Tuesday, December 8, 2015 Ed Sessa

Theme: GRANDMA - Each theme entry is in the pattern of GR* and MA*.

21A. *"I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member" speaker : GROUCHO MARX

54A. *Score-settling competition : GRUDGE MATCH
 
3D. *2005 documentary about a bear enthusiast : GRIZZLY MAN
 
32D. *Brains, figuratively : GRAY MATTER

40A. Artist Moses ... and, when divided into three parts, a hint to the answers to starred clues : GRANDMA

melissa here. Clever wordplay here, was fun sorting it out once I snapped to the theme. Southwest corner was last to fall.

Across      
 
1. __-Saxon : ANGLO
 
6. Swedish quartet : ABBA
 
10. "Woe is me!" : ALAS
 
14. Plain-paper copier pioneer : XEROX
 
15. Rider's strap : REIN
 
16. Hitchhiker's ride : LIFT
 
17. "Revenge" co-star Van Camp : EMILY. Canadian actress.
 
18. Drug cop : NARC
 
19. Words to an old chap : I SAY. Fun clue.
 
20. Doughnut order: Abbr. : DOZ
 
24. Potsdam pair : ZWEI. German for "two." (Potsdam is capital of Brandenburg.)
 
26. Bum kin : HOBO
 
27. In great detail : AT LENGTH
 
31. Keyed into the register : RANG UP
 
35. Votes against : NAYS
 
36. Slender woodwind : OBOE
 
38. Loy of "The Thin Man" : MYRNA
 
39. Belief suffix : ISM
 
42. N.C. State's conference : ACC
 
43. Step : STAIR
 
45. Pitchers Darling and Guidry : RONS
 
46. Singer Lovett : LYLE
 
47. __-weensie : EENSIE
 
49. Paid for the release of : RANSOMED. Thought of bail first.
 
51. Dynamic opening? : AERO
 
53. Cake served au rhum : BABA. Polish rumcake.
 
59. Indent key : TAB
 
62. Forfeited auto : REPO. First thought of adjective.
 
63. __ San Lucas: Baja resort : CABO
 
64. Bandleader Shaw : ARTIE
 
66. Cupid : AMOR. Latin.
 
67. Gradual melting : THAW
 
68. Marsh stalks : REEDS
 
69. With 11-Down, Louvre masterpiece : MONA
 
70. Get wise with : SASS
 
71. Central Park's 843 : ACRES
 
Down:
 
1. Gave the boot : AXED
 
2. Jules Verne captain : NEMO
 
4. Cyberchuckle : LOL
 
5. Scuba gear element : OXYGEN. Liked this clue.
 
6. River of Pisa : ARNO
 
7. Belle's beloved : BEAU. French.
 
8. White state tree of New Hampshire : BIRCH

 
9. News show VIP : ANCHOR
 
10. Payment after a divorce : ALIMONY
 
11. See 69-Across : LISA
 
12. Quite a long distance away : AFAR
 
13. River of Hades : STYX
 
22. Harshness : RIGOR
 
23. 44th president : OBAMA
 
25. Director Craven : WES
 
27. Ouzo flavoring : ANISE
 
28. Aesthetic judgment : TASTE
 
29. Vanishing ski resort apparatus : T-BAR
 
30. Wedding vows word : HONOR
 
33. Cry of surrender : UNCLE
 
34. Measured in steps : PACED
 
37. Poet __ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA
 
40. Norwegian composer Edvard : GRIEG. This gave me a little trouble.
 
41. News network with a six-color logo : MSNBC
 
44. Dancer Duncan : ISADORA. Didn't know this either.
 
46. Return from Venus? : LOB. Love this clue.
 
48. Builds : ERECTS
 
50. North African expanse : SAHARA
 
52. Nebraska city : OMAHA
 
54. Fat measure : GRAM
 
55. San __, Italy : REMO. I needed perps for this.
 
56. In the know about : UP ON
 
57. "Down with," in Paris : ABAS. Had no idea here, tough for a Tuesday.
 
58. Auto club services : TOWS
 
60. Assistant : AIDE
 
61. Porgy's beloved : BESS
 
65. Camcorder button : REC

Melissa

Note from C.C.:
 

Happy Birthday to dear Jazzbumpa (Ron)! Ron and I have collaborated on a few puzzles, his talents & craftsmanship always leave me in awe. He works  hard on each and every clue, trying to squeeze every juicy wordplay out of it. Thanks for always inspiring me to try harder, Ron!

 Ron and his wife Gloria

Monday, December 7, 2015 Debbie Ellerin

Theme: [RING!] - You can Ring my Bell(3:30).

17A. *One held above criticism : SACRED COW. cowbell

21A. *Magician's secret exit : TRAPDOOR. doorbell

 

 

 

 

55A. *Swanson frozen meal : TV DINNER. dinner bell

          from the TV show, The Nanny.

59A. *Traditional : OLD SCHOOL. school bell

36A. Day ender on Wall Street ... and, literally, what each answer to a starred clue has : CLOSING BELL

Argyle here with bells on. Our constructor has gone solo today. Interesting grid. Four eight-letter columns as well as two of the theme entries. The other two entries are nine-letter. The unifier is eleven-letter blocked in with black spaces. BELL can easily follow the last part of the theme entries but it is funnier to picture it as part of the whole entry.

Across:

1. Supplier of fake tunnels to Wile E. Coyote : ACME

5. Dictionary entry : WORD

9. Attempt to scam using email : PHISH

14. Small songbird : WREN

15. "Am __ early?" : I TOO

16. Saul Bellow's "The Adventures of __ March" : AUGIE. Unknown to me, published 1953. “the universal eligibility to be noble”

19. Gossip spreader : YENTA

20. What push may come to : SHOVE

23. 1953 Alan Ladd Western : SHANE. Classic.

24. Subject in which Freud is studied, briefly : PSYCH

25. Boring routine : RUT

26. Ballpoint, for one : PEN

27. Goose egg : NIL

29. Popular thesaurus : ROGET'S

31. Most populous continent : ASIA

33. Sign offering freebies : [TAKE ONE]

39. Hyundai sedan : ELANTRA

40. Increase dramatically : SOAR. 5th generation Elantra sales have soared.

43. Bearded spring blooms : IRISES

46. List shortener, for short : ETC. (et cetera)

48. Carry a balance : OWE

49. Lion's lair : DEN

50. Set one's sights on : AIM AT

53. Caught with a lasso : ROPED

57. Closet pests : MOTHS

58. Made public : AIRED

62. Blinding driving hazard : GLARE

63. Dam in a stream : WEIR

64. Giggly Muppet : ELMO

65. "Night Moves" singer Bob : SEGER

66. Ginger cookie : SNAP. I heard from Lois last week; she promised me more ginger snaps for Christmas (and molasses cookies).

67. Rod companion : REEL

Down:

1. Reactions to puppies and kittens : AWs

2. Falls asleep from exhaustion, in slang : CRASHES

3. Pit crew worker : MECHANIC. Different crashes.

4. Scandal-plagued energy company : ENRON

5. Like EEE shoes : WIDE

6. Needing no Rx : OTC. (Over-The-Counter medicine)

7. Carrots and turnips : ROOTS. I haven't had turnips in ages.

8. Bridal estate : DOWRY

9. Obsolescent streetcorner communication device : PAY PHONE

10. Tinted : HUED

11. Give the cold shoulder to : IGNORE

12. Take a break from : SIT OUT

13. Valentine symbols : HEARTS

18. Not odd : EVEN

22. One in a human pyramid : ACROBAT

23. Mud bath site : SPA

24. Ordinary : PLAIN

28. "That's just wrong" : "IT'S A SIN"

30. Takes shape : GELS

32. Tavern orders : ALES

34. Round Table VIP: Abbr. : KNT. (knight)

35. "Snowy" bird : EGRET

37. Poisonous ornamental : OLEANDER

38. Contract ambiguity to exploit : LOOPHOLE

41. More than cool : AWESOME

42. VIP carpet color : RED

43. Dog collar attachments : ID TAGS

44. Malign : REVILE

45. Wearing opposite-sex clothing : IN DRAG. (Usually refers to a man wearing women's clothing.)

47. Gator cousin : CROC

51. Cat calls : MEOWS

52. "Over the Rainbow" composer Harold : ARLEN. Harold Arlen (1905 – 1986)

54. Significant __ : OTHER

56. "Able was __ ...": palindrome start : I ERE..."I saw Elba". palindrome end.

57. Dealership sticker fig. : MSRP. (manufacturer's suggested retail price)

60. Day, in Spain : DIA

61. "u r 2 funny!" : LOL

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Windhover, who was once an active runner, Petraeus-style (sans Broadwell). Hope all is well in your quiet land, Windhover!

Windhover & Lucina, July 24, 2015