Tuesday, July 26, 2016 Janice Luttrell

Theme: Festival Seating - or the opening bell at Macy's on Black Friday; don't get caught in the stampede.

20A. "SportsCenter" co-anchor : HANNAH STORM

56A. Extreme onset of anxiety : PANIC ATTACK

11D. Overdraft fee, e.g. : BANK CHARGE

29D. Caffeine jitters : COFFEE RUSH

Argyle here and so is Janice again but no reveal. Even less 3-letter entries than Monday's. Remarkable. I'll add Hannah Storm's picture here.

Across:

1. Willy Loman's favorite son : BIFF. I know Biff the Bully from Back to the Future.

5. Surrounded by : AMID

9. Site with a "Find a Doctor" section : WEB MD

14. Recline lazily : LOLL

15. Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida __" : LOCA

16. Firefighter Red : ADAIR. He was famous for snuffing out oil well fires.

17. Jai __ : ALAI

18. Ajar : OPEN

19. Like the yolk in Eggs Benedict : RUNNY. Do you like them runny? I prefer a little set to them.

23. Kenan's comedy partner : KEL. Wiki. I must be too old to find them funny.

24. Pottery material : CLAY

25. Uproar : OUTCRY

27. Microfilm unit : FICHE. You needed a reader.

30. Tuba sound : [OOM-PAH]

32. To whom Lennon's "Woman" is dedicated : ONO. Yoko.

33. Bit of shuteye : CATNAP

36. Cheers from the stands : RAHs

39. Sharable PC files : PDFs. (Portable Document Format)

41. Maker of candy "pieces" : REESE. Yum! Straight out of the freezer on a hot day ....

42. Yorick's skull in "Hamlet," e.g. : PROP. "Alas, poor Yorick"

43. Waiting room seat : SOFA

44. "Location, location, location," to a real estate agent : MANTRA

46. Test for M.A. seekers : GRE. (Graduate Record Examination)

47. Playwright Albee : EDWARD. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

49. Deli loaf : BREAD

51. Cybermoniker : USER ID

53. Word with map or code : AREA

55. "Morning Edition" broadcaster : NPR. (National Public Radio)

62. Unrefined : CRUDE

64. Uproars : ADOs. Outcries.

65. Better __ ever : THAN. Better than sliced deli loaf.

66. Cutting beam : LASER

67. "Sommersby" actor Richard : GERE

68. Prefix with dextrous : AMBI

69. Spirit of a people : ETHOS

70. Beach cover : SAND

71. Tree house : NEST

Down:

1. Not at all thrilling : BLAH

2. City in southeast Kansas : IOLA

3. Spanish dessert : FLAN

4. Shrink back : FLINCH. A fast shrink.

5. Hi and bye on Lanai : ALOHA

6. Sister of Peter Rabbit : MOPSY

7. Rapper-turned-actor : ICE-T

8. Five-O detective's nickname : DANO. The controversy here. Add to it if you care.

9. Get ready in the bullpen : WARM-UP

10. Dean's URL ender : .EDU

12. One who digs hard rock? : MINER

13. How deadpan humor is delivered : DRYLY

21. Actor Guinness : ALEC

22. "__ Room": longtime kids' show : ROMPER. 1953 to 1994

26. Waterproof cover : TARP

27. Natty dressers : FOPs

28. __-European : INDO

30. Without letup : ON END

31. Tobacco kiln : OAST. We see it used to dry hops more commonly.

34. Doomed Spanish fleet : ARMADA

35. Drop on a cheek : TEAR

37. Israeli dance : HORA

38. Went too fast : SPED

40. __ City: Baghdad suburb : SADR. Formerly known as Saddam City.

45. Aid in a bad way : ABET

48. Windshield cleaners : WIPERS

50. Wicker material : RATTAN

51. One who might call you his niece : UNCLE

52. Fat-avoiding Jack : SPRAT, but not his wife who could eat no lean.

53. Part of a squirrel's stash : ACORN

54. Demolished, in Devon : RASED. It would be nice to visit before all the old houses are gone.

57. Reminds ad nauseam : NAGS

58. Inspiration : IDEA

59. Woeful words : "AH, ME"

60. Street fleet : CABs. Neat.

61. Make mittens, say : KNIT

63. "Gloria in Excelsis __" : DEO

Argyle

Monday, July 25, 2016 Shannon Summer

Theme: No Reveal Monday - Homonyms.

20A. Brought in for repair, as a disabled car : TOWED TO THE SHOP

35A. Obeyed strictly : TOED THE LINE

52A. Milne play about an amphibian : "TOAD OF TOAD HALL"

Argyle here. It would appear this is a debut puzzle. Simple and clean. OK.

Across:

1. Monster party : BASH

5. Cooled with cubes, as tea : ICED

9. Hood's bank job : HEIST

14. Author __ Stanley Gardner : ERLE. Perry Mason was created by Erle Stanley Gardner.

15. Dress that reaches the ankles : MAXI

16. According to : AS PER

17. Roman love god : AMOR

18. Bird sacred to Tut : IBIS

19. Animal shelter arrival : STRAY

23. Dublin's land: Abbr. : IRE

24. __ bran : OAT

25. Either "T" in "AT&T," when abbreviated : TEL. (American Telephone & Telegraph, founded in 1885)

26. Jul. and Aug. : MOs. (months)

28. Oppressive ruler : TYRANT

30. Cause of much yawning : BORE

31. Really bug : IRK

32. Playground plank for two : SEESAW

34. __ Spumante : ASTI

38. Coll. staff member : PROFessor

40. "Finally!" : "AT LAST!"

41. Joint that may need replacing : HIP

42. Bugs for payment : DUNs

44. Put a worm on : BAITED

48. Electrical particle : ION

49. & : AND

50. Hindu term of respect : SRI

51. Lead-in with car or tourism : ECO

56. Beat at chess : MATED

57. "If __ $1000000": Barenaked Ladies song : I HAD

58. List-ending abbr. : ETAL

59. Doctor on the starship Enterprise : McCOY. Dr. Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy.

60. San __, Italy : REMO

61. Shortest Great Lake name : ERIE

62. Culture: Pref. : ETHNO

63. Golda of Israel : MEIR. Prime Minister of Israel, 1969 to 1974.

64. Title for Byron : LORD

Down:

1. "Scram!" : "BEAT IT!"

2. Weapons facility : ARMORY

3. Adagio, as compared to allegro : SLOWER

4. "You can have it" : "HERE!"

5. Mimicked : IMITATED

6. Explorer Sebastian : CABOT. c. 1474 – c. 1557 Wiki LINK.

7. Interstate highway sign word : [EXIT]

8. One hanging near the kitchen sink : DISH TOWEL

9. Red tape, e.g. : HASSLE

10. O.T. book named for a woman : ESTHer.

11. "Scout's honor!" : "I PROMISE"

12. City on a harbor : SEAPORT. (Sanremo, per esempio)

13. Attempt : TRY

21. Transplant recipient : DONEE

22. "Lo, How a Rose __ Blooming": carol : E'ER

27. Speed down snowy slopes : SKI

29. Starting with : AS OF

30. Thai money : BAHTs

33. Not give an inch : STAND FIRM

34. Pro's opposite : ANTI

35. First-class : TOP NOTCH

36. Dog believed to have originated in Newfoundland : LABRADOR

37. Start of a "Come again?" response : "I SAID ... "

38. __ Beta Kappa : PHI

39. It's "read" during a reprimand : RIOT ACT

42. Beatnik's bro : 'DADDY-O'

43. Game with Draw Two cards : UNO

45. Italian playhouse : TEATRO. Learning moment.

46. Cream-filled pastry : ECLAIR

47. Dressed to kill, with "up" : DOLLED

50. "Ditto" : "SO AM I"

53. Thousands of years : AEON

54. "With this ring, I __ wed" : THEE

55. Cad : HEEL

56. Sra., in France : MME. (madame)

Argyle

Sunday, July 24, 2016, C.C. Burnikel

Title: Getting Connected 

Our lovely leader has made a fun puzzle whose gimmick was finding two-word phrases where the first word ended in US and the second word started with a B. This yielded the now ubiquitous computer connection acronym of USB (Universal Serial Bus).  Our crafty constructor C.C. also hid the reveal in the very last clue in the puzzle:

120. PC connection found in this puzzle's eight longest answers : USB

Husker Gary here and I am, as Lemon put it once, sherping for C.C. and revealing that I needed the reveal because

128. "I'm an idiot!" : DOH!

The back of this PC shows many common "Getting Connected" options including  6 USB ports

Theme  Fills:

21. Omaha Steaks Private Reserve product : ANGUS BEEF - I'm sure you've got a great steak outlet 20 min from your house  like I do!

27. 2009 recession response : STIMULUS BILL - Staying apolitical, I'll let you decide if it works for you

14. Sacred conviction : RELIGIOUS BELIEF - Staying areligious, I'll let you decide if it works for you

43. Gillette razor for women : VENUS BREEZE -  Gel Bars obviate the need for shaving cream, I read.

92. Eponymous explorer of the Aleutians : VITUS BERING - A 1981 Russian stamp honoring the 300 birthday of Bering  in Denmark. He joined the Russian Navy  in 1704

111. Department of Commerce division : CENSUS BUREAU - Very interesting projection from the Bureau

119. Apple Store support station : GENIUS  BAR- Sheldon, in Big Bang Theory, said this job devalues the word GENIUS and is as mundane as a toll booth operator or waitress 

Now let's get down to the somewhat 42. Not something to kid about : SERIOUS BUSINESS and other connections our brilliant Minnepolis friend has for us today:

Across

1. Abbr. for an unfilled slot : TBA

4. Limber : AGILE

9. Literally meaning "stick," it's the first word in a California city named for a 1,000-year-old redwood : PALO - PALO (Stick) Alto (Tall). Learning for me.

13. Bowler's edge : BRIM -  My favorite bowler donner and doffer covering his "little grey cells"

17. Hotfooted it : RAN

18. Merged oil giant : MOBIL

19. Contentious encounter : RUN IN

20. Soft leather : SUEDE - Why were Carl and Elvis so sensitive about these?

23. "Love it!" : I LIKE

24. Dealt __: devastated : A BLOW

25. One doing a bank job? : PERP

26. Protest topics: Abbr. : RTS and 35. Folk legend Joan : BAEZ - She famously sang We Shall Overcome in support of Civil RTS

29. #1 thriller on AFI's "100 Years...100 Thrills" : PSYCHO - As we learned here recently, Bosco was used for blood

31. Stepped to the plate : BATTED

32. Thick carpet : SHAG

33. Bloomingdale's rival : SAKS

36. Mom in the woods : DOE

37. Boiling state : IRE - Different from 49 Across's temp scale but same as 3. Ticked off : ANGRY

40. Start to sing? : ESS

47. Hustle : SCOOT

49. Celsius, e.g. : SWEDE - Not a SCALE. It's recently been around 37˚C here. Ugh!

51. Blond shade : ASH

52. Try to quiet, as a persistent squeak : REOIL

54. Jamaican spirits : RUMS

55. Caesar's land : TERRA - 200 years after Caesar, Ptolemy made this map of the world and TERRA Incognita

56. Poorly paid workers : PEONS

59. Parks on a bus : ROSA - "The only tired I was, was tired of giving in"

60. Best Play, e.g. : ESPY - This year's winner was the Packer's Hail Mary pass to beat the Lions

61. Morphine is one : OPIATE

63. Sailor's guardian : ST ELMO

65. Easygoing sort : TYPE-B

67. Dockside activity : STOWING

69. Shower with flowers, say : WOO by a 94. Steady : BEAU?

70. Incline to a higher level : SLOPE UP - This is a modern day picture of what is called the Music Box Stairs in LA. I'll bet you remember the famous comedy team that used them in a 1932 movie and what they were moving up these stairs.

73. Let loose : UNTIE

74. "Knock that off!" : STOP IT - Rare is the parent who hasn't uttered these words!

77. Artemis' twin brother : APOLLO

78. Private place? : BASE

80. Subj. for a future vet : ANAT

82. Enclose, as livestock : PEN IN  Now wait a minute...

84. Work outfits for many : SUITS - It started that way in teaching but has devolved into Goodwill chic

85. Pop foursome formed in Stockholm : ABBA

86. E! Online subject : CELEB

88. "Get it?" : SEE - Edward G. Robinson said "SEE" but not "Yeah, SEE"

89. Development areas : UTERI

90. Unfocused images : BLURS - Does  this 48. Give you the willies : CREEP OUT?

96. Oft-chewed item : FAT

97. "You got it!" : YES - The rain in Spain does stay mainly in the plain!

98. Children's advocate LeShan : EDA

100. Will of "The Waltons" : GEER - Grandpa Walton

101. Indian bread : NAAN

103. Shakespearean deceiver : IAGO - Edwin Booth as IAGO in 1871. Yup, he was that guy's  brother

105. Bewhiskered test subject : LAB RAT 

107. Cue : PROMPT - A furry paw on my nose at 5 am is a PROMPT for me

114. Look good on : FIT

116. Taverna sandwich : GYRO - Here ya go...

117. Type of daisy : OXEYE

118. Readily available : ON TAP

121. Basilica recesses : APSES

122. Can't stop loving : ADORE

123. Itty-bitty bits : ATOMS

124. Periodontist's org. : ADA

125. Like many a cause : LOST

126. Madre's hermanos : TIOS - Mi madre tenía tres hermanos (Mom had 3 brothers). Por lo tanto yo tenía tres tíos (Therefore, I had 3 uncles)

127. Brightest star in Cygnus : DENEB - Beautiful part of tonight's sky

Down

1. "The Sound of Music" family name : TRAPP

2. Ruinations : BANES

4. Morning hrs. : AMS

5. Lose it all : GO BROKE

6. "Yeah, right!" : I BET

7. Polygraph blips, perhaps : LIES - "Yes, I'll still respect you in the morning!"

8. Tolkien race member : ELF

9. Prize administered by Columbia University : PULITZER

10. Cartoon style : ANIME

11. Party headed by Netanyahu : LIKUD - Hebrew for consolidation

12. First-year J.D. student : ONE-L

13. Two-time Masters champ Watson : BUBBA - After winning $1.6M at the 2012 Master's, "plain eating" BUBBA celebrated that night at a Waffle House leaving a $148 tip

15. Much-loved star : IDOL

16. Kitten cry : MEWL

19. Cowboy singer Tex : RITTER

20. Military bands : SASHES

22. Lines at Walmart? : UPC'S - I miss prices on items a little

27. 9-5 automaker : SAAB

28. Troop entertainment gp. : USO - In season 10, they made it to M*A*S*H 4077

30. Dig in : HAVE AT IT

31. Air rifle ammo : BB SHOT

34. Easy A, say : SNAP

36. Paine and Hugo, philosophically : DEISTS - Reading Paine's Age Of Reason might challenge your RELIGIOUS BELIEFS

38. Lopsided win : ROMP - The Husker's undefeated 1995 National Champions  41. Won every game : SWEPT in 12 ROMPS

39. Crafts website : ETSY - For a long time, I wanted this to be E-[something] that made sense

40. These, to Luis : ESTOS

44. Puts to work : USES

45. Architect Saarinen : EERO - I'll bet you recognize this wonderful EERO design

46. Madhouse : ZOO

50. Close in : DRAW NEAR 

53. Clapton classic : LAYLA

57. Eye of __: "Macbeth" witches' ingredient : NEWT - Let me be the first...

58. Regatta racer : SLOOP

62. Pioneering computer : ENIAC - Only one Scrabble letter above 1 point

64. Wear a long face : MOPE - Advice to Washington Senators from the Broadway stage - You gotta have hope, Mustn't sit around and MOPE!

66. Lifestyle website targeting female millennials : POPSUGAR 

68. Palais des Nations locale : GENEVA

71. Extreme : ULTRA

72. Assume as fact : POSIT

74. "Ignore this change" : STET - "Forget 87 and put Fourscore and Seven back in"

75. Many a Sunday magazine : INSERT 

76. Coliseum section : TIER

78. Crib sheet user : BABY

79. __-bodied : ABLE

81. Baba or a boxer : ALI

83. "Fat chance, Friedrich!" : NEIN

87. Sources of irritation : BUGBEARS - Nowadays, Dungeons and Dragons heavies 

91. Seamless changes : SEGUES

93. Colorful wrap : SERAPE - Not a Muumuu as it turns out

95. Part of a preschool schedule : NAP TIME

99. Peruvian pair : DOS

102. Yuletide drinks : NOGS - For years mom made this for me at Yuletide because she thought I loved it. Uh, not so much.

104. Until now : AS YET

105. Day after dimanche : LUNDI - "Subway, Work, Sleep" "Like a typical Monday" 

106. Mischievous droid, familiarly : ARTOO - The surname is DETOO

108. "Sorry about that" : MY BAD

109. Home of Velázquez' "Las Meninas" : PRADO - Madrid Museum

110. Holy scroll : TORAH

111. Its burning is a major source of Beijing smog : COAL

112. Fair : EXPO

113. Place for a row : BOAT

114. Big bash : FETE

115. Aware of : IN ON

119. Roam (about) : GAD

Now for some CHIVALROUS BANTER from the GRACIOUS BUNCH that frequent this little Kool-Aid word stand of ours:

GRID:

(Ed Note: I fixed that littler mistake Owen, Thanks! Gary)