Wednesday December 28, 2016 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: STRINGS ATTACHED (61A. Proposal conditions ... and what the first parts of the answers to starred clues all can have)  - The first word in each answer has a string attached.

17A. *Reasons for refinancing : BALLOON PAYMENTS

23A. *Inconsistent nutrition plan : YO-YO DIETING

38. *With 41-Across, "How to Get Away With Murder" Emmy winner : VIOLA. And DAVIS (41. *See 38-Across). Her full name has 10 letters. You can't put a 10 in the middle.

51A. *Marshall Islands nuclear test site : BIKINI ATOLL.

Boomer here. Wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2017! This puzzle is written by my best friend,  Zhouqin "C.C." Burnikel, who also happens to be my wife.  Hope you enjoyed it.

Across: 

1. Specially formed : AD HOC.  I am sure this is Latin for something.

6. Circle components : ARCS. Arc the Herald Angels sing ...

10. Set in stone, say : ETCH. If you have a scretch - etch it.

14. Hiking map line : TRAIL.  My generation remembers Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing "Happy Trails to you".

15. Western wine region : NAPA. North of San Francisco.  I've been there. The grapes in the fields are the size of baseballs

16. Melancholic : DOUR. Words like this are why I never seem to complete crossword puzzles.

20. Top card : ACE.  Also can be a perfecto in sports or a WWII flying expert.

21. Iris layer : UVEA. Another one of those words.

22. Syst. with a Buffalo campus : SUNY (State University of New York)

26. Spanish bear : OSO . Another one of those words.

29. "Top Gun" org. : USN. Finally beaten by Army after 14 straight wins.

30. Iditarod racer : DOG SLED. We have these races in Minnesota.  All you need is snow, a sled, and a few Huskies.

32. Colo. setting : MST.  I think John Denver kept his watch set to this time no matter where he was. I wonder if he fell in love with Colorado because of his last name, or if he changed to that name like some personalities do.  Did you know he got his start with the Chad Mitchell Trio?

34. Scat legend, familiarly : ELLA. Also my paternal grandmothers name.

37. Crème de la crème : ELITE
  

40. "That feels amazing" : AAH

42. Waits in traffic : IDLES. They say not to idle your car to warm it up in cold weather.

43. Support during exercise : SPOT. I may have clued Dick and Jane's doggie.

45. Give no stars to : PAN

46. Asian noodle dish : PAD THAI. I will take C.C.'s word for this

48. One step __ time : AT A

50. Govt. aid for the disabled : SSI. Okay, but I am not disabled but I get a few bucks every month just for being old.

57. Arab bigwig : EMIR - Sounds like the freshman U of Minn basketball star Mr. Coffey who you will hear about as time goes on and the Big 10 (+4) gets going.

59. Wild speech : RANT

60. GM's Mary Barra, for one : CEO

65. It comes before one : NOON

66. Big name in beauty products : ULTA. Ulta also describes your thought when you see the price.

67. Demi of "A Few Good Men" : MOORE. She could handle the truth.

68. Give for a while : LEND. Sometimes $$$, sometimes just your ears

69. December number : NOEL. Maybe someone already constructed a Christmas puzzle with words that do not contain the letter "L".

70. "None for me, thanks" : I PASS. "What do you do when the driver in the car in front of you is texting and going too slow?

Down:

1. On the defensive : AT BAY

2. Harsh Athenian lawmaker : DRACO

3. "Roots" writer : HALEY. Alex - a tremendous story and TV series that kept folks captivated for weeks in the seventies.

4. It may be crude : OIL. Great for most of us, the price has dropped to reasonable. Problems for North Dakota for profits from the sand.

5. Sun blockers : CLOUDS. Cloudy, the sky is gray and white and Cloudy. Sometimes I think its hanging down on me.  (Simon and Garfunkel)

6. A year in Provence : ANNEE, Another one of those words.

7. Knock on : RAP AT

8. Busy pro in tax season : CPA. Not looking forward to tax time.

9. Doesn't go along : SAYS NO. Two words I get it, but could also be a name of a video game some day.

10. Steinbeck's "East of __" : EDEN. Why not Genie "Barbara"

11. Twins legend who was the first DH to hit a home run : TONY OLIVA. My words to the bridge of the famous song "Talkin' Baseball" by Terry Cashman. - "Now my old friend Brandy, he loved to watch the Killer clout them out. And my pals from the alley, would go to see Versalles, and me, I always lived Tony O. Where did they go?"  My parody version was titles "Zoilo, Tony and the Brew".

Boomer and Oliva

12. Director's shout : CUT. Speaking of Mr. Oliva, this could also be the catcher's shout on his throw coming in from right field.

13. Appt. book slots : HRs. Or a baseball stat for Tony.  I think he hit a couple hundred in his career.

18. Like a lamb : OVINE

19. Made faces : MUGGED

24. Juice provider : OUTLET. Tricky C.C.  Orange is also six letters beginning with "O".

25. Home of most of Sawtooth National Forest : IDAHO. Also huge potato farms.  Funny how states get a reputation for vegetables. All Minnesota gets a rep for is lakes and frozen tundra.

27. Become established : SET IN

28. Some flowery works : ODES

31. Try to hit, as a mosquito : SLAP AT. Speaking of a rep for Minnesota - how about a Hockey puck? Paul Newman was great in "Slapshot" and the Hansons were actually the Carlson brothers from the land of 10,000 lakes.

32. King who turned his daughter into gold : MIDAS. They made their name with mufflers but the prices are a little high.

33. Persevere : SOLDIER ON

35. Vision-correcting surgery : LASIK

36. Computer support? : LAP. Tablet computer.

38. Big shots : VIPs

39. Rubbish holder : ASH BIN. Also known as a Dumpster.  But we'll call the one behind the White House a Trumpster

44. Contaminate : TAINT. Hillbillies also may use this as slang for "That A'int".

47. BB shooter : AIR GUN. Subject of this year's "A Christmas Story" movie shown 142 times on 36 different cable channels.  Whatever happened to "Miracle on 34th Street"?

49. Teahouse mat : TATAMI

52. Hot under the collar : IRATE. Or I rate this puzzle 97 out of 100 !

53. Birth-related : NATAL. Remember Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta "Pirates of Penzance" when the man's natal day was February 29th so although he was an adult, he sang he was a little boy of five.  It was a paradox.  

54. Former #1 LPGA golfer Lorena : OCHOA. One of my favorites. We saw her at the Women's US Open at Interlachen Country Club a few years ago.

55. Wolfish stares : LEERS

56. Veinlike deposits : LODES

58. Look after : MIND. When sometimes we were snoopy kids the retort was "Mind your own business".

61. Show with "Weekend Update" skits, initially : SNL

62. Tip of a wingtip : TOE

63. Pavement warning : SLO

64. Booking agent? : COP

Boomer

Tuesday, December 27, 2016 Bruce Haight

Theme: L&N - Ellen(el and en).

16A . Shellfish dish in a cream sauce: LOBSTER NEWBERG

24A . Drivers' ID figures: LICENSE NUMBERS

41A. Chemical used for quick freezing: LIQUID NITROGEN

54A. The Times in Los Angeles, e.g.: LOCAL NEWSPAPER

62A. Popular afternoon talk show, familiarly, and a homophonic hint to this puzzle's four longest answers: ELLEN

Argyle here but instead of Ellen, I'm here with Sarah, plain and tall. To tell the truth, I didn't notice the puzzle was 14 wide and 16 tall until I went to print it out. So all the grid spanners are only 14 letters. Still a fine puzzle despite starting with HAJJI.

Across:

1. Pilgrim to Mecca: HAJJI

6. Give and take: SWAP

10. Bay Area airport letters: SFO. San Francisco International Airport

13. Hang trimmings on: ADORN. When does your tree come down?

14. Folded Mexican fare: TACO

15. Head, slangily: NOB. 1690-1700; perhaps variant of knob.

19. WWII spy gp.: OSS. (Office of Strategic Services)

20. Feature of some sweatshirts: HOOD

21. Poetic tribute: ELEGY

22. Subtle facial signal: WINK

23. Ready for ice skating: FROZEN. The first ice shanties are appearing on the lakes. Some day I intend to take a trip eastward and find the line where an ice shanty becomes a bobhouse.

28. Convention clip-on: ID TAG

29. Genetic material: DNA

30. Fringe benefit: PERK

31. Swiss currency: FRANC

33. Clotheshorse: FOP

36. "My gal" of song: SAL. The nearest we'll get to Erie today.

37. Visibly nervous: QUAKY

38. Exhort: URGE

39. Prefix with cycle: UNI

40. Irritant "in your side": THORN

47. Stores, as ashes: INURNS. Yes, we've had it before.

48. Ark builder: NOAH

49. Rub off the board: ERASE

50. "Will you let me?": "MAY I?"

51. Texter's "Wow!": [OMG]

57. Acorn tree: OAK

58. Moon goddess: LUNA

59. Eastern guru: SWAMI

60. Part of wpm: Abbr.: WDS. (words)

61. Capp of comics: ANDY. You may find him in the snack aisle.

Down:

1. Saintly glow: HALO

2. Big fusses: ADOs

3. Steve who co-founded Apple: JOBS

4. Some sons: Abbr.: JRs

5. Latest fad: IN THING

6. Scoring unit, in golf: STROKE

7. Tool needed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: WAND

8. Expert: ACE

9. Apple computer discontinued in 2006: POWER MAC

10. Hay fever symptom: SNEEZE

11. Painter of fakes: FORGER

12. MDs that bring out the kid in you?: OBGYNs. (Obstetrician/Gynecologist)

17. Ages: EONS

18. Oozy gunk: BLOB

22. Watered down: WEAK

23. __ bone (no laughing matter, really): FUNNY

24. ChapStick targets: LIPS. Not chop sticks, eh?

25. Creative process output: IDEA

26. PC key: CTRL

27. Minn. neighbor: N. DAK

31. "Slush" moneys: FUNDS

32. Word with drop or fall: RAIN

33. Kissable fairy tale figure: FROG

34. Less kissable fairy tale figure: OGRE. Cute pairing.

35. State founder William: PENN

37. Exacta relative: QUINELLA. A bet in which the first two places in a race must be predicted, but not necessarily in the correct order. The exacta must be predicted in the correct order.

38. "I was afraid of this": "UH OH!"

40. Walk aimlessly: TRAIPSE

41. Stay under the radar: LIE LOW

42. Bit of progress: INROAD

43. Duck calls: QUACKS

44. __ Major: Big Dipper constellation: URSA. The Big Bear.

45. More or less: IN A WAY

46. Mattel specialty: TOYS

50. Fix: MEND

51. October birthstone: OPAL

52. Viral internet phenomenon: MEME. Yes, we've had it before.

53. Put on a happy face: GRIN

55. Religious sister: NUN

56. Leatherwork tool: AWL

Argyle

Notes from C.C.:

1) Here is a great article about our constructor Bruce Haight. Bruce was rejected 38 times in a row and he never gave up. 38 puzzles are the result of hundreds of ideas (often only one puzzle is made after 10 or more idea brainstorming, Cruciverb checking, etc). Now Bruce is one of the top constructors in the business, constantly striving for originality and innovation.

2) Happy Birthday to Dudley, who's been with the blog for over six years. Dudley has his own plane and can fly anywhere on a whim. Dudley started the "Rabbit, Rabbit" tradition on our blog. It's said at the start of each month for good luck. This picture was taken during Montana's visit to Northeast in September, 2013.

Left to right: Marti, Dudley, Hondo & Montana

Monday, December 26, 2016 Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke

Theme: No Reveal Monday - Four synonymous words.

20A. Fabric with a slight sheen: POLISHED COTTON

25A. Sophisticated-sounding hair treatment product: SUAVE SHAMPOO

46A. Coffee sweetener: REFINED SUGAR

55A. Plowed ground for crop-raising: CULTIVATED LAND

Argyle here. POLISHED, SUAVE, REFINED, CULTIVATED; so are we all.

Across:

1. Furtive summons: [PSST!]

5. Closes with force: SLAMS

10. See 13-Down: BABA. 13-Down. With 10-Across, "Open sesame" sayer: ALI

14. "It's __ you": "Your call": UP TO

15. Sultan's group: HAREM

16. Carrier to Tel Aviv: EL AL

17. React to a bad pun, perhaps: MOAN

18. BP merger partner: AMOCO

19. Longfellow's "The Bell of __": ATRI. "And this shall make, in every Christian clime, The Bell of Atri famous for all time."

23. Clay pigeon sport: SKEET

24. Tee shots into the hole: ACES

32. Slacks holder-upper: BELT

35. Baker's verb: MIX

36. Like old apples: MEALY

37. "Norma __": RAE

38. Fills with dismay: APPALLS

41. Word in a bride's bio: NÉE

42. The three monkeys' taboos: EVILS. Nikkō Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine.

44. Guernsey greeting: MOO!

45. Completely, after "from": A TO Z

50. Apple or pear: POME

51. "Spider-Man" actor Willem: DAFOE. Green Goblin.

60. Classic clown: BOZO

61. African country whose name is contained in the name of its southern neighbor: NIGER

62. Internet destination: SITE

63. It's a long story: EPIC

64. Porthole view: OCEAN

65. Flair: ELAN

66. Cubicle furnishing: DESK

67. Smells awful: REEKS

68. Once-sacred snakes: ASPs

Down:

1. Tire inflators: PUMPS

2. Frighten, as a horse: SPOOK

3. Like old bread: STALE

4. Most stylish: TONIEST

5. Former Iranian despot: SHAH

6. Unconvincing, excuse-wise: LAME

7. Ex-slugger and Fox Sports analyst, familiarly: A-ROD. (Alex Rodriguez)

8. Major tourist draws: MECCAs

9. Kiss: SMOOCH

10. "I have no clue": "BEATS ME"

11. Voice above tenor: ALTO

12. Rural building with big doors: BARN

21. Early Beatle Sutcliffe: STU

22. Bears and Grizzlies: TEAMS

26. Sound system part: AMP

27. Bigwig: VIP. (very important person)

28. Tests of knowledge: EXAMS

29. Huff and puff: PANT

30. Butterlike spread: OLEO

31. Command from a bailiff: "OYEZ!"

32. Uncle Remus rabbit's title: BR'ER

33. Nesting site, perhaps: EAVE. Nesting site for icicles.

34. Mariner Ericson: LEIF

38. Often ___: about half the time: AS NOT

39. Singer Rawls: LOU

40. Nautical journal: LOG

43. Long kiss: LIP LOCK

45. Shrinking Asian lake: ARAL SEA

47. Key with one sharp: E MINOR

48. Plot mechanism: DEVICE

49. Say further: ADD

52. Totally tanks: FAILS

53. Ready in the keg: ON TAP

54. Blissful regions: EDENS

55. Deal with adversity: COPE

56. Commando weapons: UZIs

57. "A Death in the Family" author James: AGEE

58. Tropical hardwood: TEAK

59. Sea eagles: ERNs

60. Crib or cot: BED

Argyle

Sunday December 25, 2016, Nora Pearlstone

Theme: "Holiday Doings" - A Christmas tree is formed by a series of black squares. On the very top, the circled letters spell out STAR.

24A. His personal Canadian postal code is H0 H0 H0 : SANTA CLAUS. Also 22. Bagfuls for 24-Across : LETTERS. Also 85A. Team for 24-Across : REINDEER

26A. With 71-Across, holiday classic : A CHRISTMAS. And 71. See 26-Across : CAROL

55A. Seasonal hangings : ORNAMENTS

89A. Things to open : PRESENTS. This is symmetrical partner of REINDEER. 

108A. Sets on tracks : MODEL TRAINS. Nicely placed at the bottom of the tree.

3D. Classic 71-Across : O TANNENBAUM

13D. Attend to a holiday symbol : TRIM THE TREE. There is a note in Across Lit. It says "Certain squares in this puzzle can't be viewed properly in Across Lite format. Those squares outline an appropriate image, which can be seen at http://games.latimes.com/games/daily-crossword/. If you prefer to figure it out for yourself, use the hints provided by the circled squares, 55-Across, and 108-Across." Rich couldn't mention the specific image as he had both CHRISTMAS or TREE in the grid.

49D. Holiday mailing : GREETING CARD. Each of the four Down theme entries intersects another Across theme entry. Just brilliant. This is why Rich is still the 4th most published NYT constructor despite the fact that he has not sent any puzzle there since 2008.

53D. Title annual holiday character since 1965 : CHARLIE BROWN

Nora Pearlstone is the alias name of our editor Rich Norris. It's an anagram of "Not a Real Person". You can see Rich's full alias names here. Rich normally uses Nora for Sunday puzzles or tricky Thursday/Friday puzzles. He uses Lila Cherry ("Really Rich") for early week puzzles.

Notice the R puzzle that forms STAR is unchecked, e.g., it's the only one-letter fill in this puzzle. The grid also has a left to right symmetry, which is a lot trickier than a normal grid.

Rich in the Middle

Across:

        

1. WWII investment : E BOND

6. Sri Lankan language : TAMIL. Also the official language of Singapore.

11. It may be seen to the left of venous : INTRA. I did not know the meaning of "venous".

16. Quashed : VETOED

18. Psyched : FIRED UP

20. Frightened : SCARED. And 21. Frightens : ALARMS. Rich is very good at clue echoes. 

23. Poet Levertov : DENISE. Unknown figure to me.

28. Kiss and caress, in Kent : SNOG

29. Cousin of the Vulcan mind meld : ESP

31. It's bonded in bales : HAY. Also 92. __ bonding : MALE

32. Etta of old comics : KETT

33. Word before and after "is" : ENOUGH

35. Concert shirt : TEE

37. Indiana county or its seat : WABASH. This stumped me last time.

39. L.A.'s __ Center : AON

41. Shine, in ads : GLO

42. Do-it-yourself mover : U-HAUL

44. Columnist Hentoff : NAT

45. UV index monitor : EPA

48. Prepared with mixed vegetables, in Chinese cooking : SUBGUM. I never heard of the term until I came to the US.

50. Ivy support : TRELLIS

52. Parish leader : RECTOR

54. Wide-eyed look : STARE

 

57. It might accompany a "meh" : SHRUG

58. Hot-and-cold fits : AGUE

59. Cartoon shopkeeper : APU. "The Simpsons".

60. Old map abbr. : SSR

61. Monthly payment that's often more than the prin. : INT.  Like new mortgage.

63. Sleek, in car talk : AERO

64. Capitol feature : DOME

65. Meat department buy : BEEF

67. Song from Carmen : ARIA

68. Last ones to deal with : REST.  Oh, like the rest.

69. Impact sound : THUD

75. Longtime rival of Tiger : PHIL(Mickelson). Phil is such a gentleman.

77. Longhorn rivals : AGGIES. Rival clue echo.

80. Climber's target : CLIFF

81. Futile : OTIOSE. Not a word I use.

 

88. Sharable PC file : PDF

91. Fort near Fayetteville : BRAGG. Boomer went to Fort Campbell. How about you, D-Otto/TTP? Argyle probably went to  Camp Pendleton.

94. Tan relative : ECRU

96. Descriptively named support : H BEAM

97. From that time : SINCE

98. They often include ages : BIOs

99. Maneuverability : ROOM

100. Speak : ORATE

101. Embellishes : ADORNS

103. UPS carton phrase : SHIP TO

105. "Bearing gifts, we traverse __" : AFAR

 

112. Prettify with paper : WRAP. Bonus fill. 

116. Sweet-scented flower : GARDENIA. My grandma's name is Lan Xiang, literally "blue and fragrant flower". Lots of girls in her generation had flower names.

118. Cry of revelation : AHA

119. Resonant barbershop sound : BASS NOTE. Also 56. Barbershop sound : SNIP

121. __ out a living : EKE

122. Bank deposit : SILT. Nailed it.

123. Type of garden : ZEN. Nice and quiet.

124. __-bitty : ITTY

125. Trouble : WOE

126. Narc's employer : DEA. And 127. Narc's assignment : CASE

128. To this time : YET

129. Julia's "Ocean's Twelve" role : TESS

130. Rev (up) : AMP

Down:

1. Spacewalks, briefly : EVAS. EVA = Extravehicular Activity. Rich avoided plural [Longoria and Mendes] style clue because he had BELAS (2. Lugosi and Karolyi) next to it.

4. Popular virus remedy : NORTON. Ah, I was thinking of flu.

5. Rabble-rouser : DEMAGOGUE. What a great entry.

6. Jam on the road : TIE UP

7. Dance and drama : ARTS

8. Got together : MET

9. Concept : IDEA

10. Sudden move : LURCH

11. Winter pastime gear : ICE SKATES. The snow continues to melt in our neighborhood.

12. City on the Loire : NANTES. Birthplace of Jules Verne.

14. Found a new table for : RESAT

15. Picnic drinks : ADES

17. U.S. Army medal : DSC. My Dad was in the Chinese Army for a long time. I don't remember any medals. Just lots lots of Mao's stuff. He remembered every word in this red book.

18. Instant : FLASH

19. "Nonsense!" : PSHAW

20. Star Wars initials : SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative)

25. Small construction piece : LEGO

27. NFL coach Rex : RYAN

30. Bailiwicks : REALMS

34. German university city : ULM. Know as Einstein's birthplace.

35. A.L. West team, familiarly : THE A's

36. "Elements of Algebra" author : EULER

38. Prevent : BAR

39. Syrian leader : ASSAD

40. Expenses : OUTGO

42. Caterer's vessel : URN

43. Author Yutang : LIN. Same character as the Lim in our constructor Julian Lim, who's from Singapore. In Hong Kong, it's spelled as Lam.

46. Really comes down : POURS

47. One may end in "ese" : ARGOT. Like legalese.

 

50. Indisputable : TRUE

51. Slowly emerge from sleep : STIR

55. Slanted page? : OP-ED

59. Mistreatment : ABUSE

62. Sierra Nevada vacation mecca : TAHOE

66. TV monitor : FCC

67. E.T. from Melmac : ALF

70. Equivocated : HEDGED

72. Suisse peaks : ALPES

73. Relieved : RID

74. Bid : OFFER

76. "Whew!" : IT'S HOT

77. Some Wall St. traders : ARBs (Arbitragers)

78. English singer Halliwell : GERI. I was more into Cantopop in those days when Spice Girls were popular.

79. Composer __ Carlo Menotti : GIAN

82. Draft category : ONE A. We also have ROW A (113. Where no one can sit in front of you). 

83. "Right now!" : STAT

84. Salinger title choir singer : ESME

86. Gets mixed up in : EMBROILS

87. Outdoor event contingency : RAIN DATE. Nice pair of stacked 8's in this area.

89. Outlaw : PROHIBIT

90. Ponder : RUMINATE

93. Drop in the stadium : LOSE.  Got via crosses. Tricky clue.

95. Toledo thing : COSA. Spanish or Italian for "thing".

102. __ vincit amor : OMNIA

104. Classroom exchanges : PSSTs

105. Allowed to ripen, as cheddar : AGED

106. Art expert's discovery : FAKE. I was once very good at IDing fake luxury bags. IP investigation was risky but fun.

107. Bailiwick : AREA

109. Likely to loaf : LAZY

110. What you once were? : THEE

111. Carry on : RANT

114. Tiny bit : ATOM

115. Single animal-shaped candy? : PEEP

117. PC backup key : ESC

120. Mac OS part: Abbr. : SYS

1) Happy Birthday to dear Kathy (Yellowrocks), whose positive attitude and fighting spirit continue to inspire me. I'm so happy that you're here for us, Kathy!

Yellowrocks and son David, Sept 2016

2) Happy Birthday also to Lorraine (Fermatprime), who's been with the blog for a long time. Lorraine is an accomplished math professor and does more puzzles every day than most of us.

Thanksgiving, 2015

Saturday, Dec 24th, 2016, Matt Skoczen

Theme: None

Words: 72 (missing J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 29

Phew~!!!  I thought I was going snowblind on the first two passes through this grueling grid.  Mr. Skoczen is back for the fourth time in three months, with lots of vague clues, a few proper names that I knew but not through the reference in the clues, and one or two "meh" answers.  Yet I prevailed, with only one (and a half) cheats; had to look up one word in the dictionary that has never appeared in any reading I have done, and then I did a red-letter check to see if I gaffed something - and I did.  Oh well.  Still, came in under my personal allotted time, and I would say I "broke even".  Four 7-letter corners and 9-letter fills crossing paired 10's and 11's;

4d. Opera originally titled "Violetta" : La TRAVIATA - by "Joe Green" (Victor Borge humor)

the aria from "Rigor Mortis"

24. Phone accessory banned at Disney parks : SELFIE STICK

ACROSS:

1. It's commonly read by waiters : TABLOID - Wait-ers, on the supermarket line

8. Place to meet : HALF WAY

15. 1992 Mamet play : OLEANNA - perps

16. Cork holder : IRELAND - #$%^&*~!  My first thought was the city/county of the country, but I was expecting a "?" in the clue

17. Enterprise enterprise : RENTING - dah~!  I put in rentALS, and that screwed me up

18. They're usually kept : GIGOLOS - I went with MEMOIRS; bzzzt.  I did not get this reference until I looked up gigolo on Wiki - but I do know the David Lee Roth remake

19. 1976 Sports Illustrated Sportswoman of the Year awardee : EVERT

20. E major scale note : G SHARP - I knew enough to put "-SHARP" in, and then waited

22. Hawthorne cover image : RED A - The Scarlet Letter

23. Quiet : SETTLE - ah, the verb, not the noun

24. Ben, to Jerry : SON - the comedians, not the Ice Cream guys

27. Truce emblem source : OLIVE TREE - the "branch" comes from the tree

29. John Paul's successor : ELENA - dah~!  I tried PIUS I, figured we were talking Popes; nope - the US Supreme Court; it's OK, my knowledge of both groups is "A-Paul-ing"....

31. Movie : CINÉ - the dictionary says cin-ee is "extracted" from cinema

32. Pollutant banned by Cong. in 1979 : PCB

34. Sights from la mer : ILES - Le Frawnche

35. Subjects of family disputes : ESTATES

38. Erupted : HAD A FIT

40. Call to a line : "NEXT~!"

41. __-Man : PAC

43. Singer Lovato : DEMI - hah~! I knew this one

44. Renée Fleming et al. : DIVAs

46. Great extent : LARGENESS - OK, use this in a sentence which doesn't sound contrived....

50. Fed. assistance program : SSI - Supplemental Security Income - never heard of it

51. Conniving, with "in" : LEAGUE - reminds me of a line from a Robert Plant song

my love is....

53. Durango demonstrative : ESTA

54. __ camera : HIDDEN - not CANDID

55. Shares, with "out" : METES - not DOLES

56. Where to hear a lot of talk : AM RADIO

59. Rayed flowers : DAISIES

61. Bond choice : MARTINI - D'oh~!  JAMES Bond

62. Charlie McCarthy feature : MONOCLE - I know this "character", but not the answer until perps

63. Significant supply : ARSENAL - I tried "---FUL" at the end, and it was not working

64. Sounded like a flute duet? : CLINKED - clever.  Flutes, the glasses

DOWN:

1. One facing charges? : TORERO - thought this was the answer, but I had some bad crossings to start

2. Two-part British academic exam : A LEVEL

3. Noted 2013 resignee : BENEDICT XVI - oh NOW we get the Pope clue....

5. "Doing that right now!" : ON IT - dah~!  I read this as "DO that right now", so I had ASAP, then STAT

6. Where there may be no room : INN - timely

7. Typographical symbol : DAGGER - did not know that this † symbol, tho I have seen it, is called a 'dagger'

8. Modern, in a way : HIGH TECH

9. Font choice : ARIAL - had it in, took it out, because of  MEMOIRS

10. 1852 literary villain : LEGREE - I did not know him; filled via perps, and then I looked him up - Wiki

11. Turn preceder, in Texas Hold 'em : FLOP - followed by the River; last weekend I went in with a full house, 10s over 9s, lost to 10s over Queens - those are the hands that really hurt

12. Popular store opening? : WAL-mart, har-har.

13. Periodo de tiempo : ANO

14. NFL stats : YDs

21. Small distance : STEP

23. Higher than you might have hoped : STEEP

25. "That's __ haven't heard" : ONE I

26. Cartoon award eponym : NAST - mostly perps, N-ST, and then it hit me

28. Sinusitis-treating MD : ENT

30. 1993 "Ethan Frome" star : LIAM NEESON

33. It can get you in : BADGE

35. Extreme pair : ENDS - oops, not ACES; too much poker playing these days, I guess

36. Paquete de __: cerveza purchase : SEIS - a six-pack of beer down Mexico way

37. Iceberg topper : SALAD OIL - my first thought, but it was dressing, not OIL

39. One of Donald's pair : DEE - DonalD

42. Pen : CAGE - ah, the animal confines, not the writing implement

45. Tried to make it home : SLID IN - meh.  Don't like the 'two word' association to baseball

47. Hip-hop group at Live Aid's 1985 Philadelphia concert : RUN-DMC

48. Holt's detective partner in '80s TV : STEELE - the 'other' James Bond - Pierce Brosnan, that is - in his TV role

49. Mouthed off at : SASSED

52. Minneapolis suburb : EDINA - I'm sure C.C. knew this one

54. Execrate : HATE - OK, the word I looked up.  From the Latin "sacrare", as in consecrate

55. Revealing garb : MINI - yep.

56. Chicago-based professional org. : AMA - Saturday cluing

57. Warp, e.g. : MAR - ugh.  I was thinking "speed" as in Star Trek, and "defect", as in wood boards

58. Board game spots with nine sqs. between them : RRs - Monopoly board

60. Moviefone owner : AOL

Splynter

Friday, December 23, 2016, David Alfred Bywaters

Title: My exes are not all in Texas but in this puzzle.

We have the LAT debut of Mr. Bywaters who just had an initial publication on December 13th in the NYT. 63 theme squares left little room for long fill but METEORITE and IN LINE WITH were nice. The rest of the fill seemed a tad easy for a Friday. Of the five theme fill, we have one EX in the beginning, one at the end and the other three somewhere in between. This is difficult to keep balanced. The rest played out pretty easily with GEHRY being my all perp fill. Test these waters by Bywaters.


17A. Illicit buzzing in the hive? : BEE SEXTING (10). A plain old bee sting gets remodeled with the EX showing up.

24A. Slipshod building addition? : RAGGEDY ANNEX (12). The Raggedy Ann doll is next to get an EX.

40A. Beginning of a very thorough biography? : FETAL EXPOSITION (15).  Starting a biography at birth needs an EX added as well.

50A. Aerosol product that will help you fit in in Houston? : SPRAY ON TEXAN (12). Spraying on your tan gives you a Texan when you add the EX.

64A. Too much shooting at the table? : EXCESS POOL (10). We have single word having the EX added at the beginning.
And the reveal:

72A. They sometimes intrude at weddings, and also in this puzzle's theme : EXES.

Across;

1. Clever stroke : COUP. Coup de grâce; coup d’etat...nice French to start the day.

5. Stage genre : DRAMA.

10. Secured, in a way : TIED.

14. Too : ALSO. So easy I hesitated.

15. Actor Firth : COLIN.

16. Initial contribution : ANTE.

19. Surplus : GLUT.

20. Painful spots : SORES.

21. Speak or creak : VERB.

23. Altar promise : I DO.

28. Zodiac animal : RAM.

31. Aran Islands country: Abbr. : IRE.

32. Chopping tool : HOE.

33. Always : EVER.

35. Parker's rank in "McHale's Navy": Abbr. : ENS. This was my introduction to the great Tim Conway. The show was really a step child of the success of Phil Silvers' Sgt. Bilko character. LINK.

37. Pincered insect : EARWIG. This what I think about when I see this WORD.

43. Strands at the lodge, maybe : ICES IN.

44. Six-pack set : ABS.

45. Jazz singer James : ETTA.

46. Nevada was the first st. to allow it : OTB. Off Track Betting.

47. Clickbait site, as of Sep. 2016 : OED. Oxford English Dictionary.

49. Metaphorical hiding place : HAT. Keep it Under your hat. LINK.

56. Athlete lead-in : TRIathlete. 62A. Immune lead-in : AUTO.

57. French honey : AMIE. Girl friend in French.

58. Coffee shop order : MOCHA. Not sure why but I plunked this right in and it stuck.

67. Thought : IDEA.

68. Architect Frank : GEHRY. Frank Gehry is a Canadian-American architect known for postmodern designs, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. ... he was born Frank Owen Goldberg in Toronto, Canada on February 28, 1929 and still lives.Various.

69. One of three in "To be or not to be" : IAMB. Short and long in a metric foot. Poetry 101.

70. Office staple : DESK.

71. Donkeys : ASSES.


Down:

1. Uber competitors : CABS. I think it is the other way around.

2. Margarine : OLEO.

3. Many a typist, nowadays : USER.

4. Fake : POSER.

5. Early 7th-century year : DCX. The random Roman numeral glue.

6. Go bad : ROT.

7. Still in play : ALIVE.

8. Like much ore : MINED.

9. Hot : ANGRY.

10. Identification method : TAG.

11. Conforming to : IN LINE WITH.

12. Chopin work : ETUDE. The entire STORY. One listen....hard not to love Chopin.

13. Rehab process : DETOX.

18. Actor Morales : ESAI. If only he had as many roles as he has had puzzle apearances.

22. Religion founded in Persia : BAHAI. Another answer that went in and stayed. I learned about this from Vic Damone and Diahann Carroll.

25. Gullible : GREEN.

26. Group including some Brat Pack members : GEN-X.

27. Mazatlán-to-Chihuahua dirección : NORTE. Spanish.

28. Monthly pmts. reducer : REFInance.

29. "Voulez-vous coucher __ moi?" : AVEC. I cannot resist LADY MARMALADE.

30. Falling stars that reach the ground : METEORITES.

34. Many a reggae artist : RASTA.

36. Eponymous Belgian town : SPA.

37. English county on the North Sea : ESSEX. In between Kent and Suffolk.

38. Tiny bit : IOTA.

39. Airborne pest : GNAT.

41. OPEC member since 1962 : LIBYA. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental Organization, created at the Baghdad Conference on September 10–14, 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The five Founding Members were later joined by nine other Members: Qatar (1961); Indonesia (1962) – suspended its membership in January 2009, reactivated it in January 2016, but decided to suspend it again in November 2016; Libya (1962); United Arab Emirates (1967); Algeria (1969); Nigeria (1971); Ecuador (1973) – suspended its membership in December 1992, but reactivated it in October 2007; Angola (2007); and Gabon (1975) - terminated its membership in January 1995 but rejoined in July 2016. OPEC had its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, in the first five years of its existence. This was moved to Vienna, Austria, on September 1, 1965.

42. High wind? : OBOE. My third word that I just put in.

48. Lake makers, at times : DAMS.

50. Unwavering : STAID. If overdone can make you a ...

51. Goody two shoes : PRUDE.

52. End of a series : OMEGA. Alpha to....

53. Vetoes : NIXES.

54. They may deal with freezes : TECHS.

55. Fabled lost mittens punishment : NO PIE.
BY MOTHER GOOSE
The three little kittens, they lost their mittens,
And they began to cry,
"Oh, mother dear, we sadly fear,
That we have lost our mittens."
"What!   Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie."
"Meow, meow, meow."
"Then you shall have no pie."

59. Cajole : COAX.

60. Residence : HOME.

61. Priestly garments : ALBS. Once a very common fill and I beleive the only four letter possibility for the plural.

63. Shade provider : OAK. Lots of oaks in Florida.

65. Poetic word of order : ERE.

66. Part of CBS: Abbr. : SYStem.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and I will back next week for my final
2016 write up.  Thanks - do you all agree " A little D.A.B. will do you. Lemonade out.

Note from C.C.:

Happy 72nd Birthday to our dear Misty, who's visiting her Aunt in Austria at this moment. Thanks for the love and warmth you've brought to our little corner, Misty!

Thursday, December 22nd 2016, Bill Zagozewski

Theme:  Ringmasters ... The circles in the corners of the "boxing ring" grid contain the names of four professional world champions.

We've got:

Max BAER - American heavyweight champion in the 1930's. Famous for defeating Max Schmeling, who was Hitler's favorite fighter and promoted as an example of the superiority of the Aryan race. He lost his title to James Braddock in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

Muhammad ALI - no introduction required for a second American heavyweight world champion. He defeated the next corner occupant for the title in 1964, and retained the title in their 1965 rematch. This photograph, by Neil Leifer for TIME magazine stands as one of the most famous sports images of all time. I've got a monochrome reproduction on my wall.

Sonny LISTON - a third American heavyweight world champion in the 1960's, beating Floyd Patterson for the title in 1962 before Ali took his place.

And finally, a fourth American heavyweight - no wait, we've got Roberto DURÁN, a Panamanian fighter who held world titles in four weight divisions in his career, from lightweight to middleweight, He was famous (or notorious) for quitting during his 1982 title defense against "Sugar" Ray Leonard in the 8th round, saying to the referee "No más". That was his 74th fight. He retired after 119 fights, so seemingly there was "poquito más" left in him.

There are four companion entries to the corners

25A. Prize for today's puzzle's circles : CHAMPIONSHIP

52A. Introductory words for each set of puzzle circles : IN THIS CORNER

5A. With 71-Across, event for today's puzzle's circles : TITLE and

71A. See 5-Across : FIGHT

This looks like an LAT debut for Bill, so congratulations for that achievement.

Now I'm going to rain on the parade - I didn't like this much - I can't see any connection between the boxers other than they won a world championship. Only LISTON "fills" his corner - it just seems so inconsistent. Throw in a slew of  three-letter abbreviations and partials and prefix/suffix stuff and the whole thing seems forced.

There is some nice stuff in the downs, so let's go look at what we've got.

Across:

1. Beginning of space? : AERO

10. Sea that's a shrinking lake : ARAL

14. Jazz Age toon : BOOP. Betty. Boop-boop-be-doo.

15. Comes (from) : HAILS.

16. Roast, in Rouen : RÔTI. Rouen has a magnificent cathedral, and a belfry full of very loud bells, as I discovered when I stayed at a little hotel in the shadow of the spires and was woken up on Sunday morning.

17. __ about : ON OR

18. "Miss __ Playhouse": jazz CD for kids : ELLA'S. Learning moment. Miss Fitzgerald.

19. Fishing, perhaps : ASEA

20. Outlaw Belle : STARR. Convicted of horse theft in 1883. New to me.

22. PBS funder : NEA

24. Tally : SUM

29. Org. with a snake in its logo : A.M.A.

31. Detestable sort : TOAD

32. Late 19th-century presidential monogram : CAA. Chester A. Arthur. President from 1881 to 1885.

33. Family babysitter : NANA

35. Cut : SLICED INTO

40. Dignify : EXALT

42. Fireworks reaction : OOH!

43. Starters : A-TEAM

44. Curaçao's capital : WILLEMSTAD. Another learning moment. The former capital of the Netherlands Antilles, betraying the Dutch origin of the name.

47. Conclusion preceder : IF SO ..

48. Andean tuber : OCA

49. Turkmenistan neighbor : IRAN

51. Want-ad letters : E.E.O. Equal Employment Opportunity.

56. Titled rapper : DRE. Dr. Dre.

57. Radical '70s org. : S.L.A.

58. Teen superhero's family : KENTS. Superman.

60. Pupil's place : UVEA

62. "You __ one!" : OWE ME

65. Nantes nothing : RIEN.

67. Disencumbers : RIDS

68. Sacks : FIRES

69. Conductor Klemperer or an emperor : OTTO

70. Reformed demon on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" : ANYA. Thank you, crosses. I'm not up on my "Buffy" characters.

72. Place to find bullets : LIST

Down:

1. Blood system letters : ABO. This fill probably wouldn't fly in Australia.

2. Ages : EONS

3. Ordeal at the dentist's office : ROOT CANAL

4. Oxygen network co-founder : OPRAH

5. Soup container : THERMOS

6. Proverb ending? : IAL

7. Up to, commercially : TIL

8. Southwestern plain : LLANO

9. Perfume : ESSENCE

10. Altar in the sky : ARA

11. Mantegna's "Criminal Minds" role : ROSSI. Thank you, crosses. I only saw one episode because one of my friends was guest-starring.

12. Really enjoyed : ATE UP

13. Singer Payne of One Direction : LIAM. Boy Band fave. He's apparently planning to go solo, according to the Brit tabloids. Stop the presses!

21. Proverbial deserter : RAT. I'm not sure that you can blame the rats when the ship is sinking.

23. Grilled, in Mexican fare : ASADA. Food! Usually skirt steak presented as carne asada.

26. California's __ Verdes Peninsula : PALOS. Pete Sampras learned his tennis at a club here.

27. Beyond silly : IDIOTIC

28. Golfe de la Gonâve country : HAITI. WAG with "H" in place, but I couldn't come up with many other french-speaking countries beginning that way.

29. From the top : ANEW

30. Modest skirt : MAXI

34. Mete out : ALLOT

36. "Cuchi-cuchi" celebrity : CHARO.  María del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza to her friends.

37. Akhenaten's queen : NEFERTITI. I can't think of any alternative Egyptian queens, to be honest. Oh wait, Cleopatra!

38. Subdue, perhaps : TASE

39. Melville novel : OMOO.

41. Staffers of Apple's Genius Bar : TECHS.

45. Send : MAIL OFF

46. Least lit : DARKEST

50. Butte-to-Helena dir. : N.N.E.

52. NFL Network analyst Michael __ : IRVIN. Legendary Dallas Cowboys receiver who won three Superbowl rings in the 90's.

53. Unable to make ends meet : NEEDY

54. Slasher film sequel of 2005 : SAW II

55. Become a member, in Manchester : ENROL. One "L" in the British spelling. There's a very (very!) short street in Manchester named for my paternal grandfather, apparently.

56. Commercial prefix meaning "long-lasting" : DURA-

59. Places : SETS

61. Hard-rock link : AS A

63. Unit of work : ERG

64. Verbal shrug : MEH. Keeping quiet on this one.

66. "Tricked you!" : NOT!

That about does it for me. In the United Airlines in-flight magazine they've started publishing a New York Times Sunday puzzle - the one I found a couple of days ago on the way to Honolulu was missing about 25 of the "Down" clues. Made finishing it something of a challenge!

Aloha, and Mele Kalikimaka!

Steve