Wednesday March 2, 2016, Pawel Fludzinski

THEME: SWIMMING TO RIO

Husker Gary here having a swimmingly good time blogging Dr. Pawel Fludzinski's (Ph.D in Synthetic Organic Chemistry) lovely mid-week puzzle that he has synthesized for us. The first word in each of the good doctor's theme fills are the names of the strokes employed by swimmers in the Relay Medley swim event in the order in which they occur for the Team Event.

This is a very timely theme in this Olympic year and for the third straight Olympics, America's Swim Trials will be held in a facility 45 minutes from me.

If you've been following the news from Rio, swimming in the pool is far more preferable to participating in any event held in their polluted waters.

Theme Answers

17. 1985 film featuring Doc Brown and Marty McFly : BACK TO THE FUTURE - A SWIM STROKE with a good view of the ceiling OR a fabulous movie

22. Possible place for a train ticket : BREAST POCKET - A SWIM STROKE where the chest and torso do not rotate and is sometimes called the frog stroke OR where some pols are purported to live

37. Concept that small changes can have large consequences, as in theoretical time travel : BUTTERFLY EFFECT- A SWIM STROKE similar to the breaststroke but accompanied by two dolphin kicks per cycle OR an effect explained by Jeff Goldblum as he was enlightening (read hustling) Laura Dern in Jurassic Park - If a butterfly flaps its wings in Tokyo, there will be rain in Central Park

46. Improvisational music genre : FREESTYLE RAP - The final SWIM STROKE in the race which can not be any of the previous strokes and is usually the Crawl OR RAPPING by creating lyrics off the top of the RAPPER'S head. Hmmm... what rhymes with...

And the reveal

56. Olympic medley found in order at the starts of this puzzle's four other longest answers : SWIMMING STROKES 

Here are all four strokes in the order they occur in the Individual Medley. The relay event Dr. Fludzinski was referencing has to start with the backstroker in the water to avoid a collision when the previous swimmer touches the wall. 

Across 
       
1. Gin and tonic, e.g. : NOUNS - Erase DRINK and put in a part of speech

6. Outback birds : EMUS

10. "Pardon the Interruption" channel : ESPN - I'm a big fan of curmudgeon Tony Kornhesier 

14. Photographer Leibovitz : ANNIE

15. Island hoppers : SEA PLANES - I'll bet most of you know the rhyming name of this huge SEA PLANE that only flew once

19. Sesame __ : OIL

20. Julio to julio : ANO - July to July in Español

21. Potter's practice : MAGIC - Harry's forte not Doc Potter's from M*A*S*H

27. AFL partner : CIO

 28. __ Bator : ULAN - Rent an apartment in this building in ULAN BATOR for 1,650,000₮ (Mongolian Tughriks) or $810/month

29. Dude : BRO

32. How storybooks are often read : ALOUD

35. Bibliography abbr. : ET AL - Oh how I hate(d) typing bibliographies!!

36. "Nessun dorma," e.g. : ARIA - "None Shall Sleep" from Puccini's Turandot. There may be better but I've not heard them

40. Cheese with an edible rind : BRIE

41. Shakes a leg : HIES

42. White House staffers : AIDES

43. "You got it!" : YES

44. Bombard : PELT - Wisconsin cheerleaders had to take cover last year after being PELTED with snowballs from Wisconsin fans

45. Michael Caine title : SIR

51. Pastoral tribe of Kenya : MASAI - By the looks of this MASAI Jumping dance, these guys could play in the NBA

54. Sch. with a Phoenix campus : ASU 

55. "__ you nuts?" : ARE

61. Heredity sources : GENE POOLS 

62. Gala or ball : EVENT

63. Got off the ground : TEED - We'll be TEEING the ball up regularly very soon

64. Brogan or brogue : SHOE

65. Fizzy beverages : SODAS - Not thirst quenching to me

Down:

1. Big wheel : NABOB

2. Broadcast sign : ON AIR

3. Claudius, to Caligula : UNCLE - Claudius succeeded his nephew when Caligula was assassinated in 41 A.D. How 'bout that GENE POOL 

4. Suffix with peace : NIK

5. Shelve : SET ASIDE

6. Legally prohibit : ESTOP 

7. "Whatevs" : MEH 

8. Oil-rich fed. : UAE

9. 50+, e.g., on a L'Oréal tube: Abbr. : SPF - OK, here 'ya go

10. Erode : EAT AT

11. Form-fitting : SNUG

12. Meter starter? : PERI - From the Greek peri - 'about, 'around

13. Fraction of a min. : NSEC - 1 NanoSEC : 1 SEC as 1 SEC : 31.7 years

16. Light bulb unit : LUMEN - LUMENS required on a ball diamond

18. Hip about : ONTO

23. Under 90 degrees : ACUTE

24. Factory stores : OUTLETS - They don't seem cheaper to me

25. Potter's supplies : CLAYS

26. Mustard family member : KALE

29. Born partner : BRED

30. Stuffed pepper filling : RICE

31. Wild things to sow : OATS - ...and hope for a crop failure

32. First name in advice : ABBY - One of those Sioux City, IA twins

33. It may be found at the end of the line : LURE - In Julian Lim's Saturday brain buster it was clued "Fly,  commonly"

34. Big name in elevators : OTIS - OTIS made elevators common when he invented the safety brake which he demonstrated by cutting the supporting rope and only falling inches

35. Taxpayer's option : E-FILE - Got my money back within 10 days

36. Burning : AFIRE

38. South Korea's first president : RHEE - Born Yi Su‧ng-man and westernized his name to Syngman RHEE

39. Learning opportunities for many : FAILURES - How do telemarketers keep going?

44. Do the do just so : PRIMP

45. Betting aid: Abbr. : SYST

46. Renowned : FAMED

47. Café cup : TASSE

48. Did a fall chore : RAKED - All for naught!

49. Venue that often sells its naming rights : ARENA - Those swim trials are held in the Century Link ARENA in Omaha

50. Kid brothers or sisters, at times : PESTS

51. High-ranking NCO : MSGT - Most critics said MSGT Bilko should have been left to Phil Silvers

52. __ bit: slightly : A WEE

53. Trig ratio : SINE

57. Apple mobile platform : IOS

58. Japanese drama : NOH - Japanese for "skill" or "talent". Yeah, I knew that...

59. Shine, in brand names : GLO

60. Ab __: from day one : OVO - Didn't see until perps filled it in. You can't get more day one than OVO (egg)

Okay, let's hear some freestyle comments from you but please stay in your own lane!

GRID

Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Porcine Palace - I pity the fool that has to tell Miss Piggy she didn't make the cut.

17. *Whom Charlotte saved, in an E.B. White classic : WILBUR

 

18. *"Animal Farm" tyrant : NAPOLEON

 

23. *GEICO spokscritter who squeals, "Wee wee wee!" : MAXWELL

 

39. *"Toy Story" toy bank : HAMM

 

40. *Stutterer in Looney Tunes sign-offs : PORKY

 

43. *Unlikely title shepherd in a 1995 film : BABE

 

53. *40-Across' gal : PETUNIA

 

65. With 67-Across, annual March 1 event celebrated in the answers to starred clues : NATIONAL

67. See 65-Across : PIG DAY

Rabbit Rabbit or should I say, "Oink, Oink"? Argyle here. This site here has a pretty good explanation of today's celebration. Jeffery is often a Friday constructor so a few crunchy nuggets in the mix can be expected. Plus the theme entries may not be all that familiar but should be found doable. Quite satisfying. I best get busy; a lot of linking to do.

Across:

1. Human rights advocate Jagger : BIANCA. Mick's wife from 1971 to 1979.

7. Leaves in a big hurry : RACES OFF

15. Seductive quality : ALLURE

16. Having the capacity for learning : EDUCABLE. [ej-oo-kuh-buh l] or, educatable

19. Reason-based faith : DEISM. As opposed to THEISM.

20. Self-regard : EGO

21. One-__ jack : EYED. Spades and Hearts.

22. QB's gains : YDs

27. Variety : TYPE

28. More pert : SAUCIER

33. Mets' former stadium : SHEA

36. Singer Yoko : ONO

38. "Ninotchka" star Greta : GARBO

 

44. Reputed UFO pilot : ALIEN

46. "Golly!" : "GEE!"

47. "Great Taste...__ Filling": Miller Lite slogan : LESS

48. Carter's vice president : MONDALE. Walter.

51. Suffix with novel : ETTE

55. __ Grande : RIO. Photo of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.

 

58. Burn slightly : SEAR

62. Latin art : ARS. M-G-M motto, "Ars Gratia Artis", "Art for art's sake"

63. Doggie : POOCH

68. Biological order including eight-armed creatures : OCTOPODA. lol, ISOPODS yesterday.

69. Waiting one's turn : IN LINE

70. Catching-up query : WHAT'S NEW

71. FBI operatives : AGENTS

Down:

1. Ribald : BAWDY

2. Perjurer's confession : "I LIED"

3. "Silent Night" words before calm and bright : ALL IS

4. Used-up pencils : NUBS

5. Really bad : CRUMMY

6. __ Lingus : AER

 

7. Take more Time? : RENEW

8. Maxims : ADAGEs

9. Domelike building top : CUPOLA

10. Earth-friendly prefix : ECO. Umberto Eco died last month.

11. Mall event : SALE

12. Do as told : OBEY

13. Arctic chunk : FLOE

14. Provide (for oneself) : FEND

24. Per unit : A POP

25. Strange: Pref. : XENO

26. Tote : LUG

27. Domesticated : TAMED

29. Pay television : CABLE

30. "Dies __": Latin hymn : IRAE

31. Flows back : EBBS

32. Some reddish deer : ROEs

33. Bedding accessory : SHAM

34. Saintly glow : HALO

35. Key with one sharp: Abbr. : E MINor

37. Nonprofit URL ending : .ORG

41. Really eager : KEEN. Yesterday we had [Really into : KEEN ON].

42. Bigfoot kin : YETI

45. Rest of the afternoon : NAP

49. Use as support : LEAN ON

50. Online investment service : E*TRADE

52. Music studio activity : TAPING

54. Amer. attorney's study : U.S. LAW

55. "The Thinker" sculptor : RODIN

56. Words of refusal : "I CAN'T"

57. "I remember now!" : "OH, YES!". So maybe you can now.

58. Skiing surface : SNOW

59. Per unit : EACH

60. "__ girl!" : ATTA

61. Real hoot : RIOT

64. Gawk at : OGLE

66. Photo __: media events : OPS

67. Actress Zadora : PIA

 

Argyle

Monday, February 29, 2016 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Today. Like the month, the entries end with a synonym for leap.

37A. February 29th ... and, based on the ends of 16-, 24-, 49- and 60-Across, this puzzle's title : LEAP DAY

16A. Mideast protest movement that began in 2010 : ARAB SPRING

24A. Cash cache : BANK VAULT

49A. Morally obliged : DUTY BOUND

60A. TV actor who played the Maytag repairman : GORDON JUMP. (The Big Guy, Mr. Carlson)

Argyle here on a very special day. Maybe you math types can figure it out. I started the month and now I am closing the month. When will this happen again? Oh yeah, the puzzle. I better hop to it.

Across:

1. Frequent-flier no., e.g. : ACCT. I'm no frequent-flier so no number here.

5. Rental agreement : LEASE

10. Many GRE takers : SRs. College seniors going to grad school take the Graduate Record Examination.

13. Big, fancy dinner : GALA

14. Finalize, as a comic strip : INK IN

15. Tiny pest : GNAT

18. Mount St. Helens outflow : LAVA

19. Cloud computing giant : IBM

20. Crotchety oldster : COOT. "Stay off of my lawn!"

21. Postpone : DEFER

22. "Little Broken Hearts" singer Jones : NORAH. She is the daughter of Ravi Shankar and the half-sister of Anoushka Shankar. You can hear the influence in this song but the meaning?...that's something else.

27. Win-win : NO LOSE

29. Tall tale : YARN or perhaps 61D. Flowery poem : ODE

30. Run fast : GALLOP

31. Bond or Bourne : SPY. Bad boys.

32. [Oh, well] : [SIGH]

36. E-tailer's address : URL. Internet address.

40. Cow sound : {MOO!}

41. Sailboat staff : MAST

43. Will Ferrell holiday movie : "ELF"

44. Really into : KEEN ON

46. Makeover : REDO

48. 14-legged crustacean : ISOPOD. They've been around a long time and come in many forms.

53. Dull finish : MATTE

55. Laura's classic "Dick Van Dyke Show" wail : "OH, ROB!"

56. Dubliner's land : EIRE

58. Golfer's double bogey, usually : SIX. The most common length hole is a par 4, ergo, double bogey(two over par) is 6.

59. Put on weight : GAIN

63. Sound-off button : MUTE

64. Headache relief brand : ADVIL

65. Part of town : AREA

66. Ginger __ : ALE

67. Take care of : SEE TO

68. Second to none : BEST. C.C., of course.

Down:

1. "Encore!" : "AGAIN!"

2. Rich pasta dish : CARBONARA. Based on eggs, cheese, bacon, and black pepper.

3. New England shellfish sandwiches : CLAM ROLLS

4. It's picked up in bars : TAB

5. Cosmetic surg. option : LIPO. (liposuction)

6. Dress like Judge Judy : ENROBE

7. Curly-tailed guard dog : AKITA

8. Envy or lust : SIN

9. An official lang. of Hong Kong : ENGlish

10. Big mess : SNAFU

11. "Bolero" composer : RAVEL

12. Set in motion : START

15. Collects bit by bit : GLEANS

17. Where subjects are taught : SCHOOL

21. TiVo, for one : DVR. (digital video recorder)

23. Every bit : ALL

25. "Cagney & Lacey" law-enforcing gp. : NYPD. (New York Police Department)

26. Paddled boats : KAYAKs

28. Swim team swimsuit : SPEEDO. Those crazy boys at Seton Hall.

30. Orbit, e.g. : GUM

31. Sunscreen letters : SPF. (Sun Protection Factor)

33. Uncertain words : I'M NOT SURE

34. Happy days : GOOD TIMES. Both were sitcoms.

35. Sweetie : HON

38. Baseball's Felipe or Moises : ALOU

39. Naval petty officers : YEOMEN

42. "Have a sample" : "TRY ONE"

45. Org. concerned with pesticides : EPA. (Environmental Protection Agency)

47. Tidal retreat : EBB

48. "Ta-da!" : "I DID IT!"

49. Religious doctrine : DOGMA

50. Ryder rival : U-HAUL. Truck rentals.

51. All too familiar : TRITE

52. Timid person's lack : NERVE

54. Yank in China, maybe : EXPAT. Shortened Yankee and expatriate.

57. Chewy caramel candy : ROLO

60. __ station : GAS

62. Quick punch : JAB

Argyle

Sunday, Feb 28, 2016 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: "Putting in Overtime" - OT is added to each theme answer.

21A. Cold weather moisturizer? : THE LOTION IN WINTER. "The Lion in Winter". I discovered this two winters ago. Very moisturizing.

36A. Moor's money pool? : OTHELLO KITTY. Hello Kitty.

57A. Best Western fishing amenities? : MOTEL BROOKS. Mel Brooks.

66A. Business where lines are discouraged? : BOTOX OFFICE. Box office.

88A. Child-friendly? : SUITED TO A TOT. Suited to a T.

106A. Queen's body double? : OTHER ROYAL MAJESTY. Her Royal Majesty.

 

14D. Spoils at your neighbor's house? : THE BOOTY NEXT DOOR. The Boy Next Door.

35D. Did away with voting? : DROPPED THE BALLOT. Dropped the ball.

I think this is Jeffrey's first Sunday puzzle. Congrats, Jeffrey! 

Despite heavy themage, Jeffrey packed a bunch of long fill in this 138-word grid. Two 10's, two 9's and ten 8's, four of which are placed side by side, which is very hard to pull off cleanly.

I also liked lots of today's clues, esp 91. Periods in sentences : TERMS

Across:

     

1. __ Picchu : MACHU

6. Library fixture : LAMP. Not BOOK or DESK.

10. Early name in late TV : PAAR (Jack)

14. Bit : TAD

17. They help define a lot : ACRES

18. "Eraserhead" star Jack : NANCE. Unknown figure to me.

19. __ à manger: dining room : SALLE. "Room" in French.

20. Pink, for example : HUE

24. "More of the same" letters : ETC

25. Boards : STEPS ONTO

26. Trig function : SINE

27. Real Madrid's game : FUTBOL. Called Zu Qiu in Chinese. Literally "foot's ball".

29. Bar offerings : SHOTS

30. Campus challenges : FINALS

32. Judd of country music : NAOMI. We had her last Sunday.

33. Freed (of) : RID

39. Zen paradox : KOAN. Any of you familiar with the Japanese anime Ikkyu san? Very popular in my teens. Ikkyu is a little monk.

40. Features of some traffic signals : ARROWS

42. Charged atoms : IONS

43. Hi-__ image : RES

44. Mini- analog : ETTE

45. Sheltered spots : NOOKS

46. Lionel Hampton's instrument : VIBES. Vibraphones. Google shows that he was called "King of Vibes".

48. Fulfill the requirements : QUALIFY. Easy crossing QUO (48. Status __ ). Otherwise, I might not have got it.

50. Econ. statistics : GNPs. Of course I had GDPs first.

51. Target of icing : CAKE. 52. Target of icing : PUCK. Nice clue echo.

53. Linguistic source of "pajamas" : HINDI. Also "guru", "shampoo", "pundit" and a few more. We also have 110. Dish name from the Tamil for "sauce" : CURRY

56. Ability scorned by many : ESP

 

60. Unhidden : OVERT

61. Affixed, in a way : TIED ON

63. Voyage segment : LEG

64. Top spots : APEXES

65. Not as expected : ODDER. The answer is indeed "Not as expected".

72. Defunct carrier : TWA

73. Seller of chew toys : PETCO

74. From scratch : ANEW

75. Secretary of Education Duncan : ARNE. Not any more. Needs "former".

76. Shaft access : ADIT. Also 99. Needle holder : ETUI. Our old friends are back.

77. Flattering : HONEYED

79. Meir's successor : RABIN

81. Go on and on, with "on" : DRONE

82. Maker of Veriton computers : ACER. My monitor is an Acer. Great quality.

84. "How could I not see that?!" : DOH!

85. Assistant to millions : SIRI. Did you get this immediately, Gary?

86. Some factory workers : ROBOTS

87. Noodle variety : SOBA. Made of buckwheat flour. Often served cold.

92. Poppycock : ROT

93. Steaming : IRATE

95. European travel guide author Rick __ : STEVES. He's on NPR a few times. So glad we don't need to clue it as a plural given name any more.

96. Geek Squad pros : TECHS

98. First named Atlantic storm in 10 different years to date : ARLENE. I don't understand the clue.

100. Johann : "Sehr gut" :: Jacques : "__ bien" : TRES. Very good.

101. Compel to accept, as ideas : FORCE UPON

105. Up to, on invites : TIL

109. Words with a certain ring : I DO. Sweet clue also.

111. Stymies : FOILS

112. Danny __, Shel Silverstein's "dancin' bear" : O'DARE. Unknown to me.

113. Crookshanks, in Harry Potter fiction : CAT. Learning moment as well.

114. Moves it : HIES

115. Animal rights issue : FURS

116. Utterly enchant : BESOT

  

Down:

1. Pilates class array : MATS

2. Zwei quadrupled : ACHT. Luckiest number in Chinese/Japanese culture.

3. First Nations tribe : CREE

4. Makes it easier : HELPS

5. Hope venues for 50 yrs. : USO SHOWS. Bob Hope.

6. Ancient Chinese sage : LAO-TSE. Quite a few different spellings. Lao-tzu seems to be more common in the west. It's just Lao-zi in China.

7. Latin dating word : ANNO

8. It merged with WorldCom in 1998 : MCI. Drew a blank also.

9. Retirement plans : PENSIONS

10. Classic delivery vehicle : PANEL TRUCK

11. Space bar neighbor : ALT

12. Beth preceder : ALEF. First Hebrew letter

13. TV Land fare : RERUN

15. Defunct self-serve eatery : AUTOMAT

16. Just say no : DECLINE

18. Like Pluto, once : NINTH. Simple in respect.

19. Exodus high point : SINAI

22. Attention-getters on the road : TOOTS. And 23. Attention-getters at a bar : WINKS

28. Relax : TAKE FIVE

30. Antarctic sight : FLOE

31. Outback fare : STEAKS

33. Kitchen remodeling selection : RANGETOP

34. '60s-'70s TV detective : IRONSIDE. Never saw it.

37. Fact-checking can help avoid it : LIBEL. Got via crosses.

38. Haute couture initials : YSL. I really like Mulberry.

41. Gives a thumbs-up : OKs

46. Brewery container : VAT

47. Harry's successor : IKE

49. Wishful words : I HOPE

51. Flimflam : CON

52. Possum pal of Porky Pine : POGO

54. Gradually made a member of : DREW INTO

55. "Just checking the alarm, folks" : IT'S A TEST. Nice pair of 8's.

57. Nincompoop : MORON

58. Squander : BLOW

59. "Toy Story" dinosaur : REX. Gimme for me.

62. Work on a tree, maybe : DECORATE. Christmas tree.

64. Blackjack need : ACE

66. Gulf Coast environs : BAYOUS

67. Nearly flawless diamond highlights : ONE-HITTERS. Loved the clue & answer.

68. Red Sox legend Williams : TED. Frozen. He might come back to life someday. Who knows.

69. One-named Milanese model : FABIO

70. Calendar abbr. : FRI

71. Holiday __ : INN

76. Wall St. hedger : ARB

78. Script fixers, for short : EDs (Editors)

79. Gets out of Dodge : RIDES OFF

80. Applied __ : ARTS. Not familiar wit the term. You?

81. Get it finished : DO THE JOB. Great entry.

82. Like some lions : ASIATIC

83. Contest with picadors : CORRIDA

85. Cut : SEVER

86. "CBS Sunday Morning" correspondent Mo : ROCCA. He appears on "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" regularly. Who's your favorite "Wait Wait ..." panelist? Paula Poundstone is hilarious.

89. Absorbent cloth : TERRY

90. Micronesia components : ATOLLS

94. Father of Methuselah : ENOCH

97. Blue shoe material of song : SUEDE

101. Pretty, maidenwise : FAIR. OK, I get it. Fair maiden.

102. Antismoking TV spots, e.g. : PSAs

103. Alberto's alternative, with "el" : OTRO. The other.

104. Omsk objection : NYET

107. Charlemagne's realm: Abbr. : HRE

108. "As __ Like It" : YOU

C.C.