Tuesday, November 8, 2016, Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

Theme: Change of Life

20. *Old West transport : STAGE COACH. LIFE COACH

40. *Trailways, for one : BUS LINE. LIFE LINE.

11. *Handsome guy or gorgeous gal : DREAM BOAT. LIFE BOAT.

34. *Temporary group for a specific job : TASK FORCE. LIFE FORCE.

60. Having financial freedom ... and, literally, what the last words of the answers to starred clues comprise : SET FOR LIFE

Melissa here. Mostly a walk in the park, only one unknown, and perp help needed with a few. Solved without realizing the clever theme.

Across:

1. Catnip or coriander : HERB

5. Throw in the towel : QUIT

 9. Former "Idol" judge Paula : ABDUL

14. Old music halls : ODEA. Definition: A hall, theater, or other structure for musical performances. My unknown - maybe I'll remember next time.

15. Loosen, as laces : UNDO

16. Author John le __ : CARRE

17. Out of control : WILD

18. Road in old Rome : ITER. Latin for road, journey, or way.

19. Martial arts-based fitness routine : TAEBO. Can never remember if it's spelled with an I or E.

23. British brew with a red triangle in its logo : BASS

24. "Oops, almost forgot" : OH YEAH

25. Captain Marvel's magic word : SHAZAM

27. Felt sorry about : RUED

29. Workable, as an alternative : VIABLE

32. Good—and bad—dietary substances : FATS

35. Consumed : EATEN

38. Jiffy Lube supply : OIL

39. __ Fáil: Irish "stone of destiny" : LIA

42. Big fuss : ADO

43. Pennysaver contents : ADS

44. "Family Matters" nerd : URKEL

45. Kenton of jazz : STAN

46. Making a cake, say : BAKING

48. DVR pioneer : TIVO

51. Charlatans : FAKERS

54. Shoe polish targets : SCUFFS

58. Molecule part : ATOM

62. Bouquet __: chef's tasty bundle : GARNI. French for "garnished bouquet," a bundle of herbs gathered and tied into a bundle, usually to prepare soup or stew.

64. Retail complex : MALL

65. Took a tumble : FELL

66. One sent back down the river? : EX-CON

67. "Metamorphoses" poet : OVID

68. Russian river : URAL

69. Loses on purpose? : DIETS. Nice clue.

70. Nickname for José : PEPE

71. A great deal : LOTS

Down:

1. "In what way?" : HOW SO

2. Novelist Wharton : EDITH

3. Race with batons : RELAY

4. Annoys persistently : BADGERS

5. Pielike brunch serving : QUICHE

6. Golden rule word : UNTO

7. "Any more bright __?" : IDEAS

8. Olympic symbol : TORCH

9. Play a part : ACT

10. Words to a black sheep : BAA BAA

12. Metro regions : URBS. Not sure I've heard this shortened word before.

13. Many August babies : LEOS

21. Water in the Seine : EAU

22. Place of safety : HAVEN

26. Kindle read, briefly : ZINE

28. Furniture with a lock, maybe : DESK

31. North Carolina campus : ELON 

32. Personal trainer's target : FLAB

33. Verdi princess : AIDA. Opera.

36. 23-Across, e.g. : ALE

37. Lean : TILT

40. Camp bed : BUNK. Too many letters for COT.

41. Impulses : URGES

45. Deeply expressive : SOULFUL

47. Emphatic denial : I AM NOT

49. Wagner princess : ISOLDE. More opera.

50. 48-Across ancestor : VCR

52. Swab again : REMOP

53. Avoid, with "off" : STAVE

55. Sporty '80s Pontiac : FIERO

56. Note equivalent to E : F-FLAT

57. Flies off the shelf : SELLS

58. Like much whiskey : AGED

59. Prepare for takeoff : TAXI

61. Toss of a coin : FLIP

63. Elected pols : INS

Monday, November 7, 2016 Brock Wilson

Theme: Uncle! - Words from a lop-sided contest.

39A. Not a close game, a headline for which may include the end of 17-, 30-, 46- or 63-Across: ONE-SIDED VICTORY

17A. High school infatuation: TEEN CRUSH

30A. A few hours for doing whatever: TIME TO KILL

46A. Rich coffee lightener: HEAVY CREAM

63A. One of two Senate "enforcers": PARTY WHIP

Argyle here. Figuratively, this puzzle creamed us but literally, it was a cream puff. Both bottom corners did give me pause though. Fourth Monday for Mr. Wilson.

Across:

1. Encircled by: AMID

5. Note from the boss: MEMO

9. Strolls through the shallows: WADES

14. Calf-length skirt: MIDI. So demure.

15. Words while anteing: "I'M IN". Poker.

16. Make a speech: ORATE

19. Wash lightly: RINSE

20. Slowpoke in a shell: SNAIL

21. Worker's allowance for illness: SICK DAYS

23. Tide table term: NEAP

26. U.K. flying squad: RAF. (Royal Air Force)

27. Detriment to air quality: SMOG

36. Prune, as a branch: LOP. Prune nothing in the fall! Story

37. Colombian metropolis: CALI

38. Capital of Morocco: RABAT

43. Runway gait: STRUT

44. Taunting remark: GIBE

45. Bobby of hockey: ORR

49. "The __ the limit!": SKY'S

50. One hovering around the flowers: BEE. 60. 50-Across home: HIVE

51. Future atty.'s exam: LSAT. (Law School Admission Test)

53. Ground beef dish: MEATLOAF

58. Coffeehouse flavor: MOCHA

62. Quarterback's "Snap the ball at the second 'hut'": "ON TWO"

66. Tall story?: ATTIC. Har Har.

67. Ohio border lake: ERIE

68. Roof overhang: EAVE

69. Place for road trip luggage: TRUNK

70. Amount owed: DEBT

71. Scott who sued for his freedom: DRED. He lost. Story If you read it, be sure to read the end.

Down:

1. Lbs. and oz., e.g.: AMTs. Amounts.

2. Personal bearing: MIEN

3. Bit of brainwork: IDEA

4. "Fine" eating experience: DINING. Meatloaf?

5. Former Russian space station: MIR. (Russian: peace)

6. Grounded Aussie bird: EMU

7. "Swing and a __, strike one": MISS

8. Available for the job: ON HIRE. Idiom: Also, for hire.

9. Company employees, as a group: WORKFORCE

10. Like the Mojave: ARID

11. "The X-Files" agent Scully: DANA. Dana Scully is played by Gillian Anderson.

12. Crafts website: ETSY. https://www.etsy.com/

13. Experiences with one's eyes: SEES

18. MLB's Indians, on scoreboards: CLE. Timely. (Cleveland)

22. Litter box user: CAT

24. Slightly: A TAD

25. Paperwork accumulation: PILE

27. Walk through puddles: SLOSH

28. __ Carlo: MONTE

29. Met performance: OPERA. The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway at Lincoln Square in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Part of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, you get there by practice, practice, practice.

31. Gnatlike insect: MIDGE

32. Kit__: candy bar: KAT

33. Former Apple laptop: iBOOK

34. Comedy's Cable Guy: LARRY. He does the Prilosec OTC commercials.

35. Galactic distances: Abbr.: LT-YRs. (light-year)

37. Urban distance unit: CITY BLOCK

40. Toyota RAV4, e.g.: SUV. (sport utility vehicle)

41. Lab vessel: VIAL

42. PCs, originally: IBMs. Back in the day.

47. Top corp. officer: CEO. (chief executive officer)

48. Gathered from the field: REAPED

49. Stuck in a hold: STOWED. As in, placed in the hold of a ship.

52. Acker of "Person of Interest": AMY. The show started off in one direction but ended in another. I'm not sure the writers had a firm game plan.

53. Castle protector: MOAT

54. __'acte: ENTR. An interval between acts.

55. Westernmost Aleutian island: ATTU

56. Jacob or Esau: TWIN

57. Taxi meter figure: FARE

59. Scorch: CHAR

61. Made fun of: APED

64. Make fun of: RIB

65. Vietnamese New Year: TET. Tết Nguyên Đán, which is Sino-Vietnamese for "Feast of the First Morning of the First Day".

Argyle

Sunday, November 6, 2016 Kevin Donovan

Theme: "Following Up"- Up is added to the start of each familiar phrase.

23A. Profession for the principled? : UPRIGHT FIELD. Right field.

29A. Dr. Seuss, e.g.? : UPBEAT POET. Beat poet.

40A. Promising market indicators? : UPTURN SIGNALS. Turn signals. Bad streak last week.

65A. Toy trains for tycoons? : UPSCALE MODEL RAILROADS. Scale model railroads.

91A. What pillows may do, in a kids' room? : UPHOLD THE FORT. Hold the fort.

107A. Periods of distress? : UPSET TIMES. Set times.

113A. Outperform crew members in the ship play? : UPSTAGE HANDS. Stagehands.

I'm a bit surprised by the "Following Up" title. Normally the key word does not appear in the puzzle title.  

Rich and Kevin might have considered putting FOLLOWING UP as a reveal in the last Across entry. But then decided "Following Up" is better as a title.

Chunky corners in this grid. The upper left & lower right are easier to fill, as they're relatively sectioned off. The upper right/lower left are amazing work. Those 7x4 are just hard, esp when crossing two more long entries.

Across:    

1. Manchester United rival : ARSENAL. Gimme for our Steve.

8. __ En-lai : CHOU

12. Tool used in a box : BAT. Batter's box!

15. Film add-on : FEST

19. Perform again : REPRISE. Not RE-STAGE.

20. Next in line : HEIR

21. U.N. workers' agcy. : ILO

22. The snakes in Indiana Jones' "Why do they have to be snakes?" : ASPS

 

25. Exit quietly, in a Dylan Thomas poem : GO GENTLE. Helpful clue. You don't need to know the poem to obtain the answer.

27. Run ashore : BEACH

28. Bill collector : TILL. Not a person. Same with 9. Pair for date night : HEELS and 45. Grand Canal traveler : GONDOLA

 

31. Sask. neighbor : ALTA (Alberta)

32. Can't abide : DETEST

34. Small cells : AAs

35. Jockey competitor : HANES

36. __ code : BAR. Not BRO (56. Dude) code.

37. Get together on a ranch : HERD.  Tiny "together" clue echo with Also 52. Come together : GEL

39. Catlike : FELINE

47. Weather map depiction : AIR MASS

48. It's not always easy to get into : SHAPE. Thanksgiving is coming.

49. Not a soul : NO ONE. Should not have "Not" in the clue.

50. Tries earnestly (for) : GUNS

51. Piling on, say : ADDING

53. "The Librarians" channel : TNT. Never watched it. Good?

54. More than just cooks : CHEFS. With "More than" in the clue, I can never figure out what part of speech the answer should be.

56. Challenge for Homer : BART. Homer Simpson.

60. Put down : DERIDED

63. ORD posting : ETA

64. Equipped : ARMED

71. Phobias : FEARS

72. __ de mer : MAL

73. Resonator for a jug band bass : WASHTUB. Googled afterwards. Not familiar with Washtub bass.

74. No more than : ONLY

75. Nissan Stadium player : TITAN

77. "... 'tis not to me __ speaks": Romeo : SHE

78. Big name in Bible distribution : GIDEON. Learning moment for me.

83. Delicate : FINE

84. Totally lost : AT SEA

86. Aquarium fish : TETRA

87. Only NATO member with no standing army : ICELAND. Hey, I knew this trivia.

94. Newcomer : NOVICE

95. Nursery resident : TREE

96. Sun Tzu subject : WAR.  The Art of War. You wanted TAO?

97. Where to see stars : SPACE

98. Pursue relentlessly : DOG

99. "The Piano" extras : MAORIS. Great movie.

103. Buck : CLAM

110. Blew the whistle : SANG. Ratted out.

111. What oaks may provide : SHADE

112. Put back in : RE-INSERT

116. Love god : EROS

117. In the past : AGO. This "Bad Request" glitch is not specific to our new template. It happens to other blogs with Full Page comments format, including Rex Parker's.  George Barany got the same "Bad Request" when he hits the Preview & Post Your Comments button  there.

118. Biblical captain : NOAH

119. Crown coatings : ENAMELS

120. Holiday song closer : SYNE  "... for auld lang syne".

121. "Man on the Moon" group : REM

122. Ring jinglers : KEYS

123. Boxing's "Manassa Mauler" : DEMPSEY. I need "Jack" in the clue. 

 

Down:

 

1. First word in the Beach Boys' "Kokomo" : ARUBA. Gimme for all you Beach Boys fans.  

2. Drive off : REPEL

3. Lean-eater Jack : SPRAT

4. "Fear of Flying" author Jong : ERICA

5. Close at hand : NIGH. Not NEAR.

6. Smoke remains : ASH

7. Mail : LETTERS

8. Easter Island's country : CHILE. Boomer's bowling/golf buddy Jorge just went back to Chili. Their Monday morning traveling league has lots of guys in their late 80s/early 90s. Very inspiring. 

10. It may be checked at the station : OIL. Great clue also.

11. Pakistani language : URDU

12. Like a storied wolf : BIG BAD

13. Medicinal plants : ALOES

14. Senate garment : TOGA

15. Tree that typically has paddle-shaped leaves : FAN PALM. Also a new term to me.

16. Baltic republic : ESTONIA

17. Organs sometimes vented? : SPLEENS

18. African menaces : TSETSES. Our old buddy is back.

24. Tailor's concern : FIT

26. Old anesthetics : ETHERS. I don't know what my periodontist used on me. Powerful stuff. She told me "Let me know when you feel nice and numb". I chuckled.

30. Numbers to shoot for : PARS

32. "Forrest Gump" lieutenant : DAN

33. Compared to : THAN

36. Pop/country singer Lee and others : BRENDAS. I presume Kevin added a cheater to where S is, but the symmetrical part did not yield better fill.

38. Juice for PCs : ELEC

39. Features of many '50s-'60s cars : FINS

40. Ryder Cup team : USA. Winner this year.

41. Advanced deg. : PHD

42. Bit : TAD

43. Reuters competitor : UPI

44. Personal : INTIMATE

46. Celebrated : NOTED

47. Knowledgeable, in Nantes : AU FAIT

50. Move up the corporate ladder : GET AHEAD. My life in the corporate world was pretty fun.

55. "The Walking Dead" veterinarian : HERSHEL. Stranger to me. 

57. Org. for physicians : AMA

58. Wine choice : RED

59. QB stats : TDs

61. Leave a note for, maybe : REMIND

62. Morning phenomenon : DEW

64. Settler? : ARBITER. Nice clue.

65. Project Blue Book subj. : UFO. Never heard of the Project Blue Book.

66. Presidential souvenir : PEN

67. Mineo of "Exodus" : SAL

68. Shout : CRY

69. It may be coiled on a saddle horn : LASSO. Oh, OK.

70. Car nut : LUG. Wheel. I thought of Argyle, who's nuts about old cars.

75. Pitchfork part : TINE

76. What a ponytail partly covers : NAPE

79. OED info : DEF (Definition)

80. Ike's WWII command : ETO

81. Friend of Yossarian in "Catch-22" : ORR. Know the answer. Never read "Catch-22".

82. __ Geo: nature channel : NAT

83. Diamond surfaces : FACETS

85. The bad guys : THEM

87. Gets coverage for : INSURES. Huge increase for my insurance next year. Sigh!

88. Penny-colored : COPPERY

89. Vague answer, say : EVASION

90. Driving need : LICENSE. Also 91. Drive : URGE. Also 104. Guides for drivers : LANES. Love these clue echoes.

92. Suddenly caught on : TWIGGED

93. Possesses : HAS

95. Hand-played drum : TOM-TOM. Oh Hi, D-Otto and TTP! You're my favorite drums.

98. Sorrowful song : DIRGE

100. Test for purity, as gold : ASSAY

101. They're often taken orally : OATHS. Not PILLS.

102. Cellular messenger : RNA

103. Titleholder : CHAMP

105. Confuse : ADDLE

106. Not at all in order : MESSY. Our baseball cards look messy but they're all in some kind of order.  Hall of Famers. Stars (Lots of worthless Bonds/Sosa). Twins. Ex-Twins. Etc.

108. Fabric flaw : TEAR

109. Finished : SUNK. Not DONE.

111. Piece of fiction : SHAM

114. "The Tell-Tale Heart" author : POE

115. Peoria-to-Gary dir. : ENE

C.C.

Saturday, Nov 5th, 2016, C.C. Burnikel

Theme: C.C.C.W.~!

Words: 72 (missing H,J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 28

Another fine puzzle from our Crossword Corner Hostess~!  She has been prolific with her constructions, having two in August, three in September, and four in October for the LA Times alone.  I would like more time to work on my own grids, personally.  Today's offering was a bit heavy on the proper names, but nothing that the perp(endiculars) couldn't help me solve. Triple 8-letter down corners, 9-letter across corners, two climbers of 10 letters and one spanner;

35a. Movie with the subtitle "Dawn of Justice" : BATMAN V. SUPERMAN - I am burned out on the whole superhero movie thing; I enjoyed the Batman Begins series, tho I did not care for #3, and I never got into "X-men", "Iron Man", or any of the others....just not my thing - here's the Wiki on this 2016 release

5d. Classic access provider : OPEN SESAME
 

30d. Sale restriction : ONE DAY ONLY

Want that delivered in one day~?

ACROSS:

1. Money-saving characters : PROMO CODE

10. Complaints : BEEFS

15. Fade : LOSE POWER

16. Pitfall! platform : ATARI

17. Hunt object : EASTER EGG

18. For real : LEGIT

19. "Break Free" singer Grande : ARIANA - I don't know about her music, but I do know about her legs~!

20. Benihana founder Rocky __ : AOKI

22. USN officers : LTs - put in the "S" and waited

23. Early 20th-century first family : TAFTS - Ford was the only other 20th century four-letter name, and he came too late.  As for President Taft, the truth about his bathtub

24. Wine commonly served chilled : ASTI - I pondered "NOIR", but since I am not a wine person, I left it alone

25. Institute in whose logo the first letter is a stylized question mark : SETI

26. Snorting scene : STY - some alliteration for us

27. Hosp. test : EKG - again, filled in the "E" and "G" then waited

29. Flier with a large bill : TOUCAN - Pelican was too long; the "---CAN" part filled via perps, and I started wondering....

31. Most Hong Kong Airport travelers : ASIANS

34. "Fab!" : NEATO - had it, took it out, put it back in

39. First-stringers : A-TEAM

40. Greetings from American Greetings : eCARDS - I did consider this, but let it slide

41. Showtime title vigilante : DEXTER - my buddy Mike keeps harping on me to watch this series - and I have the first season on DVD

43. BBC World Service alternative : VOA - this is "news" to me; filled via perps.  The Wiki

44. Loyal follower? : IST - loyalist

47. Enemy of un ratón : GATO - Spanish rats and cats

48. Part of un drame : ACTE - Frawnche drama and acts

51. Grapevine planter? : YENTA - I thought it would be something along the lines of "rumor"

53. 2012 British Open champion : ELS - Ernie, the popular crossword golfer

54. Work on a bone : GNAW

55. "Time, Love and Tenderness" singer : BOLTON - I did not know he was the lead singer of a classic 70's hard rock band called "Blackjack" - the Wiki

56. More ready, in a way : RIPER

58. Weathering : RIDING OUT

60. Duck : EVADE - AVOID~? ELUDE~? Had to wait

61. Refreshing espresso drink : ICED LATTE - man, I toyed with putting "--LATTE" in, but hesitated

62. Software giveaways : DEMOS

63. Historic sewer : BETSY ROSS - the Truth about the US Flag

DOWN:

1. Kilt features : PLEATS

2. Find really funny : ROAR AT

3. Harden : OSSIFY

4. Used for a rendezvous : MET AT

6. "Around the World in 80 Plates" co-host Cat : CORA

7. Red state verb : OWE

8. Big name at the Musée d'Orsay : DEGAS - he had a thing for women's legs, too

The Ballet Class

9. Rye blight : ERGOT - oops, thought it was "A"RGOT

10. Denpasar's island : BALI - total WAG

11. Dog days in Haiti : ÉTÉ

12. Big bird watcher : EAGLE-CAM

13. Quiche cousin : FRITTATA

14. Audits : SITS IN ON

21. Parts for a model : KIT - I loved to build car kits when I was a kid; still have about 4 that I have not finished in a closet somewhere

24. Tequila plant : AGAVE

25. Court figures : SUERS

28. Blood : KIN

31. REO Speedwagon guitarist Dave : AMATO

32. Situation Room gp. : NSC - filled via perps

33. Sophisticated : SUAVE

35. Nagged : BADGERED

36. Completely dominated : ATE ALIVE

37. Cellphone annoyance : TEXT SPAM - new term for me, tho I have had one or two text messages that were essentially Spam

38. Expert : PRO

42. Took off : RAN

44. Completely : IN TOTO - and now we have Latin to add to the 'foreign' language answers

45. Dark drafts : STOUTS

46. Tours relatives : TANTES

49. Suriname native : CARIB

50. Now and again? : TWICE - har-har

52. "Enigma Variations" composer : ELGAR

54. Hurdles for srs. : GREs - Graduate Record Examinations

55. eBay action : BIDS - I was thrown by the plural/singular, but then if you think "action" as a noun, it works

57. Tokugawa shogunate capital : EDO - I suppose this would have been my guess, but it filled via perps before I even read the clue

59. Crime solver: Abbr. : DETective

Splynter

 
Note from C.C.:

Here is a message from Alex Boivert:
 
"We recently launched Crosswords LA 2016 - an online "tournament" entirely for charity. Fro a small fee, you can purchase a puzzle pack, solve the competitive puzzles within, and submit your times and scores (honor system!) for friendly comparison. Even if you choose not to submit your scores, you can purchase eleven fun puzzles - and know that *all the money* (minus PayPal fees) will be donated to the wonderful Reading to Kids charity.

The Five tournament puzzles were made by top Southern California constructors (Alex Boivert, Rich Norris, Doug Peterson, David Steinberg and Patti Varol) and the six  bonus puzzles are from a variety of puzzle luminaries (Matt Gaffney, Joon Pahk, Brendan Emmet Quigley, Alex Boivert and Doug Peterson). One of the bonus puzzles (by Peter Muller) is a contest crossword - solve it and submit the answer to mail@crosswordnexus.com by December 15 to have a chance at winning a year's subscription to the Indie puzzle service of your choice.

Thanks and happy solving!

Alex"