Tuesday, January 19, 2016 Tom Pepper

Theme: Double Your Fun - The clue is the clue. No reveal needed.

17A. Dickens classic, itemized : A TALE OF CITY CITY. "A Tale of Two Cities".

28A. Smugly prudish sort, itemized : GOODY SHOE SHOE. Goody two-shoes.

47A. Country/western dance, itemized : TEXAS STEP STEP. Texas two step.

63A. Chime in, itemized : ADD ONE'S CENT CENT. Add one's two cents.

Argyle here with the return of Tom to our corner. It's been too long(2013). Two (of course) grid spanners and sparkly fill moves us on to hump day. (From C.C.: No wonder we're out of negative territory this morning in MN. Tom is back! )

 Andrea Carla Michaels,  Tom Pepper, C.C. and Boomer

Across:

1. Wading bird in ancient Egyptian art : IBIS

5. __ of March : IDES

9. Dessert "there's always room for" : JELL-O

14. Like pre-stereo sound : MONO. I understand some albums are more valuable if they are monaural.

15. Geek Squad pro : TECH

16. Stayed home for dinner : ATE IN

20. Attempt to get : GO FOR

21. Natural history museum item : RELIC

22. Type of symbol or appeal : SEX

23. Prefix with skeleton : EXO

24. River inlet : RIA

26. Most fit to be drafted : ONE A

34. One who makes your skin crawl : CREEP

35. At rest : STILL

36. Diner handout : MENU

39. "All in the Family" wife : EDITH

42. Beehive, e.g. : UP-DO. (hair do)

43. St. Teresa's home : ÁVILA. Situated 1132 metres (3714 feet) above sea level on a rocky outcrop on the right bank of the Adaja river, a tributary of the Duero, Ávila is the highest provincial capital in Spain. It is built on the flat summit of a rocky hill, which rises abruptly in the midst of a veritable wilderness; a brown, arid, treeless table-land, strewn with immense grey boulders, and shut in by lofty mountains. ~ per Wiki.

45. Force out of bed : ROUST

51. Chocolate-caramel candy brand : ROLO

52. "__ Blinded Me With Science": 1983 hit : SHE

53. Fury : IRE

56. Pro vote : YEA vs. 65D. Anti vote : NAY

59. Word before or after "coming" : FORTH

61. Sherpas' land : NEPAL

66. Yamaha with a bench : PIANO

67. Syllables before di or da, in a Beatles song : OB LA. (Life Goes On)

68. "Les Misérables" novelist : HUGO. (Victor Hugo)

69. Proverbial backbreaker : STRAW

70. "Ghost Hunters" channel : SYFY

71. Candid : OPEN

Down:

1. Publicist's concern : IMAGE

2. Wrinkle-removing injection : BOTOX

3. Befuddled : IN A FOG

4. Song sung alone : SOLO

5. "Who am __ judge?" : I TO

6. Offset, as costs : DEFRAYED

7. Caesar's "Behold!" : "ECCE!"

8. 1862 Tennessee battleground : SHILOH

9. Leadership training group, familiarly : JAYCEES

10. List-shortening abbr. : ETC.

11. Hawaiian wreaths : LEIs

12. Lo-cal : LITE

13. Black gemstone : ONYX

18. Fielding mishap : ERROR

19. Ex-Yankee Martinez : TINO

25. Tête product : IDÉE. French head/idea.

27. On the ball : ASTUTE

29. Eye-related : OCULAR

30. Steeple top : SPIRE

31. Joint that may be swiveled : HIP

32. Former : OLD

33. "Xanadu" rock gp. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra)

36. Pilates class need : MAT

37. Grandmother of Enos : EVE

38. Negative word often spoken in pig Latin : NIX.  (ixnay)

40. Of the best quality : TOP SHELF

41. "Quit complaining!" : "HUSH!"

44. So far : AS OF NOW

46. Surgical tube : STENT

48. Wild plum : SLOE

49. Upper bodies : TORSOs

50. Make oneself heard : PIPE UP. Add your two cents.

54. Mountain chain : RANGE

55. John with nine #1 hits in the U.S. : ELTON. (Elton John)

56. Jabbers : YAPS

57. Improve text : EDIT

58. Jewish month before Nisan : ADAR

60. Beriyo smoothie maker : TCBY

62. Repeat : ECHO

64. Put __ show : ON A

Argyle

Monday, January 18, 2016 Kevin Christian

Theme: King Commemorative - Four words exemplifying Dr. King's speech.

17A. 1994-2000 medical drama : "CHICAGO HOPE"

24A. One is made before blowing out candles : BIRTHDAY WISH

48A. Narrow-mindedness : TUNNEL VISION

58A. Historic 1963 civil rights speech words : "I HAVE A DREAM"

62D. 58-Across speaker, initially : MLK. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Argyle here. I saw one spot that may cause problems but, all-in-all, a nice start to the week.

Across:

1. Labor leader Jimmy who vanished in 1975 : HOFFA

6. Good, in Guadalajara : BUENO

11. Tech co. whose name is its ticker symbol : IBM

14. Sunni's faith : ISLAM

15. Exclamation that's a near-homonym for an Arabian Peninsula country : "OH, MAN!". Down on the toe of the peninsula, Oman.

16. Aye's opposite : NAY

19. 35mm camera type : SLR. (single-lens reflex)

20. Big galoot : APE and 41A. Big galoot : OAF

21. Terre Haute sch. : ISU. (Indiana State University)

22. Fragrant compound : ESTER

28. "Behave yourself!" : "BE GOOD!". "Or else!"

31. Group of ships : FLEET

32. "There's __ Out Tonight": 1961 hit : A MOON

33. Autumn : FALL

35. Network with an eye logo : CBS

38. Ideal "Are you hurt?" reply : "I'M OK"

39. Raid : FORAY

40. Perlman of "Cheers" : RHEA

42. Parkway off-ramp : EXIT

43. Songs for two : DUETS

44. Magnified map detail : INSET

47. Eyeglasses pair : LENSES

52. Make mad : ANGER

53. Sleep phase initials : REM. (Rapid Eye Movement)

54. Top-row PC key : ESC.ape

57. Madre's hermano : TÍO. Your mother's brother, in Guadalajara.

63. Justice Dept. arm : ATF. (The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives)

64. Deodorant brand : ARRID

65. Hearing-related : AURAL

66. NBA official : REF

67. Squiggy's "Laverne & Shirley" pal : LENNY

68. Punish with a swat : SPANK

Down:

1. Hyphenated fruit drink brand : HI-C

2. Worker welfare org. : OSHA. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

3. Hairstyle with upturned ends : FLIP

4. Social media website : FACEBOOK

5. Dr.'s group : AMA. (American Medical Association)

6. Elevate : BOOST

7. "Yup" : "UH HUH"

8. Confessional rock genre : EMO

9. Afternoon snooze : NAP

10. Cyclops feature : ONE EYE

11. Laughing uncontrollably : IN STITCHES

12. Hay bundles : BALES

13. Magi's resin : MYRRH

18. Encircle : GIRD

23. Nor. neighbor : SWE. Norway/Sweden

25. Charged particle : ION

26. Black key after C : D FLAT

27. Partner in war : ALLY

28. Scott of "Charles in Charge" : BAIO. He was the younger cousin of Fonzie on Happy Days.

29. Jane Austen heroine : EMMA

30. Messing around : GOOFING OFF

33. "The Simpsons" network : FOX TV

34. Onassis nickname : ARI. Jackie's second.

36. __ noire : BÊTE

37. Smart-alecky talk : SASS

39. Touch : FEEL

40. Second-place finisher : RUNNER-UP

43. __ volente: God willing : DEO

45. Opposite of SSW : NNE

46. Story told in episodes : SERIAL

47. Peruvian capital : LIMA. Funny, I never think of it as being on the ocean.

48. Mongol invader : TATAR

49. Come together : UNITE

50. NFL network analyst Michael __ : IRVIN. This guy.

51. Not at all swank : SEEDY

55. Word repeated in a Doris Day song : SERA

56. James of "The Godfather" : CAAN

59. 1,000-year Eur. realm : HRE. (Holy Roman Empire)

60. Prince Valiant's son : ARN. I see in Wiki that the comic's creator wanted to title it, "Prince Arn", but it was changed to "Prince Valiant". Wiki

61. VIPs at trials : DAs. (district attorney)
 
Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Blue Iris (Susan), whose real life love story melted my heart. Maybe she'll share with the newcomers again someday. Are the twins coming home today, Susan?

Sunday, Jan 17, 2016 Joseph Groat

Theme: "Sh!" - TCH is changed into SH.

23A. Score for Hawkeye's team? : MASH POINT. Match point.

25A. With 70-Across, clothing magnate David posing with a bass? : ABERCROMBIE. 70. See 25-Across : AND FISH. Abercrombie  & Fitch. Pricey brand. H&M and Zara are more popular.

39A. Convenient snack? : NOSH IN ONE'S BELT. Notch in one's belt.

 

99A. Money for fast-food fries? : SHOESTRING CASH. Shoestring catch. Never had  Shoestring potatoes.

 

115A. Outback outlaw? : BUSH CASSIDY. Butch Cassidy.

118A. Self-cleaning laundry? : SMART WASH. Smart watch.

 

33D. Avoid diner dishes? : ESCAPE HASH. Escape hatch.

53D. Spell? : WICKED WISH. Wicked witch.

Sunday debut for Joseph Groat. Congratulations! It's an incredible milestone to pull off a 21*21.

I thought it's very clever to break down 25A and 70A, esp since the latter is in the very central row so theme symmetry remains intact.

I was surprised to see these three entries in one grid. A bit overdone.

19A. Apple variety : IMAC. What a nightmare for D-Otto's. His Mac was only 2-year old. 

68A. Samsung Galaxy competitor : IPHONE

122A. Old Apple laptop : IBOOK

Across:

   

1. Wine holders : JUGS. Not VATS.

5. Taxco title: Abbr. : SRTA

9. Beat but bad : WHOMP. Sparkly 5-letter entry.

14. Crib cries : DADAS. I had MAMAS of course.

20. Sleuth with numbered offspring : CHAN. No idea. How many kids did he have?

21. Olympic champion on a 1939 Time cover : HENIE. I needed the extra "Sonja" bit in the clue.

22. Dancer Castle : IRENE

27. Space program event : MOONSHOT

29. Open the door for : LET IN

30. Bowling initials : AMF (American Machine and Foundry). Rival of Brunswick.

31. Address : SPEAK TO

34. Longfellow's bell town : ATRI. "The Bell of Atri".

36. One climbing the walls : IVY

37. Mai __ : TAI

38. Row dividers : AISLES

43. Sales rep's goals: Abbr. : ACCTs.  Tricky area for me. I also forgot PICOT (32D. Crochet loop) and did not know BOAZ (47A. Great-grandfather of David, in the Bible). I could only think of ENOS.

44. __ diem : PER

45. '50s British prime minister : EDEN (Anthony)

46. Regret : RUE

48. Want very much : COVET. Not CRAVE.

50. Funny Bombeck : ERMA

52. Cut : SAWED

56. Octane Booster brand : STP

57. They're often attached : GARAGES. The answer filled itself.

59. Works with a Singer : SEWS. Nailed it.

61. Sushi bar soup : MISO. Have you tried the Korean Doenjang, Steve/Jayce? It's similar to Miso paste. Often comes in a brown jar like this. 

62. Dept. with a sun on its seal : ENER. Nailed it.

64. Bygone birds : DODOS

66. Right-minded : ETHICAL. Oh, not leaning right.

73. Take the chance : RISK IT

74. Many beatniks wore them : GOATEES

76. Mississippi's __ City : YAZOO. The Down gave me the Z.

77. Amateur who won the 1968 US Open : ASHE. Unknown trivia to me. I presume he turned pro immediately.

78. Net __ : LOSS

79. Goes bad : ROTS

82. Puts more film in : RELOADS

84. Like some balances : DUE. Did you fill this immediately?

87. "Yeah, sure" : UH HUH

89. "Not so fast!" : WHOA!

91. Turbaned Punjabis : SIKHS

92. Healthy drink : SWIG

93. Italian counterpart of the BBC : RAI. No idea. Wiki says it stands for  Radiotelevisione Italiana. Italy's national public broadcasting company, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

95. Mystique : AURA

97. "The Good Wife" figs. : DAs

98. Making fun of : APING

104. Fast movement : PRESTO

105. Kenan's comedy partner : KEL

106. Prussian pronoun : SIE. You.

107. Tragic fate : DOOM

108. Two-time U.S. Women's Open winner Patty : SHEEHAN. The lady holding the Solheim Cup. Interlachen at the ritzy Edina. I was there that day.

109. Therapeutic pack filler : ICE

110. Cold cuts qty. : ONE LB

112. Space cadet's world : LA-LA LAND. Hello Linda!

123. Patronize, in a way : EAT AT. Really eat at.

124. DVR pioneer : TIVO

125. Stage number : ARIA

126. Beatles trademark : BANGS

127. Firewood measure : STERE

128. Meeting of Cong. : SESS

129. Golfer's putting woes, with "the" : YIPS. I finally saw Loren Roberts last year. He used to be the top putter in PGA.

Down:

1. Dandy guy? : JIM

2. Actress Thurman : UMA

3. __-guzzler : GAS

4. Mushy quality : SCHMALTZ. What a great word.

5. Slides (over), as on a bench : SCOOTS

6. Safari park critter : RHINO

7. Summer colors : TANS

8. Lit. compilation : ANTH (Anthology)

9. "Are you kidding me?!" : WHAT THE. Another great entry.

10. Synagogue lang. : HEB

11. Routine components : ONE LINERS

12. Wet tract : MIRE

13. Carbohydrate used in jellies : PECTIN. I've only used gelatin.

14. Bacchus, to the Greeks : DIONYSUS. God of wine.

15. Sea extension : ARM

16. Argue : DEBATE

17. Kingdom member : ANIMAL

18. Deem appropriate : SEE FIT

24. Facebook attention-getters : POKES. Do you still get poked?

26. Mississippi, e.g. : RIVER

28. Western treaty gp. : OAS (Organization of American States)

31. Autos from Trollhättan : SAABS

35. Tease : RIDE

39. 40-Down neighbor : NEVADA. And 40. 39-Down neighbor : OREGON. Nice pair.

41. "That's __": "My bad" : ON ME

42. "'Come to my arms, my __ boy!'": "Jabberwocky" : BEAMISH. Blank spot for me.

44. Spanish preposition : POR

48. Lifetime dedication : CAREER. If you could start your life again, what career would you choose?

49. Lingerie item : TEDDY

51. Stun : AWE

54. Morales of "Caprica" : ESAI. He's never a bad fill for me. I have fond memories of him in "NYPD Blues".

55. Simpleton : DOLT

57. Wilder in films : GENE

58. To this point : SO FAR

60. Treasured strings : STRADS

63. Uncertain : NOT SURE

65. Evaluates, with "up" : SIZES

67. Not a good reception : HISS

68. "House," in Inuit : IGLU. I suppose "in Inuit"  excuses it from having a "Var." mark. Still,  gluey fill.

69. Bear in a red shirt : POOH

71. Cones and spheres : SOLIDS

72. What the Wonderland caterpillar smokes : HOOKAH. Lots of nice Downs in this puzzle.

75. Farm female : SOW

80. Like Singha beer : THAI. I just learned that "Singha" means "Lion". Same root as Singapore. Singapore means "Lion City".

81. Nightly news snippet : SOUNDBITE

83. Sighs of relief : AHS

85. Range that includes Kings Peak : UINTA. Drew a blank as well.

86. Push : EGG ON. No more hard boiled eggs. Now, how do you prepare wild rice? Ours is a 3-hour process. Put two cups of rice in a big pot of salted water. Turn off the heat once it reaches a boil. Cover. Let it rest an hour. Rinse. Start the process again. Repeat. Salt & Pepper.

88. Places to put your feet up : HASSOCKS

90. Ship of Greek myth : ARGO

92. Indy 500 town, aptly : SPEEDWAY

94. Autobiography featuring Ike : I, TINA. This often stumps some.

96. Altar attendant : ACOLYTE

98. "__ you clever!" : AREN'T

99. Overalls on the slopes : SKI BIB

100. Trojan War queen : HECUBA. Mother of Paris and Hector.

101. "Little House" antagonist Nellie __ : OLESON. Forgot. We had this before.

102. Popular pieces : REESE'S

103. Physicians' org. : AMA

104. Alexandria lighthouse that's one of the Seven Wonders : PHAROS. Alexandria is also that blue-eyed girl Splynter has been smitten with.

108. Serbs and Croats : SLAVS

111. Future J.D.'s exam : LSAT

113. D-Day fleet : LSTS. Tough to get Sunday grids filled cleanly.

114. Parisian honey : AMIE

116. Biker's wheels : HOG

117. __ es Salaam : DAR

119. Jackie's second : ARI. I read somewhere that his true love was Maria Callas.

120. Taste : SIP

121. Exhibits, as nerve : HAS

C.C.

Saturday, Jan 16th, 2016, Alan Olschwang

Theme: None (1/16/16)

Words: 70 (missing F,K,Q,X)

Blocks: 28

  I didn't like the look of this grid right away, and my first pass revealed very little in the way of answers, and even then half of them were not correct.  However, on the DOWN pass, ZZ Top was the breakout point for me, and then POPE MOBILE was a huge help as well.  Still got bogged down in the SE, and ultimately caved in to red-letters.  Oh well, that's the thing with Mr. Olschwang - I looked over his previous Saturday offerings, and I see that I did not fare well with any of them.  Triple 10's in a pinwheel pattern, and even though that leaves a lot of 4-letter words, I had some 4-letter words of my own....

15. Last Tudor monarch : ELIZABETH I - completely forgot about the possibility of a queen; I filled in EDWARD VIII, but that's 20th century and the House of Windsor; my English parents would not be happy....

12. Head out on the trail : MOSEY ALONG - got it because I frequently use the word "mosey"

25. St. Peter's Square wheels : POPEMOBILE - the Wiki

61. Screen holders : STORM DOORS - makes me think of this album cover; very pretty

ONWARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Showy display : RAZZMATAZZ - Z Z Z Z s

11. 2010 CFDA Fashion Icon Award recipient : IMAN - I had I--N, so it was a good WAG; ironic to see her name in a puzzle after the passing of David Bowie; they had a 'miracle baby' Alexandria

16. Chess action : MOVE - dah~!  Not MatE, but that was 100% 50% correct

17. Wine seller : BOTTLE SHOP - sommelier was too short

18. "__ Death": Grieg work : ASE'S - the music of Peer Gynt

19. One standing at a counter : STOOL - clever, I like it

20. Assisting in the kitchen? : SOUS - Dah~! My first thought, but then I hesitated

21. Fröbe of "Goldfinger" : GERT - one of the better lines from James Bond

"No, Mr. Bond..."

22. Trepidation cause : PERIL - makes me think of the peril being "too perilous" from Monty Python

24. Qatari currency : RIYAL

25. Influential D.C. group : PAC - thought it, hesitated

28. Even : TIE - think verb, not adjective; the Rangers are looking to "TIE" the score

29. Cargo capacity : TONNAGE

31. Player in a pit : OBOIST - again, I hesitated

33. Walking on the beach, maybe : SANDALED - meh.  I get it, but meh.

34. Showy display : POMP

35. '70s-'90s Angola neighbor : ZAIRE

37. Color in a Spanish sunset : ROJO - that would be "red" in an English one

38. Delegates : EMPOWERS

40. "Wait just a darn minute!" : "HEY NOW~!"

42. Most temperate : MILDEST

43. Angle: Abbr. : P.O.V. - again, clever.  Point Of View

44. Mil. title : GENeral

45. Cat-tails bridge? : O' NINE - cat o' nine tails

46. Surprise at the door : POP IN

48. B'way Joe's alma mater : 'BAMA - I prefer women in pantyhose (here's the classic Joe Namath pantyhose spot)

49. Old apple spray : ALAR

51. One of two for Linus Pauling : NOBEL - OK, I cheated; I remembered the name, but not what for; and even when I looked, I don't recall why I knew the name - his Wiki

55. The Santa Monica Fwy. is part of it : I-TEN - got it, tho it was "I-ONE" first, and technically, it's US-1

56. Trading category : MOST ACTIVE - most - ly perps

58. Paar's successor's successor : LENO - one of the few I nailed

59. Borders : OUTER EDGES - I tried PAPer edges first - Bzzzzt

60. Arrival times, usually: Abbr. : ESTs

DOWN:

1. Stonewallers? : REBS - Rebels, the South in the Civil War - didn't get it; I just noticed the answer appeared thru perps while writing up the blog

2. Plenty : A LOT

3. 2002 A.L. Cy Young Award winner Barry : ZITO - C.C. might know more

4. Band with the Diamond album "Eliminator" : ZZ TOP - a blues trio at heart, this album, with the addition of some synthesizers - and some racy MTV clips - put them in the popular spotlight

5. Croquet clubs : MALLETS

6. Japanese prime minister since 2012 : ABE - Shinzō - the Wiki

7. Singer/actress O'Shea : TESSIE - perps and WAG

8. Dramatist Fugard : ATHOL - perps and WAG

9. Mao contemporary : ZHOU - hey, perps and WAG~!

10. Compresses, in a way : ZIPS - computer compression, zip files

11. Unreal : IMAGINARY - I had IMATERIAL, and yes, because it was in the down, I missed the missing "M"

13. Man on the street : AVERAGE JOE - very proud of trying this WAG out

14. Get cozy at bedtime : NESTLE DOWN - weak; I can think of a better way to clue it, even on a Saturday

23. Classes (up) : RITZES

24. Bout div. : RND - round.  eh.

26. Much more than dislikes : ABOMINATES

27. Paid item : COMPLIMENT

29. Apron covering : TAR - my drafting/construction background led me to guess that this was the curb apron, or 'easement', and I've rarely seen them paved in asphalt

30. Like many an easy grounder : ONE-HOP - baseball

32. Gadgets originally available only in black or white : iPOD NANOS - an answer last Sunday, too, in the singular

33. Household nickname : SIS - mom, dad, sis, bro....?

36. __ nouveau : ART

39. Little piggy's word : WEE - not gonna go with the Geico commercial

41. Made manifest : EVINCED - dah~!  Not EMERGED

43. Stout relative : PORTER

46. Milano meal : PASTO - got caught up thinking MANGIA, which wouldn't fit

47. Skip : NOT DO - clever; e.g.   I would like to "not do" this step

49. Isaiah contemporary : AMOS - no clue; I thought maybe this was referring to basketball stars, but in fact they're prophets - and it seems like things don't change; here's the Wiki on AMOS, and I see he had similar issues in his time (yes, I didn't win the Poweball)

50. Awkward sort : LOUT

52. North American tire franchise : BIG O - not in my area

53. In any case : EVER

54. What to eat to lose weight? : LESS - I tried LITE first

57. Slots feature : ARM - dang~!  Not BAR

Splynter

Friday, January 15, 2016 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Where do babies come from? The Stork Exchange!

Our Friday phenom Jeffrey Wechsler stops by with his first 2016 effort which is a simple letter substitution that leads to new fill clued whimsically, made special by having the letter C which is removed from the first word of a phrase ending in CK and is replaced with the letter R. The elegance comes in with the changed words being a vowel progression AEIOU. Lots of interesting and hard to pin down fill such as ASTORIA, CODEINE, GRAYISH, HOBNOBS, ILL READ, IRON ORE, SERPICO, VERDURE.  Okay then...

17A. Response from a dog on a horse? : BARK IN THE SADDLE (15). Back in the saddle gets a doggie boost. I grew up with this SONG. (3:03)

20A. Barista's schedule? : PERKING ORDER (12). The pecking order brewed us some coffee.

35A. Pet peeve? : IRK FACTOR (9). ICK Factor perhaps made famous by Friends has 289,000 google hits, while there are 367,000 hits on google and a BLOG for Irk Factor. Unusual for the pun to be more famous.

54A. Jerk in a cove? : DORK OF THE BAY (12). We have to have this SONG. (2:54)

57A. Satisfying sight to an Istanbul clothing designer? : TURK IN YOUR SHIRT (15). Ah, you are wearing one of my designs, but please tuck it in.

Across:

1. Kid : JEST. Not a youth. Some Friday style cluing already as these words are related but I do not see them as synonyms.

5. Sufficient : DUE. Dire due parole about this clue as well.

8. Girl who calls Peppermint Patty "sir" : MARCIE. Finally, one I got immediately.

14. __ map : AREA. Okay this is fair,

15. "High Hopes" critter : ANT. They look about my age.

16. Longstanding : AGE OLD. Hey! we are not that old!

21. A-one : PRIMO. So many choices, cuz. Right Lucina?

23. Diving birds : LOONS. The Minnesota state bird.

24. Iraq War weapon: Abbr. : IED.  Improvised Explosive Device.

26. Emphasize : ACCENT. Ah, a grave clue.

28. Little biter : GNAT.

29. Way of the East : TAO. The word means 'the way' in Chinese , right C.C.? (From C.C.: Just "way". Chinese and many Asian languages do not have definite article.)

30. Oklahoma native : OSAGE. Another visit with an easier clue.

34. Takes to heart : HEEDS.

37. Skirt : EVADE. An issue, not one for Splynter.

40. Words on a jacket : BLURB. Dust Jacket on a book. I never buy any autobiographies, I just read the 'about the author' on the jacket.

41. Esteemed one : GEM. A peach.

44. Chilean currency : PESO. I did not know this. I have been in many places in South America but not Chile.

45. Native : INBRED. Inbred has such negative connotations.

47. Etchings, for example : ART. Come up to my room....

48. "The West Wing" actor : SMITS. Loved him in LA LAW and DEXTER

53. Degree requirements for some : ORALS.

60. Colorful songbird : ORIOLE. Beautiful.

61. Ramallah-based org. : PLO. Palestine Liberation Organization.

62. Very short time: Abbr. : MSEC. Nsec n'sync Backstreet Boy arrested!

63. Inconsequential : MEASLY. My salary is what?

64. Carrier offering Carlsberg beer : SAS. Originally Scandinavian Airline System.

65. Ersatz : SHAM. I like the word ersatz which is a German word we have taken as our own.

Down:

1. Hook alternative : JAB. Boxing, not  a slice HG and Big Easy.

2. Jazz __ : ERA.

3. Peter Maas biography subtitled "The Cop Who Defied the System" : SERPICO. Pacino at his best.

4. "I want to go!" : TAKE ME. Go with?

5. Like many caves : DANK.

6. "... I thought, / __ my head was dizzy": "Endymion" : UNTIL. Not the most famous line of this POEM which begins, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever"

7. Graphic introduction? : ETHNO. Anthropology?

8. Trowel wielder : MASON. My uncle was a master mason who taught at a trade school.

9. Microbiologist's gels : AGARS.

10. Demond's co-star in a '70s sitcom : REDD. Most people did not know his real name was Jon Elroy Sanford.

11. Cough syrup ingredient : CODEINE. Very common when we were young but the narcotic is not used in cough medicine much anymore.

12. Like one who goes by the books? : ILL READ. OOOOO.

13. Ending with stamp : EDE. Meh. 50D. Suffix with beaut : IFY.

18. Smelter input : IRON ORE. Out comes steel.

19. It may require delicate handling : EGO.

21. Touch lightly : PAT.

22. Miley Cyrus label : RCA. Really? DKDC.

25. Sot's woe : DTS. Delirium Tremens.

27. Sound of disdain : TSK.

28. An official lang. of Luxembourg : GERman.

31. Edwards, e.g.: Abbr. : AFB. Air Force Base.

32. __ pal : GAL. Not pc.

33. Old French coin : ECU.

34. Works the room : HOBNOBS. This word in its schmoozing meaning was popular in my 'ute.

35. Common court response : I DO. Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

36. Prefix with centennial : TRI. Are there any other three letter ones?

37. Org. monitoring brownfields : EPA. Live and LEARN.

38. Greenery : VERDURE.  If you know Latin or French or Spanish, this is easy.

39. Oregon port named for a 19th-century multi-millionaire : ASTORIA.  JOHN JAKOB.

41. Somewhat ashen : GRAYISH.

42. Long swimmer : EEL.

43. EKG readers : MDS.

46. Composer who championed Dvorák : BRAHMS. Great STORY?

48. Proficiency : SKILL.

49. What chips may represent : MONEY. How many of you play poker? There are pokers rooms everywhere here.

51. 'Vette roof options : T-TOPS.

52. Only NFL coach with a perfect season : SHULA. Once again the '72 Dolphins watched the ranks of the undefeated disappear.Don and Dan

55. Golden age theaters : RKOS.

56. God with a quiver : EROS.

57. Alley prowler : TOM. Okay CED, this is all you.

58. Actor Stephen : REA. Still most famous for the Crying Game.

59. Channel that shows Bogart films : TCM. Turner Classic Movies. Oo loves this and AMC.

So we had a rocky start but here we are halfway through January and three entertaining Fridays in the books. Be well all, stay warm and dry. Thanks JW, loved your NYT yesterday. Lemonade out.

Thursday, 14th January 2016 Danny Reichert

Theme: Unlike the Liberty Bell

17A. Well-cast "Into the Woods" actress? : MERYL STREEP

23A. Well-cast "An Education" actress? : EMMA THOMPSON

47A. Well-cast "Duplicity" actress? : JULIA ROBERTS

57A. Well-cast "Birds of America" actress? : HILARY SWANK

35A. Director's explanation as to why this puzzle's actresses were well-cast? : IT'S ALL IN THE NAME

Four movies, four actresses that appeared in the movie and four four-letter nouns embedded that relate in some way to the title.


Neat enough puzzle, although there can be a problem with proper name themes in that once you've tumbled the gimmick you can generally fill in a whole lot of squares without a great deal of thought. I've not seen any of the movies, but the actresses came pretty quickly.

Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. Home of the Great Sphinx : EGYPT. The nose and beard are missing. According to one version of the story, the nose was shot off by a cannonball fired by Napoleon's soldiers.

6. French thinkers? : TÊTES. From whence come idées. I'm going to Paris next weekend, so a good time to brush up on my French.

11. Priestly garb : ALB

14. Charter : LEASE

15. Discharge : EGEST. New to me, but patently a perfectly good word. Makes throwing up sound classy.

16. __ chi : TAI

19. It's used for some trips : LSD. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - no, wait, Lysergic acid diethylamide.

20. Bank customer acct. datum : S.S.N. I mentally parsed DEP, BAL and CHK before making SSNse of the clue.

21. Tackle box items : LURES

22. It may have a nice bouquet : VASE. Could have been WINE. Wasn't.

26. Like the Detroit Lions in 2008 : WINLESS. A season of futility leading to the worst record in NFL history. They did, naturally, get the first draft pick in 2009 and selected QB Matthew Stafford. It didn't immediately do much good - they went 2-14 that year.

29. Financial pg. topics : I.P.O'S

30. Clod breakers : HOES

31. __ arguments : ORAL. Stop snickering at the back.

32. Spat : ROW

40. Familiar saint? : PAT. I don't mind this so much, but seeing "St. Patty" drives me crazy. He's not a burger. My Dad was Uncle Paddy to the nephews and nieces.

41. Gets ready to fire : AIMS

42. "Zounds!" : EGAD. We've had the "offensive" debate before, but I didn't read this article on "minced oaths" until just now. Interesting stuff.

43. Cable service extras : DVRS. Digital Video Recorders rather than your basic decoder box.

44. "Spoon River Anthology" poet : MASTERS. Thank you crosses - I'd not heard of this before. Looks like it might be a fun read.

51. Fissionable particle : ATOM. Strictly speaking, an atom isn't a particle, it's comprised of particles - protons, neutrons and electrons.

52. "Sorry, __ go!" : GOTTA

53. Whale watcher's dream : POD. Or a pea-sheller's nightmare, one of the two.

56. Software issue : BUG. I read somewhere that there's likely to be a bug in every 11 lines of code. During my coding days, I reckon I probably wrote somewhere north of 100,000 lines, so I was personally responsible for around 9,100 bugs. Sorry.

60. Bud : BRO

61. "Is that __?": challenging words : A DARE. Usually ends badly.

62. Quad Cities resident, maybe : IOWAN. If you're from Davenport or Bettendorf. Not if you're from Rock Island, Moline or East Moline. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation why there are five cities.

63. Rule of crime writing : ANN. Crosses filled this in for me, I didn't see the fill until now. Just as well, I'd never heard of her.

64. Actresses Diane and Cheryl : LADDS. I think I might have tried to construct this area differently to avoid another "actress" entry given the theme.

65. Address to a boy : SONNY

Down:

1. O'Neill's "Desire Under the __" : ELMS

2. Heist units : GEES. As in 1,000's. Fun clue.

3. Unlikely story : YARN. A priest, a rabbi and an imam walk into a bar. The bartender says "This is a joke, right?".

4. Subj. involving cognitive development : PSY. cology.

5. "Spill it!" : TELL ME

6. Aquarium fish : TETRAS. Fish do totally inconsistent things with plurals. Including "fish" itself.

7. Wetlands wader : EGRET

8. Top choice : TEE SHIRT

9. Legal conclusion? : -ESE

10. Brake fluid brand : STP. The name comes from "Scientifically Treated Petroleum. Now we know.

11. Low-tech GPS? : ATLAS. Nice clue. Modern GPS actually tells you where you are, rather than you pointing hopefully at a page in the atlas and saying "I think we're here".

12. Stock holder? : LASSO

13. Former senator known as "Amtrak Joe" : BIDEN. Amtrak's Wilmington station is named for Joe in honor of the more than 7,000 trips he took into DC from there.

18. Totals : SUMS

22. LBJ and Nixon, e.g. : VP'S

23. Einstein's second wife : ELSA. Thank you, crosses.

24. Hawaiian food fish : OPAH. Because humuhumunukunukuapua`a doesn't fit.

25. Lawn problem : MOLE

26. Blender button : WHIP. Really? Mine has "On" and "Off", I only use it to blend smoothies. I have more suitable whipping tools. Like a whisk.

27. Bit : IOTA

28. Brooding spot : NEST

31. Iron-__ : ONS.

32. Extreme road response : RAGE

33. "Rubáiyát" poet : OMAR. Here was I wondering "Why don't I know who wrote "The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam? I'm sure I must!" And then the penny dropped.

34. Brings together : WEDS

36. California's __ Beds National Monument : LAVA. Beautiful spot in Northern California.

37. Way to get to N.Y.'s Citi Field : L.I.R.R.. Long Island Railroad. 17 miles and 25 minutes from Penn Station gets you to the ballpark.

38. Response to happy news : I'M SO GLAD

39. Brings home : NETS

43. Lacking luster : DIM

44. Scotland yards? : METRES. 39.3701 inches, so a wee tad more than a yard, laddie. Euro-spelling. Fun clue.

45. Pretentious : ARTY. Moi?

46. Balanced state : STASIS

47. "Star Wars" villain : JABBA. Big bloke, if I remember correctly.

48. Reversal : U-TURN

49. Start a telecommuting session : LOGON. That's me, most mornings. Not this morning - doing the Burbank - SFO commute with United. They were nice enough to upgrade me to First too. I  ♥ UAL.

50. Advisory body : BOARD

53. Puppet : PAWN

54. Put-act link : ON AN

55. Designer label initials : DKNY. Donna Karan, New York.

57. Evil computer of film : HAL "I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that".

58. NW state : IDA -ho.

59. Court : WOO

Here's the grid with the circles for those of you missing then, and that's going to do it for me.

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear JD, who's been with the blog since she retired from her teaching job in 2008. JD and her husband Bob live very close to her two daughters and their family.  This picture was taken in 2014 when Dylan turned one.

Front Row (Left to Right: Grady & his dad Derek; Truman (Grady's big brother) & mom Corie; Dylan and mom Shelby; Cameron (Dylan's big brother) and dad Joe.

Back Row: Proud grandparents JD & Bob.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 C. C. Burnikel

Theme:  But wait, there's more  .  .  .  The first words of three theme entries describe ways in which you can make purchases from the comfort of your own home.

18 A. Worker in a red, white and blue truck : MAIL CARRIER.   For the U.S. Postal Service.   You can use it to order by mail.

37 A. eBay event : ON-LINE AUCTION.   And you can also order ON-LINE from Amazon and many traditional retailers.

61 A. Document that might be subpoenaed : PHONE RECORD.   I'll let our legal experts explain why PHONE RECORDS might be gathered as evidence.   But you can also make your purchases by phone.  Have your credit card handy.

And the reveal:  40 D. Catalog come-on ... three ways to do it begin 18-, 37- and 61-Across : ORDER NOW.   Our sales executives are standing by.  Act fast and at no extra charge  .  .  .  Well, you get the idea.

Today's constructor is, as Robert Plant once said, "a lady we all know."  And it looks like she's getting ready to buy something.  Even if the stores are all closed, she's discovered several ways to get what she came for.

Hi gang - JazzBumpa here, repping for The Corner Crew.  Are you in a buying mood?  It makes me wonder. Ooh, it really makes me wonder.  Let's check out the merchandise.

Down

1. Texting protocol initials : SMS.   Short Message Service, for phones and other mobile devices.  It has an estimates 3.5 billion users.

4. Fired (up) : AMPED.   Excited and enthused.

9. Immortal Jazz trumpeter, to fans : SATCH.   Short for Satchmo, AKA, Louis, one of the most influential jazz and popular musicians of the 20th century.

14. Power __ : TIE.   A solid or striped necktie in bold, conservative colors, used as part of a "dress for success wardrobe," if you believe in that sort of thing.

15. "That Girl" star Thomas : MARLO.  A 1966 - 1971 TV program about an aspiring young actress trying to make it in New York City.

16. Chef Hall who co-hosts "The Chew" : CARLA.

17. "Bambi" character : ENA.   Bambi's mother in law.  Oh, deer.

20. Fastest of Columbus' ships : PINTA.  A caravelle.   The Niña, also a caravelle, and Santa Maria, a carrack, were dawdlers.

22. Progressive rival : GEICO.   Insurance companies.

23. Kilmer of "The Doors" : VAL.  He played Jim Morrison in the movie.

24. Cyclist's violation : DOPING.  Defined as the "use of physiological substances or abnormal method to obtain an artificial increase of performance," a notorious problem in top level cycling competitions since at least 1886.

26. Unlikely smartphone user : LUDDITE.  One opposed to industrialization or new technology.  They have to actually go to the store to shop.   And probably pay cash.

28. Picnic __ : AREA.  Words seen on a park sign.

29. Opening : ONSET.  Beginning.

32. "Piece of cake!" : EASY.  No problem.

33. Room for family game night : DEN.  Can also be called the family room, if you're game.

34. Chambermaid's supply : SOAP.  Towels and linens have not inspired operas.

35. Hook shape : ESS.   Like the letter.

42. Funds for the future, briefly : IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

43. Finish filming : WRAP.

44. Done with, with "of" : RID.   And good RIDdance, too.

46. Butler's home, for a while : TARA. Rhett in Gone With The Wind.

49. Technician with a fork : TUNER.  Worker in old keyboard technology.  Possibly a LUDDITE.

51. Inactive : IDLE.

52. Lex Luthor and Superman, e.g. : ENEMIES.  Villain and hero, respectively.

54. Mic users : EMCEES.  Masters of Ceremonies, initially phoneticized.

56. CXVI years ago : MCM.  More commonly, 116 years ago was 1900.

57. Indian royals : RANIS.  Of the female persuasion.   RAJAS also fits, but got perped out.

60. Belgrade natives : SERBS.  Belgrade, on the banks of he Danube, is the capital and largest city of Serbia.

64. Mets' div. : NLE.   National League East.   Baseball, of course.

65. Best Actress winner for "Two Women" : LOREN.   Sophia, in a tragic story set in WW II.

66. "Hooray!" : WAHOO.  Yippee!

67. "Days of __ Lives" : OUR.  One of those commercial operas obliquely alluded to above.   Strangely, does not feature chamber maids.

68. Strike out : ERASE.  Remove text.   Not baseball, sadly.

69. Stuck-up types : SNOBS.  At a deeper level, those who believe social status is an indicator of a person's worth.

70. Like freshly applied polish : WET.  Or paint. 

Down

1. Jay Pritchett, to Manny, on "Modern Family" : STEP DAD.  Never watched it.

2. Bite-size cookie : MINI-OREO.  Here, the cruciverbalist's favorite cookie makes a small appearance.

3. Co-screenwriter and star of "The Gunman" : SEAN PENN.   Murder, murder, and more murder.

4. University of Jordan city : AMMAN.

5. Billy's cry : MAA.  Especially on the Isle of Capri.  Did this get your goat?

6. Uptight type : PRIG. One whose SNOBBERY is based on a sense of self-righteous moral superiority.  

7. Allure rackmate : ELLE.   Fashion magazines.

8. Not likely to bite : DOCILE.   As a pet or other animal

9. New England whitefish : SCROD.  A young cod, haddock, etc.

10. Longest river entirely in Switzerland : AAR.  A tributary of the Rhine, it's name goes back to pre-Roman times.  During it's 195 mile run, it descends 5235 feet.  Its watershed includes about half of the country.

11. Small stuff : TRIVIA.  That which is not to be sweated.

12. Lacrosse shoes : CLEATS.    Sports shoes with projections on the sole to grip and prevent slipping.

13. Road hog? : HARLEY.   Iconic American-made motorcycle, aka a hog.

19. Clinic service for serious injuries : ACUTE CARE.   Emergency medical attention.

21. Niña's aunt : TIA.   Spanish, and an oblique reminder of the voyage of Columbus.

25. Run wild : GO ON A TEAR.   Usually in a good way, as an athlete having a hot streak.

27. Ricky portrayer : DESI.  Ricardo and Arnaz, respectively, from another well known TV show.

30. "Think again, laddie!" : NAE.   Denied in Scotland.

31. Bring forth : SPAWN.

34. Dubbed dude : SIR.   Good knight.

36. Additive sold at AutoZone : STP.   Viscosity modifier that should never put in your engine.

38. Hemsworth who plays Gale in "The Hunger Games" : LIAM.  Didn't see it.

39. Suffix with text : -URE.  TEXTURE is derived from the Latin textura, weaving, ultimately from the verb texere, to weave.  TEXT comes to us via Old French texte, meaning issue or literary style.   It ultimately also traces back to texere.  The suffix -URE indicates an action or condition, as in ersasure, closure or failure.  I can't decide if this is really legit.

41. Color similar to cerulean : NILE BLUE.  These are rather non-specific designations for blue hues with greenish tendencies. Cerulean is closer to a pure blue, while NILE BLUE leans more into the green region.  Or so it appears to my eye.

45. Piece of cake, e.g. : DESSERT.  The other, more literal, meaning of today's clecho.   Yum!

46. Head piece? : TEMPLE.  The region on each side of the head behind the eye.  The word comes from a different Latin root than its homophone meaning "a place of worship," which is derived from templum.  The head piece is derived from the vulgar Latin tempula, which also refers to time.   Hence our adjective "temporal," referring both to time and the side of the head.  So a well timed smack upside the head would be both temporal and temporal. 

47. Relay race closer : ANCHOR.  The last runner in a relay race is in the ANCHOR position.

48. Shark hanger-on : REMORA.  This fish has a suction cup-like structure formed from its front dorsal fins.   It can then hitch a ride on the skin of large marine animals, and gather ectoparasites and loose food particles.  Yum!

50. Mag that merged with World Report in 1948 : US NEWS.

51. Picked cubes : ICE.  Sorry, Tin Man, but we're cooling things off here.

53. Greek goddess of peace : IRENE.   Derived from εἰρήνη - the Greek for "peace".   Also the name of several Saints and my last surviving aunt.

55. Early PC platform : MS-DOS.  MicroSoft Disc Operating System.

58. "__ hardly wait!" : I CAN.  My feeling about baseball season.   Mud Hens start in 87 days.

59. London district : SOHO.   An area of the city of Westminster, part of London's West Side.  It has long been seen as a seedy area as a low class entertainment district., infamous for drunkenness and prostitution.  In recent decades there has been a good deal of gentrification and it is now a fashionable upscale district.  The name first appeared in the 17th century, and evidently was derived from a hunting cry.   To the best of my knowledge, there is no London district called Talley-Ho.

62. Wii forerunner : NES.   Nintendo game systems.

63. Steal from : ROB.  Burgle.

So we started off buying things and ended up shop lifting. But when you buy via today's theme entries, that temptation is preempted.  Till we meet again, keep your hands in your pockets and the economy chugging along.

Cool regards!
JzB