Monday, January 23, 2017 Joel Mackerry

Theme: No Reveal Monday - Start with three letters; a vowel progression and the same two consonants.

17A. Hebrew or Latin, e.g.: ANCIENT LANGUAGE

23A. Meetings of self-improvement seekers: ENCOUNTER GROUPS

39A. Form 1040 and schedules: INCOME TAX RETURN

53A. Doctor with a pager: ON-CALL PHYSICIAN

61A. Most of the Atlantic, to Columbus: UNCHARTED WATERS

Argyle here. The kicker is the five entries are all grid spanners and in language. Well done!

Across:

1. Contractor's detail, briefly: SPEC. (specification)

5. NYSE listings: COs. New York Stock Exchange/companys

8. Shade-loving plant: HOSTA

13. Pull's opposite: PUSH

14. Sitting on: ATOP

16. "That's __!": "Piece of cake!": A SNAP

20. Cpl., for one: NCO. Corporal/non-commissioned officer

21. Sundial number opposite I: VII

22. Kitty coat: FUR

29. Child of a boomer: Xer. Generations

30. With 31-Across, flying exhibition: AIR

31. See 30-Across: SHOW

32. More than fair, less than great: GOOD

34. Petting __: ZOO

36. Composer Bartók: BÉLA

44. Right triangle ratio: SINE

45. "Impractical Jokers" network __TV: TRU. truTV.

46. Most fit to be drafted: ONE A

47. Captures: NABs

50. Plus: AND

52. "CSI" evidence: DNA

58. Itinerary word: VIA. (by way of)

59. Dubai's fed.: UAE. (United Arab Emirates)

60. Glamorous Gardner: AVA

68. Allow to board: LET ON

69. "Frozen" queen: ELSA

70. Game with rooms and weapons: CLUE

71. Natives for whom a Great Lake is named: ERIEs

72. Like a clever devil: SLY

73. Outdoor faucet attachment: HOSE

Down:

1. Massage facility: SPA

2. Joke with a homophone, say: PUN

3. Top-left PC key: ESC

4. Trouser material: CHINO. Trousers of such a fabric gained popularity in the U.S. when Spanish–American War veterans returned from the Philippines with their twill military trousers.

5. Elevate to sainthood: CANONIZE

6. Giants great Mel: OTT

7. Work a crossword puzzle: SOLVE

8. "Macbeth" cauldron stirrer: HAG. One of the three Weyward Sisters.

9. Buckeye State sch.: OSU. Ohio State University.

10. Acronym for a big mess: SNAFU

11. Prepare to advance after a fly ball: TAG UP

12. Mimics: APERS

15. Bridge partnerships: PAIRS

18. S.A. country at zero degrees latitude: ECUA. (Ecuador)

19. About to happen: NIGH

23. Army vet: EX-GI

24. Vegas signs: NEONS

25. Early spring blooms: CROCI

26. Easy run: TROT

27. Hanger near the shower: ROBE

28. Be a debtor of: OWE TO

33. Summer of disco: DONNA

35. Cereal grain: OAT

37. Monday, in Metz: LUNDI. French.

38. "Ben-Hur" setting: ARENA

40. Dinner, e.g.: MEAL

41. Like Superman's special vision: X-RAY

42. Flees: RUNS AWAY

43. Indian flatbread: NAAN

48. "It all happened so fast" memory: BLUR

49. Sudden burst: SPATE

51. Operatic icon: DIVA

53. Developing egg: OVULE

54. Forty-__: NINER

55. Desert plants: CACTI

56. Shoes that make you look taller: HEELS

57. Hidden downside: CATCH. There's always a catch.

62. Soil-moving tool: HOE

63. Ques. response: ANS. (answer)

64. Broadband letters: DSL. (Digital Subscriber Line)

65. Rock gp. with winds and strings: ELO. (Electric Light Orchestra)

66. Moscow's land: Abbr.: RUSsia

67. Lay eyes on: SEE

Argyle

Sunday, January 22, 2017 Matt McKinley

Theme:  "Dropping In" - In is dropped from the start of each theme entry.

23A. Knowing one makes the best moonshine? : STILL CONFIDENCE. Instill confidence.

30A. Pressing concern? : CREASE QUALITY. Increase quality. "Improve quality" sounds more idiomatic.

42A. Vessel for the corporate lake outing? : BOARD MOTORBOAT. Inboard motorboat is new to me.

64A. Where geese learn the ABCs of Vs? : FORMATION CENTER. Information center.

88A. Passable publicity? : DECENT EXPOSURE. Indecent Exposure.

95A. Close examination of past and present English? : TENSE SCRUTINY. Intense scrutiny.

110A. Priest's fashion consultant? : VESTMENT ADVISER. Investment adviser.

All IN's are dropped from the start of the first word. Quite consistent.

I like when the new words change meanings drastically: STILL/CREASE/BOARD/FORMATION/TENSE/VESTMENT. They're all nouns, which tend to have shades of meanings, so easier to maneuver.

Not much change from INDECENT to DECENT though. Just a prefix drop. Adjective before and after.

Across:

1. Harder to see : DARKER

7. Heavenly bear : URSA

11. East Lansing sch. : MSU. The Spartans.

14. Vice __ : VERSA

19. "Seinfeld" role : ELAINE. KRAMER  and NEWMAN have the same letter count.

20A. Groups on its covers included 'N Sync and Hanson : TEEN BEAT. Hanson is the "MMMBop" boy band.

22. Alternate strategy : PLAN B. Sitting next to by 25. "I Am the Walrus" was one : SIDE B. Tiny dupe.

26. Fair instrument : CALLIOPE. I only know the Muse meaning.

27. Many a stray : CUR. Not CAT.

28. Land of the banshee : EIRE

29. Songwriter Sands : EVIE

36. Energy pricing unit : BARREL

39. Submerged ridge : SHOAL

40. "Friendly Skies" co. : UAL

41. Quicken product : E-LOAN. So now E-loan has become a common word rather than the company E-Loan?

48. Put (on) hastily : SLAP

49. Metallic hybrids : ALLOYS

50. Stand __ : PAT. Not OUT/INS.

51. Green shelter : ARBOR

53. Destroys totally : TORPEDOES. Great fill.

55. Hitting : AT BAT

57. Moist : DEWY

58. Canonized ones: Abbr. : STs

59. Sticky stuff : GOO

60. Cook with high heat : BROIL. Chinese kitchens don't have ovens. We steam everything, including our bread (Mantou).

62. Ominous ending : OR ELSE

68. Vote for : CHOOSE

71. Côtes du __: wine region : RHONE. Also 107. Normandy department : ORNE. Not OISE.

72. "Clickbait" was added to it in Sep. 2016 : OED. Nailed it.


73. Not letting things slide, briefly : TCB. Take Care of Business.

76. Influence : PULL

77. Some Jutland natives : DANES

79. Stood : STOMACHED

82. Excavate anew : RE-DIG

84. '70s-'80s Pakistani president : ZIA. Learned from doing crosswords.

85. NFL's Oilers, since 1999 : TITANS. Learning moment to me.

87. "__ Land": 2016 Stone/Gosling film : LA LA. Oh, hi, LaLaLinda! She still reads our blog and comments.

91. How prancing is done : GAILY

92. Emmy-winning scientist : NYE (Bill)


93. Wear : ERODE

94. Liquor from currants : CASSIS. I never had currants, You?

101. Ado : FUSS

102. Not do, maybe : OMIT

103. Canberra school : UNI (University)

104. Classic Cadillac : ELDORADO. My idea of "Classic" is the old beat-up green Jeep Chinese Army used to have. Very cool. All other cars are the same. Just cars.

108. Mini successors : NANOs

114. Cries from sties : OINKs

115. Sweet-talked : WHEEDLED

116. Like the pre-Easter season : LENTEN

117. Candidate's handout : FLYER

118. Canon offering, briefly : SLR

119. Bros, say : SIB. My brother is chasing his Go 4d rank. 

120. Driving force : ENGINE

Down:

1. Genealogy abbr. : DESC. Hi there, PK! Great to see you back.

2. Utah ski resort : ALTA

3. Complain : RAIL

4. Game that sells consoles, say : KILLER APP. Another great fill.

5. Pep up : ENLIVEN

6. Shrink back : RECOIL

7. __ Reader : UTNE. Our local Barnes & Noble does carry this magazine.


8. Flag thrower : REF

9. Cinque e uno : SEI

10. "Wait, there's more ... " : AND

11. Diner host's stack : MENUs

12. "__ bleu!" : SACRE. Bleu to replace "Dieu". "Mon Dieu".

13. Colorado native : UTE

14. Bush and Gore: Abbr. : VPs. Bush Sr.


15. Architect Saarinen : ELIEL. Eero's father. We also have 32. St. Louis bridge architect : EADS

16. Circle lines : RADII

17. Dik Browne dog : SNERT. "Hägar the Horrible".

18. Monk's home : ABBEY

21. Immobilize at sea, in a way : BECALM. I suppose it's a common word for sailors, Spitzboov/D-Otto.

24. Expose in verse? : OPE

30. Bedlam : CHAOS

31. One of the Gilmore girls : RORY. Not etymological related to ROARS (Also  38. Comedy club reactions)

33. Marketing target : QUOTA

34. Short-lived Egypt-Syr. alliance : UAR. Also 109. Abbr. on old Eurasian maps : SSR

35. Goya's "Duchess of __" : ALBA

36. Outplays : BESTS

37. Give in shares : ALLOT

 
39. One and only : SOLE

42. Flower : BLOOM

43. Some kind of nerve : OPTIC

44. Statistician's aid : TABLE

45. Information for a waiter : ORDER.  The clue dupes the original word "Information" in 64A. Hard to detect this in a Sunday grid.


46. Biblical brother : ABEL

47. Garage services : TOWS

49. Couldn't get enough of : ADORED

52. White alternative : RYE. Bread.


54. They may clash in debates : EGOS. So true!

55. Supreme : A ONE

56. Carved poles : TOTEMS

60. IMDb.com entries : BIOs. IMDb is a great cluing source for constructors, full of great trivia.


61. Director Howard : RON

63. Shameful fictional symbol : RED A

64. __ acid : FOLIC. Not AMINO.

65. Golf great, to his "army" : ARNIE

66. What an unproductive worker might get : THE AX

67. Herman's Hermits frontman Peter : NOONE. Stranger to me. Same with 99. Oscar-winning actress Mercedes __ : RUEHL. I still have not fully figured out why Rich sometimes uses ___ in name clues. Here 67D has no ___, but 99D does. But person with ___ tends to be unknown to me.

Peter Noone

Mercedes Ruehl

68. Hosp. administration : CPR

69. Tinged : HUED

70. Quaint store adjective : OLDE. What I feel about the clue for 73. Massenet opera : THAIS

74. Symphonic strings : CELLI

75. Occasions for cake, briefly : B DAYS. Not in my childhood. Always noodles & two eggs.


78. Nahuatl speaker : AZTEC

79. Detailed analysis : STUDY

80. Container weight : TARE

81. Senior's memento : CLASS RING

83. Hereditary code carrier : GENE

85. Spelling on TV : TORI. Tori Spelling seems to have a very chaotic life.


86. Has the stage : IS ON

89. Finger Lakes locale: Abbr. : NYS (New York State)

90. Dress size : PETITE

91. Appliance with a pilot : GAS OVEN

94. Get snuggly : CUDDLE

95. Beaucoup, with "a" : TON OF

96. User's service : EMAIL. So disappointed with Outlook/Hotmail's last update. One day I'll move to Gmail completely.

97. Fool : NINNY

98. Fuel : STOKE

100. Indy 500 family name : UNSER

101. St. with a panhandle : FLA

104. LAX postings : ETDs

105. Piedmont wine region : ASTI

106. "Paula's Home Cooking" host : DEEN. I bet you all want to try our own "Steve's Home Cooking". His Facebook pictures are often mouthwatering. He even makes Sashimi himself.


110. Bug and Golf : VWs

111. ER VIPs : MDs.

112. Yalie : ELI

113. Lincoln's place: Abbr. : NEB

Thanks for the kind comments and emails on our blog birthday. Each means a lot to me. Nice to learn that BunnyM has been quietly with us for three years. So glad you finally joined us after your birthday!

Happy 71st Birthday to  our grid master and friend John Lampkin, who is now living in Florida. I was very lucky to get to know John & blog his puzzles at the start of my blogging/constructing venture. I just love this picture. Are you still in contact with Annette, Lemonade?

Lemonade and John

Saturday, Jan 21st, 2017, Neville Fogarty

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing F,J,Q,X,Y)

Blocks: 30

Well it's about time I smoked through a Saturday puzzle; I was starting to wonder if the difficulty level was ever going to come down.  I recognized the constructor's name, and I sensed that I had struggled with his grids in the past - but I was wrong.  It has been over four years since he last gave us a Saturday challenge, and that one was a fun romp, too - my words.  Six ten-letter answers in today's grid, with triple 8- and 6-letter corners;

 4. Some breaks in the NFL action : TV TIMEOUTS

20. Biting criticism : ACID TONGUE

12. Fruity chip go-with : MANGO SALSA

29. Contemporary "Be yourself" : KEEP IT REAL - I liked Dave Chapelle's "when Keeping it Real goes wrong", but due to the "adult content", I must refrain from posting it here  :7))

50. Dark personification : GRIM REAPER

27. Goes wild : WHOOPS IT UP

ON❤ARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Robin on '60s TV : BURT WARD - oh so proud of myself for filling in SIDEKICK, and it worked well with my 15a, too

9. Mischievous kids : SCAMPS

15. What one taking a flight doesn't use? : ELEVATOR - a flight of stairs, and it didn't fool me

16. Mustang rival : CAMARO - I'll take the Mustang every day of the week, twice on Sunday

17. Abomination : ANATHEMA

18. Common soccer result : ONE-NIL - hockey games that end 1-0 are boring

19. Coach Eric Taylor's wife on "Friday Night Lights" : TAMI - perps

22. Hardboard brand : MASONITE - at first I was ashamed that I couldn't nail this one, but then when the crossings filled in, I realized I was thinking Homasote, and not Hardboard.  Fake 6-panel doors are made with hardboard, and cheaper

24. William Donovan's WWII org. : OSS

25. Dropped jaws : WOWED 'EM

28. Computer media : DISKS - perps got me all but the "K", and I wondered if it might be "C"

30. Cold sound? : "ACHOO~!"

31. "Star Trek" rank: Abbr. : ENS. - the one I can think of is Ro, from The Next Generation

32. __ St. Louis : EAST - vague, but it's Saturday

35. Exodus pronoun : THOU - THEE or THOU~? Had to wait

36. Liquid diet component : BROTH - my liquid diet of some years ago did NOT consist of broth....

38. "The Time Machine" race : ELOI - Crosswordese

39. Traffic sound : TOOT - dah~! Not HONK

40. Jethro Tull frontman Anderson : IAN - I knew this - but I am not a fan; Iron Maiden covered Cross-eyed Mary

Note the Grim Reaper on the card

41. Big name in printers : EPSON - CANON~? XEROX~?  Ugh.  Had to wait

42. Library exchanges : PSSTs - BOOKS fit, but I doubted it was the answer; my last fill was the "S", tho I had "A" there first - hey PSATS sounded reasonable - but no ta-DA~!

44. Drea de Matteo's role on "The Sopranos" : ADRIANA - did not watch the show, filled via perps

46. Sources of remote power : AAs - TV remotes, etc.

48. Balderdash : UTTER ROT - ever play Balderdash~? Great board game

52. Speeds (up) : REVS

56. More affected, in a way : ARTIER

Black & White - I'm getting "artier"

57. More than familiar with : INURED TO - my "SAGAS" at 49d. led me to GEARED TO

59. Arrive copiously : POUR IN

60. Some summer homes : COTTAGES

61. Toll road convenience : E-Z PASS - word is, NY State is going total E-Z Pass and unmanned booths; cameras will catch those who don't play well with others.  I already have my tags

62. Site of Napoleon's last exile : St. HELENA

DOWN:

1. Overpower : BEAT

2. Radius neighbor : ULNA

3. Office quantity : REAM

5. Nursery noise : WAH - guitar noise, too, for those who know

6. Base command : AT EASE

7. "Think Like a Man Too," e.g. : ROM-COM

8. Exhaust : DRAIN

9. Terrier type : SCOTTISH

10. Participates in a camp activity : CANOES

11. Grace closing : AMEN

Amen~!

13. Hybrid hatchback : PRIUS - there are two kinds of Prius owners - either the ones who drive so slow that they never use the gasoline engine, or the other ones, who should have never invested in a hybrid in the first place - a Mustang would have been cheaper for these leadfoots

14. They may leave prints : SOLES

21. "We __ Start the Fire": Billy Joel : DIDN'T - great song; much of the history pre-dates me, and being the curious type, had to find out more

I arrived during "punk rock" @ 3:25

23. Shakespearean title word : ADO

25. Power eponym : WATT - James Watt, who made the first major improvement to the steam engine - the Wiki

26. Dos cubed : OCHO - 2³, in Spanish

31. Great spell : EON - spell as in stretch of time

33. "Are we there yet?" reply : SOON

34. Brown of publishing : TINA - no clue, all perps and WAG

36. Marshland waders : BITTERNS - had some of the crossings, and this rose up from the depths of my mind

37. Dreaded figure? : RASTA

41. "__ e Leandro": Handel cantata : ERO

43. "Yup!" : "SURE IS~!" - followed by:

44. "Nope!" : "ARE NOT~!"

45. Longtime "Sexually Speaking" host : Dr. RUTH - had it, took it out with SAGAS being wrong

46. Catching flies, so to speak : AGAPE

47. Pollo partner : ARROZ - Chicken and rice

49. Sweeping stories : EPICS - SAGAS~? Bzzzt~!

51. "Look, amigo!" : "MIRA~!" - rockin' the Spanish today; I need to learn more - it's the dominant language in the kitchens where I work

53. One of a cube's dozen : EDGE - so proud of myself for figuring this out

54. Engine with a lot of juice : V-TEN - pondered V-tec, from Honda, but V-10 makes more sense; popular in the Dodge Viper - check out this Viper~!

55. Slugger who began and ended his career as a Texas Ranger : SOSA - Good WAG for me

58. Hwy., e.g. : RTE

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Our blog turns 9-year-old today! Among regulars,  Argyle is probably with me the longest. Do you all still remember the first time you visited our blog?

Friday, January 20, 2017, Debbie Ellerin

Title: Sounds like....homonym home.

We have our fifth offering from a Nancy Salomon, Jeff Chen disciple, and her first Friday. Debbie takes advantage of the beauty and variety of the English language. RUED and RUDE, ROWED and ROAD are clear sound a-likes. DUCKED and DUCT, PASSED and PAST may vary geographically, but the concept is the same. You take a familiar phrase and change the first word for a sound a-like word that creates a new meaning. Like all punny or sound a-likes, once you get the idea, they are easy but it requires filling lots of perps. These are all reasonable if not dramatically funny. Debbie also fits in some nice long fill WEBINAR,  FIXINGS,  SNARLED,  THERMOS and two that are as long as theme entries- RARING TO GO and EYE OPENERS. On to the solve!!!!

16A. Played hooky from the office? : DUCKED WORK (10). DUCT work.

26A. Was sorry to have set the alarm? : RUED AWAKENING (13). RUDE awakenings.

46A. Made it through the Civil War? : PASSED HISTORY (13). PAST history.

60A. Reached the 2016 Olympics the hard way? : ROWED TO RIO (10). ROAD to Rio.

Across

1. Quick : RAPID.

6. Zurich-based sports org. : FIFA. Fédération Internationale de Football Association, not only the governing body of world wide futbol, but also beach soccer!

10. Dis : RIP.

13. Metaphorical title word in a McCartney-Wonder hit : EBONY. Ivory is suing SONY.

14. Major composition : OPUS. We have seen this often lately.

15. Dr Pepper Museum city : WACO. I had no idea. LINK.

18. Journalist/author Larson : ERIK. A very talented author.

19. Telegram period : STOP.

20. Long in the tooth : OLD. which is how I am feeling, not being able to walk, unaided.

21. Texas-Louisiana border river : SABINE. now that clues must be PC, we get this river.
I am sure our cajun contingent jumped all over this CSO.

23. "Without further __ ... " : ADO.

25. Taco toppings : FIXINGS.

31. Random selection : ANY.

32. Give a halfhearted effort : DOG IT. We use dog in many ways. READ.

33. Gratified and then some : SATED.

36. Pizzeria staples : PIES.

38. Romantic dining spot : PATIO. Never thought of that as a romantic spot, but that is just me.

40. Bush advisor : ROVE. Karl. No politics but you can READ his slant.

41. You can skip it : STONE. One of many fun clues.

43. Piaggio transport : VESPA. Interesting HISTORY.

45. X or Y preceder : GEN.

49. Lunchbox container : THERMOS. Vacuum sealed container. A valid trademark? The CASE.

51. "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" airer : NPR. National Public Radio.

52. Small creek : RUNLET. Nope. Never heard of it.

53. Meet at the poker table : SEE. I'll see you $1,000,000.00 and raise you...does anybodt watch the WSOP ?

55. Hound sound : YELP.

59. Downwind : ALEE.

63. Joker, for one : CARD.

64. Continental divide : URAL. Europe and Asia. LESSON.

65. "Buffy" spin-off : ANGEL. David Boreanaz has gone seamlessly from Buffy to Angel to Bones.

66. Superhero symbol : ESS.

67. They're fixed shortly after being intentionally broken : EGGS.  Convoluted but cute clue.

68. Crystalline stone : GEODE.

Down:

1. Bench mates? : REDS. Really fun deception, as Hall of Famer Johnny Bench played for the Cincinnati Reds.

2. Bump up against : ABUT. A great word for Cartman.

3. Little, to Luis : POCO.

4. Rubber stamp partner : INK PAD.

5. Highlight provider : DYE. Those nice highlights in your hair.

6. Barnyard regular : FOWL.

7. 2001 Apple debut : IPOD. How time flies.

8. Lab coat : FUR. We continue with witty cluing using the capital letter starting the clue to attempt to deceive.

9. Welcomes warmly, as a visitor : ASKS IN. Of course, "ask sin" might be a warm greeting.

10. Ready in a big way : RARING TO GO.

11. Cupcake cover : ICING. Alliteration.

12. Uses a fireplace tool : POKES. That is why it is called  poker.

15. Online workshop : WEBINAR. Very big in the law world.

17. The Platters' genre : DOO WOP. According to the dictionary it is a style of pop music marked by the use of close harmony vocals using nonsense phrases, originating in the US in the 1950s. LISTEN?

22. x or y follower : AXIS.

24. Senior, to Junior : DAD.

25. Amulet : FETISH. We tend to think more of behavioral fetishes.

26. Emulates Eminem : RAPS.

27. Meter or liter : UNIT.

28. Revelations : EYE OPENERS. Nice long fill.

29. Plants used to make tequila : AGAVES.

30. Cashed, as a forged check : KITED. Sorry, kiting has nothing to do with forgery. Check kiting is a form of check fraud, involving taking advantage of the float to make use of non-existent funds in a checking or other bank account. In this way, instead of being used as a negotiable instrument, checks are misused as a form of unauthorized credit. (per wiki).

34. "... happily __ after" : EVER. The fairy title of life.

35. Say no to : DENY.

37. Tangled : SNARLED.

39. Put in one's two cents : OPINED.

42. Mrs. Cullen in Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" : ESME. Played by Elizabeth Reaser.

44. Venomous snake : ASP.

47. "I know, right?" : SO TRUE.

48. Sign next to free samples : TRY ONE.

49. Hint : TRACE. Only reminds me of Hodgins.

50. Luau entertainment : HULAS.

53. Gala giveaways : SWAG. The famous Hollywood swag bags now worth about $40,000.00 at the Oscars.

54. "Electric" swimmers : EELS.

56. "For that reason ... " : ERGO. Latin word co-opted by English.

57. Told a fantastic story, perhaps : LIED.

58. North __ : POLE. A little late for Santa.

61. URL ending : ORG.

62. Identify on Facebook : TAG. A prefect segue, as tag you the reader are IT, as I have had my say with all the typos and errors that a human can create. Because there were so many words filled by the downs, this was pretty easy. As for the theme, YMMV. lemonade out.

Thursday, January 19th 2017 Kurt Krauss

Theme: Camera Obscura - the three theme entries have a common scrambled word concealed within, as explained by the reveal:

54A. Device found in this puzzle's three other longest answers : HIDDEN CAMERA. You can find these things for next to nothing on eBay and Amazon. Creepy.

20A. Protective charm often adorned with feathers : DREAM CATCHER. Great, fresh entry. They can be elaborate, and quite beautiful:

33A. Stamina-testing ballroom event : DANCE MARATHON. Subject matter for the widely-acclaimed 1969 movie "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"

40A. Forensic analyst's discovery : TRACE MATERIAL. A potpourri of things that might link a person to the scene of a crime.

Thursday rolls around again, and here's a nice scramble-theme from Kurt. The three theme entries are fresh and interesting, and the CAMERA is consistently found scrambled across the two words. There's a couple of nice long downs tying things together. I could have done without either one of  the pairs AAR/SAAR or ERR/ERN but that's probably just me being picky. Let's see what else we've got to talk about:

Across:

1. Naproxen brand : ALEVE. A non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drug of the proprionic acid class. Now we know.

6. Yap : TRAP.

10. Documentary divisions : ERAS. Not my first thought as far as a clue is concerned, but I think I see what Kurt or Rich are getting at - for example, documentary maker Ken Burns has produced programs covering the Vietnam War and the Civil War, as well as the jazz era.

14. Ricoh competitor : XEROX

15. Green-skinned "Return of the Jedi" girl : OOLA. Thank you, crosses.

16. Approaching : NIGH. The End, commonly. Let's hear it from Grumpy Cat:

17. Not shady : LEGIT

18. Action figure? : DOER

19. Site of Shah Jahan's tomb : AGRA. The Taj Mahal. The Shah had it built to house the tomb of his wife, Mumtaj. As an aside, there are approximately two million Indian restaurants in the world called either The Mumtaj Mahal or The Taj Mahal. The other four are called The Red Fort, The New Bengal, The Taste of India and The Lahore Kebab House.

23. Decorative globe : ORB

26. Ice cream maker Joseph : EDY

27. Holed a five-footer, say : PUTTED. Or, in my case, three-putted, commonly.

28. Start of a hands-off declaration? : LOOK, MA! Followed by a trip to the ER or the dentist.

30. Fivers : ABES. We call 'em "Lady Godivas" in England, in the rhyming vernacular. A "tenner" is an Ayrton (Senna). The day one of my co-workers in London told me that he couldn't make it to lunch because "I got to go down the J. Arthur to sausage a Gregory" and I understood him made me feel like I was a  native of the City.

32. Pigs out (on), briefly : O.D.'S

36. Longtime Labor Day telethon org. : M.D.A. Jerry Lewis-hosted event in aid of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

37. Wild bunch : MOB

38. Gold units: Abbr. : KTS. Karats.

46. Swiss river : AAR. Here it is, with the old city of Bern sitting handily in the meander.

48. "Peter Pan" pooch : NANA. In the book, she was described as a Newfoundland, but for some reason Disney in their infinite wisdom turned her into a St. Bernard in their movie adaptation.

49. Travel org. freebie : AAA MAP. I still enjoy printed maps for browsing, but Google Maps for navigation is pretty awesome, especially the real-time rerouting to avoid traffic.

50. Lamentation : PLAINT. Complaint, in old-speak.

52. Miss an easy grounder, say : ERR

53. It can follow directions : -ERN. Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western. Question - why do we say "suh-thern" and not "sow-thern"?

58. Cold drink brand : ICEE

59. Come & Get It! pet food maker : ALPO

60. Annoyed : IRKED.

64. Like some warnings : DIRE

65. Jetty : PIER. The longest pleasure pier in the world is at Southend on the east coast of England. It's almost a mile and a half long and has a railway running from the shore to the pier head. There used to be a pub at the end, but it caught fire in 2007 and took the pier head down with it.

66. "Keen!" : NEATO!

67. Fresh answers : SASS

68. Quick on one's feet : SPRY

69. "Business @ the Speed of Thought" co-author : GATES. Collins Hemingway gets the co-writing credit, but Bill's is the only name on the cover.

Down:

1. Guns N' Roses' Rose : AXL. He of the X-rated anagrammatic name.

2. Sheltered side : LEE

3. Bit of work : ERG

4. Cancel : VOID

5. More than just edgy : EXTREME

6. Morning fare since 1952 : TODAY. The Today Show on NBC.

7. Study, e.g. : ROOM

8. Actor Baldwin : ALEC

9. Rampart topper : PARAPET. Merriam-Webster has rampart and parapet as synonyms, but they're two separate things. Here's a diagram of Hadrian's Wall, built by the eponymous roman Emperor to keep the marauding Scots out of northern England (some people still say that it should never have been abandoned).

Now, all this begs the question as to whether Francis Scott Key knew the difference. Either "From the ramparts we watched" or "O'er the parapet we watched" would make more sense. Probably too late to change it now.

10. Legislate : ENACT

11. Punctual : RIGHT ON TIME. Swiss Railways, famously. Amtrak, less so.

12. Concurred : AGREED

13. Result of a messy breakup? : SHARDS. Glass, usually.

21. Wax-coated cheese : EDAM

22. Rear : TUSH

23. Ancient : OLD

24. Gad about : ROAM

25. Wall Street figures : BOND TRADERS. 007 memorabilia collectors?

29. 1980 Chrysler debut : K-CAR

30. Something in the air : AROMA. There's my coffee brewing, in a K-CUP.

31. Cake with a kick : BABA. Rum-soaked confection.

34. "Too true!" : AMEN

35. Creole vegetable : OKRA. Popular in Indian food too.

39. German industrial region : SAAR. Don't confuse your Ruhr and your Saar.

41. Youngest Brontë : ANNE. Cheerful-looking bunch, and this was painted by their brother, Branwell. He painted himself out of the portrait, evidently quite poorly.

42. Short rests : CATNAPS

43. Weight allowance : TARE

44. Stud, e.g. : EARRING. Now, wait a minute. A stud is a stud, an earring is an earring, and ne'er the twain shall be confused. Docking a point for this one.

45. ICU worker : LPN. The "N" was my final fill. I wasn't sold on that whole "North-ern" thing at 53A, and I didn't know Licensed Practical Nurse.

46. Rose garden pests : APHIDS

47. "The Good Wife" wife : ALICIA. Thank you, crosses. Never saw the show.

51. Nice thoughts? : IDÉES. Nice, in the south-ern part of France, located in a south-erly direction from Lyon. OK, I'll stop now.

52. Bishop John for whom a Georgia university was named : EMORY. Knew the school, learned today he was a bishop.

55. Movie trailer unit : CLIP

56. Imitator : APER. I've been peeved about this word before, I'll just let it go.

57. One-half base times height, for a triangle : AREA. For a right-angled triangle only, if I recall correctly.

61. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls" : KAT. Crosses to the rescue again.

62. Juillet's season : ÉTÉ. Summer in Nice is nice.

63. Big affairs : DOS

And .... here's the grid.

Steve

Wednesday, January 18, 2017 C. C. Burnikel

Theme - BE NOT AFRAID.  A variety of things are related to the fears they might - or in this case, might not - cause.   This is pretty deep.  Each word relating to a common phobia is placed in a different, much safer context.  This makes it a figurative rather than literal reference.  I don't recall seeing a twist like this before.  Very clever and original.

17 A. Not a fearful place for acrophobia sufferers : BROOKLYN HEIGHTS.  Not sure what the elevation is there, but here in the Detroit area, Dearborn and Dearborn HEIGHTS are pretty flat and even.

36 A. Not a fearful fund for agoraphobia sufferers : MONEY MARKET.  This phobia relates to the fear of open places, or any place that might seem to be difficult to escape from, such as a shopping mall.  In the original Greek, an Agora was a public gathering and commercial location - hence the connection to a MARKET.

45 A. Not a fearful Camus work for xenophobia sufferers : THE STRANGER.  This fear relates to foreigners, who might be thought of as strange.   In the absurdist novel, the protagonist Meursault is a stranger in his own land, due to his emotional disconnection.

65 A. Not a fearful roadster for arachnophobia sufferers : ALFA ROMEO SPIDER. Four wheels instead of 8 legs for this model originally introduced in 1966.

Exotic 2-seater

Hi gang - Jazzbumpa here with quite the intrepid offering from our Fearless Leader.  It hit on a couple of my favorite phobias; but let's gather our courage, and see what we can discover.

Across

1. Early sitcom co-star Arnaz : DESI.  He and Luci had a Ball.  

5. It's over a foot : SHIN.  No bones about it, the shin is literally above the foot.

9. Zagreb native : CROAT.  In Croatia.

14. Wolfs down : EATS.  Gobbles.

15. Madre's boy : NINO.  Spanish kid.

16. Toy in many "Peanuts" panels : PIANO.

20. Casino lineup : SLOTS.  One armed bandits.

21. Starting on : AS OF.  Some particular date.

22. Palette choices : HUES.  Colors.

23. Morose : DOUR.  From Scottish Gaelic, meaning dull, obstinate or stupid; perhaps related to Latin durus, meaning hard.

25. Droop in the garden : WILT.  So - if your cherry tree wilts, it is a drooping drupe.

27. Tight hold : GRIP.  Though suffering from the grippe, the Grip had a tight GRIP on his grip.

29. 401(k) alternative, briefly : IRA.  Individual Retirement Account.

32. Went ballistic : LOST IT.  Had a fit; went ape.

39. Folk rocker DiFranco : ANI.

40. Belittle : ABASE.

41. Showy Japanese school : KOI.  Of ornamental fish.

42. To a degree, informally : SORTA.   I had KINDA, which is more or less the same idea.

44. Haul to the garage : TOW.  

48. Name on the 1967 album "I Was Made to Love Her" : STEVIE.  Here he is, in case you were wondering.

50. Pilot's stat : ETA.  Estimated Time of Arrival.  Good luck with that.

51. Ward of "Sisters" : SELA.

Can you find her?

52. City with ferry service to Copenhagen : OSLO.

Denmark to Norway

54. Damon of "Interstellar" : MATT.

56. Fix, as a pet : SPAY.   Neutering operation.

59. Deft tennis shots : LOBS.  Soft arc.

62. Ragu rival : PREGO.   Pasta sauces.  

68. Prolonged assault : SIEGE.

69. Way through the trees : PATH.

70. Curly cabbage : KALE.  Having green or purple leaves that do not form a head.  This vegetable was common during the middle ages.

71. Wielded an ax : HEWED.  A good old, Anglo-Saxon word meaning to chop.

72. "Button it!" : HUSH.  BE quiet!

73. Actor Byrnes and announcer Hall : EDDS.  Presented for your edification.

Down

1. Cotillion attendees : DEBS.   At formal balls, young ladies of aristocratic birth make their debuts into formal society.  Seems like a sexist and elitist tradition.

 2. Banjoist Scruggs : EARL.  Has a banjo, and knows how to use it.



 3. Admired reverentially, with "of" : STOOD IN AWE. As, for example, of banjo virtuosity.

 4. Elemental forms used in carbon dating : ISOTOPES.  A radioactive form of an element with a known decay rate.

 5. NBC weekend skit show : SNL.  Live from New York, It's Saturday Night Live.

 6. "'Sup" : HI YA.  Slangy greetings.

 7. Travel section listing : INNS.  Quaint lodgings.

 8. "Not happenin'" : NO HOW.  Slangy denial.

 9. Key econ. indicator : CPI.  Usually it's GDP or GNP.  But not this time - It's the Consumer Price Index, which, as you can see, has been quite tame lately.

From the St. Louis Fed

 10. Subjects of the first 10 Amendments : RIGHTS.  The Bill of RIGHTS amended to the U. S. Constitution.

 11. Iolani Palace island : OAHU.  Hawaii.

 12. Kitty starter : ANTE.  For the poker pot.

 13. Throw : TOSS.

 18. Sch. near Topeka : KSU.  Kansas State University, home of the Wildcats.

 19. TurboTax option : E-FILE.  Electronically submit your tax return.

 24. Outer edge : RIM.  Of a crater or coffee cup.

 26. Mucho : LOTS A.  Large, slangy quantities.

 27. Future MBAs' exams : GMATS.  Graduate Management Admission Tests.  I don't remember taking one, but since I have an MBA, I probably did.   IMHO, standardized testing is a huge scam offering very little of value.

 28. High-tech worker : ROBOT.  Not often resembling an anthropomorphic machine, but more often specifically designed for the job at hand [so to speak.]  Estimates are that almost all jobs will be replaced by ROBOTS or AI systems in the next 30 years.  Then, what will we do?

 30. Golf bunker tool : RAKE.  I wanted a WEDGE, which didn't fit.  Golf etiquette is to rake a sand trap [bunker] smooth after taking your shot.

 31. Got up : AROSE.

 33. Online pop-up tailored to individual tastes : TARGETED AD.  After I do a google search for something, that item often then shows up on the right side bar of Face Book.  Big Brother really is watching.

 34. Recon goal : INTEL.  Reconnaissance to gather intelligence.

 35. Pageant headpiece : TIARA.  Winner's crown.

 37. Elusive Himalayans : YETIS. The legendary mountain creatures.



 38. "Batman" actress Eartha : KITT.  She was the KITT Cat.



 43. Picket line placard : ON STRIKE.  Unfair!

 46. Word of greeting : HELLO.  'Sup?

 47. Aries symbol : RAM.  Astrology.  Don't let it get your goat.

 49. Journey : VOYAGE.    Trip.

 53. Zing : OOMPH.  Chutzpa.

 55. Droid download : APP.  Application for your mobile device.

 56. Pageant band : SASH.  A wide fabric ribbon, usually brightly colored worn draping across the body from one shoulder to the opposite hip.

 57. Ballet class bend : PLIE.



 58. Small number :  A FEW.  Less than several.

 60. Main squeeze : BEAU.  Boy friend.

 61. Pub crawlers : SOTS.  Heavy drinkers.

 63. Fix, as a horse : GELD.  Back to neutering.

 64. Tram loads : ORES.  From the mine.

 66. Chinese lantern color : RED.

Traditional Dragon

 67. "Button it!" : SHH.   Quietly, now.

That wraps it up.  See - there never was any danger - except for certain domesticated quadrupeds. Now, with that calm conclusion, we can all go about our business secure in the knowledge that we are safe.

Cool regards!
JzB

Note from C.C.:

Happy 26th anniversary to Jazzbumpa (Ron) and his lovely wife Gloria! 

Tuesday, January 17, 2017 Alan DerKazarian

Theme: New Speak - Our first utterances.

17A. Silly sort : GOOFBALL

25A. Zeros : GOOSE EGGS

37A. Anniversary celebration at the Met, say : GALA PERFORMANCE

50A. Disputed Mideast territory : GAZA STRIP

62A . Infantile vocalizations, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 25-, 37- and 50-Across : BABY TALK. Goo goo, ga ga.

Argyle here. Koochy, koochy, koo.

Across:

1. Baja vacation spot : CABO. We were on Cabo's peninsula just last Friday.

5. Tree's sticky output : SAP

8. Neck mark from necking : HICKEY

14. Razor name : ATRA

15. Suffix with pay : OLA. payola.

16. Taking the place (of) : IN LIEU

19. Polish port where Solidarity was founded : GDANSK. Not baby's first word.

20. Music producer Brian : ENO

21. Dueling sword : ÉPÉE

22. "Hannah and __ Sisters": Woody Allen film : HER

23. Formal pronouncements : DICTA. Legal mumbo-jumbo.

30. Pay with plastic : CHARGE

32. __ of: done with : RID

33. Not at home : OUT

34. The Judds, e.g. : DUO

35. Migration formation : VEE

36. Move in the wind : SWAY

42. Numbered musical piece : OPUS

43. Grunting female : SOW

44. Slowing, on a music score: Abbr. : RIT. (ritardando)

45. Little point to pick : NIT

46. Sick __ dog : AS A

47. Spitball need : SALIVA

53. R&B singer Baker : ANITA

55. "That's all __ wrote" : SHE

56. Fermented honey drink : MEAD

58. The USA's 50 : STs. (states)

59. Nissan model : SENTRA

64. Series of related emails : THREAD

65. Luau instrument : UKE

66. Curved molding : OGEE

67. Fort Bragg mil. branch : US ARMY

68. Boston hrs. : EST. (Eastern Standard Time)

69. Dandelion, e.g. : WEED

Down:

1. Confined, as a bird: CAGED

2. Not accented, as syllables: ATONIC. Seldom seen word.

3. Ornamental pin: BROOCH

4. Doofus: OAF

5. Ivory in the tub: SOAP

6. State without proof: ALLEGE

7. Prefix with -lithic: PALEO

8. Bogart film set in a California range: "HIGH SIERRA", A campy trailer.

9. Truly: INDEED

10. Irish county bordering Limerick: CLARE. Across the River Shannon.

11. Next of __: KIN

12. Wide shoe widths: EEs. I blindly put in EEE.

13. Guffaw: YUK

18. Face adversity well: BEAR UP

24. Cries of triumph: TADAs

26. Layered cookie: OREO

27. Bridal attire: GOWN

28. Avocado dip, for short: GUAC. (guacamole)

29. Eyelid sore: STYE

31. Dates one person exclusively: GOES STEADY

35. Ex-GIs' gp.: VFW. (Veterans of Foreign Wars)

36. Lustrous fabric: SATIN

37. Bell hit with a padded mallet: GONG

38. Samoan capital: APIA. Have we learned it yet?

39. Skating leap: LUTZ

40. Have a good laugh: ROAR

41. Address for a noblewoman: MILADY

46. Traditional Hindu retreat: ASHRAM

47. Delivers a lecture: SPEAKS

48. Facial expression: VISAGE

49. Postwar British prime minister: ATTLEE. Clement Attlee, Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951. 

51. Autumn blossom: ASTER

52. Suffuse (with): IMBUE

54. Queried: ASKED

57. Help with a heist: ABET

59. Actor Erwin: STU. That is way back in the archives.

60. "Come again?" sounds: EHs?

61. FDR agency: NRA. (National Recovery Administration)

63. Illegal parker's risk: TOW

Argyle

Monday, January 16, 2017 Jeff Stillman

Theme: No Reveal Monday - Last names that start with various body parts.

20A. Record-setting aviator of the 1930s : AMELIA EARHART. Ear

29A. 2007-'14 E! comedy talk show host : CHELSEA HANDLER. Hand

46A. Looney Tunes rooster with a Southern accent : FOGHORN LEGHORN. Leg

56A. First to walk on the moon : NEIL ARMSTRONG. Arm

Argyle here. A simple theme that is somewhat hidden due lack of connectedness. The fact they are external parts that usual comes in pairs doesn't really do it. OTH, on the whole the puzzle seemed a bit crunchy to me.

Across:

1. Car roof accessory : RACK

5. __ Romeo: sports car : ALFA

9. Go Fish request : TWOs

13. Cybermessage : E-NOTE

15. Agreement to shake hands on : DEAL

16. Shabbat service site : SHUL. The Yiddish word for synagogue.

17. Hercules types : HEMEN

18. Jazz trumpeter Al : HIRT

19. Opposite of stuffy, roomwise : AIRY

23. Started to eat, with "into" : BIT

24. Apr. is in it : SPR. Is it to early to think spring?

25. Old nuclear agcy. : AEC. (Atomic Energy Commission)

26. Sixth sense, for short : ESP. (ExtraSensory Perception)

33. Hammerhead parts : PEENS. If it's a hammer and not a shark.

34. "All My Children" vixen : ERICA. All My Children (1970–2011); Erica Kane played by Susan Lucci. A crossword regular in the day.

35. Letterhead design : LOGO

38. RBI and ERA : STATS. Baseball

41. Sunset direction : WEST ergo 57D. Sunrise direction : EAST

42. King's decree : EDICT

44. Separate by percolation : LEACH. Home owners know all about perc tests and leach fields. Learn more HERE.  Update: Homeowners with city plumbing, not so much. D-O

51. Singer's syllable : TRA

52. Word before a birth name : NÉE

53. Modern: Ger. : NEU. Are they looking for NEUARTIG? Update: Yes they were. Not just NEW because the German in the clue was abbreviated, hence the answer must be an abbreviation . What I have found is NEUARTIG can mean novel or never seen before. It appears in several spots that German for Modern is ... modern or moderne.

54. Move it, old-style : HIE

60. Letter after epsilon : ZETA

62. Et __: and others : ALIA

63. Down-yielding duck : EIDER

64. Showy perennial : IRIS

65. Half a picking-up tool : TONG

66. Cubic meter : STERE

67. Treaty : PACT

68. Concludes : ENDS

69. Mgr.'s underling : ASST.

Down:

1. Detox program : REHAB

2. Feeble : ANEMIC

3. O'Neill's "The Iceman __" : COMETH

4. "As seen on TV" record co. : K-TEL. CSO to Canada-eh. K-TEL is Canadian. Wiki.

5. Supporter : ADHERENT

6. Sci-fi princess : LEIA. RIP

7. Fawcett who played one of Charlie's Angels : FARRAH

8. Tennis Hall of Famer Gibson : ALTHEA

9. Russian ruler until 1917 : TSAR

10. "Little" deception : WHITE LIE

11. Couple's word : OUR

12. Guileful : SLY

14. Maroon, as after a shipwreck : ENISLE. Long "I"

21. Vaulted church areas : APSES

22. Stridex target : ACNE

27. "Gimme a few __": "Be right there" : SECS

28. Rear end in a fall? : PRAT

30. Pleistocene period : EPOCH

31. __ get-out: to the utmost degree : AS ALL

32. BBC time traveling hero : DR. WHO

35. Hit the road : LEFT

36. You may get a whiff of one : ODOR

37. Humongous : GIGANTIC

39. "Popstar!" and "Tiger Beat," casually : TEEN MAGs

40. Wise guys? : SAGEs

43. Novelist Morrison : TONI. POLITICAL Interview with Charlie Rose, CLIP(3:00) POLITICAL

45. Ladders partner in a kids' board game : CHUTES

47. Empathize : RELATE

48. "SNL" alum Kevin : NEALON. Matt LeBlanc and Kevin Nealon’s have a new CBS comedy, “Man with a Plan”.

49. Colossus island : RHODES. The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue. Then Hollywood got a hold of it.

50. Bay Area NFLers : NINERS. 49

55. Marsh denizen : EGRET

58. Watermelon cover : RIND

59. "Lovely" Beatles ticket writer : RITA

60. Nil : ZIP

61. Victorian __ : ERA

Argyle