Tuesday, July 12 2016, C.C. Burnikel

 Theme: E-Phrases.

17A. *On the same page : IN HARMONY. eHarmony.

40A. *Auto buyer's consideration : CAR LOAN. E-Loan.

11D. *Illegal activity that threatens elephants : IVORY TRADE. E-Trade

30D. *Jamaican resort : MONTEGO BAY. eBay.

64A. Online business, and a hint to the ends of the answers to starred clues : E-COMMERCE 

Melissa here. Another clever theme by C.C. I didn't realize how many E-Phrases were specific to commerce. Fun puzzle, nice to see theme answers both across AND down.

Across 

1. Piece of cake : SNAP

5. Forever and a day : AGES

9. Tony who was a teammate of Carew and Killebrew : OLIVA. This has C.C.'s fingerprints all over it.

14. Some bra fabric : LACE

15. Little bit : IOTA

16. Put a lid on : COVER

19. Steakhouse order : T-BONE

20. "You never know" : MAYBE

21. Where honorees may sit : DAIS

23. Miss Chile's title: Abbr. : SRTA. Señorita. 

24. Rowing pair : OARS

26. Ragged : TATTY

28. Gingerbread house roof toppers : GUMDROPS

32. Get really mad : SEETHE

35. "Hey, sailor!" : AHOY

36. Glide above the clouds : SOAR

38. False step : ERROR

39. Actor McKellen : IAN

42. Andy's doll pal : ANN

43. Eccentric : NUTSO. Tried NUTTY first.

45. Base lullaby : TAPS. One of the last to fall for me - great clue.

46. Likelihood : ODDS

47. Nods off : SLEEPS

49. Multiwinner race outcome : DEAD HEAT

51. Say hello to : GREET

53. Take down __: humble : A PEG

54. Silo filler : CROP. Tried CORN first.

56. Landlocked African nation : CHAD. Unknown.

58. Like a soldier at attention : ERECT

62. Pigeonhole : LABEL

66. Muscat native : OMANI

67. Ready for picking : RIPE

68. "Very true!" : AMEN

69. Fee-based entertainment service : PAY TV

70. Biblical garden : EDEN

71. Little shavers : TADS

Down:

1. Like the chance of winning a lottery : SLIM

2. Grandpa's love : NANA. This one hung me up - wasn't thinking of a person.

3. In need of a massage : ACHY

4. Journalism award : PEABODY. The Peabody story.

5. Prepare to fire : AIM

6. Sore loser's opposite : GOOD SPORT

7. Volcano in Italy : ETNA

8. "__ with flowers" : SAY IT

9. Mo. for scary costumes : OCT

10. Bib-wearer's entrée : LOBSTER. Was thinking some kind of baby food at first.

12. Blow off some steam : VENT

13. General vicinity : AREA

18. Tail end : REAR

22. Texas NBA team, on scoreboards : SAS. San Antonio Spurs.

25. Civil rights icon Parks : ROSA

27. Prom attendee : TEEN

28. Profits : GAINS

29. Company with orange-and-white trucks : U-HAUL

31. Soup go-with, at lunch : SALAD

33. Fit automaker : HONDA

34. Auditing giant __ & Young : ERNST

37. Ali boxing technique : ROPE-A-DOPE. Interesting.

 

40. Deal with things : COPE

41. "Right this minute!" : ASAP

44. 70-Across tempter : SERPENT

46. "Just my luck!" : OH GREAT

48. "Just a __!" : SEC

50. Regard : DEEM

52. At that place : THERE

54. Hoofbeat sound : CLOP

55. "__ Lama Ding Dong": doo-wop hit : RAMA

57. Battery fluid : ACID

59. Humorist Bombeck : ERMA

60. Kept in the loop, briefly : CC'ED

61. Bills with Hamilton on them : TENS

63. Tyler of "The Leftovers" : LIV

65. Fellows : MEN

Monday, July 11, 2016 Timothy L. Meaker

Theme: No Reveal Monday - Not to worry ~ it's all here.

20. Theoretical temperature at which molecular activity ceases : ABSOLUTE ZERO

31. Astronomical phenomenon : TOTAL ECLIPSE

40. 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. : WHOLE NUMBERS

52. Rarity for a pitcher, nowadays : COMPLETE GAME

Argyle here. A bit of a reversal today; I used the theme entries to help get the fill.

Across:

1. Trek to Mecca : HAJJ. Had to wait on the last letter.

5. Astringent in taste : ACERB

10. Something made on a shooting star : WISH

14. Brainstorm : IDEA

15. Circus animal handler : TAMER

16. Pot starter : ANTE

17. 1999 satire about a reality show : EDtv. A film directed by Ron Howard.

18. Erie or Cree : TRIBE. Another reversal; Erie as a clue.

19. KOA visitor : RVer. Kampgrounds of America, where the recreational vehicle owners stay.

23. __-and-effect : CAUSE

26. Wimbledon do-over : LET

27. Quieted, with "down" : TONED

28. Wes in the Basketball Hall of Fame : UNSELD. Bio.

30. __ Domingo : SANTO

 

35. Bambi's aunt : ENA

36. "Mr." with Jim Backus' voice : MAGOO. "Oh Magoo, you've done it again!"

37. In line for : DUE

44. Pasty-faced : ASHEN

46. Ability spotted by a scout : TALENT

47. Slow-moving mollusk : SNAIL

48. "__ was saying ... " : AS I

51. Actress Rene : RUSSO

55. Some dadaist pieces : ARPS. The World According to Arps. Oops, wrong Arps. It should be Jean Arp or Hans Arp but Ron Arps is something different so I think I'll leave him.

56. Go to pieces : PANIC

57. Rocker Hendrix : JIMI

61. "The Lion King" lion : NALA. Wiki.

62. Show beyond doubt : PROVE

63. Eve's partner : ADAM

64. Represent unfairly : SKEW

65. Fathered : SIRED

66. Toy on a string : YOYO

Down:

1. Shake a leg, quaintly : HIE

2. Put two and two together : ADD

3. Air Force One, for one : JET

4. Indonesian site of a WWII naval battle : JAVA SEA

 

5. Some "Night Court" characters: Abbr. : ATTs. (attorneys)

6. "Silent Night," e.g. : CAROL

7. Novelist Zola : ÉMILE. If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud.

8. Counter, as an argument : REBUT

9. Author Harte : BRET. Born: August 25, 1836, Albany, NY, but wrote about the Gold Rush.

10. Dangerous place for an embedded journalist : WAR ZONE. (and everyone else)

11. Dream up : INVENT

12. Man cave system : STEREO

13. "The Great" Judean king : HEROD

21. Ding-dong maker : BELL. Hah! It's really Hostess.

 

22. Sched. postings : ETAs

23. Like kitten videos : CUTE

24. Any minute, to Shakespeare : ANON

25. Court sports org. : USTA. (United States Tennis Association)

29. Sinister spirit : DEMON and 41D. 29-Down's milieu : HELL

30. Teapot feature : SPOUT

32. Western neighbor of Nev. : CAL.. (Nevada/California)

33. Size up from med. : LGE.

34. Charged particle : ION

37. Dead ends? : DEEs. First and last letters.

38. Coffee servers : URNS

39. __ perpetua: Idaho's motto : ESTO. "Let it be perpetual". Idaho forever!

40. Two-person log-cutting tool : WHIP SAW. Crosscut top and ripsaw bottom (used for making planks)

 

42. Schoolteacher of old : MARM

43. Toronto baseballer : BLUE JAY. shout out

44. Hooded ski jacket : ANORAK. 1920-25; & Inuit (Greenlandic) annoraaq (I doubt they did much skiing.)

45. Supermarket freebie : SAMPLE

47. Speed-reads : SCANS

48. Big name in arcades : ATARI

49. Madrid mister : SEÑOR

50. "Uncle!" : "I GIVE!"

53. Actor Omar : EPPS. Now starring on the ABC drama Resurrection.

54. Got a hole-in-one on : ACED

58. Wedding vow : "I DO"

59. Memorial Day month : MAY

60. "I think," in texts : IMO. (in my opinion)

 

Argyle

Sunday July 10, 2016 Alex Bajcz

Theme: "Volumizing" - BODY is added to each theme entry.

23. Obstruct one's buddies during a hockey game? : BODY CHECK MATES. Checkmates.

32. Crimson Tide wrestler? : ALABAMA BODY SLAMMER. Boomer never heard of Alabama Slammer. I read the Wiki ingredients. He said "Oh, it sounds girly." His likes Manhattan on the rocks.

52. Snoop's job? : BUSYBODY WORK. Busy work.

69. Royal with a broadcasting award? : PRINCESS AND THE PEABODY. Princess and the Pea. PEABODY is not rooted in BODY, hence an ideal choice in letter addition/deletion/replacement gimmick.

88. Central garage item? : BODY SHOP LIFT. Shoplift.

104. Benchmark for a movie daredevil? : BODY DOUBLE STANDARD. Double standard.

119. Immunology-themed gala? : ANTIBODY SOCIAL. Anti-social.

When I read the title, I figured something would be added. BODY appeared rather earlier, so I had plenty of free letters.

 

March 21, 2013 is the last time we saw Alex Bajcz's byline. Since then he has had two puzzles published by the New York Times. But today is his very first Sunday grid. Congrats, Alex!  Bajcz is pronounced like "Badges", by the way.

Alex is bold with his grid design. Those paralleled 11's in the upper right and lower left are hard to pull off cleanly, esp since they're intersecting two long Across themers. I can probably do a paralleled 9's or 10's with one themer Across.  You rock, Alex!

Across:

1. Eliminate, as a vacancy : FILL

5. Chin-up muscle, briefly : LAT

8. Car window options : TINTS

13. Capital of Eritrea : ASMARA. Vowel aplenty.

19. "I've got it!" elicitor : IDEA

20. Peyton's brother : ELI

21. NSX automaker : ACURA

22. Cavatappi and such : PASTAS. Never heard of Cavatappi. Wiki says it's "an Italian word created by compounding "cava tappi", which literally means "tap extractor" (a corkscrew)".

26. Strapless accessory : CLUTCH. Consonant-rich. Was thinking of the strapless bras.

27. Norwegian for "sloping track" : SLALOM

28. Baking site : KILN. Not OVEN.

29. "Heat of the Moment" band : ASIA. Not AC/DC.

31. Scrape (by) : EKE

37. Movement suffix : ISM

40. One more time : ANEW

41. Brooding rock genre : EMO

42. Agree to a friending request : ACCEPT. Husker Gary is the first person who accepted my Friend Request. 

43. Talk : CHAT

45. Paneer cheese go-with : NAAN. Never had Paneer. You?

48. Los Angeles rarity : SNOW. Lucky!

50. "__ where it hurts!" : HIT 'EM

56. Nick time? : NITE

58. Payless box letters : EEE

59. Bio lab organism : MICROBE

60. Dublin-to-Blackpool dir. : ENE.  Already the E in place. Hence ENE. No NNE or  SSE dilemma.

61. Home of The Hague: Abbr. : NETH

62. Pres. and veep : LDRS (Leaders).

63. Elroy Jetson's best friend : ASTRO

65. It might be a mirage : OASIS. Have you had fresh dates before?

67. Pumps up : ELATES

74. Right-hand pages : RECTOS. Vs. VERSOS.

75. Tapped : CHOSE

76. Car buyer's choice : COUPE

77. Pocket rockets, in poker : ACES. Learned from doing crosswords.

78. Quaint contraction : 'TWAS

80. JFK speechwriter Sorensen : TED

82. Churro relative : CRULLER. I believe Churro came from China. We call it Youtiao. Youtiao & soy milk is the standard breakfast in Shanghai/Taiwan. Jayce love it.

86. Often laceless shoe : MOC. Drew a blank.

87. Bygone autocrat : TSAR

90. [What a snoozefest!] : SNORE

92. Watson outburst : I SAY

94. "Go __ Watchman": Harper Lee novel : SET A

95. 90 degrees from norte : ESTE. East. Then we also have NL WEST (96. Gp. including the Rockies).

98. Bk. fair organizer : PTA

100. Try to convince : URGE. Boomer just would not put an ad on our local Star Tribune for our one-day garage sale yesterday. Alas, it's a bust. Street signs were not enough. Craigslist did bring us a few visitors, including one persistent "Have you heard the good news.... " lady. Boomer said she's a Jehovah's Witness.

103. Beast of burden : ASS

109. One in a rack : RIB

 

110. Org. led by a Grand Exalted Ruler : BPOE

111. Three-and-out follower, in football : PUNT

112. Muss : TOUSLE

116. Relaxed : AT EASE

122. Eccentric sort : GEEZER. Always old. 

123. Compete in an impromptu "contest" : STARE. Got via crossed.

124. White House accounting gp. : OMB. OK, Office of Management and Budget.

125. Sleek : TRIM

126. Pointers : ARROWS

127. Varieties : TYPES

128. The G in LGBT : GAY

129. Round Table honorifics : SIRS

Down:

1. Tells tales : FIBS

2. Carrie Underwood, for one : IDOL. Fourth season winner.

3. Helen of Troy's mother : LEDA

4. 1992 Best Rock Song Grammy winner : LAYLA. Easy crossing.

5. Big name in 2008 financial news : LEHMAN

6. Lagunitas product : ALE

7. Pass by, as time : TICK AWAY

8. The Miracles' label : TAMLA. Never heard of it.

9. Promising "Are you available?" response : I CAN BE. Not YES I AM.

10. Baklava morsel : NUT

11. Walk all over : TREAD ON

12. Impertinent : SASSY

13. Math course for coll. credit : AP CALC. Very helpful clue.

14. __ Khan, online academy founder : SAL. I wanted ALY.

15. The NCAA's Spartans : MSU

16. Tried proving that one could : ATTEMPTED TO

17. Engaged in organized crime : RACKETEERED

18. One of Israel's 12 tribes : ASHER.  This stumped me last time.

24. Vending machine choice : COLA

25. Sister of Khloé : KIM

30. Witness' statement : I SAW IT

33. Sprees : BENDERS

34. Trans-Siberian Railway city : OMSK. Easy crossings.

35. Need ice, maybe : ACHE

36. Soong __-ling: Madame Chiang : MEI. She's the youngest of the Soong Sisters. The middle sister Ching-Ling married Dr. Sun Yat-sen. The oldest sister married the then richest man in China. They were all educated here in the US.

Left to right:  Ai-ling, Ching-ling and Mei-ling.

37. Disarmament subj. : ICBM

38. Feng __ : SHUI

39. Gram. gender : MASC

44. Absolute rulers : TYRANTS

46. Leave speechless : AWE

47. "Stop! You're ruining everything!" : NO NO NO. Also 107. "So that's __?" : A NO. Probably should have gone with the Spanish year clue direction.

49. "Hold that thought" : ONE SEC

51. Like some breakups : MESSY

53. "Psycho" shower scene blood, actually : BOSCO. Good to know.

54. Beseeches : OBTESTS. Do you use this word in your daily life? I never heard of it.

55. Entertains with a bedtime story : READS TO

57. Capital since 2002 : THE EURO.  Does "The" feels unnecessary to you?

61. Bethesda medical agcy. : NIH

62. "Lady Marmalade" singer : LABELLE. I'm more familiar with this version.

64. Coveted statuettes : OSCARS

66. Fury and Silver of classic TV : STEEDS. Not HORSES.

68. Eagerly consume : LAP UP.  We also have 79. Watch (for) : WAIT UP. Tiny dupes like UP, AT, THE are OK.

69. London strollers : PRAMS

70. Keep tabs on the enemy : RECONNOITER. I always use RECON.

71. Ballpark vendor's cry : ICE-COLD BEER.  Sparkling 11.

72. Contented sounds : AHs

73. Diving duck : POCHARD. New word to me. We always get SMEW for this clue. Her eyes are red.

81. Vat filler : DYE. And 117. Nitrogenous 81-Down : AZO

83. Former L.A. Sparks All-Star __ Leslie : LISA. Amazing career.

84. Young newts : EFTs

85. Numbered rds. : RTEs

87. Drove, with "off" : TEED

88. Modern storage unit : BYTE

89. Nonhuman film substitute : STUNT DOG. Wow. I only know stuntman.

91. Letters after either Cowboy St. senator's name : R-WY. Goofy answer.

93. In spades : APLENTY

97. Gets serious : SOBERS

99. Have grand plans : ASPIRE

101. "Great" literary hero : GATSBY

102. Switch end : EROO. Switcheroo.

104. NW Portuguese city : BRAGA. Unfamiliar to me.

105. Talk oneself up : BOAST

106. Straws, e.g. : TUBES. Simple in retrospect.

108. Sources of tears : DUCTS. Simple in retrospect.

113. Popular assistant : SIRI. This lady gives me pause all the time, unless she's clued explicitly.

114. Private retreat : LAIR

115. Shade trees : ELMS

118. Be in a bee : SEW. Sewing bee.

120. Gentle attention-getter : TAP

121. "The Peruvian Songbird" Sumac : YMA

Happy Birthday to dear Don G, my talented mentor and close friend. Don has been quite busy with his piano projects, but continues to work with me and help me when he's free.

C.C.

Saturday, Jul 9th, 2016, Pawel Fludzinski

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,W,X,Z)

Blocks: 28

Our last Saturday puzzle from Mr. Fludzinski was over a year ago, though he did drop in with a couple of Wednesday grids for the LA Times in between.  I filled in 1-across straight away ( wrongly, I might add ), and thought we might do alright today - especially when some of the longer fill went right in.  Sort of a strange solving style for me today; I seemed to switch back and forth between across and down; one letter giving me enough to work with 'orthogonally'.  This one moved along at a brisk pace, so when I got stumped in the NW, I didn't hesitate and just cheated - ah, Wisconsin.  10-letter fill all over the place;

33a. 1996 Richard Gere thriller : PRIMAL FEAR - I managed to see the last 5mins of the movie, so I pretty much failed my own 19across....

38a. Premium Scotch choice : SINGLE MALT 

6d. Percussion staples : SNARE DRUMS - I have one, it's steel, and I'd like a wood one

29d. Detect vulnerability : SMELL BLOOD

 ON

    NW

       WA

           AR

              RD

                 D~!

ACROSS:

1. Splitting target : ATOM - Well, OK then, it's not "HAIR"; semi-clecho with 14a.

5. Taqueria adjective : ASADA

10. Heavy wind? : TUBA - I sensed the misdirection, but "BASSOON" was all I could think of; also semi-clecho with; 49d. High wind? : OBOE

14. Splitting : BREAKING UP

16. Author Blyton : ENID - I knew this proper name

17. Degree seekers : CANDIDATES

18. Hendrix hairdo : AFRO - I'm a lefty guitar player - four of mine are still upside down righties

19. Alert follower, perhaps : SPOILER

20. They may be spilled : SECRETS - BEANS and GUTS weren't long enough

22. Reason for many a school absence : STREP

24. "In __, I know not why I am so sad": "The Merchant of Venice" : SOOTH

25. '90s Philippine president Fidel : RAMOS - WAGed the vowels

28. JAMA subscribers : DRs

30. It merged with SAG in 2012 : AFTRA - I knew this one, too

32. Cal's "East of Eden" brother : ARON

35. Nigerian native : IBO - the Wiki

36. Some vents : LOUVERS

37. GPS suggestion : RTE

40. Enthusiastic : KEEN - ah, not AVID - but I am keen on this

I'm an "avid" reader, too~!

41. Flummoxed : AT SEA

42. Blues with sticks: Abbr. : STL - hockey reference; the St. Louis Blues

43. Performed, in Shakespeare : DIDST

44. __ scheme : RHYME - dah~! Not PONZI

46. "The Other Side of Oz" autobiographer : EBSEN

48. Buddy : PAISANO

50. Sticks around : LINGERS - not REMAINS

54. Eclectic magazine : UTNE

55. Hardly a light six-pack? : ABS OF STEEL

57. Staple in 48-Down : BEER - circumreferential to; 48d. 57-Across sellers : PUBS

58. NYC saloon featured in a 2000 film : COYOTE UGLY

59. The Stans were among them: Abbr. : SSRs

 

60. Ministers : TENDS

61. Chinese menu possessive : TSO'S

DOWN:

1. Essentials : ABCs

2. Corner : TRAP

3. Santa Ynez Valley prefix : OENO - "wine"; we have a burgeoning wine country on the North Fork of LI, too

4. Badger State city : MADISON - here's why the state got the nickname

5. Help, in Le Havre : AIDER - Frawnche

7. G-man : AGT - dah~! Not FED

8. Union requirement : DUES - I know this firsthand

9. Church areas : APSES

10. Detach, in a way : TEAR OFF

11. Free : UNFETTERED - nailed it

12. Demographers' concerns : BIRTH RATES

13. Flaps : ADOS

15. Highland attire : KILTS

 There can be only one

21. Barbecue supply : COALS - dah~!  Not SAUCE, MEATS, or CLAMS

23. Like much property : PRIVATE

25. Mrs. Gorbachev : RAISA

26. Resolves, as a contract dispute : ARBITRATES

27. Still runner : MOONSHINER

31. Isn't for you? : AREN'T

33. Baltimore bard : POE

34. Wall adornment : ART - I have this print - I think it's awesome

Gargoyles - Michael Parkes

36. Beast of burden : LLAMA

39. Springs with steam : GEYSERS

40. 18th-dynasty Egyptian pharaoh : KING TUT

43. Crowded : DENSE

45. Make official : ENACT

47. Goes through carefully : SIFTS

51. Lines of thought? : EEGs - har-har

52. Pull up stakes, informally : RELOcate

53. Stone and others : SLYs

56. Preserves, for keeps: Abbr. : SYNonym

Splynter

 Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Tony (Anon-T), our always caring & attentive friend. Is your mother-in-law visiting today, Tony?

Friday, July 8, 2016, C.C. Burnikel

Title: Shhhh the Js are coming!!!

C. C. has returned to the Friday wars with a different type of theme where common phrases which have the second word begin with "SH" it is replaced with a "J" and clued accordingly. I know I often complain that the letter J is left out of so many puzzles so of course I did love this effort, but naming it is was too hard. I loved all the long fill, much of it new and some of it learning moments. For example, we have AUTO PEN, INK SPOT,  COSSETS,  EASY JOB, BRETHREN,  MISNOMER,  IN MOTION, U. N. SPEECH, RED AS A BEET,  BEER O'CLOCK,  BIONIC LEGS,  I SMELL A RAT. What a great mix of cultural stuff. Well, speaking of culture, let's solve the puzzle.

17A. Art-loving athlete? : CULTURE JOCK (11). Going to college in 1965 after four years away at all boys boarding school was a definite culture shock.

31A. What you don't know about audio equipment? : RADIO JACK (9). You don't know Jack unless you go to the Shack.

47A. Difficult situation at Bed Bath  & Beyond? : PILLOW JAM (9). I have pillow shams on my bed and I am not embarrassed by them.

61A. Gem of a night out? : EVENING JADE (11). Evening shade just sort of sits there...I did love the show with BURT.

Across:

1. Wrap alternatives : PITAS.

6. Ill-fated Corleone hoodlum Luca : BRASI. A real mobster? According to wiki, Luca Brasi is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather, as well as its 1972 film adaptation. In the film, he was portrayed by Lenny Montana, an ex-wrestler and ex-bodyguard for the Colombo crime family.

11. TD scorers : RBS. Running backs.

14. Response to a raise : I'M OUT. Or I fold, or just muck your cards. Sound familiar from Wednesday?

15. Element #86 : RADON. Perp time.

16. Fish whose blood is poisonous to humans : EEL. Of course C.C. would know eel blood is poisonous to humans and other mammals, but both cooking and the digestive process destroy the toxic protein. The toxin derived from eel blood serum was used by Charles Richet in his Nobel winning research which discovered anaphylaxis (by injecting it into dogs and observing the effect). Wiki.

19. "Agnus __" : DEI.

20. Home of the annual Norwegian Wood music festival : OSLO.  Wonderful excuse for

21. Heineken symbol : STAR. . C.C. used this before LINK.  Do you remember the puzzle where all the companies that use a Star in their logo?

22. Quick : SMART. That boy is as quick as a whip!

24. Sign on a door : PUSH. P U then the perps.

26. Texas county bordering New Mexico : EL PASO. Did not know it was a County. Read a Lawrence Block mini-mystery where he was trying to rhyme El Paso.

28. "__ Irish Rose" : ABIE'S. The modern version had a really fun cast. Turns out may have married Bernie, but she loves Batya.

34. Chinese checkers, e.g. : MISNOMER. Really fun word, and again we see C.C. playing with her heritage. It is a German variation of an American game that has nothing to do with checkers.

36. Firm : STABLE.

37. Fruit juice brand : POM. Oo buys this regularly.

38. Break up : END IT. Now done by text, I understand.

40. Goddess sister of Selene : EOS. A few years ago, I has this goddess of the dawn many times. LINK.

41. World Heritage Site org. : UNESCO. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization...followed by, inexplicably...

44. Ban delivery : U. N. SPEECH.  BAN Ki-moon is secretary general of the UN. (From C.C.: Ban! This is Rich's clue.)

49. Foreigner in "Taxi" : LATKA. The late great Andy Kaufman.

50. Greensboro Grasshoppers' baseball level : CLASS A. Leave it to C.C. to craft a Friday baseball clue. (From C.C.:  Rich's clue as well. Along with many others.)

51. Surprised sounds : OHOS.

53. Appreciative sounds : CLAPS.

54. Wine holders : VATS.

56. "The Ghost of Frankenstein" role : YGOR. Or maybe IGOR?

60. "Away From __": Julie Christie movie : HER. This heart wrenching story of a woman who is institutionalized by her husband due to advanced Alzheimer's disease, is based on a short story by Alice Munro who was in a recent Friday puzzle.

64. Turkish bigwig : AGA.

65. Sculpted trunk : TORSO. The human variety.

66. Chocolate-caramel candies : ROLOS.




I loved the juxtaposition





67. It ends 11/6/2016 in the U.S. : DST. Daylight Savings Time. First Sunday in November.

68. Evil figure : SATAN.

69. "No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough" speaker : EBERT.

Down:

1. __ de gallo : PICO. No self-respecting South Floridian could get this wrong. Spanish for "rooster's beak," pico de gallo is a relish made of finely chopped ingredients like jicama, oranges, onions, bell peppers, jalapeño peppers and cucumbers, along with various seasonings. This condiment was so named because it was once purportedly eaten with the thumb and finger, an action that resembles a rooster's pecking beak. Food Network. Unlike salsa nothing is cooked.

2. Stern rival : IMUS.

3. Crossing cost : TOLL.

4. Signing facilitator : AUTOPEN. This 60 year old DEVICE.

5. Poker great Ungar : STU. Another sad STORY.

6. Members of a flock : BRETHREN.

7. Punjabi prince : RAJA. 23D. Woman whom Goya also painted clothed : MAJA. We have seen both versions here.

8. Flipped over : ADORED. Not a pancake, or mattress- a girl/boy?

9. A behavioral sci. : SOCiology.

10. Laundry challenge : INK SPOT. Use an alcohol based product, no longer hairspray.

11. Visibly embarrassed : RED AS A BEET. I love these two next to each other

12. Time for a cold one : BEER O'CLOCK. This is actually in the 2015 Oxford dictionary.

13. Skirt feature : SLIT.

18. Web feed document letters : RSS. RSS (Rich Site Summary; originally RDF Site Summary; often called Really Simple Syndication) uses a family of standard web feed formats to publish frequently updated information: blog entries, news headlines, audio, video. Wiki. Unknown to me.

25. Military support gp. : USO. Think Bob Hope.

27. Memory aids : LISTS.

28. Intensify : AMP UP. C.C. has clearly amp-ed up her game presenting more Friday and Saturday offerings.

29. Brain-controlled transportation devices : BIONIC LEGS. Two more exquisite fill.

30. "Something's fishy" : I SMELL A RAT. So cool.

32. Adversity, in the RAF motto : ARDUA. Per ardua ad astra. From adversity to the stars. Good to know some Latin. This was chosen in 1912 for the first royal flying corps.

33. "We R Who We R" singer : KESHA. I have only heard of her as Ke$ha. The song...

35. Catty remarks : MEOWS.

39. Actively operating : IN MOTION.

42. Hit, in a way : SLAP.

43. Mollycoddles : COSSETS. I only know this word from reading scads of British mysteries.

45. West Bank initials : PLO.

46. Not a hard nut to crack : EASY JOB. Seems like a random phrase and clue.

48. "Les Misérables" inspector : JAVERT. A great J word to finish.

52. EVINE Live competitor : HSN. Home Shopping Network. QVC just would not work.

53. Libya neighbor : CHAD. Think we will ever learn African Geography?

55. Archaeologist's handle : ANSA. My son has been on numerous digs but I have no clue what this means

57. Severe blow : GALE. Refers to winds blowing.

58. Pure propane's lack : ODOR.

59. Come to a halt : REST.

62. Intl. broadcaster since 1942 : VOA. Voice of America.

63. Hurdle for srs. : GRE. So many tests...

What an odd ride for me, so much to love, so much to confuse...maybe C. C. will stop by; if not I gave my best shot....Lemonade out.

Thursday, July 7th 2016 Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: Snarled up - as the downward-facing reveal explains:

38D. Needing to be bailed out ... or where 20-, 27-, 45- and 51-Across may be found : IN A JAM

The theme entries:

20A. Office supply : PRINTER PAPER. Paper jam. If this happens to my home printer I pretty much have to take the whole thing apart to fix it.

27A. Jaguar, for one : AUTOMOBILE. Traffic jam. A mostly permanent state of affairs for the 101 and 405 freeways in my bailiwick. I try to time my arrivals back at LAX to miss the worst of the parking lot effect.

45A. Malt option : STRAWBERRY. Fruit jam. Jan Hogrewe of Jan's Jam close by in Calabasas makes the best jams and preserves I've ever tasted.

51A. Certain trio member : JAZZ MUSICIAN. Jam session. And a great excuse to link the great Chet Atkins and "Jam Man", brought to a broader audience by a certain insurance company commercial.

Now then, not beating around the bush with this one - I thought the theme entries came across as very uneven. You have a paper in a paper jam, that's fair. but you don't have an automobile jam; you have a traffic jam, and the musical jam session is another step removed from the flow of the theme.

That said, still an entertaining puzzle. I circled right around before coming back to the north west corner to finish. Those three little downs at 1, 2 and 3 make for a tricky trifecta.

 Moving right along, unlike the 405 traffic:

Across:

1. Corner piece : ROOK. Chess. V8 moment after a looooong time. Here's a V8 checkmate:

1. f3 e5

2. g4?? Qh4#

3. Doh!

5. Singer James : ETTA

9. One of more than 21 million Indians : SIKH

13. British nobleman : EARL

14. Composer Janácek : LEOS. Thank you, crosses. Czech composer.

15. Perfect : IDEAL

17. Shot that can't be blocked : FREE THROW. I threw myself for a loop here by happily filling in FOUL THROW.

19. Complaint : PEEVE

22. Elbows, e.g. : PASTA. Food!  A study (of more than 26,000 Italians) widely reported over the last couple of days concluded that those who ate pasta as part of their diet had a lower body mass index. Be warned however - you don't find "unlimited pasta bowl and breadsticks" restaurants in Italy. I use Lidia Bastianich's recipe for marinara sauce. Simple and delicious. Try to get genuine San Marzano tomatoes - the difference in flavor is very apparent.

25. Cause to roll in the aisles : SLAY. Slayed 'em! Knocked 'em dead!

26. Electrolysis particle : ION

30. Queen who succeeded William III : ANNE. Early 1700's baroque architecture in the UK is known as the "Queen Anne style".

31. Ring result : TKO. A Technical Knock-Out in Boxing when the ref stops the fight.

32. Support for many a 29-Down : WIRE. Not an underwire?

33. More degrading : BASER

34. Gucci competitor : PRADA

36. Parade sight : FLOAT

38. "My thoughts are ... " : I'D SAY

40. Economist Smith : ADAM. Author of "The Wealth of Nations". I studied Economics at school and found the whole thing fascinating. You graduated with a BA in Economics, rather than a BSc which I found amusing. It's not an exact science - too many moving parts.

41. Special __ : OPS

44. "The Daily Show" host Trevor __ : NOAH. Thank you, crosses. I haven't watched the show since Jon Stewart left.

48. Queen's subject : ANT. Not Queen Anne.

49. "__ a man who wasn't there" : I MET

"Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today,
I wish, I wish he'd go away..."

From Antigonish by William Hughes Mearns

50. Pug or Peke : BREED

55. Really enjoyed : ATE UP. Food! I made a paella mixta last night which I "ate up". When I see good-looking mussels, shrimp and chicken thighs at my local market, it's time to bust out the rice and saffron and go for broke. It's a sobering thought that a good-looking mussel is a girl with a beard. I also need food photography lessons. Any offers? Food! for instruction.

56. Hard times : LEAN YEARS

60. Haggard of country : MERLE

61. Sets a price of : ASKS. I started pondering whether I'd say "sets the price of" or "sets a price for" before I realized life is too short to waste on such ponderings.

62. Not in the pink : SICK

63. R&B-influenced genre : SOUL

64. Editor's mark : STET.

65. Catering aid : TRAY. "Death Star Canteen", Eddie Izzard, Lego animation. YouTube. Rated R for language.

Down:

1. NBA employee : REF

2. Homonym of 3-Down : OAR

3. Homonym of 2-Down : ORE

4. Habitual booster? : KLEPTO. I guess it's not an abbreviation any more. More properly "kleptomaniac". Fun clue.

5. Pre-coll. : EL-HI

6. Gull relative : TERN

7. Film for which Jessica Lange won her first Oscar : TOOTSIE. Best Supporting Actress for this 1982 movie. Later Best Actress for Blue Sky in 1994.

8. Plus : AS WELL

9. __ cup : SIPPY

10. Inventor's need : IDEA

11. Stock : KEEP IN STORE

12. "Try this" : HAVE ONE

16. "My Fair Lady" lyricist : LERNER

18. People mover : TRAMWAY. There's one in Hartsfield International Airport that amuses me - see 52D below.

21. "Norma __" : RAE. Because "JEAN" doesn't fit.

22. Square on a muffin : PAT. What? Oh! Pat of butter. Or Oleo, if you must.,

23. Relative of a puffin : AUK

24. What many a countdown clock does : STOPS AT ZERO. Or at "007" in James Bond movies. I seem to remember continuity problems in "Goldfinger" when each time the camera cut to the nuclear bomb countdown timer it had moved much more slowly than the time elapsing around it. Probably some physics time-warp weirdness.

28. Suffix denoting resemblance : -OID. Ovoid, spheroid, avoid. No, wait, not that last one.

29. Support garb : BRA

30. Gp. for drivers : AAA

33. Military aircraft hold : BOMB BAY

35. Bit of a cheer : RAH!

36. Org. regulating vaccines : FDA Federal Drug Administration.

37. __ school : LAW

39. Supports a cause : DONATES

40. Most dilettantish : ARTIEST

42. Opposite of post- : PRE- This is one of those clues when you wonder why the grid didn't just come "pre-filled".

43. Qantas hub, in itineraries : SYD. Why no "U" in Qantas? Because it's an acronym of "Queensland And Northern Territories Aerial Services".

45. Site of the George W. Bush presidential library : SMU. Southern Methodist. I hesitate between this and TCU when this clue crops up.

46. Eco-friendly wheels : TESLAS. Not the best news week for Telsa and Elon Musk.

47. Antarctic explorer Shackleton : ERNEST. I just finished reading "Endurance" by Alfred Lansing which tells the amazing story of the Trans-Antarctic expedition which took place 100 years ago. Gripping stuff.

49. Force : IMPEL

52. Pilot's alphabet ender : ZULU. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo .... At Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport, the concourses are named A thru F. When you're on the people-mover, the stops  are announced "A - Alpha", "B - Bravo", "C - Charlie" ... then "D - David" so as not to confuse the passengers flying on Delta Airlines, whose flights mostly depart from the A and B concourses.

53. Wedding tradition : CAKE

54. MIT center?: Abbr. : INST. Mass. Inst. Tech. as it is never known.

57. __ bubble : AIR

58. Record label for P!nk : RCA Note the stylized "!" in her name.

59. Something to look up to : SKY

And .. here's the grid. With that, my work here is done.


Steve