  Royals Hall of Famer. Husker Gary knows that girl.

27. Like some lashes : FALSE. Never tried falsies.

28. Intro to physics? : ASTRO. Astrophysics.

29. Man cave focus : HD TV

31. Ordinal extremes : NTHs

32. Gently or quietly, e.g. : ADVERB. You nailed it, right?

34. Rubik's creation : CUBE

36. Annoy your bedmate : SAW LOGS. And 105D. Annoying bedmate : SNORER

38. __ Bo : TAE

43. Doggie bag goodie : T-BONE. And 86. Dog, in a way : TAIL

44. Like Simba : REGAL

45. "In __ of gifts ... " : LIEU

47. Previously, to Byron : ERE NOW.  And 37. Byron, for one : LORD. I thought of BARD.

50. Premier League soccer anchor Rebecca : LOWE. Not familiar with her.

53. Many a Mormon : UTAHN

56. Inked on TV's "Ink Master" : TATTED

58. Juan's first lady : EVA. Peron.

59. Israeli statesman Barak : EHUD

62. Arrogant "South Park" kid : ERIC. Never watched the show. "South Park" kid is often KYLE or STAN.

63. "Kinda" kin : SORTA

65. Lover's end? : PHILE. Like Anglophile. The clue stumped me.

66. Frog haunts : LILY PADS

68. Brownie accessory : SASH

70. Put on __ : A SHOW

73. Issue : EMIT

74. Wayne Manor ringer : BAT PHONE. Nice!

78. Impressionist's forte : APING. Wanted APERY.

81. One of more than four billion : ASIAN

84. __ wolf : LONE

89. "The Addams Family" adjective : OOKY

90. Down Under school : UNI. University is called so in Australia.

91. Lima resident, maybe : OHIOAN. Not PERUVIAN.

92. Half a droid name : DETOO

93. Tiny evidence samples : DNAs. Are both DNA and RNA plurable, D-Otto?

94. Ziggy Marley's genre : REGGAE

96. Fries, say : SIDE

98. Off-the-wall : OUTRE

100. Chorus of laughs : HA HAs

105. Tex.-based carrier : SWA. Southwest Airlines.

108. Layered pastry : STRUDEL. Want some apple strudel? This is the same place that hosts the 3M Championship Tour each year. TPC Twin Cities.

110. Gillette razor word : TRAC

111. Relative of A-flat major : F MINOR

113. Word heard when pulling a string : MAMA. Dolls. I saw this Chatty Cathy at flea markets often.

114. "Find Your Own Road" sloganeer : SAAB

116. Spaceship Earth setting : EPCOT

119. In : AMONG

120. Isn't exactly humble : BRAGS

125. What toadies do : AGREE

 

126. Latin 101 word : ERAT. Not ESSE.

127. It sets in Spain : EL SOL

128. Rocky subj.? : GEOL

129. Almonds, e.g. : SEEDS. Not TREES.

130. Little bits : DABS

131. To-do list item : TASK

132. Coastal fisher : ERNE

Down:

1. Longtime PLO chairman : ARAFAT

2. Wyndham-owned brand : RAMADA. Easy crosses. Unaware of its parent company.

3. Advance in the race? : EVOLVE. Human race.

4. Sixth __ : SENSE

5. Show to a seat, in slang : USH. Not a verb I use.

6. Greek meeting site : STOA

7. Gut reactions? : OOFs

8. Sam's competitor : COSTCO. We were members for a year. Gift from my sister-in-law Barbara.

9. Janet Yellen's org., with "The" : FED

10. Large deep-water fish : OPAH

11. Bed intruders : WEEDS. Garden bed. I don't like the clue. Brings unpleasant images to me.

12. Rice title vampire : LESTAT. Nailed it this time.

13. Call to cruisers, briefly : APB

14. Without exception : BAR NONE

16. Censor's targets : OATHS

17. Blasting supplies : TNTs

20. Pasta wheat : DURUM. I miss the pumpkin noodles my grandma used to make for me. I never had luck finding a good Kabocha pumpkin in America. Maybe the Kabochas here taste the same, my taste has changed.

24. Land in Paris? : TERRE

25. Prize since 1901 : NOBEL

30. Bug in a garage : VW BEETLE

33. Quaint words of determination : BY GUM. I'm going to surprise Boomer when he's back home.

35. Fixes a draft : EDITS

40. Flip over : EAT UP

41. What opposite personalities often do : CLASH

42. "Why not?!" : YEAH

44. Procedural impediment : RED TAPE

46. Monthly exp. : UTIL

48. "Amores" author : OVID

49. MacArthur's "best soldiers" : WACS. Got via crosses. Not "Abbr." hint is needed because it's what MacArthur's said.

50. Paul in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame : LES

51. "The jig is up!" : OHO

54. Early Chinese dynasty : HSIA. This will stump 99.9% of the native Chinese. Just Google Hsia Dynasty and see what comes up. No one calls it Hsia in China. It's Xia dynasty.

55. Dick Van Patten's "Mama" role : NELS. No idea. Knotty HSIA/NELS/PHILE/A SHOW area.

57. Pod opener? : TRI. Tripod.

61. Operettist Franz : LEHAR. "The Merry Widow" guy.

62. Season finale, e.g. : EPISODE

64. Pipe remains : ASH

67. Sumac from Peru : YMA

69. Explosion sources : HOTHEADS. Boomer is one.

71. Column with a slant : OP-ED

72. Emilia, to Iago : WIFE

74. Fuzzy memory : BLUR

75. Second to none : A-ONE

76. "There's __ in ... " : NO I

77. Love deity : EROS

79. __ this world : NOT OF. I had OUT OF first.

80. __ project : GROUP

82. Letters for John Smith? : AKA. Got via crosses. Argyle explained to me that "John Smith is a common fictitious name, an alias and AKA might indicate his real name."

83. Buffalo locale: Abbr. : NYS. New York State.

87. Send a Dear John letter : END IT

88. Artistic theme : MOTIF

91. Surfing mecca : OAHU

95. Like privately owned classic cars : GARAGED. Not a word I used. Some of our common baseball cards are garaged then.

97. Violinist Zimbalist : EFREM

99. Update to reflect new routes : RE-MAP

101. SpongeBob's home : SEABED

103. "Annabel Lee" poet, in some of his personal letters : E. A. POE. Guilty of using it myself.

104. Paranormal : OCCULT

106. Hot-and-sour alternative : WONTON. This is how wontons are served in Guangzhou and Hong Kong. With noodles. The broth is made of shrimp shells & pork bone.

107. Sweater pattern : ARGYLE. Hi there, Santa.

108. Boot camp barker : SARGE

109. "Little House" lass : LAURA

112. Pixel pattern : IMAGE

113. Degrees for CEOs : MBAs. Our Marti has one. Jazzbumpa too, I think.

115. Tattle : BLAB

117. Peak of Greek myth : OSSA

118. General __ chicken : TSO's

121. His, to Henri : SES. Despite Splynter's distaste for French, he actually knows quite a bit.

123. Many USMA grads : LTS (Lieutenants)

124. Animal in a rut : ELK

I thought I'd share with you this letter from Danny Mann, a regular L.A. Times Sunday crossword solver. He wrote the piece after he heard of Merl's passing. 

Also, Swenglish Mom left this message on Friday's blog:

"On the main page of the mobile version scroll down all the way. There's a link to the web version. Using that will give access to all the goodies."

Does it help with  your mobile viewing, Dave/Freond?

C.C.

Saturday, Oct 3rd, 2015, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 72 (missing Q,Z)

Blocks: 28

  A very do-able puzzle from Mr. Silk to start October - for first time puzzlers tackling a daunting themeless Saturday, this one could very well be the inspiration to try again next week.  Not too many proper names, and for me, some easy-to-guess long answers - and nothing longer than 10-letters.  No Googling, no dictionary peeks, and I refrained from red-letters even when I did not get my "ta-DA~!" - twice.  My two 1-letter goofs are highlighted below.  Triple 10's in the across and triple 8's in the down;

1a. World War II code name : OMAHA BEACH - Saving Private Ryan was on this week; I stayed with the opening scenes showing the allied forces storming the beach; very real and terrifying - and I was not there

12d. "Sharknado" actress : TARA REID - yes, sharks in a waterspout

65a. WorkCentre cartridge filler : XEROX TONER

34. Vegetable oil source : FLAX SEED

OctoberNWARD~!

ACROSS:

11. Small matter? : ATOM - one Saturday, this will be "A to M" - half the OED

15*. For instance, in Cannes : PAR EXEMPLE - well, you all know how I feel about the Frawnche - so I had "A" and not "E" after the "X"

16. Early word : MAMA

17. Diamond rarity : TRIPLE PLAY - which diamond~? - not the stone, the baseball reference

18. First name in '80s-'90s Dodgers history : OREL - and speaking of baseball....

19. Clean __ : SLATE

20. One may be tucked : TUMMY

22. Emulating : À LA

23. Talking Heads bassist Weymouth : TINA

24. Part of CBS: Abbr. : SYStem - the other parts being Columbia and Broadcasting

25. Co-star of Humphrey in the 1954 film "Sabrina" : AUDREY - IMDb

27. Tense : ON EDGE

29*. Epson products : INKJETS - printers, that is.  I stared at INK-ETS for wa-a-a-y too long

30. In a lather, with "up"? : SOAPED - har-har

33. Last Supper question : "IS IT I~?"

34. Asian __ : FLU - I had MAU, and pondered SEA - but then that was at 54a.

37. Heading for old wagons : DUE WEST - ah - not OUT west

39. Traffic cops?: Abbr. : DEA - Drug Enforcement Administration - "smuggling" traffic

40. Fat, e.g. : LIPID

42. Element used in atomic clocks : CESIUM - I threw in CARBON, because it fit.  Only the "C" was right - so that's 16% @ 100%, right~?

44. Hindu retreats : ASHRAMS

46. Lacking radiating processes, as nerve cells : APOLAR - 83.3% perps

50. Nissan SUV introduced in 1999 : XTERRA - and to be dropped in the US at the end of this year - this fact was brought to you by a clue from a previous puzzle

51. Being in a life-imitating computer game : SIM - I am a big fan of Sim City - here's my crop circles from the UFO invasion that occurred in one of my games

53. Cowboys quarterback Tony : ROMO

54. Black __ : SEA

55. Six-Day War hero : DAYAN - learning moment for me - the Wiki

57. Railroad turnarounds : LOOPS

58. Green state? : ENVY

60. Ski area purchase : LIFT TICKET - HeartRx is trading in her blogging ticket for a lift ticket - thanks for your Thursday write-ups~!

62. Landing nos. : ETAs - I pondered FLRs, too - for staircase landings

63. Music with vocal parts : OPERA SCORE

64. 16-Across speaker : DOLL

DOWN:

1. Decides one will : OPTS TO

2. Game fish : MARLIN

3. French satellite launcher : ARIANE - mostly perps - another learning moment

4. Deadly sins and others : HEPTADS - group of seven

5. Ferris wheel component : AXLE

6. Fresno daily : BEE

7. Item sometimes redeemed : EMPTY

8. Outstanding : A PLUS

9. Secretive sort : CLAM - as in "clammed up"

10. "Yo!" : "HEY MAN~!"

11. Latin 101 word : AMO

13. Café order : OMELETTE

14. Two-part country : MALAYSIA

21. Clown around : YUK IT UP

24. 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee : SEAU - Junior - I did not know about him

26. CD players : DJs - dah~! this should have come easier than it did

28. "The Great Dictator" co-star Paulette : GODDARD - half perps/half WAG

29. 7/15, e.g. : IDES - this 'par exemple' is the ides of July

31. Muscle beach display : PECS

32. Field grazer : EWE

35. Mind : LISTEN TO

36. Turmoil : UPHEAVAL

38. Musical king's land : SIAM

41. Discount abbr. : IRRegular

43. Marrakesh setting : MOROCCO

45. Antacid brand : MAALOX - the name I recalled, the spelling, not so much

47. Spectate : LOOK ON - what I like to look on;

48. Current unit : AMPERE

49. Roll : ROSTER

51. More cautious : SAFER

52. Emcee's job : INTRO

56. "Good grief!" : "YIPE~!"

57. Place for tick marks : LIST

59. Initials on L'Homme fragrance : YSL

61. Burden : TAX

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Let's meet Lemonade's granddaughter Harper Mae, who was born last Monday Sept 28, 2015. Harper was 15 hours old when she met Grandpa Lemonade.

Charlotte, Dad, Harper & Grandpa Lemonade

Big Sister Charlotte and Harper

Click here for two more pictures.

I have a Charlotte label on my Ginger Roots. You can click here to see all Charlotte & Harper related pictures.

Friday, October 2, 2015, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Que pasa? Que sera sera!

JW is back with an add on theme where QUE is added to the end of a word to completely change the meaning of a word or phrase. Three add the que at the end of the phrase, with two adding to the middle of a word creating a two word answer. Four feature "I" before the add on, with one A. I love the first three in the theme. I also love the gridspanner in the middle. The rest of the fill is very good with ABOUND, ANUBIS, BEAT UP,  EX-PROS, GULDEN, OCEANS, TAIPEI, TRIBAL, ADRENALIN,  AQUA REGIA, FULL MOONS, HEARTBURN examples and some Friday fill like BIOTA and TOQUE. As always, JW makes us work to decipher some of the fill, but is Friday, so let us have at it.

18A. Angry young man's fate? : LIFE OF PIQUE (11).  The book Life of Pi became a worldwide best seller and movie after many rejections.

24A. Hercules, e.g.? : ANTIQUE HERO (11). Anti-hero (or antihero) has been a literary theme from Don Quixote through Marlon Brando, but while an ancient story, there is nothing but hero about Hercules.  (1:25).

39A. Result of a Caribbean sanitation strike? : DIRTY MARTINIQUE (15). My favorite of the theme, both for the drink and a reminder of the horrible volcanic eruption in 1902 that made one PRISONER famous.

56A. Proprietary paperwork? : UNIQUE FORMS (11). Uniforms.

62A. Ready-to-hang Cubist painting? : WIRED BRAQUE (11). A really creative one, with a very famous contemporary of Picasso (Georges Braque) brought to life from an under-wire bra, which he probably never painted.  IMAGE.

Across:

1. "I don't like it!" : BAH. Oddly, my first thought of which I was quite unsure.

4. Waikiki allure : SURF. There are other  sights to see. LINK.(4:12).

8. Like an old jalopy : BEAT UP.

14. Chemical suffix : IDE. A compound.

15. Hesse-based automaker : OPEL. We have seen this German automaker more often than I have seen their cars. And a semi-clecho: 33A. Ingolstadt-based automaker : AUDI. More Germany 46A. Einstein's birth city : ULM. In southern Germany near the Danube.

16. Reporter's coup : EXPOSE. This was harder without imagining the accent.

17. Man-mouse link : OR A.

20. Hill stint : TERM. Capital Hill for politicians.

22. Hershey bar : SKOR. Back again I must get one.

23. Bygone political entity that included Syr. : UAR. The short lived alliance between Egypt and Syria. United Arab Republic.

28. South African golfer with four major championships : ELS. A CSO to our own Big Easy.

29. Be quite prevalent : ABOUND.

30. Polite response to Aunt Polly : YES'M. A reference to Tom Sawyer's aunt, I guess, which fits with 35A. Crude carrier : RAFT.

32. Seasonal affliction : FLU.

44. Poet Sexton : ANNE. One of many creative people who could not control the demons that made them great. LINK.

45. Popular melt meat : TUNA. Yum.

47. 50-50, to Fifi : EGAL. Equal in French.

51. __ Council: "Survivor" feature : TRIBAL. Never watched an episode.

53. Rush : HIE. A nice Shakespeare word.

59. "Well done!" analog : OLE.

60. Pacific feast : LUAU. In Waikiki?

61. Drudge : PEON. So many words for the put upon.

67. Indian state that was part of a former Portuguese colony : GOA. They are famous for their beaches.

68. Tamsui River capital : TAIPEI.

69. Excited about, with "on" : KEEN. A 50s word.

70. "Monsters, __" : INC.

71. Magellan's milieux : OCEANS. He was going round and round.

72. Breyers competitor : EDYS. Yum.

73. Require : ASK. Not want your country can do for you....

Down:

1. Regional organisms : BIOTA. Not a term I am really familiar with so my start was slow.

2. Stimulant trademark : ADRENALIN.  Synthetic epinephrine which has become more popular than the original adrenaline; quite the rush.

3. Jalapeño product, for some? : HEARTBURN. This is our medical corner with pyrosis, cardialgia, or acid indigestion as other names for the burning sensation in the chest. Per wiki.

4. San José sun : SOL. Spanish.

5. News org. : UPI. United Press International.

6. Court charge caller : REF. Basketball court.

7. Soft tissue : FLESH.

8. In front of : BEFORE.

9. Many sports commentators : EX-PROS. Nice letter string XPR, but conflict with clues below.

10. Bee: Pref. : API. From whence comes Apiary, etc.

11. Chapeau seen in "Ratatouille" : TOQUE. A gratuitous bonus QUE

12. Quotidian : USUAL. Not one of your usual clues, this means daily. Latin comes in handy.

13. Jury members : PEERS. Such a strange concept.

19. "__-doke!" : OKEY. Okey dokey smokey.

21. Apennines possessive : MIO. Italian, a region and history I did not know. LINK.

25. Ship loading site : QUAY.

26. Word on a bill : UNUM. E pluribus....

27. Old writings mentioning Odin : EDDA.

31. Open __ : MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

32. Org. requiring milk pasteurization : FDA. Food and Drug Administration.

34. The Bronx's Jerome Ave. line is part of it : IRT. Interborough Rapid Transit. the SUBWAY.

36. Mixture that dissolves gold : AQUA REGIA. Latin for royal water; the question is why do you want to dissolve gold?

37. Rare twosome of July 2015 : FULL MOONS. The even rarer three full moons?  LINK.

38. Pro __ : TEM. Followed immediately with the clecho

40. Pro's support : TEE. Then staying in the Ts.

41. 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner : TUTU. The Anglican Bishop DESMOND.

42. Regarding : IN RE. More Latin.

43. Innocent : NAIF. A guileless, unsophisticated person: babe, child, ingénue, innocent. Same stem as naive.

48. Big name in mustard : GULDEN. Their spicy brown is the third largest in the US behind French's and Grey Poupon.

49. Wolf-headed god : ANUBIS. This is the Greek name for the Egyptian god.

50. One covering tracks, perhaps : LIAR. Liar pants on fire.

52. Hit on the head : BOP.

53. Book with steps : HOW  TO.

54. __ crest: pelvic border : ILIAC.

55. Like H.P. Lovecraft stories : EERIE.

57. Tremble : QUAKE.

58. Oreos, say : SNACK.

63. Org. monitoring endangered species : EPA. Environmental Protection Agency.

64. Letters of proof : QED. EVERYONE must know this by now.

65. Turn that's hung : UEY.

66. Chekov's "Star Trek" rank: Abbr. : ENSign. Before he became a Captain and an Admiral.

Well another week and month have slipped away, I hope everyone on the east coast is kept safe from Joaquin. I wonder if Mr. Trump will blame that on Mexico as well? No politics. just silliness.

I am tired from the excitement of the new baby, so off to rest; lemonade out.

Thursday, October 1, 2015 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: "We Didn't Start the Fire..."


55-A. With 61-Across, radar trap question ... and a hint to what can precede each part of the answers to 3-, 6-, 30- and 40-Down : WHERES 61-A. See 55-Across : THE FIRE?

So, we may not have started the fire, but "fire" starts all the theme words.

3. Cheaper market option : HOUSE BRAND. Firehouse, firebrand.

6. "Jaws" shark, e.g. : MAN EATER. Fireman, fire-eater.

30. Protected from violent weather : STORM PROOF. Firestorm, fireproof.

40. Keep at it : PLUG AWAY. Fireplug, fire away.

Now let's plug away at the rest of the answers to see what we can dig up.


Across

1. Performance enhancement banned by MLB : HGH. Human Growth Hormone.

4. Descartes' conclusion : I AM. "I think, therefore..."

7. Placate : APPEASE.

14. "Evil Woman" gp. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.

15. Govt. benefits org. : SSA. Social Security Administration.

16. Strutted : PARADED. With 76 trombones, HG?

17. Annual get-together : REUNION.

19. Stop : PREVENT.

20. Ash, for example : RESIDUE.

21. Rise : ASCEND.

22. __ Gay : ENOLA.

23. Waikiki wreath : LEI.

24. "Green Acres" co-star : GABOR. Eva GABOR and Eddie Albert were hilarious in that show.

26. "__ We Meet Again": 1940 romance film : TIL. A remake of the 1932 movie "One Way Passage." Star-crossed lovers on an ocean voyage.

28. 2006 skating silver medalist Cohen : SASHA. Watch her Olympic performance here.

33. Classic sci-fi play : RUR. I knew it was where the word "robot" comes from, but JazzB gave us a thorough explanation of the play just last Wednesday. (44-Down.)

34. Squeezed (out) : EKED.

36. Gossips : YENTAS.

37. "The Wealth of Nations" author Smith : ADAM. Also called "The Father of Modern Economics."

39. Complaint : GRIPE.  We never see one of those at this Corner, right?

41. Puts on : DONS. "Don we now our Gagliardi..."

42. Muscle cords : SINEWS.

44. Snowman in "Frozen" : OLAF. All perps!

46. 1973 Court decision alias : ROE. v. Wade.

47. MLB Network analyst Martinez : PEDRO.

48. A/C measure : BTU. British Thermal Units.

49. Take the blame for : ADMIT.

51. What "I" may indicate : RTE. Interstate - route.

53. Fill the tank : GAS UP. DH gassed up for me the other day, for only $1.98 / gallon!

58. Sticks : ADHERES.

62. Hunker down for the duration of : WAIT OUT.

63. Most extensive : VASTEST.

64. In times past : AGO.

65. Miner's reward : ORE. We went down a slide into the depths of the salt mines outside Salzburg while we were there. Wheee!!

66. Accumulates : AMASSES.

67. Longing : YEN.

68. Dandy : FOP.


Down

1. Munich man : HERR. Gimme!  Here is my HERR overlooking Bad Ischl in Austria.

2. Joy : GLEE.  After several beers at this cool brewery during Oktoberfest, we were feeling pretty GLEE-ful!!

4. Spanish encyclopedist St. __ of Seville : ISIDORE. Mostly perps and WAGs.

5. Nary __: no one : A SOUL.

7. Horrify : APPALL.

8. Break down, in a way : PARSE.

9. Exact : PRECISE.

10. Roof extension : EAVE.

11. Site of the 2000 USS Cole attack : ADEN.

12. Email : SEND.

13. Fla. summer setting : EDT. Eastern Daylight Time is almost at an end for our Fla. denizens.

18. Young hombre : NINO.

24. Understand : GRASP.

25. War hero Murphy : AUDIE.

27. Fool : IDIOT.

29. Common link : AND.

31. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum city : HANOI.

32. Diamonds, say : ASSET. Also, a girl's best friend.  ;-)

35. Metric wts. : KGs. Kilograms.

36. Vocal nod : YEA.

38. Marseille sight : MER. "Sea" in French.

43. Troubles : WORRIES.

45. Style : FASHION.

48. Lays siege to : BESETS.

50. Piano piece for four hands : DUET.

52. Concise : TERSE.

54. Old saw : ADAGE.

55. Impact sound : WHAM!

56. "__ real nowhere man": Beatles lyric : HE's A.

57. Young newts : EFTS. They are quite tiny, but fully formed.

59. Vatican City coin : EURO.

60. Word often followed by a number or letter : STEP.

61. FDR power project : TVA. Tennessee Valley Authority.

I am retiring from doing the blog after today.  I have really enjoyed all my virtual friends here at the corner, but my plate is getting too full to do the blog justice every week. I know C.C. has an entire stable of talented and witty commenters who can step in to fill the gap!

Hugs,
Marti

Note from C.C.:

I'm sad to lose dear Marti as our Thursday Sherpa. I'll sorely miss her unique take on Thursday LAT. I'll miss her chuckle-evoking links, quick zingers and warm presence. It's fun to blog once or twice, but doing it week after week for more than four years takes enormous patience and dedication. Thank you so much for being our reliable guide and friend, Marti! I hope you continue to stay involved with the blog. Your simple presence makes me happy.

I'm also happy to let you know that Steve has agreed to guide us on Thursdays from now on. Husker Gary will take up Steve's Wednesday spot.

Wednesday, September 30th 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: A Five-Card Trick - CARD is scrambled five ways and concealed in five theme entries as indicated by the circles.

17A. Blanket containers : CEDAR CHESTS. Are they all cedar?

 29A. Burrowing beach denizens : SAND CRABS. Not much bigger than your thumb according to the Monterey Aquarium website. Not really Food! material then .. darn.

43A. Lollipops, e.g. : HARD CANDY. Here's the spokesman for the Hard Candy Association if there is such a thing:

57A. Where much classical music is heard : PUBLIC RADIO. Here's a little something from the Berlin Philharmonic.

 4D. Rolex 24 at Daytona, e.g. : ROAD RACE. Cousin of the more well-known (to me at least) Le Mans 24 in France, or "24 Heures du Mans" as it is officially known.

and the reveal:

39D. One of two baseball playoff teams determined next week by a "play-in" game in each major league, and a hint to this puzzle's circles : WILD CARD. Wikipedia can do the job of 'splaining the machinations of these MLB games.

Gooooood Morning Crossword Corner! Steve here with a very poor Adrian Cronauer impersonation. The circle puzzles seem to be popping up a lot on Wednesdays, I've blogged a few recently. The constructor shouldn't be tough to guess - it's a baseball-inspired theme, so it's not a stretch to posit that it might be C.C!

Neat theme - I thought at first that the 4D entry was something of an odd man out until I realized that it's balanced by the reveal at 39D. Cool stuff.

Across:

1. Wild hogs : BOARS

6. Wild animal : BEAST

11. Bird in a cage, often : PET. A menagerie trifecta to kick things off.

14. Pinhead : IDIOT. How many angels can dance on the head of an idiot? Discuss.

15. Off-the-cuff : AD LIB

16. Hot feeling : IRE

19. Sign word often seen before "next exit" : GAS

20. Matzo meal : SEDER. Great clue. Matzo ball soup is a traditional menu item for Passover.

21. Some RSVPs : NOS. I think you should reply "Oui, Merci" or "Non, Merci".

22. Punch source : FIST

23. "Born to Die" singer Lana Del __ : REY. Crosses. I'm more familiar with her Los Angeles-based sister, Marina Del Rey.

Photo Credit: Mark Kitching

24. Caspian Sea land : IRAN

26. Diamond figure : CARAT

34. Smart guys? : ALECS

35. Spanish tourist city : AVILA

36. Knock on Yelp : PAN. I used Yelp a lot when I'm traveling in unfamiliar territory to find restaurants. You need to take the one-star rants and the five-star gushes with a pinch of salt. The truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.

37. Mall bag : TOTE

38. Given (to) : PRONE

39. Responded to reveille : WOKE. I was a little slow to respond to my reveille this morning - I was at a six-course wine dinner last night. Three hiking miles later and a mug of coffee and I was better.

40. Former Energy secretary Steven : CHU. Thank you, crosses.

41. No-frills : PLAIN

42. Hog lover : BIKER. Fun clue. Here's a couple of famous examples:

45. On the ball : ALERT

46. Like reporters, by trade : NOSY. Are reporters nosy? It has a slightly different connotation in my mind than professional investigation.

47. Brief letters? : BVD. Does Warren Buffett wear tighty-whities of this brand? Berkshire Hathaway owns the company.

48. Artist's pad : LOFT

50. Arranged locks : DO'S. I get a haircut when it reaches the point I can arrange my locks, I don't even own a comb.

53. Strips on a sandwich : BACON. Food! A pub close to where I live has a veggieburger on the menu, and proceeds to state "Bacon can be added for $1.00" which seems to rather miss the point.

56. Frazier foe : ALI

60. Spoil : MAR

61. "Too rich for me" : I'M OUT. A poker player's exit line when the stakes get too high.

62. Castle in the 1914 musical "Watch Your Step" : IRENE. I learned this from a crossword I blogged a while ago - she must have been one heck of dancer to still be clued more than 100 years later!

63. "Ciao!" : BYE

64. 1975 Pulitzer winner for criticism : EBERT. The great movie critic Roger Ebert who sadly passed in 2013. He spent his entire career with the Chicago Sun-Times.

65. Put two and two together : ADDED

Down:

1. Media Clic Ice maker : BIC. These things - never heard of 'em!

2. Often emotional works : ODES

3. Help on the Hill : AIDE

5. Parade venues : STREETS

6. "That's hogwash!" : BAH

7. Big name in organic foods : EDEN. Caused a bit of a stir in 2013 with a controversial stance on certain healthcare provisions for their employees.

8. Furthermore : ALSO

9. Isn't active, as equipment : SITS IDLE

10. "King of the Nerds" airer : TBS

11. Sight-unseen buy : PIG IN A POKE. Great expression. Researching this, it transpires that the poke is a bag, and the piglet you think that you're buying turns out to be a dog or a cat when you open the sack. French "poque" gives us "poquette", a little bag, or our "pocket". Here endeth the lesson.

12. Stretches of history : ERAS

13. Lab work : TEST

18. React to a kitchen bulb, maybe : CRY. Not because the lights went out, but onion-peeling woes.

22. Word after go or so : FAR

25. Miley Cyrus label : RCA. Wouldn't have had a clue without crosses. Just missing a "D" for another wild card.

26. Hidden problem : CATCH

27. Hawaiian Airlines greeting : ALOHA

28. Shoot back : RETURN FIRE

29. Leftovers preserver : SARAN. Not if you forget to put 'em in the fridge, which I frequently do.

30. Dodge : AVOID

31. Doofus : NINNY. Pinheads, idiots, doofuses and ninnies today. A quartet of oafs.

32. One creating enticing aromas : BAKER

33. Hägar's dog : SNERT. Food! Oh wait, not the split pea soup. Darn.

38. Feign ignorance : PLAY DUMB

41. Lenovo products : PC'S. My new laptop is a Lenovo. It weights about half as much as the old Dell, which makes my travel a little easier!

42. Munich's state : BAVARIA. Here's a question for you - the soccer team is F.C. Bayern München, but is anglicized as Bayern Munich. Why not Bavarians Munich? We English-speakers do weird things to proper names.

44. Small point : DOT

47. English channel, briefly : BBC. The public broadcaster came in for a lot of criticism during the last British elections for being overtly biased, to the point that there is a weight of opinion that the corporation should lose its charter.

48. Moussaka meat : LAMB. Layered ground lamb, sliced eggplant, zucchini and bechamel sauce. Greek loveliness.

49. Facial cosmetics brand : OLAY

51. Clarinet cousin : OBOE

52. Disparaging comment : SLUR

54. Pigged out (on), briefly : O.D.'ED. I probably made a mess of the punctuation there.

55. Ted Williams' number : NINE. This Hall-of-Famer played only for the Red Sox during his 19-year outfielding career.

57. Chart shape : PIE

58. Addams family cousin : ITT

59. Heavy ref. : O.E.D. 20 volumes in total. You need a strong shelf for all those!

That's it from me - here's the grid.

Steve

Note from C.C.: 

Happy Birthday to Pje (Pat) and her husband! I don't know any couple in real life who were born in the same day and same year. Pat was born in the morning, her husband in the afternoon. Hope it's a day full of surprises, Pat.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015 Mark Bickham

Theme: So and So - Four three-word phrases ... oh, never mind.

17A. Like stickers that smell when rubbed : SCRATCH AND SNIFF

27A. Little girl's makeup, so they say : SUGAR AND SPICE

48A. Terse : SHORT AND SWEET

62A. Old Glory : STARS AND STRIPES

71. Metaphor for time ... and, when divided into three words, puzzle theme found in the four longest across answers : SANDS. S and S

Argyle here. A reveal, really? Hardly necessary. Do you suppose he looked at SANDS and decided it could be parsed S and S? It is interesting that there are nine different length entries. Four long columns; the two longer ones cross three of the themes and the two shorter ones cross two theme entries. Overly easy but not USA mindless by any means.

Across:

1. Diagram with axes and coordinates : GRAPH

6. Very top : ACME

10. Shift neighbor, on PC keyboards : CTRL

14. St. __ Girl beer : PAULI

15. Guard site : SHIN. Cute.

16. Nabisco cookie : OREO

20. Buckwheat dish : KASHA. Not Little Rascals Buckwheat.

21. Court order to all : RISE

22. Fruit seed : PIT

23. Drop-down __ : MENU

25. Like some microbrews : MALTY

33. Crisp covering : CRUST

34. Welfare : SAKE

35. Firebird roof option : T-TOP

38. What cake candles may indicate : AGE

39. On the rocks : OVER ICE

42. Bart Simpson's grandpa : ABE

43. See 44-Down : BEST

45. City near Colombia's coastline : CALI

46. Leica competitor : NIKON

51. Sounded sheepish? : BAAed

53. Pop singer Vannelli : GINO. Clip

54. "Life of Pi" director Lee : ANG

55. Flood preventer : DIKE

59. Louisiana cuisine : CAJUN

66. Words starting many a guess : "IS IT ... ?"

67. Kind of dancer or boots : GO-GO

68. Atlanta campus : EMORY

69. "Auld Lang __" : SYNE

70. Follow the leader : OBEY

Down:

1. Navig. tool : GPS. (Global Positioning System)

2. Pool hall triangle : RACK

3. Saintly glow : AURA

4. Some flat-screen TVs : PLASMAs

5. Until now : HITHERTO

6. Remnant of an old flame : ASH. Good one.

7. Blacken : CHAR

8. Prefix with series : MINI

9. Remnants : ENDS. 49D. Partner of 9-Down : ODDS

10. Grifter's specialty : CON

11. Exaggerated response of disbelief : TRIPLE TAKE

12. Equip anew : REFIT

13. Towering : LOFTY

18. "How many times __ man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see?": Dylan : CAN A. Lot of clue for a short answer.

19. Freeway hauler : SEMI

24. Boot from office : UNSEAT

26. Work with a cast : ACT

27. Natural cut protection : SCAB

28. Strong desire : URGE

29. "Still wrong, take another stab" : "GUESS AGAIN

30. Alfalfa's girl : DARLA. Now we're talking Little Rascals.

31. Coming down the mountain, perhaps : SKIING

32. Push-up target, briefly : PEC. Build them up by doing push-ups. (Not my first thought)

36. Reed instrument : OBOE. A Püchner Oboe, model 30.

37. Cooped (up) : PENT

40. DVD predecessor : VCR. You remember videocassette recorder, right?

41. Catches, as in a net : ENSNARES

44. With 43-Across, outstanding : THE

47. Historic Japanese island battle site : IWO JIMA. Still a little rock in a big ocean.

50. Merriam-Webster ref. : DICT. (dictionary)

51. Underlying principle : BASIS

52. Restless : ANTSY

56. "Othello" villain : IAGO. Perennial bad guy.

57. Door opener : KNOB

58. Periphery : EDGE

60. Well-versed in : UP ON or maybe DOWN ON?

61. Uncool type : NERD

63. AAA suggestion : RTE. American Automobile Association/Route

64. Dim sum sauce : SOY

65. Part of PBS: Abbr. : SYS. I'm shocked! Public Broadcasting Service, not System.

Argyle