Tuesday, May 17 2016, Jeff Stillman

Theme: Picture Perfect.

20. Outgoing sort : PEOPLE PERSON
 
33. Extra-earnest entreaty : PRETTY PLEASE
 
56. Clerical worker, facetiously : PENCIL PUSHER

41. KP duty need : POTATO PEELER.   

Two word phrases in which each word is six letters beginning with P. I can think of lots of P* P* phrases, but only PETER PIPER fits the six letter rule. Otherwise, there's Pentagon Papers, Pleasantly Plump, Personal Pronoun, Polling Place, Poison Pen, Pickled Peppers, Priscilla Presley. 

Melissa here. Got through this one in record time - in large part because I realized the theme early on with PEOPLE PERSON. My one bad entry was misspelling WIENIE as weenie. 

Across: 

1. Negotiated agreements : PACTS

6. Coagulate : CLOT

10. Cry of disbelief : WHAT

14. Wake-up call alternative : ALARM

15. Talk wildly : RAVE

16. Dance that tells a story : HULA

17. Arm bones : ULNAE

18. Sign of things to come : OMEN

19. Wild goat with recurved horns : IBEX. For many solvers, this is one of the first memorized answers.

23. Spews : EGESTS

24. Sets upright : ERECTS

28. Danger color : RED

29. Body shop fig. : EST

31. Feel remorse over : RUE

32. Chop (off) : LOP

36. Crate component : SLAT

39. Multivolume ref. work : OED. Oxford English Dictionary. From their website, "The OED is the definitive record of the English language, featuring 600,000 words, 3 million quotations, and over 1000 years of English."

40. Common diagnosis for distracted kids: Abbr. : ADHD

46. Back in time : AGO

47. Black __: spy doings : OPS

48. Critic Reed : REX

49. Punching tool : AWL

52. Sales enticement : REBATE

54. National park on the Maine coast : ACADIA

60. April honoree? : FOOL. Cute.

63. German automaker : AUDI

64. Occupy, as one's time : SPEND

65. Bridges in Hollywood : BEAU

66. TMZ twosome : ITEM

67. Creepy : EERIE

68. Vexes : IRKS

69. Gather in the fields : REAP

70. Expression of disdain : SNEER

Down:

1. Prince's lookalike, in a Twain novel : PAUPER. Little bonus, The Prince and the Pauper.

2. Assert without proof : ALLEGE

3. Enjoyed a ride in a birchbark : CANOED. Don't think I've ever heard this as a verb before. This author can make anything fascinating.

 

4. Police stings, e.g. : TRAPS. Or this Police Sting.

5. Metal refinery : SMELTER

6. Edit for size, as a photo : CROP

7. __ duck : LAME.

8. "Back to you," in CBspeak : OVER. Or a tune by John Mayer.

9. Stiffen in fear : TENSE UP

10. Moan and groan : WHINE

11. Center of activity : HUB

12. Draft pick : ALE

13. Price add-on : TAX

21. Latin 101 infinitive : ESSE

22. Sports analyst Hershiser : OREL

25. Unlike Lady Godiva : CLAD

26. Poppycock, to a Brit : TOSH. Didn't remember this, perps to the rescue.

27. Made tracks : SPED

30. Car roofs with removable panels : T-TOPS

31. Golf's __ Cup : RYDER. Biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the U.S.

33. Class-conscious gp.? : PTA. Parent Teacher Association. Clever.

34. Golf ball support : TEE

35. Musical gift : EAR. See 61 Down.

36. Box for practice : SPAR. So sneaky. Wanted RING, but waited for perps.

37. Theater section : LOGE. Private box for seating.

38. Get from __: make slow progress : A-TO-B

42. Carryall bag : TOTE

43. Outdoor : OPEN AIR

44. Spring : LEAP

45. Reasons that may be flimsy or lame : EXCUSES

49. Cling : ADHERE

50. Dog at a roast : WIENIE. That spelling just looks funny to me.

51. Kitchen storage area : LARDER. Vaguely familiar with this word but needed perps for help. A storage room for food, commonly used before refrigeration.

53. Top grade : A-PLUS

55. Colorado skiing mecca : ASPEN

57. Baby-faced : CUTE

58. Invention beginning : IDEA

59. Like overcooked pasta : LIMP.  ew.

60. Justice Dept. agency : FBI

61. On top of, in an ode : OER. As in, "O'er the land of the freeeeeeee" (certainly unconstrained by *pitch*).  I'm pretty sure this is exactly how I sound when I sing. The piano was hilariously added later, "It was clear that what the singer really needed was just a sympathetic accompanist."

62. Furniture wood : OAK

Note from C.C.:

Please click here for Blue Hen's quick cheater's porcini risotto recipe. I thought it's a genius idea to re-hydrate porcini in white wine. Thanks for the recipe and the story behind it, Blue Hen!

Monday, May 16, 2016 Vivian O. Collins

                                   Theme:

 

17A. 1987 Cher film : MOONSTRUCK

64A. 1945 Ingrid Bergman film : SPELLBOUND

10D. 2005 Nicole Kidman film : BEWITCHED

37D. 2007 Amy Adams film : ENCHANTED

Argyle not all here. No reveal Monday. A LAT debut constructor but not her first puzzle by any means. I felt this pinwheel grid was a nice fit. Film at eleven.

Across:

1. Vehicles with meters : CABS

5. Give the heave-ho : EJECT

10. Fishhook point : BARB

14. Fabled monster : OGRE

15. South Pacific island studied by Margaret Mead : SAMOA

16. Olympic sword : EPEE

19. Refuses to : WON'T

20. Plain text : PROSE

21. Sophocles character for whom a Freudian complex is named : OEDIPUS

23. Lack of variety : SAMENESS

27. Trail mix tidbit : NUT

28. Gradually become narrower : TAPER

30. Group of eight : OCTET

34. Time co-founder Henry : LUCE

38. Track events : RACES

40. Put on the payroll : HIRE

41. Tehran's country : IRAN

42. Armistice : TRUCE

43. Ireland, to an Irish poet : ERIN crossed by 32D. New York border lake : ERIE

44. Painter Chagall : MARC. Paris par la fenêtre

Guggenheim Museum, NYC

45. New Testament king : HEROD

46. Monopoly card with mortgage values : DEED

47. __-Bits: letter-shaped cereal : ALPHA

49. Leaf under a petal : SEPAL

51. Escort's offering : ARM

53. Great energy : DYNAMISM. A legitimate words.

58. Capital of Lithuania : VILNIUS

62. Latest craze : MANIA

63. Tinker with text : EDIT

68. "What __ could I do?" : ELSE

69. Spine-tingling : EERIE

70. Latvian capital : RIGA

food market

71. Collecting Soc. Sec., maybe : RET'D

72. Threaded fastener : SCREW

73. Tabloid twosome : ITEM

Down:

1. Free tickets, say : COMPS. (complimentary)

2. Marketplace of ancient Greece : AGORA. Agoraphobia - "fear of the marketplace".

3. Dustpan go-with : BROOM

4. Good judgment : SENSE

5. Fla. clock setting : EST. (Eastern Standard Time)

6. Cookie container : JAR

It's never seen a cookie!

7. Outback bird : EMU. Not Tweety.

8. Chanel of fashion : COCO

9. Spoken for : TAKEN

11. For each one : A POP

12. Eye care brand : RENU

13. "All __ are off" : BETS

18. Telegraphed : SENT

22. Batman and Robin, e.g. : DUO

24. Word before or after "mother" : EARTH

25. Shows mercy : SPARES

26. Assured payment of, as a loan : SECURED

29. Duplicate again : RECOPY

31. Michelin product : TIRE

33. Watch over, as sheep : TEND

34. Peru's capital : LIMA

Nightlife

35. River to the Caspian : URAL

36. Bellyache : CARP. It could have been fish in 35-Down.

39. Family car : SEDAN

48. Tycoon Onassis : ARI

50. Sheepish youngster? : LAMB

52. Inspiration sources : MUSES

54. New Zealand native : MAORI

A strange pairing, 54 and 55.

55. Arctic dweller : INUIT

56. Burn slightly : SINGE

57. Respectful address : MADAM

58. Zig or zag : VEER

59. On a break : IDLE

60. Enumerate : LIST

61. On __: without a contract : SPEC. (on speculation)

65. Flub a line, say : ERR

66. Golf ball position : LIE

67. __ Alcindor: Kareem, formerly : LEW. Basketball. The man has his own web site: kareemabduljabbar.com.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:


Melissa and I had BILBAO in our puzzle yesterday. It turns out JD and her husband Bob were there before. Here are two pictures.

Sunday, May 15, 2016 Melissa Brown and C.C. Burnikel

Title: SECRET RETREAT

Husker Gary gladly caddying for C.C. and Melissa B today! These lovely ladies have hidden the word SPA in nine fills. You know, SPAS, where you can have various parts of your body wrapped, waxed, peeled, exfoliated, hydrated, stoned and rubbed. Sounds like a hoot!

THEME FILLS - All the theme fills were horizontal and SPA was split between the two words where the first word ended in S and the second word began with PA. A true model of consistency, not to mention wit from C.C. and Melissa B.

23. "Time for a shindig!" : LET'S PARTY

25. "Common Sense" pamphleteer : THOMAS PAINE - Count me in as honest, Tom!

37. Remarkable thing, in old slang : CAT'S PAJAMAS - Or luxury cat accommodations in Lincoln

54. Where to get the score : SPORTS PAGE - It had to kill the Seattle Times to give the score of Super Bowl XLIX on what may be the most stupid play call in history

71. Resort with a Forum Tower : CAESAR'S PALACE - What else are you going to name your towers there? 

89. Very slow motion : SNAIL'S PACE - Finally a running shop that "get's me"!

105. Brewery product since 1777 : BASS PALE ALE - The famous Bass Red Triangle Label in Manet's 1882 A Bar at the Folies-Bergère

123. Reporter's entrée : PRESS PASS - I don't know this actor but everything else seems right

120. Acid test substance : LITMUS PAPER - We pitched the papers and used this

...and the three-letter reveal

125. Retreat hidden in nine puzzle answers : SPA - Do you see a hint that this SPA is located in Hershey, Pennsylvania?

Okay, I'll try not to rub you the wrong way as we massage this puzzle's wonderful content:

Across

1. Playground provocation : DARE - A brass statue in Hammond, IN (home of author Jean Shepherd who inspired A Christmas Story) dedicated to a famous movie DARE 

5. Campus org. founded in 1906 : NCAA

9. Existing : BEING

14. Capers : LARKS

19. Religion of most Iranians : SHIA

20. Stops allowing : BANS

21. Complete : UTTER

22. Greenland native : INUIT - Where they were/are 

27. Chichén Itzá builder : MAYA

28. Basque city with a Guggenheim Museum : BILBAO - In northern Spain. Uh, not TOLEDO!

30. Make up your mind : OPT

31. "Bus Stop" playwright : INGE - He said the play was based on people he met in Tonganoxie, Kansas

32. Juice unit : AMP

34. Knitting choices : PURLS - Oh, now I get it! Yeah right!

35. People's Choice Award winner for Favorite TV Drama, 2008-2011 : HOUSE MD

41. Winged stingers : WASPS

43. __ Plaines River : DES

44. Off-road ride, for short : ATV - High center of gravity, narrow base and idiocy make these so dangerous 

45. Muchos meses : ANOS - Many months = Years (in español)

46. Dealer's query : YOU IN?

48. SEC concern : IPO - Initial Public Offering 

50. Yemeni capital : RIAL - A Big Mac meal in Sana'a costs 1,833 ﷼ (RIALS)

52. Palm products : DATES - An ingredient in grandma's great Christmas cookies

59. Sicilian skiing attraction : ETNA - Who needs snow? Here's summer skiing on Etna's powdery volcanic ash

60. They may be about nothing : ADOS

61. Jacket material : SUEDE

62. Drops the ball : ERRS - Wes Welker does just that in Super Bowl XLVI and super model Gisele Bundchen famously said of her QB husband Tom Brady, "He can't f____ing throw the ball and catch it too!"

63. Top story : ATTIC

65. Move a muscle : STIR

67. Some might vote in it : ABSENTIA - Love this cluing

70. Time of life : AGE

75. CBS forensic series : CSI

76. Sammy Davis Jr.'s only #1 hit, with "The" : CANDY MAN 

78. Short staffer? : ASST

79. Send payment : REMIT

81. Weymouth of Talking Heads : TINA - Bassist TINA and drummer husband Chris Frantz formed Talking Heads in 1971 and have been married for almost 40 years

82. Like clarinet music : REEDY

84. Clarinet kin : OBOE

87. "Drinks are __!" : ON ME - "I am very messy!"

92. Dishwasher handle? : AMANA

93. Simon of Broadway : NEIL - I can't pick a favorite NEIL Simon play. You? My daughter was a great Corie in this classic

94. Match part : SET

95. Big name in Russian ballet : KIROV- The KIROV Ballet Company declined greatly when Nureyev, Makarova and Baryshnikov defected to the West during the Cold War

97. Coal unit : LUMP

99. L.A. Galaxy's group : MLS - Major League Soccer

100. Gardner of film : AVA

103. Chinese menu assurance : NO MSG - The Mayo Clinic says there is no direct link to illness and MSG

108. "I don't think so" : NICE TRY - If he says "I don't think so", he'll never say "NICE TRY"

110. Whence Saint Teresa : AVILA - A 16th century Spanish Saint who is the patron saint of headache sufferers

111. Phone book no. : TEL - Ours was 132-J when we had to tell an operator

112. Ship stabilizer : KEEL

113. Unruly do : MOP

115. Spartan serfs : HELOTS

117. Its initials became its name in 1999 : AARP

126. Great Lakes natives : ERIES -What? I thought they lived around Lake Crossword! :-) 

127. Novelist's list, perhaps : IDEAS - JK Rowling's hand-written spreadsheet notes to create Harry Potter. How'd that book do?

128. Fertilizer ingredient : PEAT

129. Lose it : SNAP

130. Holy, to Henri : SACRE - SACRE' bleu (Sacred Blue) became a common sound-alike for  SACRE' Dieu (Sacred God) which was considered blasphemous 

131. Theatrical device : ASIDE - A frequent device in House Of Cards

132. Use one's outside voice : YELL

133. Grammy winner James : ETTA

Down

1. Surfing letters : DSL - Digital Subscriber Line is now passé 

2. Small clearing? : AHEM - Cute

3. Beatles girl : RITA - The Lovely Meter Maid

4. Piece-of-cake courses : EASY A'S

5. Magic org. : NBA - Orlando pro basketballers

6. Concern for some losers : CARB

7. Ristorante course : ANTIPASTO - From the Latin: ANTI (before) PASTUS (meal). Served at the SPA?

8. Safe haven : ASYLUM

9. "Furthermore, however, ... " : BUT ALSO

10. Cultural spirit : ETHOS

11. Judge in 1995 news : ITO - Some think Johnnie Cochran was in charge of the OJ trial

12. Pixar protagonist : NEMO - In 2016 Pixar is now finding NEMO'S friend

13. Boardroom props : GRAPHS

14. Edge : LIP - Where some putts go to die

15. "Delta of Venus" author Nin : ANAIS - Common fare here at the Crossword Cafeteria

16. Beyond repair : RUINED

17. Checkers speech? : KING ME

18. Renaissance fair rides : STEEDS

24. Argentine plain : PAMPA

26. Restraining order? : STOP IT

29. Donkeys' cries : BRAYS

33. How to watch Mei Xiang and Bei Bei : PANDA CAM - Very appropriate so close to Mother's Day

36. Delivery letters : USPS

37. Close attention : CARE

38. Like political foes, frequently : AT IT AGAIN - "My opponent is a thespian and a masticator!" 

39. Dish forerunner : TV ANTENNA 

40. Steinbeck hero Tom : JOAD - "Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there."

41. Erase completely : WIPE

42. Battery terminal-related : ANODAL - On the positive side

47. Seizes illegally : USURPS

49. Welcoming sign : OPEN

51. GPS figure : LAT - I live at 41˚North LATitude in eastern Nebraska, same as Rome, Italy. Uh, not the same weather!

53. She, in Sicily : ESSA

55. First name in country : REBA

56. Aesthetic film genre : ART CINEMA - I don't dig subtitles 

57. Grain processor : GRIST MILL - A beautiful one in West Virginia

58. Morales of "The Brink" : ESAI

61. Actress Spacek : SISSY

64. Like a "daggers" look : ICY

66. Wall Street regular : TRADER - Politicians campaign against them but still take their money

68. Dress down in a big way : SCREAM AT

69. Broad shoe size : EEE 

70. Book following the Gospels : ACTS

72. Holliday friend : EARP 

73. Devious ones : SNEAKS

74. Splittable bit : ATOM

77. Place for a speaker : DAIS

80. Cal. column : MON - Unfortunately this month has 5 MON's

83. Smokeless smoke, briefly : E-CIG

85. Fast-growing sapling : BALSA TREE - Now that's my kind of logging!

86. "Movin' __": "The Jeffersons" theme : ON UP

88. Otherwise : ELSE

90. Fast time? : LENT - Cute again

91. Rages : STORMS

92. Be of use : AVAIL

96. FDR's side, on a dime : OBVERSE - Generally the larger, main image as opposed to the reverse side of a coin, medal, flag, etc

98. Ardent requests : PLEAS

100. They're just over two feet : ANKLES - Cute some more

101. Former moderator of "The View" : VIEIRA

102. Vinegary : ACETIC

104. Reason for spectacles : MYOPIA - Nearsightedness

106. __ Joe : SLOPPY - Named after a cook named Joe at a Sioux City, IA restaurant who added tomato sauce to his loose meat sandwich

107. Tick away : ELAPSE

109. Wascally wabbit wival : ELMER

110. Best way to leave Vegas : AHEAD - Take the money and RUN!

114. Mice move on them : PADS

116. Official emblem : SEAL

118. Emotional blog entry : RANT

119. Natl. Merit Scholarship qualifying exam : PSAT

121. Find a job for : USE

122. Canada's smallest prov. : PEI

124. Airport NW of the Gateway Arch : STL

Only someone in a Fool'S PAradise would skip your comments that follow:

The Grid

Notes from C.C.:

Congratulations to our beautiful Melissa on her L.A. Times debut! Melissa and I have been kicking around various puzzles ideas for a few years. So happy we persisted and finally made it. It's a joy and comfort working with Melissa, who constantly inspires me with her strength, tenacity & incredible poise.

Left to Right: Melissa's daughter, Melissa's mom Barbara B, Melissa

The title is Rich's. It captures the hidden gimmick much better than our original "Hot Spot". Click here to see our originally submitted grid. Rich took time and redid our 38D & 39D area. He was concerned that GIRLY MAN (76A) maybe seen as pejorative by some. Rich also caught our SPAN (49D) goof, as it has SPA in it. So we redid the right middle.