Wednesday, March 16 2016, Kurt Krauss

Theme:  

 16. Venue that keeps you up-to-date : NEWS CHANNEL. Channel Islands. Chain of eight islands off the coast of Southern California.

27. Tropical cocktail whose color comes from curaçao liqueur : BLUE HAWAIIAN. Hawaiian Islands.

47. Chaste priestess of ancient Rome : VESTAL VIRGIN. Virgin Islands. Wikipedia: The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, and form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

61. Biblical wise man : KING SOLOMON. Solomon Islands. Interesting.

37. This puzzle's theme, as suggested by the ends of 16-, 27-, 47- and 61-Across : ISLANDS

Melissa here. Very do-able but messed myself up a bit in the west with a few too-eager guesses. Didn't catch the theme until I had all but one theme answer filled in. Nicely done 37a ISLANDS right in the center.

Across         
 
1. Latte option : MOCHA. If you add chocolate syrup to a latte, you get a mocha.

6. Difficult position : SPOT

10. It's cut and dried : HAY. Love this clue.

13. Loud, as a crowd : AROAR
 
14. African city where pounds are spent : CAIRO. Capital of Egypt.

15. Tree feller : AXE
 
18. __ Tin Tin : RIN
 
19. Hunk : SLAB
 
20. Really bother : IRK
 
21. Bus terminal : DEPOT
 
23. "Beaches" actress Midler : BETTE
 
25. Canadian stadium renamed Rogers Centre in 2005 : SKY DOME
 
30. First name in game shows : VANNA. Fooled me, was reaching for a male's name, like Monte.
 
31. Work-wk. start : MON
 
32. Basic Latin conjugation word : AMAT
 
36. "Got it, man?" : DIG
 
41. Big heart? : ACE. Nice clue.
 
42. Ladies of Sp. : SRA'S. Senoritas.
 
44. Chicago's __ Center : AON. I had no idea about this building.
 
45. Elena of the Supreme Court : KAGAN
 
51. Record covers : SLEEVES
 
54. "__ a stinker?": Bugs Bunny : AINT I
 
55. Upright, e.g. : PIANO. Fooled me. Tried ERECT first.
 
56. Bow (out) : OPT
 
57. Disaster relief org. : FEMA
 
60. Longtime football commentator Cross : IRV
 
65. Actress Charlotte : RAE
 
66. Where to learn une leçon : ECOLE. French. Une leçon = a lesson; ecole = school.

67. Practical joke : PRANK
 
68. CIA forerunner : OSS
 
69. "Man, you are not serious!" : DUDE
 
70. Rocker Patty married to John McEnroe : SMYTH
 
Down
 
1. 24 Hours of Le __: auto race : MANS. Oldest active sports car endurance race, held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, France.
 
2. Hurler Hershiser : OREL
 
3. Ninja Turtle's "Awesome!" : COWABUNGA
 
4. Faded star : HAS BEEN
 
5. Curved part : ARC
 
6. Went under : SANK
 
7. Alley target : PIN
 
8. Load from a lode : ORE
 
9. "Shoulda listened to me!" : TOLD 'YA
 
10. Silent Marx : HARPO
 
11. Assumed truth : AXIOM
 
12. "Fiddler on the Roof" matchmaker : YENTE. Always try to put an A or L at the end.

14. Hall of Fame infielder Rod : CAREW
 
17. Words before homer or brick wall : HIT A
 
22. Novelist Ferber : EDNA
 
24. Takeout option : THAI. Tried To Go, which makes no sense, then Taco ...
 
25. "The Da Vinci Code" priory : SION. I'm probably the only person who never read any of Dan Brown's books. Wikipedia.

26. Warm-hearted : KIND
 
27. Some undies : BVD'S
 
28. Lion's den : LAIR
 
29. Range maker : AMANA
 
33. Rod Stewart classic with the line "You stole my heart but I love you anyway" : MAGGIE MAY
 
34. Trendy berry : ACAI
 
35. Ky. neighbor : TENN
 
38. Postage-paid enc. : SASE. Self-addressed stamped envelope.
 
39. Gobs : LOTS
 
40. Banana peel : SKIN
 
43. Kristoff's reindeer in "Frozen" : SVEN
 
46. Sculpture or ballet : ART FORM
 
48. Brought forth : EVOKED
 
49. Run out : LAPSE
 
50. Corleone patriarch : VITO
 
51. Veep between Hubert and Gerald : SPIRO
 
52. Turkish coins : LIRAS
 
53. Some nest sites : EAVES. Barn swallows like to nest in eaves.

 56. Give the eye : OGLE
 
58. __ Blanc: tallest Alp : MONT
 
59. Egyptian cross : ANKH
 
62. Post-ER area : ICU. Intensive Care Unit.

63. Sign of approval : NOD
 
64. Old DJ's records : LP'S

Note from C.C.:

Please click here to see a few pretty azalea pictures D-Otto took yesterday. What did you see in the first two pictures? D-Otto said "The one with the cat under it isn't an azalea, but it is spectacular looking."

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 John R. O'Brien

Theme: Word Fusion - Three examples of portmanteaux.

17A. Latter-day Beau Brummell : METROSEXUAL. METRO(politan) + (hetero)SEXUAL

27A. Eponymous '80s fiscal policy : REAGANOMICS. President Reagan and economics.

46A. Crossbred guide dog : LABRADOODLE. Labrador Retriever and Poodle.

62A. 17-, 27- or 46-Across : PORTMANTEAU

Argyle here. Not much to say. Tight fit to get from the top to the bottom. "It's been a little over a year since John's last visit, I hope the next one is sooner." (Tue., Mar. 24, 2015) He got in under the wire. 

Across:

1. Transparent : LIMPID. Do you remember "those cool and limpid green eyes? Song (2:38)

7. Pasture mom : MARE

11. Beaver project : DAM

14. On the plane : ABOARD

15. Stein fillers : ALES

16. Detroit-to-Harrisburg dir. : ESE. 112.50°

19. School support gp. : PTA. (parent-teacher association)

20. No longer on one's plate : EATEN

21. Virtual people, in a game series : SIMS. Simulations.

22. Wrap for leftovers : FOIL

23. Ambles : MOSEYS

25. Mount Rushmore quartet : NOSES. Really big noses.

31. Furry Persians : CATS

35. Norse god of war : TYR

36. Wood shaper : LATHE

37. Home run jog : TROT

38. Grenoble's river : ISERE

41. Corned beef order : LEAN

42. Update, as a cartographer might : REMAP

44. Bogotá's land: Abbr. : COLombia

45. Cut a paragraph, say : EDIT

50. "Vamoose!" : "SCRAM!"

51. Threw with effort : HEAVED

55. Rocker David Lee __ : ROTH

57. Southwestern land formation : MESA

59. Lured (in) : ROPED

61. Wall St. debut : IPO. (Initial Public Offering)

64. Downing Street address : TEN. The office of the British Prime Minister.

65. Poker stake : ANTE

66. Cool and collected : SERENE

67. Chemical suffix : ENE

68. Baseball gripping point : SEAM

69. Car radio button : PRESET

Down:

1. Like a weak excuse : LAME

2. Skyscraper support : I-BEAM

3. Utah's "Industry," for one : MOTTO

4. Cuts the rind off : PARES

5. Crease maker, or crease remover : IRONER

6. Cavity filler's deg. : DDS. (Doctor of Dental Surgery)

7. Modest skirt : MAXI

8. Grad who may use "née" in a college newsletter : ALUMNA. Two grads, alumnae.

9. Good thinking : REASON

10. Night school subj. : ESL. (English as a Second Language)

11. Added to one's bank account : DEPOSITED

12. Piedmont wine region : ASTI

13. McDonald's "Happy" offering : MEAL

18. Op-ed pieces : ESSAYS

22. Hen or ewe : FEMALE

24. Himalayan legend : YETI

26. Note between fa and la : SOL

28. __-Roman wrestling : GRECO

29. Spiced Indian brew : CHAI

30. On its way : SENT

31. PC key not used alone : CTRL

32. Geometry calculation : AREA

33. Arizona town where the Earps and Clantons fought : TOMBSTONE

34. Collar stiffener : STARCH

39. '90s White House name : RODHAM. Once and future name?

40. Glamour rival : ELLE. (magazines)

43. Bogey beater : PAR. (Golf)

47. Crooner Vic : DAMONE

48. Mafioso code of honor : OMERTÁ. Code of silence.

49. W-2 form recipient : EARNER

52. "À __ santé!" : VOTRE. "To your health!"

53. Olympic swords : EPEEs

54. Revolutionary diplomat Silas : DEANE. Information

55. Solemn ceremony : RITE

56. Start the bidding : OPEN

58. Goblet part : STEM

60. "Mrs. Robinson," e.g. : DUET. It's sung by a duo but not a duet, right or wrong?

62. Partners for mas : PAs

63. Cairo cobra : ASP

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

The 39th American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (April 1-3) will be held at the Stamford Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut. For those who attend, I hope you won't miss the Cru Dinner organized by the great Mike Alpern. See the crossword pope on the third page? Ha ha.

The Cru Dinner officially kicks off the tournament and is a great opportunity to meet with constructors (esp our own Minnesotan George Barany, Tom Pepper and Marcia Brott, all will be at the Cru Dinner this year) and fellow solvers. The space is limited, so be sure to contact with Mike as soon as possible.

Mike also takes fantastic photos of the tournament each year.  I'll just pick a few pictures from his albums.

Rich, Mike & Kim,  ACPT, 2008

Marti & Rich, ACPT, 2013

Al Sanders & Tom Pepper, ACPT, 2014

Mike and George Barany

Monday, March 14, 2016 Ed Sessa

Theme: A Little Help - Lend a hand to the last words of the theme entries.

20. Kid's sidewalk business : LEMONADE STAND. Handstand.

29. Nestlé bottled water brand : POLAND SPRING. Handspring.

46. Soda fountain order : VANILLA SHAKE. Handshake.

56. "Applause, applause!" ... or what one might do in front of the last words of 20-, 29- and 46-Across : GIVE THEM A HAND

Argyle here. I bet there are some words you won't see until you read them here. Autofill. And some words you may not have seen before. It would have been nice if all three 'hands' were the same type or all different but it is what it is.

Across:

1. Decorator's asset : TASTE. Especially a cake decorator?

6. PCs made by Big Blue : IBMs. Big Blue is IBM but are the PC's called something else?

10. Casual tête-à-tête : CHAT. Head to head.

14. Part of "Hamlet" in which Ophelia drowns : ACT IV

15. Game with cues : POOL

16. Wife of Zeus : HERA

17. Last word of "The Star-Spangled Banner" : BRAVE

18. Estimate words : OR SO

19. Metrical foot, in poetry : IAMB

23. Sixth sense, briefly : ESP. (extrasensory perception)

24. RR stop : STN. (station)

25. Contented sounds : AHs

26. Air traffic org. : FAA. (Federal Aviation Administration)

32. Director Wertmüller : LINA. Née Arcangela Felice Assunta Wertmüller von Elgg Spañol von Braueich.

35. Young Darth's nickname : ANI. Anakin Skywalker.

36. Army base nickname : SARGE

37. Amo, amas, __ : AMAT

38. Green energy type : SOLAR

41. "The doctor __" : IS IN

42. Monopoly payments : RENTS

44. Summer, in France : ÉTÉ

45. Cancel an edit : STET

50. At least one : ANY

51. Balloon filler : AIR. Hot air, sometimes.

52. Civil Rights Memorial designer Maya __ : LIN

53. "Mamma __!" : MIA

60. Loads (of) : A TON

62. Saddle or sofa : SEAT

63. "Wheel of Fortune" co-host : VANNA White.

64. Bread unit : LOAF

65. Like nonfiction : TRUE

66. DeGeneres of TV talk : ELLEN

67. Pic, in ads : FOTO

68. Skinny Olive and family : OYLs

69. Prefix with foam : STYRO. (ubiquitous plastic)

Down:

1. Place setting setting : TABLE

2. Plowing measures : ACRES

3. Post office purchase : STAMP

4. Binge-watcher's device : TIVO

5. "That being said ... " : "EVEN SO ..."

6. Apple music player : IPOD NANO

7. Dull one : BORE

8. Israeli intelligence group : MOSSAD

9. "Three-toed" leaf eaters : SLOTHS

10. Whiskers spot : CHIN

11. Like swan dives : HEADFIRST

12. Upper limb : ARM

13. Indent key : TAB

21. Book of maps : ATLAS

22. Once-sacred Egyptian snakes : ASPs

27. Woman with an online list : ANGIE

28. Secret __: spy : AGENT

29. Singer LaBelle or LuPone : PATTI

30. Frasier's brother : NILES

31. Pay hike : RAISE

32. Immature insect : LARVA

33. "Know what __?" : I MEAN

34. Billy's barnyard mate : NANNY GOAT

39. Olympic competitors : ATHLETES

40. Adjust one's sights : RE-AIM

43. Czech or Serb : SLAV

47. Fools with a fib : LIES TO

48. Blood carrier : ARTERY

49. Jacks in a deck : KNAVEs

53. Masculine : MANLY

54. Word before circle or city : INNER

55. Hersey's "A Bell for __" : ADANO

57. "Inside" dope : INFO

58. Yield from a heist : HAUL

59. Stop : HALT

60. Furry TV E.T. : ALF. (alien life form)

61. "__ many cooks ... " : TOO. "...spoil the broth".

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Happy 58th Birthday to JJM, another thrill-seeker on the blog. Here is a picture of his zip lining in 2010. JJM loves baseball, golf & hockey. I think both of his kids play hockey.

2) Please send thoughts and prayers to Bluehen for his hip surgery this morning.