Friday, March 18, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: If you don't snooze, you lose, you need to catch those zzs.

JW in back-to-back Friday appearances. Today he inserts  'ZZ' into expressions and clues the result with levity. Of course using double Zs requires lots of z words so there is some very challenging fill. Much of the non-theme long fill is rarely if ever used including REAL BAD,  ADRIAN I,   JIMENEZ,  GALLONS, RADIOED, CERAMIC, ZAMBIAN, LIBERIA, ERODING, GARTERS, AN EARFUL, SEA TO AIR. There are some complete unknowns for me (ATWOOD, JIMENEZ etc.) The triple sevens in the NW and SE make for an interesting grid with only the 13 letter themers requiring some cheater squares. The humor is clear in all the theme fill, with Semper Fizz my favorite. Well, you gave mixed reviews last week; let's look at this week.

18A. Syncopated gaits? : JAZZY WALKS (10). A Jaywalker ups his game by dancing to the music.

33A. Rube Goldberg machines, e.g.? : DIZZY PROJECTS (13). Rube Goldberg was famous for his unnecessarily complex machines, like the beginning to Elementary. He was a CARTOONIST, inventor and so much more. The choice of the DIY (do it yourself) phrase is awesome.

36A. Impress around the green? : CHIP AND DAZZLE (13). More cartoons with those lovable CHIPMUNKS and maybe the golfers recall this shot. LINK.

55A. Cocktail that never goes flat? : SEMPER FIZZ (10). Semper is Latin for always so the joke is great and the shout to Dennis and our other marines is nice.

Across:

1. Indian bigwig : RAJA.

5. Short club : CUDGEL. I may be a day late but this is an example.

11. With 28-Across, was read the riot act : GOT. 28A. See 11-Across : AN EARFUL.

14. Find the right words, say : EDIT. Puzzles clues are often more than 50% changed by editors.

15. With 54-Across, common dorm room phenomenon : UNMADE.  54A. See 15-Across : BED.

16. 55 million-member service org. : AAA. American Automobile Association.

17. Treaty subject : ARMS. Salt I from last week.

20. Bit of duplicity : LIE.

21. Broadway choreographer for "Chicago" : FOSSE. His CAREER. People forget he was a dancer first.

22. Fr. address : MLLE. Not a street but to a young lady, mademoiselle.

23. Zulu or Kikuyu : BANTU.

25. Called the tower : RADIOED. I only thought of this.

32. Sack stuff : GUNNY. Want to know WHY?

35. Like tandoori cuisine : ASIAN.

44. Annoyance : PEEVE. Many keep them as pets.

45. Like some naval missiles : SEA TO AIR.

46. Holdup bands? : GARTERS. Nice challenging Friday clue and excuse to link for Splynter....

48. Gym dance in "West Side Story" : MAMBO.

49. Genesis twin : ESAU. Jacob is his conniving brother.

50. Dumpster habitués : FLIES. I did not know until last Sunday that DUMPSTER was a trade name.

58. Helpful, if impersonal, voice : SIRI. Not to Raj. WATCH.

59. Nous minus moi? : TOI. Us minus me equals you in French.

60. Fill with passion : ENAMOR.

61. "Game of Thrones" actor __ Glen : IAIN. Sir Jorah Mormont.

62. F1 neighbor : ESC.

63. Margaret Atwood's homeland : CANADA. Eh! She is accomplished. LINK.

64. Hitch : SNAG.

Down:

1. Desperately : REAL BAD. I wanted that new car....

2. Eighth-century pope : ADRIAN I. Yo, another random Pope? No, a rather significant ONE.

3. 1956 literature Nobelist Juan Ramón __ : JIMENEZ. A celebrated Spanish poet, but not in my ken. I am sure Clear Ayes could have told us much.

4. Cadillac compact : ATS.

5. King dog : CUJO. Not a nice puppy.

6. Some, in Sevilla : UNAS.  Spanish: Un and una mean 'a,' and unos and unas mean 'some.' 

7. Neutral areas, briefly : DMZS. We grew up with DeMitiliarizedZones on the news nightly.

8. Star attachment? : GAZER.

9. Name on an ice cream container : EDY. And a way to buy...11D. Dairy case choices : GALLONS.

10. "Ben-Hur" author Wallace : LEW.

12. Headliner in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show : OAKLEY. Annie.

13. Shocked, in a way : TASED.

19. Something made by millionaires? : A MINT. Where millions are made as well.

21. " ... a tale / ... full of sound and __": Macbeth : FURY. Our Shakespeare quote of the day. Sound and fury has become a phrase meant to signify a whole lot of nothing.
'Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.' -- Macbeth

24. Whirling toon : TAZ.  The cartoon Tasmanian Devil. I have had him on Friday before.

26. Meeting staple : AGENDA.

27. French noble : DUC. Duke.

29. Bad news from the professor : F PAPER.  I wonder how and when grading A-F started?

30. __ Major : URSA. The constellation that holds the big dipper. Latin for Bear.

31. Butcher's cuts : LOINS.

34. Ming dynasty art source : JADE. Clecho. 36D. Ming dynasty art source : CERAMIC.

37. Excited : HET UP.

38. "__ gotta run!" : I'VE.

39. Date night destinations : ATMS. B's cost money! (Babes?)

40. Suffix with proto- : ZOA.

41. Lusaka native : ZAMBIAN. Not up on my African CAPITALS.

42. Africa country whose official language is English : LIBERIA. I now know that this was Africa's first republic, founded in 1822 as a result of the efforts of the American Colonization Society to settle freed American slaves in West Africa. The society contended that the emigration of blacks to Africa was an answer to the problem of slavery and the then prevalent perception of the incompatibility of the races. This settlement dates back to 1847. If you want you can read MORE.

43. Whittling away, as support : ERODING.

44. Former Toyotas : PASEOS. More Spanish, and a short lived sporty car of the 90's.

46. Beau __ : GESTE. A character in a P.C. Wren book and many movies, it also is French for grand gesture.

47. Trekkie, e.g., for short : S F FAN. Science Fiction Fan.

51. Capital south of Quito : LIMA. Ecuador and Peru.

52. Sportswear brand : IZOD. The complete HISTORY.

53. Biblical scribe : EZRA. He was part of the first return to Jerusalem and the return of the Torah to the Holy Land. LINK.

56. 1957 Treaty of Rome org. : EEC. European Economic Community, precursor to the European Union.

57. Genetic messenger : RNA.

58. Member of the fam : SISter.

Wow, that was a workout. I do enjoy JW 's creations very much and appreciate his humor and consistency;  having blogged so many that I think I can see where the puzzle is headed when I begin solving a JW Friday. Hope you enjoyed your St. Paddy's Day.  Spring is near. Lemonade out

Thursday, March 17th, 2016 Jerry Edelstein

Theme: "Rooting around"

36A. Patrick Creadon documentary about SpongeBob ... and what's found in this puzzle's circles : SQUARE ROOTS

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! Don't drink green beer! (the Irish don't). However, they would enjoy this little ditty from the Dropkick Murphys.

Four sets of circles show four ROOTs with nice symmetry - the "R" occupies the NW, NE, SE, SW in turn. The reveal was fun, I'd not heard of the book but it filled itself in quite nicely.

A friend of mine is the voice of Squidward in the series. It became apparent how successful it was becoming when he bought a Corvette.

Right then - let's see what else we've got of note.

Across:

1. Family nickname : MAMA

5. Religion with Five Pillars : ISLAM. Faith, Prayer, Fasting, Charity and making the pilgrimage to Mecca.

10. NCO rank : MSGT. SSGT went in first. This one is Master Sergeant.

14. Word with man or horse : IRON. Iron horse is now an almost-archaic term for a steam locomotive. It's also a great winery in Sonoma, much more up my alley.

15. Black Panthers co-founder : SEALE. Unknown to me. Crosses bailed me out.

16. Gillette product : ATRA

17. Stub __ : A TOE

18. Strains : TAXES. Taxes strain my feelings of goodwill towards the IRS.

19. Go fast : ZOOM

20. Concerning : INRE. I learned this from reading Hunter S. Thompson's "Gonzo Letters" books.

22. Postgame postmortem : RECAP

24. Baby seal : PUP

25. Oahu resident, for example : ISLANDER. I tried HAWAIIAN first. Saw the error of my ways eventually.

27. Wake : ROUSE

29. AAA suggestion : RTE.

30. Source of a nutritious oil : COD. Cod liver, particularly

31. Sorted homogeneously : GROUPED

33. Rearward : ASTERN

35. Dirty money : GRIFT. Tried GRAFT. Changed it.

39. "¿Cómo está __?" : USTED

40. Emergency room concern : TRAUMA

43. Supposed : REPUTED

46. What -ess may denote: Abbr. : FEM. Feminine. Some PC-types get affronted by actress, heiress and the like. Me, not so much,

47. Spoiled : BAD

48. Licorice-flavored seed : ANISE

49. Animals that fight by necking : GIRAFFES

51. V x CCXXI : MCV. Roman math. Computers would never have been able to cope.

52. Bemused states : DAZES

55. Mineo and Maglie : SALS. Mineo I knew. Maglie, not so much.I discover he was a baseball pitcher in the '40s and '50s. C.C. would have known this.

56. It may be caught in the flue : SOOT

58. 2014 Olympics city : SOCHI. The hotels were all falling to pieces before they'd even been built. I wonder what the place looks like now?

60. Carry : TOTE

62. Uffizi hangings : ARTE

63. Where to find a full house : POKER

64. Past its prime : WORN

65. Rural agreement : YES'M

66. Long-legged wader : STORK

67. Yank who missed the 2014 season : A-ROD. Not voluntarily, I might add.

Down:

1. Hamm with a kick : MIA. US Women's National Team legendary soccer player

2. Recording pros : ARTISTS

3. Saturn ring components : MOONLETS

4. End of __ : AN ERA

5. Real end : IST

6. Scorched : SEARED

7. More lenient : LAXER. I think I'd say "more lax" than "laxer". Seems more proper.

8. Knighted Guinness : ALEC. Obi-Wan Kenobi portrayer in Star Wars, amongst other great roles.

9. Plateau cousin : MESA

10. 1960 Pirate World Series hero, familiarly : MAZ. Bill Mazeroski hit the series-winning home run against the Yankees in the ninth inning of Game 7. Impressive stuff. People still gather at the site of the old stadium (the campus of the University of Pittsburgh) on the anniversary of the game, and listen to a recording of the play-by-play.

11. Clog : STOP UP

12. Complain : GROUSE

13. Packed tightly : TAMPED

21. Covered with a hard coating : ENCRUSTED

23. Projected financial statements : PRO FORMAS

25. Author Levin : IRA

26. Give : DONATE

28. Word in a home run call : OUTTA. "It's up, it's long and it's OUTTA here!". Maz's home run probably got similar treatment.

31. Watchdog warning : GRR

32. Mob member : RIOTER

34. Top-of-the-line Hyundai whose name means "horse" in Latin : EQUUS

35. H.S. equivalency test : G.E.D. General Equivalency Diploma.

37. Arizona Cardinal mascot Big __ : RED. Here's my quibble of the day - the team name is Arizona Cardinals, with an "s". It's the NCAA's Stanford who are the Cardinal (the color, not the bird).

38. It's under the hardwood : SUBFLOOR

41. Baton user : MAESTRO

42. They can be classified : ADS

43. "Kitchen Nightmares" host Gordon : RAMSAY. He was a professional soccer prospect in his native Scotland when he suffered a ligament injury at aged 16. Owners of unhygienic restaurants and Hell's Kitchen contestants have come to regret that fact.

44. "Play it again, Sam!" : ENCORE

45. Dance turns : PIVOTS

46. Toy company co-founder Herman : FISHER. Along with Irving Price, Herman's wife Helen, and Helen Schelle. History does not record why Schelle was left off the naming roster.

49. Insurance spokeslizard : GECKO. Annoying little bugger, I have to say.

50. Islamic ruling : FATWA

53. Lethal snakes : ASPS

54. Type of baggy '40s suit : ZOOT. Sharp!

57. President pro __ : TEM. From the Latin "pro tempore" "for the time being".

59. Annoy : IRK

61. Apt answer for this puzzle location : END. I *think* this clue was probably intended to read "Apt answer for this clue location". It doesn't make a whole lot of sense otherwise.

That's about it. No St. Patrick's jollity for me today - I'll be en route between San Jose and San Diego. I'll save my fun for the weekend when I get back to LA.

Be careful out there!

Steve

Aaaaanddddd ... here's the grid.

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."