Saturday, May 14th, 2016, John Lampkin

Theme: JL

Words: 68 (missing J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 31

  So pleased to get a John Lampkin puzzle, and this, if I am not mistaken, is his first Saturday publishing, at least for the LA Times.  I have enjoyed his Sunday constructions, and I find his cluing to be fresh and humorous - and today was no exception.  To find out more about John, his interview is here.  Of course, no grid would be complete if he didn't include some animal references - and I was determined to get 1 across, no matter how long it took.  As it turned out, the whole thing took about 30 seconds longer than my personal allotted time, and I have to admit to one red-letter; see 60 down.  Triple 10-letter across corners, triple 9s in the downs;

17a. Hammers home : REITERATES - my first read was "hammer's home", as in TOOL BOX, which wasn't going to work; this is the verb, not the noun

12d. At ten, say : ON THE HOUR - simple, and yet difficult to see in the 'down'

62a. Leftovers dish, perhaps : COTTAGE PIE - never heard of it; had --PIE, and the rest was perps and a WAG

31d. Short putt : TWO-FOOTER

ACROSS:

1. What separates the gulls from the buoys? : WEBBED FEET - it took most of the time to get the NW corner to fill, because I was stuck at 1a. thinking "something ---NET"; this is just plain clever

11. Red number : LOSS - I tried DEBT

15. Come fashionably? : ARRIVE LATE

16. 20 fins : ONE C - I did the math; 20 x 5 = 100, but couldn't fit "C-NOTE"

18. Nail target : ITCH - I had the "B" first, so I tried STUD; can you tell I'm stuck in carpentry mode~?

19. Chemical formerly used in carbonless copy paper manufacture : PCB - Polychlorinated Biphenyl; more from Wiki

20. Challenges : RIGORS

21. "Go away!" : "SHOO~!" - had it in, took it out....

22. Mayan pyramid feature : STEP

24. Threw on : DONNED

26. Self-described "non-musician" : ENO - oops, I had EMO first

27. Portent : OMEN

29. It can be before you : ARE

30. Checkup result letters : HDL - cholesterol number

31. Nut features : THREADS

This would make a good "john" sign, too

34. Experimental habit? : LAB COAT - I totally nailed this; and yet I did not get "oodles" at 55a.

36. They can be frustrating : WAITS - I lack patience, most definitely

37. Enterprise officer : UHURA - I always misspell this with a third "U" at the end

38. Eponymous Seminole leader : OSCEOLA - all perps, and a WAG at the "L"

41. Kiwi genus : APTERYX - once I had the "P", I knew that birds were "pter", and flightless ones were "A-pter"; the "YX" seemed good taxonomic Latin

43. Disgusted word from Lady Macbeth : "FIE~!"

44. Rest : NAP - I take one every day, roughly between 12-2pm

45. Rest poorly : TOSS

46. Kind of trading, briefly : OTC

47. Pabst brand : STROH'S - a little history lesson

49. Big Ten player since 2014 : TERP - Maryland Terrapins - another animal reference

53. Epps of "House" : OMAR

55. Gobs : OODLES

57. Good name for a London washroom attendant : LOU - lou/loo

58. Net : TAKE

59. Zip : SPEED ALONG - I considered "NOT A THING" kind of zip, but it didn't fit

61. Apple site : EDEN - not the computer ( e.g. DESK ), and not TREE

63. Leftovers : REST - a clecho from 62a., another JL cluing stlye

64. Valuation : ASSESSMENT

DOWN:       

1. Twists : WARPS - common in wood boards, especially 1x lumber

2. Straight up : ERECT - ah.  Not LEGIT

3. Crooked bread? : BRIBE - ah. ah.  Not LUCRE, but I was on the right wavelength

4. Boring piece : BIT - and more carpentry

5. Lasting start : EVER - everlasting

6. Knocked : DERIDED

7. Spouted containers : FLAGONS

8. Big name in stationery : EATON - perps

9. Lasting : ETERNAL

10. Mosaic piece : TESSERA - learned from doing crosswords

11. __ Chiles, portrayer of Dr. Holly Goodhead in "Moonraker" : LOIS

13. Lesser : SECONDARY

14. Homeowner's burden : SCHOOL TAX - my "U" from Uhura was leading me to "something TUB"; again, I'm in the middle of building a bathroom, so....

23. Baudelaire, par exemple : POETE - Les Frawnche

25. Times to come out : DEBUTS

28. Plinth course layers : MASONS - ah, the worker, not the stratum

32. Is set : HAS IT MADE

33. Generally gluten-free snacks : RICE CAKES

35. Tea __ : CHEST

39. Play that inspired Puccini : La TOSCA - filled via perps; the Wiki

40. Fitting : APROPOS

41. Fit figure, usually : ATHLETE

42. Impersonated : POSED AS - my kind of pose

48. "Sweet Smell of Success" co-screenwriter : ODETS - perps and WAGs

50. Slip to tie a knot? : ELOPE

51. Masterless samurai : RONIN - learned from an episode of "The X-Files"

52. Sound named by George Vancouver : PUGET - funny, I've been reading the making of Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back, so I was thinking of the noise sound, not the body of water sound.  I took a vacation to Seattle, and saw the sound - or is that an oxymoron~?

54. Torn : RENT

56. Weakens : SAGS

60. Rover's kin? : LEM - dah~!!  I went with LAM - as in 'going on the lam', which I think is similar to someone 'roving'....and John ends his clues with "kin", I might add....

Splynter

Friday, May 13, 2016, Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Do you want to PAL around?

JW returns with 'add a word' (3 letters at that) to existing phrases to create a whimsical mental picture of something very different. Despite my seeing and discussing much of Jeffrey's work lately, the cluing is fresh and only PROEM was unknown to me. The longer fill, CLASS UP,  THE MAGI,  I'M A JERK,  IN EXILE, RAIN SHOWER and  MOTOR SPORT really show his preference for multi-word answers. The choice to have just three themers plus a reveal was governed by the grid-spanners  giving 58 theme spaces. Lots of music references and - well, let us go see.

17A. Financially distressed royal residence? : PALACE IN THE HOLE (15). The PAL is added to the beginning of "ace in the hole." Cute. I do not think the Queen is hurting financially.

34A. Pious antelope? : IMPALA BELIEVER (14). I was really amused by the picture of this cute African food source for lions, praying and singing....

40A. Clairvoyant magazine staff? : PALMISTS OF TIME (14). A common expression also has the PAL added to the beginning; I like the John Mayall version.

And the reveal:

61A. Carole King song title ... or a hint to 17-, 34- and 40-Across : YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND (15).

I wonder if this puzzle was inspired by the Broadway play about Ms. King. She has written so many wonderful songs.

Across:

1. Sprinkled stuff : TALC. So much CONTROVERSY now.

5. Ottoman honorific : AGHA.

9. Carried : TOTED. Reminds me of listening to this album as a child. He was a true...

14. Star often gazed at : IDOL.

15. Golf inconvenience : RAIN SHOWER. Ask, HG--this is a perfect clue, as a shower does not stop a serious golfer.

19. Things kept for oneself : STASH. Not to be confused with last week's 'STACHE.

20. Elite group : A TEAM. Generic, or the TV Show?

21. New Delhi-to-Mumbai dir. : SSW. Heading toward last week's newbie constructor.

22. "Downton Abbey" assent : YES SIR.

24. Wit : WAG. An old term for a jokester, mid 16th century (denoting a young man or mischievous boy, also used as a term of endearment to an infant): probably from obsolete waghalter ‘person likely to be hanged.’  Per dictionary.

26. "The Golden Arm" of the Baltimore Colts : UNITAS. High topped always,  Johnny U.

30. Reach uncertainly : GROPE. Not always, sadly.

37. Geisha circler : OBI. More sashes for me.

38. Sister of Melpomene : ERATO.

39. Ho's accompaniment : UKE.

45. Introduction : PROEM. A real word, but I certainly never heard of it. This was a struggle as the perps were not easy either.

46. Submitted : SENT IN.

47. Dance genre : TAP.

49. Annual delivery vehicle? : SLEIGH. Santa and the odd clecho 9D. Annually celebrated group : THE MAGI.

53. Setting in Eng. : GMT. Greenwich Mean Time.

56. First name in Western crime : JESSE. James

60. Like George H. W. Bush : EX-CIA. Conspiracy THEORY anyone?

64. Rallying, e.g. : MOTOR SPORT. I used to want to do THIS.

65. Singing daughter of Judy and Vincente : LIZA. Judy Garland and Vincente Minelli.

66. Bombed : STUNK.

67. Expression of appreciation : HAND. Let's give all our constructors a big hand for the entertainment.

68. "L'__, c'est moi": Louis XIV : ÉTAT. The State in French.

Down:

1. Lit : TIPSY.

2. "... __ which will live in infamy": FDR : A DATE.

3. Falana and Glaudini : LOLAS. Lola 1 one was a Sammy Davis protege with health issues; Lola 2 is a very busy TV actress. Feel free to IMDB.

4. Infuse with elegance : CLASS UP. My meh fill of the day.  Though 'class up the joint'  appears often,  the reference on its own just hangs there for me.

5. Exist : ARE.

6. Greek primordial deity : GAIA. Quite an incestuous and bloody STORY reminiscent of later Heinlein works.

7. Subtlety : HINT.

8. Startup money? : ANTE. To start the game.

10. "How wonderful!" : OOH. AHH.

11. Dancers, often : TWOS. It does take two to Tango.

12. Sushi kitchen supply : EELS.

13. Gained (from) : DREW. On my vast experience.

16. "I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation" speaker : SHAW. No Shakespeare but the eminently quotable George Bernard Shaw, LINK. I could not pick my favorite. No P Shaw  quotes.

18. Where gunpowder was invented : CHINA. Some HISTORY.

23. Irks : RILES.

25. Univ. student's ordeal : GRE. Graduate Record Examination

27. Wonderland trial evidence : TARTS. Carroll's not subtle indictment of our legal system.

28. Demean : ABASE.

29. __ Hall : SETON. A Catholic college in NJ named after the first American SAINT.

31. Cell with potential : OVUM. Eggsactly.

32. Chinese toy : PEKE. More China and no abbr.

33. Poet's "previously" : ERE.

34. Construction support : I BAR.

35. Close follower of Venus? : MILO. You all know the Venus de Milo and her lack of arms.

36. Some apartments : LOFTS.

37. On the facing pg. : OPPosite..

41. Citi Field player : MET.

42. "D'oh!" : I'M A JERK. I think of it more as "I am an idiot."

43. Interior construction specialist : TILER.

44. Napoleonic? : IN  EXILE. A Friday thought.

48. Cribbage pieces : PEGS. That is how you count points and it is where I learned to how add by watching my father play the game.

50. Clinch the game, in slang : ICE IT.

51. Japan's answer to Rodeo Drive : GINZA. Alex, we will stay with Asia for $800.00. LINK.

52. Attacked : HAD AT.

53. Places to see presses : GYMS. Bench presses, military presses...

54. Academic : MOOT.

55. "Fantasia" hippo's garb : TUTU.

57. Certain collegian : SOPHomore. And of course the freshmen who fail or sopholess;  derivation from Greek sophos "wise" + moros "foolish, dull"?

58. Athenian walkway : STOA. A covered walkway.

59. Get through work : EARN.

62. Otto __ Bismarck : VON. A very INFLUENTIAL  figure.

63. Mercury is on its co. logo : FTD. As a Virgo this is a perfect image for me to exit. JW returned, made us work, made us smile. I must say 'bye for now-see you next week. Hope you enjoyed the ride. Lemonade out on winged feet.

Thursday, May 12th, 2016 C.C.Burnikel

Theme: Traffic Circles - as the reveal explains:

63A. Intersecting road ... and one of a pair indicated by each puzzle circle : CROSS STREET

17A. Breakfast order : SESAME BAGEL
and
5D. North Dakota symbol : ELM TREE. Sesame Street/Elm Street. Fun juxtaposition here with one of America's friendliest streets crossing one that's definitely on the darker side.

35A. Breakfast order : OVER EASY. 
and
11D. Line in a utility network : WATER MAIN. Easy Street/Main Street. Bob Seger sang about the Main Street in his home town of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

57A. Where the world is really flat? : WALL MAP.
and
34D. United Federation of Planets affiliate : STARFLEET. Wall Street/Fleet Street. Fleet Street is the odd one out here as it's in London. The area was the center of the British newspaper industry; most of the national and London dailies were printed on or around Fleet Street. The Starfleet comes from the Star Trek series.

G'day all! C.C's latest is a neat exercise in crossing theme entries. You might notice that the themers are not all arranged symmetrically in the grid, but I think it would be pretty much impossible to pull that off given the subject matter.  The circles show us where to look for the street corners.

This wasn't the quickest solve for me; there were quite a few unknowns that I had to slowly fill with crosses, but everything came together at the end. There are quite a few unique or infrequently-used words in the grid which, coupled with the Thursday-level cluing, accounts for the crunchiness here. Good stuff.

Let's see what else we've got.

Across:

1. Carmen of jazz : MCRAE. First of the unknowns for me right off the bat. I'm not a big jazz hat.

6. Ludicrous : ANTIC. Very nice. This area was tough for me, with this, LEONA and the unknown NEA crossing both of them.

11. It may be declared : WAR

14. Popular font : ARIAL

15. "Bleeding Love" singer Lewis : LEONA. Another unknown. The E was a WAG and thankfully a correct one.

16. Legendary fighter : ALI

19. Tee, for one : TOP. The shirt, not the golf gizmo.

20. Hymn relative : ODE

21. __-color pasta salad : TRI. Food! The colors in the salad are meant to be representative of "Il tricolore", the Italian flag. No olives were harmed in the preparation of this dish by any murderous sociopaths.

22. Grand cousins : SPINETS. I dithered around with this one - I understood the clue, but I thought there were two "n"s in the word. A spinet in this context is a small piano, hence a cousin to the much larger grand piano. In the past, I associated a spinet with a harpsichord. Learning moment.

24. Goth accessory : NOSE RING. My daughter has two. Kids these days, eh? Pah!

27. Sugarloaf lift : T-BAR. I was thinking of the famous Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio, and wondered why the answer wasn't GONDOLA. Sugarloaf ski resort in Maine.

28. Make equipment changes : RETOOL

30. Austen classic : EMMA. I tried Jane EYRE first, which was rather futile considering that Charlotte Brontë wrote the story of the governess.

32. Egypt's second president : NASSER. The reservoir lake formed by the Aswan High Dam is named for him.

38. Summer hrs. in Philly : EDT

39. Call off the affair : END IT

41. Expert follower? : -ISE

42. "However ... " : THAT SAID

45. Regular hangouts : HAUNTS. I was thinking along the "local pub" lines for a while.

48. Shootout shout : DRAW!

49. In shreds : TORN UP

51. Wig out : FLIP

53. Mentor's offering : GUIDANCE

60. Part of M.S.: Abbr. : SCI

61. Seaside raptor : ERN

62. Explosive state : IRE

66. Price of admission : FEE. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago I was going to Disneyland with my daughter. We got "two park hopper" passes for the Happiest Place on Earth and California Adventure. The fee for that two-fer is not for the faint-hearted.

67. All together : AS ONE

68. Stranger : ODDER

69. Enjoy oysters, say : EAT. This seemed oddly random to me - why oysters? But then again, why not?

70. Runner of 1992 : PEROT

71. Like Satchmo's singing voice : RASPY. I had BASSO first and thought I was being clever until nothing would fit around it.

Down:

1. Worker with blocks : MASON. Check this out - this is the Crimple Valley Oracle in England. This is a dry-stone wall built in Yorkshire - no mortar is used. See the details of the project here.

2. Set of beliefs : CREDO

3. Stops lying : RISES

4. Class for baseball's Durham Bulls : AAA

6. White whale, e.g. : ALBINO

7. Org. with a "Raise Your Hand" campaign : NEA. Wild stab in the dark, fortunately I stabbed correctly. The National Education Association's campaign for educators to become leaders in a national movement for public education.

8. Wardrobe : TOGS

9. Ham-handed : INEPT

10. Ammunition measurement : CALIBER. Inches, millimeters, all kinds of measurements going on here.

12. Gazillions : A LOT

13. Turbulent currents : RIPS

18. Nation east of Sudan : ERITREA

23. Sonny or Cher : NAME

25. RNs' workplaces : ER'S

26. Compliment to a boxer : GOOD DOG! I just couldn't get NICE PUNCH! to fit.

29. Half of CXII : LVI

31. Coach's aide: Abbr : ASST.

32. Service stopper : NET. Too many service faults and you're going to hear some colorful language.

33. Adderall target : ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

36. Ones bonded by a common culture : ETHNICS

37. "Sounds good" : YES

40. Little beef : NIT

43. Like most supermodels : TALL. Gisele Bündchen, the model married to QB Tom Brady, is 5'11".

44. Pool wear : SWIM CAP. When I was spending a lot of time in chlorinated pools training for triathlons, my hair started to break off by the handful. I got a swim cap.

46. Reviewer of books : AUDITOR

47. Put __ fight : UP A

50. McDonald's potato variety : RUSSET. The french fries have not been the same since they stopped cooking 'em in lard.

52. Break down, as a sentence : PARSE

54. They may be pressing : NEEDS

55. Move at a snail's pace : CREEP

56. Contest submission : ENTRY

57. Certain partner : WIFE

58. Calculus calculation : AREA. This stuff gave me nightmares at school. I never "got" calculus.

59. Lame, as an excuse : POOR

64. __-Caps: candy : SNO

65. Nutritional stat : RDA. Recommended Daily Allowance.

And ... here's the grid.

Steve

Wednesday, May 11, 2016 John Guzzetta

Theme:  PHUN WITH FONICS.  Each two word answer has the initial consonant sound /f/ spelt two different ways, with the expected letter "F" and with the digraph "PH."  Without delving too deeply into it, or proposing a general rule, it seems that many words using the "PH" digraph are derived from Greek: philosophy,  phonetics and, for a double whammy, photograph.

17 A. Communication device also called a clamshell : FLIP PHONE.   A cell phone that folds shut and flips open.  This is now a retro design, but is still rather popular.

24 A. Verne's circumnavigator : PHILEAS FOGG.  The protagonist of Jules Vernes 1873 novel, Around the World in Eighty Days.

53 A. Reunion memento : FAMILY PHOTO.   Here's one of Gloria and 8 of our 11 grandchildren, from her birthday last August.

Some of my favorite peeps

39 A. Gym teacher's concern : PHYSICAL FITNESS.   I've been working out this year to do something about my physical fatness.  Lost 9 lbs so far.

64. Ben & Jerry's flavor inspired by a Vermont rock band : PHISH FOOD.   "Chocolate Ice Cream with Gooey Marshmallow Swirls, Caramel Swirls & Fudge Fish."  In my opinion, they fudged on the spelling of Phish.  You can read about it - and listen - here.

Hi, gang.   Jazzbumpa here.   With 5 theme entries, one a grid spanner, this puzzle is pretty rich in themeage. Let's see what else we can phind.

Across

1. Choose : OPT.  I assume this derives from "option."

4. Metaphorical loss in a bad deal : SHIRT.   Presumably indicating the loss of all assets, even one's clothing.   Probably related to the expression "I'd give the shirt off my back" for something intensely craved.

9. Salon creations : COIFS.  Hair arrangements.

Would you do this do?

14. Column crosser : ROW.   In a spread sheet or crossword grid.

15. Palmer with an "army" : ARNIE.  Also a soft drink - tea mixed with lemonade.

Drink and stay sober

16. "Strange to say ... " : ODDLY.  Believe it or not.  Once, back in the days when I used to frustrate myself by phlailing with golph clubs, I was playing at Bay Hill - Arnie's resort in FLA - when I hit a drive that never got above 6 inches off the ground, and hit a squirrel square in the head.  True story. That's how I became Bumpa the squirrel slayer.    

19. Unlock the door for : LET IN.   Allow to enter.

20. Match socially : FIX UP.  Arrange a date for someone.

21. Tater : SPUD.  Potato - suitable for mashing.

23. Anti-apartheid org. : ANC.  African National Congress.  The ruling social democratic party of the Union of South Africa.

28. "Rad!" : AWESOME.   Impressive.  Because the word "awful" changed meaning from "awe inspiring" to "horrible and repugnant."

31. Consider : DEEM.  It was deemed "awful and artificial."

32. All-Clad product : PAN.   Cook ware, not the Greek god who consorted with NYMPHS.

33. Yucatán year : ANO.  Spanish.  More appropriately rendered -- año.

35. Spooky : EERIE.  I grew up not far from the shore of Lake Spooky.

44. Done in by Buffy, say : SLAIN.   Buffy is the vampire slayer.  As far as I know, she did not use sporting equipment.

Buffy in the middle

45. __ Pérignon : DOM.  Vintage champagne produced by Moët & Chandon.

46. Lunch letters : BLT.  Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich -- YUM!

47. Simile words : AS AN.   It's as ________ AS AN __________.  [Phill in the blanks]

50. Affluent London area : CHELSEA.  Along the north bank of the Thames, near CHELSEA bridge.

56. "Moulin Rouge!" director Luhrmann : BAZ.  No idea.

57. Most blue state electees: Abbr. : DEMS.  The DEMocratic Party is associated with the color blue, and the Republicans with the color red.  I will say no more.

58. Secret stash : CACHE.  I wish I had a CACHE of cash.

62. Piano exercise : ETUDE.  From the Frech word for "study," a [usually] short, technically difficult exercise designed to build skill.

67. More valuable to a collector : RARER.  A word rarely said, since it trips so awkwardly off the tongue.

68. World Court site, with "The" : HAGUE.   A city in the South Holland province of The Netherlands, home to the U. N.'s International court of justice.

69. Holiday drink : NOG.   A drink made with eggs, sugar, milk and possibly some alcohol.  The origin of the word is uncertain.

70. Narrow valleys : GLENS.  A Scottish term for a deep valley in the highlands, 

71. Symbol of military power : SWORD.   The pen is alleged to be mightier.

72. __ blue : SKY.  The color of the SKY on a cloudless day.   SKY gray is common in the Great Lakes region.

Down

1. "Carmina Burana" composer : ORFF.  Carl.  Carmina Burana is a suite of 24 medieval poems, mostly in vulgar Latin, that ORFF set to music in 1937.  The topics include drinking, gambling, gluttony and lust.  Some are quite bawdy.  The entire suite takes over an hour to perform.  Everyone has heard O Fortuna a thousand time, but I can't find another section excerpted, and at least this version is a different sort of performance.

2. __ sci : POLI.  A social science discipline dealing with systems of government and the analysis of political activity and behavior.  More than that I will not say.

3. Mars candy bar : TWIX.  A biscuit covered with caramel and chocolate.

4. Lyric poet of Lesbos : SAPPHO.  [ca 620 - 570 B. C.]   Most of her poetry has been lost, and much that remains is in fragments.  One complete poem is her Hymn to Aphrodite.

5. Initials for William or Harry : HRH.  His Royal Highness, a style of address for British royalty.

6. Diminutive Italian suffix : -INO.

7. Dishwasher cycle : RINSE.

8. Starting point for Frisbee golfers : TEE PAD.   This is actually a thing - a concrete pad; preferred size is between 5x12 and 6x20 feet.

9. Loss of nerve : COLD FEET.   The origin of the phrase is uncertain.  It has been attributed to author Steven Crane, who added the phrase to the 2nd [1896] edition of his novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. 

10. Dedicated poem : ODE.  

11. Luggage label : I D TAG.

12. Affair : FLING.  A fling is of short duration.  An affair can go on for years.   Either way, it probably involves one or more trysts.

13. (In) agreement : SYNC.  Derived from being synchronized.

18. Baby sharks : PUPS.  I did not know that.

22. Take advantage of : USE.

25. Apple variety : I-MAC.  Computer, not fruit.

26. Singer Horne : LENA.  Genuinely great.

27. Crow, at times, in Hinduism : OMEN.   Lots of minutia here.

28. Mobile downloads : APPS.  Software APPlications.

29. Brand of beard trimmers : WAHL.

30. Singer who co-composed a song in Elvish for "The Lord of the Rings" : ENYA.  Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin is a frequent crossword visitor, especially when I am blogging.

34. Over the hill : OLD.   Let's not get personal.

36. CSA soldiers : REBS.  Confederate soldiers from the American civil war.

37. Archipelago part : ISLE.  One island in a group.

38. Spanish pronoun : ESTA.   Meaning "this" or "that."  Spanish pronouns must agree in gender and number with the noun they are referring to.  ESTA is feminine singular.

40. Broadway king's domain : SIAM.   From The King and I.

41. Ones with access : INSIDERS.  They are always LET IN.

42. Nina of "The Ten Commandments" : FOCH.   She played Bithiah, an Egyptian princess.

43. FWIW kin : IMHO.   For What It's Worth and In My Humble Opinion.

48. Tankard contents : ALE.  A roughly cylindrical drinking cup with a handle that may be filled with a variety of libations.

49. Mythological maidens : NYMPHS.   They consorted with PAN.  Chicks just dug that old goat.

Cooking with Pan

51. Ingrained : ETCHED.

52. Just sit around : LOAF.   Like a couch potato, to continue the quasi-food reference.

53. Decisive, as a mistake : FATAL.  Causes an epic fail.

54. Blue shade : AZURE.  Like the SKY, perhaps.

55. "Poppycock!" : PSHAW.

56. Result of glacial calving : BERG.  When an iceberg breaks off from a glacier, that is known as "calving."

59. Deceives : CONS.  Probably derived from "confidence trick" or "- game," in which someone attempts to commit a fraud by first gaining the confidence of another person or group.

60. Hoops shot : HOOK.   A basketball shot now rarely seen in the age of slam dunks, so named for the shape of the arm motion.

61. Like envelope-pushing comedy : EDGY.   Or hair dos.

63. Hibernation spot : DEN.  Suitable for bears and couch potatoes.

65. "Can __ now?" : I GO.  The inverse of "Let me in."

66. Prefix with charge : SUR-.   From the French, indicating over, above, or in addition.  A surcharge is an additional charge levied for any of a variety of reasons.

OK.  We're phinally phinished.  I had a lot of phun, and hope you did too.

Cool regards!
JzB

Notes from C.C.:

1) Jazzbumpa (Ron) made his WSJ debut today. You can click here to print out the PDF file. Congratulations, Ron! Thanks for the inspiration and fun ride.

2) Here are three great pictures from JD's Mother's Day celebration. JD is with her two daughters and four grandkids in the second picture.

Tuesday, May 10 2016, Janice Lutrell

Theme: The Other F-word

Dear Monday, I want to break up. I'm seeing Tuesday and dreaming about Friday. Sincerely, It's not me, It's you.

17. "Peanuts" outburst : GOOD GRIEF. Good Friday - the Friday before Easter.

26. Distress call at sea : MAN OVERBOARD. Man Friday. From Wikipedia: "Robinson Crusoe names the man, with whom he cannot at first communicate, Friday because they first meet on that day. The character is the source of the expression "Man Friday", used to describe a male personal assistant or servant, especially one who is particularly competent or loyal."

45. Off-the-cuff comment : CASUAL REMARK. Casual Friday. 

 60. Oil metaphor : BLACK GOLD. Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving - which has been successfully marketed as "the biggest shopping day of the year."  A tad ironic.

67. Pre-weekend shout ... and a hint to the first word of 17-, 26-, 45- and 60-Across : TGIF. Thank God it's Friday.

Melissa here. A Tuesday-level solve, about Fridays. Some fun words - GOOD GRIEF, ME TIME, DUDE, and WHEE - and a few unknowns thrown in for good measure. 

Across

1. Big celebration : BASH. Who else tried GALA first?

5. __ guy: dependable sort : GO TO

9. Paper size : LEGAL

14. Village People song with arm motions : YMCA

15. Samoan capital : APIA. Unknown to me.

16. Send packing, as a delinquent tenant : EVICT

19. Towel material : TERRY

20. Arg. neighbor : URU. Plugged in a few possibilities before perps set me straight.

21. Fruity soft drinks : ADES

22. Student's organizer : BINDER

23. Self-indulgent period : ME TIME.

25. Grooves from wagon wheels : RUTS. The most prominent ruts along the Oregon Trail were gouged deep into sandstone and preserved inside Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site near Guernsey, Wyoming.

32. Where many a lanyard is woven : CAMP

35. Two-handed hammer : SLEDGE. Can you believe it's been nearly 30 years since this video? It won nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1987, the most of any single video.

  
36. __ Claire, Wisconsin : EAU

37. Spectral array : HUES

38. Zig when you should have zagged, say : ERR

39. Dry as the Mojave : ARID

40. Tax-auditing org. : IRS

41. Maritime measure : LEAGUE. Once a unit of length in Europe and Latin America - the distance a person could walk in an hour - it's no longer an official measure.

44. Zippo : NONE

48. Hunter's target : PREY

49. Discuss again and again : REHASH

53. Regular on the slopes : SKI BUM

56. Slope overlooking a loch : BRAE. One of my unknowns. Brae = A hillside, especially along a river.

58. "Who, me?" : MOI

59. Makes less difficult : EASES

62. Those girls, in Spain : ELLAS

63. Word of honor : OATH. This is one of those words that can have opposing meanings, like cleave, which can mean to split apart, or to adhere firmly. An oath can be a solemn promise, or a profane expression. Gotta love the English language. 

64. First chip in a pot : ANTE

65. Rodeo rope : REATA

66. Sledder's cry : WHEE

Down

1. Old-fashioned "How about that!" : BY GUM

2. Love, to Luciano : AMORE

3. Talent finder : SCOUT

4. Consumed : HAD

5. Flower exhibits : GARDENS

6. TV role for Ronny : OPIE. Ron Howard's role in The Andy Griffith Show.

7. Garbage bag closers : TIES

8. Bungler : OAF

9. Beatles title after "Speaking words of wisdom" : LET IT BE

10. Despite that : EVEN SO

11. Encircle with a belt : GIRD

12. Orchard measure : ACRE

13. Space travel dist. : LTYR. Light Year.

18. Explorer Vasco da __ : GAMA

22. Town : BURG

24. Little pranksters : IMPS

25. "The Shining" mantra : REDЯUM. Murder spelled backwards - from Stephen King's novel, The Shining.

 

27. Chicago Fire Mrs. : O'LEARY. The great great granddaughter of Mrs. O'Leary tells the real story.

28. Brink : VERGE

29. Prefix with space : AERO

30. Picnic spoiler : RAIN. Tried ANTS first.

31. "C'mon, bro!" : DUDE

32. Stylish : CHIC

33. Otherworldly radiance : AURA

34. Sticky situation : MESS

39. Pharaoh's cross : ANKH

41. Hall of Fame manager Tony : LARUSSA

42. Grade sch. level : ELEM

43. Common swimmer's ailment : EARACHE

46. In high spirits : UPBEAT

47. Smell really bad : REEK

50. Mixed in with : AMONG

51. Conductor Sir Georg : SOLTI. British conductor, died in 1997 at 84.

52. Part of HDTV, briefly : HI-DEF

53. Visionary : SEER

54. Curly cabbage : KALE

55. Land surrounded by agua : ISLA

56. Boring : BLAH

57. Hourly charge, e.g. : RATE

60. Present decoration : BOW

61. Thug's gun : GAT. Tried ROD first.

Enjoy your Tuesday.

I don't want to build a life and career, where I spent five days a week waiting for the weekend. No!

I want to enjoy my life, and don't wish any weekday away. I want each day to matter to me, in some way, even if it's a small tiny way.― Akilnathan Logeswaran

Monday, May 9, 2016 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: "AND THEY'RE OFF!" - heard at the races and about the Marx Brothers.

20A. Keep tabs on a shipment : TRACK ONE'S ORDER

25A. Some briefs : JOCKEY SHORTS

44A. Shrewd bargaining : HORSE TRADING

50A. 1937 Marx Brothers film ... and, based on words that begin 20-, 25- and 44-Across, this puzzle's title : "A DAY AT THE RACES"

Argyle here. My Derby pick came in third but I didn't bet so it doesn't matter. This puzzle shows itself a winner as it takes its place at the start of the week. The three entries are unique words, meaning they have never been in a NY Times puzzle.

Across:

1. See 16-Across : JULEP. 16A. With 1-Across, Kentucky Derby drink : MINT. Not your style? How about 28D. Beer barrel : KEG. No? Then 30D. Part of BYOB : OWN, Bring Your Own Booze. (or bottle)

6. Haunted house sound : MOAN. The sound of those that bet against Nyquist.

10. Females : SHEs, Like 23A. Coop group female : HEN and 32A. Crimp-haired critters : EWES

14. Soul singer Baker : ANITA. Missed the boat; not clueing this as Santa Anita, home track for Derby winner, Nyquist. Plus, on Mother’s Day, the best female horse in America, Beholder, won the $100,000 Adoration Stakes.

15. Convention center event : EXPO

17. Humongous : GIANT

18. "__ we forget" : LEST

19. Hold 'em fee : ANTE. Pay to play.

24. Favorable rise : UPTURN. Spectators rise up when the field turns for home.

31. Except if : UNLESS

33. Elbow poke : JAB

36. Party lacking ladies : STAG

37. Roadside retreat : INN

38. "Out of the way!" : "MOVE!". What the come-from-behind jockeys are saying.

39. Help for one stuck in a rut, perhaps : TOW

40. Mortgage change, briefly : REFI. (refinance)

42. Bach's "Mass in __" : B MINOR. Johann Sebastian Bach

46. Snap out of it : COME TO

49. DVR button : REC. (record)

56. Golf standout McIlroy : RORY. Currently ranked third in the world.

57. Furniture chain that sells Swedish meatballs : IKEA

58. Like a gift of chocolates : BOXED

60. Small jazz group : TRIO

61. What one often wears out? : COAT Misdirection on a Monday!

62. Went berserk : RAGED

63. Isaac's older son : ESAU

64. Once-sacred snakes : ASPs

65. Live and breathe : EXIST

Down:

1. Car with a cat logo, briefly : JAG

2. Self-storage compartment : UNIT

3. "Tell me the truth!" : "LIAR!". I get a kick out of these things.

4. Sicilian volcano : ETNA

5. Quilting squares : PATCHES

6. Fruit stand buys : MELONS

7. Yoked team : OXEN

8. Vaulted church recess : APSE

9. On the fence : NOT SURE

10. Brainpower : SMARTS

11. Many a Mumbai man : HINDU

12. Step into : ENTER

13. Back of the boat : STERN

21. Lock inserts : KEYS

22. Drops (out) : OPTS

25. Barely : JUST

26. Not fooled by : ON TO

27. Tiger's gripper : CLAW

29. '20s-'30s skating gold medalist Sonja : HENIE

33. "Both Sides Now" singer Mitchell : JONI

34. Door-to-door cosmetics seller : AVON

35. Arctic hazard : BERG

37. Things up in the air : IFs

38. Prefix with term or town : MID

40. Membership list : ROTA

41. Steamy writing : EROTICA

42. Fictional fox's title : BR'ER

43. Ghoulish : MACABRE

44. "Psst!" : "HEY, YOU!"

45. Springs for lunch : TREATS

46. À la __ : CARTE

47. Clean-out-the-fridge warnings : ODORS

48. "West Side Story" love song : MARIA

51. Boxer's stats : TKOs. (technical knockout)

52. Sloppy stack : HEAP

53. Persuade gently : COAX

54. Former soldier, briefly : EX-GI

55. Lays eyes on : SEES

59. Outlawed pesticide : DDT

One last song.

Argyle

Sunday, May 8, 2016 Pam Amick Klawitter

Theme:  "Communication Update" - Before & After type. First part is a common phrase. Last part is an online communication related term.

23A. Tiny pair of media hosts? : TWO PEAS IN A PODCAST. Two peas in a pod. "WTF with Marc Maron" is my favorite podcast these days.

31A. Security for sailors? : SAINT ELMO'S FIREWALL. Saint Elmo's Fire. You might have heard of the Great Firewall of China. Lots of websites are blocked there, including Facebook.

49A. Online photo exchange for redheads? : GINGER SNAPCHAT. Ginger snap. I just don't get the appeal of Snapchat.

65A. Having returned to the world of public performances? : BACK IN A FLASH MOB. Back in a flash. I don't feel flash mob is communication-related, thought it's organized and spread on line.

85A. Emeril's gateway? : FOOD WEB BROWSER. Food web. Firefox for me. What do you use?

100A. "Got a film to share?"? : ANYTHING FOR YOUTUBE? Anything for you.

113A. End of a "Great Reuben!" tweet? : #CORNED BEEF HASHTAG. Corned beef hash.

I tend to jump around in my Sunday solving. After getting Snapchat and YouTube, I thought the last words are all social media sites. Facebook might be doable, but Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr are not viable options.

Heavy themage due to the nature of "before and after" theme type. Total 113 squares. Rich's minimum is 84. I stay around 94/95.

Across:

1. Kind of crazy? : STIR. Gimme start for our regulars. 

5. Supermarket lines : CARTS. We often see UPCS clued this way. Or BAR CODES.

10. Gossiper's word : HEARD. Not I HEAR.

15. Yahoo! rival : MSN

18. It divides banks in Bern : AARE. Riverbanks.

19. Goes around : ORBITS

21. Bartlett cousin : ANJOU. Have you tried Asian pears (Hosui) before? Super juicy.

22. Big foot letters : EEE

26. Short order from mom : NOW

27. Go along with : ESCORT

28. Extra : SPARE

29. Sneezer's need : TISSUE

36. Yacht staffs : MASTS. Not CREWS.

39. Van Gogh inspiration : ARLES

40. Clean the slate : ERASE

41. Latin lover's word : AMO

42. Naval NCO : CPO. And 43. Some NCOs : CPLS. And  57. G.I. Joe's outfit : US ARMY. Also 123. Air Force E-5's : SSGTS.

45. Scale starters : DO RE

55. Like some income : PRE-TAX

58. Former fillies : MARES

59. Crêpe cousin : BLINTZE. Looks amazing.

60. Garden adornment : SHRUB

61. Old Testament's Queen of __ : SHEBA

63. Tees for Aristotle : TAUS

64. Pound parts: Abbr. : OZs

70. Newfoundland comment? : ARF. Gimme for regulars.

73. Often saved comics heroine : LOIS (Lane),

74. Voicemail cues : TONES. Not BEEPS.

75. Cessation of hostilities : TRUCE

79. Opinion pieces : COLUMNS. Who's your favorite columnist? I like David Brooks.

81. Ontario natives : CREES

83. Intervene : STEP IN

84. Go by : ELAPSE

88. Dispatch : SEND

89. Brass __ : BAND

90. Place to go in Gloucester : LOO. Lots of gimme little words today.

91. "Xanadu" gp. : ELO

92. Home of the John Denver Sanctuary : ASPEN. Learning moment for me.

95. Illusionist Criss __ : ANGEL. He has a show in Vegas. 

98. "Cutthroat Kitchen" host Brown : ALTON

106. Nothing new : REPEAT

107. Dutch wheels : EDAMs

108. High-quality : RATED A

112. Sharp-toothed swimmer : GAR

 118. Cult following : URE. Just culture.

119. Get ready for an engagement? : KNEEL. Nailed it as well.

120. Waxy compound : STEROL. I see this as an ingredient in some makeup products.

121. Writer Rice : ANNE

122. Road curve : ESS

124. Revue routines : SKITS

125. Trails the pack : LAGS

 

Down:

1. Fill up : SATE

2. Shooting marbles : TAWS

3. __-Z: Camaro model : IROC

4. Share on Facebook, e.g. : RE-POST

5. Raccoon relative : COATI. He has a long tongue.

6. Start of MGM's motto : ARS

7. Bryce Harper stat : RBI. Right fielder for the Nationals. We also have And 96. Queens team, briefly : NY METS

8. Holiday sparklers : TINSEL

9. Office binder : STAPLE

10. Underworld : HADES

11. Multi-vol. reference : ENC. OK, encyclopedia.

12. 1977 Steely Dan album : AJA

13. Political platforms : ROSTRA. Plural of rostrum.

14. To-do list items : DUTIES

15. Smart bunch : MENSA.  Thank you, Mensa, for carrying LA Times crossword online.

16. K-pop city : SEOUL. Korean Pop. J-pop is Japanese Pop. Chinese pop is Mandopop (Mandarin). Cantopop is in Cantonese, of course.

17. Staircase component : NEWEL

20. Bombards with junk email : SPAMS

24. Memorable times : ERAS

25. Cortez's gold : ORO

30. Author Stieg Larsson's homeland : SWEDEN. Author of  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

32. Short rests : NAPS

33. 1982 Disney sci-fi film : TRON

34. Pool surface : FELT. Clued such because we also have 103. Senses : FEELS

35. Org. whose roots date to the Civil War : IRS. Learning moment to me.

36. Sorcerer : MAGUS. Singular of Magi, I guess.

37. Simple-living sect : AMISH. There was an Amish family selling home-made jams and jellies at the flea market. But they were not there last year.

38. Whale tracker : SONAR

42. Shout : CRY

43. Revolutionary first name : CHE. Simple in retrospect.

44. Kettle et al. : PAs. Not MAs.

46. "The Simpsons" bus driver : OTTO

47. Jeer : RAZZ. We used to have a blog regular called Razzberry.

48. Divorce consequences : EXES

50. Vittles : GRUB

51. Preserves, in a way : EMBALMS

52. "You said it!" : AMEN

53. Early sunscreen ingredient : PABA

54. Made skillfully : CRAFTED

55. Horner's surprise : PLUM

56. Trattoria order : RISOTTO. I tried this the other day. Pretty good. I'm thinking of splurging on a bag of dried porcini and making my own mushroom risotto.

59. Scroogean cries : BAHs

61. Enjoys a run, maybe : SKIS

62. "To each __ own" : HIS

63. Half a fly : TSE. It's back.

66. "Get Smart" security device : CONE

67. MGM co-founder : LOEW (Marcus)

68. "As I Lay Dying" father : ANSE. I forgot. We had this sometime ago.

69. Coven concoction : BREW

70. Experts : ACES

71. Part of a film : ROLE

72. Custardlike dessert : FLAN

76. Election surprise : UPSET

77. Sky over Seville : CIELO. Hard for me. I only know a few limited Spanish words.

78. __ Field, a former name of Minute Maid Park : ENRON

80. Modernize : UPDATE

81. One side of the fence : CON. Or PRO.

82. Casting aid : ROD

83. Sign of success : SRO (Standing-Room Only)

85. Venom dispenser : FANG

87. Aptly named track star : BOLT (Usain)

89. "Big" London attraction : BEN

93. Crude homes : SHACKS

94. Mountaineering equipment : PITONS

95. Many Qatar natives : ARABS

97. Half a kids' game : GO SEEK. 6-letter Partial.

98. "Down with," in Paris : ABAS. "Abas le roi!" Also  86. Cheese couleur : BLEU. Color. Blue.

99. Deadly : LETHAL

100. Plead in court : ARGUE

101. Reduces one's distance from : NEARS

102. WWI battle site : YPRES. No idea. Wiki says that "During the war, because the British troops had trouble pronouncing its name, they nicknamed the city "Wipers"."

  

104. Not even : ODD

105. Border range : URALS. Europe/Asia border range. Vague clue.

109. Sicilian attraction : ETNA

110. "Shucks!" : DANG

111. Sits in a cellar, say : AGES

114. Short rule? : REG (Regulation). Short = Abbr.

115. Tuna catcher : NET

116. "Black" shopping time: Abbr. : FRI

117. __ water : HOT

C.C.