Monday, March 27, 2017 Morton J. Mendelson

Theme: Borrowed Words - Lexical borrowing is the adoption of individual words or phrases in their native language and used "as is" in our English.

39A. With 42-Across, cars like BMWs and Audis ... or 18-, 24-, 53- and 63-Across: FOREIGN. 42-Across: IMPORTS

18A. Writer's chief work (Latin): MAGNUM OPUS. (great work)

24A. Done deal (French): FAIT ACCOMPLI. (fact accomplished)

53A. English, in many non-English speaking countries (Italian): LINGUA FRANCA. Literally "Frankish tongue". Good definition by Merriam-Webster. LINK Read the "Did You Know?" section.

63A. Young sensation (German): WUNDERKIND. (a wonder child)

Argyle here. Don't shoot the messenger.

Across:

1. Ponzi scheme, e.g.: SCAM

5. Impersonated: APED

9. Your __ Highness: ROYAL. 37D. Princess' headpiece: TIARA

14. Drilled bowling ball feature: HOLE

15. Artist Magritte: RENE

16. Shah of Iran, in 1979-'80: EXILE. ??

17. Bahrain big shot: EMIR. Kingdom of Bahrain is a small Arab monarchy.

20. Sphere of influence: AMBIT. The adjective form is ambient.

22. Drinking glass edges: RIMs

23. Ambulance initials: EMS. (emergency medical service)

28. Farm country skyline highlights: SILOS

29. Nissan model: SENTRA

33. "Take me for a walk!": [ARF!]

36. Expel from office: OUST

38. Amazon's business: E-TAIL

44. Rhett's last words: A DAMN

45. Siamese, now: THAI

47. __ dye: food-coloring compound: AZO. Infrequently seen fill.

48. Live (in): RESIDE

50. Lover of Euridice, in a Gluck opera: ORFEO. Wiki  Previously clued as Monteverdi title character. Not Monday friendly.

58. Word with health or day: SPA

61. Oboist's need: REED

62. Lagoon-enclosing isle: ATOLL

67. Sinister: EVIL

68. Cortés subject: AZTEC. I believe this refers to Cortés personally governing the Aztecs, making them his "subjects".

69. Wrinkle, as a brow: KNIT

70. San __, Italy: REMO

71. Suppose for argument's sake: POSIT

72. Many van Goghs: OILS

73. Killed, as a dragon: SLEW

Down:

1. Harvest bundle: SHEAF

2. Grammar class subject: COMMA. Also, in the news.

3. Legal defense mechanism?: ALIBI

4. Advantages: MERITS

5. Shortstop's asset: ARM. He has to rifle the ball to first base to beat the runner.

6. Green soup veggie: PEA

7. Thoroughly absorb: ENGROSS

8. Jeans fabric: DENIM

9. Dreaming phase: REM SLEEP. (rapid eye movement)

10. Kitchenware brand: OXO

11. Frightened exclamation: [YIPE!]

12. University fund-raising target: ALUM

13. A smaller amount of: LESS

19. Quartet assigned to bases: UMPs. In the big leagues, at least.

21. Mai __: TAI

25. Plumber's challenge: CLOG

26. Dracula's title: COUNT

27. Avid about: INTO

30. Skater Lipinski: TARA. Roller skating as a nine-year-old.

31. Nabisco cracker: RITZ

32. "Wait, there's more ... ": "ALSO ... " for a limited time.

33. Miles away: AFAR

34. Traveled by bike: RODE

35. Abbey titles: FRAs

40. Oscar winner Jannings: EMIL. The first Oscar recipient and one of the first persons you learn when doing crosswords.

41. Roundabout, as a route: INDIRECT

43. Offend slightly: MIFF

46. Entertainer who often got tied up in his work?: HOUDINI. Cute clue.

49. Part of DOE: Abbr.: ENERgy

51. Historic period: ERA

52. Many top-rated TV shows of the late '50s/early '60s: OATERS. Westerns.

54. Gordon __, "Wall Street" antagonist: GEKKO. "If you need a friend, get a dog."

55. James Joyce work: NOVEL. CSO

56. Weather, in poems: CLIME

57. Permit: ALLOW

58. Tit for tat, e.g.: SWAP

59. "The Godfather" novelist Mario: PUZO. It was on TV this weekend.

60. Teeny colonizers: ANTs

64. Agnus __: DEI. (Lamb of God)

65. Zip, in soccer: NIL

66. Wino's woe: DTs. (delirium tremens)

Argyle

Sunday March 26, 2017 Garry Morse

Theme:"Secretly Jealous" - NV spans across each theme entry.

29A. Sure thing : CERTAIN VICTORY.  The first theme starts in Row 4 rather than the traditional Row 3.

52A. Oath : SOLEMN VOW

54A. Titanic undertaking : MAIDEN VOYAGE. Is this article too gossipy?

 

77A. City NNW of San Diego : MISSION VIEJO. I just learned that Viejo means "old".

80A.Gourmet : BON VIVANT. Thought it just means "man about town".

104A. Many a side dish : GREEN VEGETABLE

3D. Tanzanian flowering plant : AFRICAN VIOLET

58D. Hollywood adaptation : SCREEN VERSION

Reveal entry:

123A. Word homophonically hidden in the eight longest puzzle answers : ENVY

Two pairs of theme entries intersect one another. Very nice. The reveal is also perfectly placed as the last Across entry crossing one more theme entry.

We've seen ENVY puzzles where the theme entries are all in N* V* pattern. Nice change of pace.

Not many long fill. A pair of 8's. But lots of solid 6's and 7's.

Across:  

1. Plush carpet : SHAG

5. Lunchbox staples, initially : PBJs. Very American. No such thing in my childhood.

9. Two-time Argentine president : PERON

14. Piglike rhino relative : TAPIR. Have any of you read "Sapiens?"

19. Sword handle : HAFT. Not HILT.

20. Beat but good : ROUT

21. Texas Revolution battle site : ALAMO

22. All-page link : ON ONE. Some partials are tricky to clue. All on one page.

23. Field: Pref. : AGRO

24. Scrape in the sandbox : OWIE

25. Hold fast, as one's attention : RIVET

26. Get behind, as a desk : SIT AT

27. Pouilly-__: wine : FUISSE. Learning moment for me.

32. Sam Spade type : TEC. Short for "Detective".

33. Wrote to, nowadays : EMAILED

35. Low-tech travel guide : AAA MAP

36. "You can't fool me!" : AHA

38. Explorer Ericson : LEIF

39. Washroom item : BASIN

43. Nine months, for some tots : AGE

44. "Lou Grant" star : ASNER. His surname and full name have very grid-friendly letter combo.

46. Wash. neighbor : ORE

47. Language of many mottos : LATIN

48. Spikes : LACES

50. Reduce in importance : DEVALUE

57. Really gets to : IRKS. We also have the wobbly 79. Riles up : IRES

59. Native of Nigeria : IBO. I learned this word from Maron's interview with Godfrey, whose parents were from Nigeria.

60. Sloppy kiss : WET ONE

61. Cause of a close shave : RAZOR

64. Epidemic-fighting agcy. : CDC

67. Belief sys. : REL (Religion)

68. Investment descriptor that should sound alarms : NO RISK. Also 13. Homework shirker's punishment : NO TV

69. For instance : NAMELY

70. Actor Stephen : REA

71. Suffix with stamp : EDE

72. Order to swabs : AVAST. Sailor swab.

73. Donizetti opera "L'elisir __" ("The Elixir of Love") : D'AMORE. No idea. But the bracketed "Love"  helped.

74. Poet's adverb : E'ER

75. Emotion indicator, often : TONE

84. Hardly fleeting : ETERNAL

85. Casual tops : POLOs

88. Work well together : CLICK. Like "they just clicked immediately".

89. '60s protest org. : SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)

91. "If I Were a Rich Man" singer : TEVYE

92. Pasta ending : INI

93. Pal : CRONY

94. Longfellow's bell town : ATRI. Our old pal.

95. Half a fly : TSE. Our old pal.

96. Like some ancient Celts : GALLIC

99. Dessert square : BROWNIE. Oh Dudley and MJ, my friend Roberto (Project Manager with Kraft then) ate an Oreo Pie every morning. They were widely sold in China.

101. Long John Silver creator's monogram : RLS

109. "__ Fideles" : ADESTE

111. Little bits : IOTAS

112. Base lines : X-AXES

113. Oater actor Jack : ELAM. Our old pal.

115. Capital south of Helsinki : RIGA. Put in OSLO. Dumb!

116. Lycée student : ELEVE

117. Industry leaders : CZARS

118. Hieroglyphics bird : IBIS

119. Rise in a big way : LOOM. Bad thing, normally.

120. Cold fall : SLEET

121. Exaggerated on stage : HAMMY

122. "Eli's Coming" songwriter : NYRO (Laura). Drew a blank. Read her Wiki page. She died quite young.

Down:

1. Harsh treatment, with "the" : SHAFT

2. World Court site, with "The" : HAGUE.  "The" echo.

 

4. Classic muscle cars : GTOs

5. Introduction : PROEM. Not a word I use.

6. Acknowledge applause : BOW

7. Better, as gossip : JUICIER

8. Metal marble : STEELIE. Our old pal.

9. Medicare Rx section : PART D

10. Lamb pen name : ELIA. Our old pal.

11. Indian musician who influenced Beatle George : RAVI. Our old pal.

12. Symbolic warning : OMEN

 

14. Puccini heroine : TOSCA

15. "West Side Story" girl : ANITA. Same letter count as MARIA.

16. River to Chesapeake Bay : POTOMAC

17. Hitting the roof : IN A RAGE

18. Enters again : RE-TYPES

28. Pfizer-owned trademark : SEARLE. They made Celebrex. Oh My God the side effects.

30. One crying foul? : REF. Great clue.

31. James' creator : IAN. Bond.

34. Skin-treatment plant : ALOE VERA. Nice to see the full name.

37. Go : HEAD. Also 97. Go : LEAVE

39. Field unit : BALE. Not ACRE.

40. Dined : ATE. The Prime Rib Loft changed their menu, Steve. The classy orange-glazed salmon was replaced by the ordinary tasting roasted salmon.  

41. __City: computer game : SIM

42. Vacation spot : INN

44. Look up to : ADMIRE

45. Wet floor : SEABED

47. Theater option : LOGE

48. Irish truck : LORRY Also. 61. Trucks with ovine logos : RAMS

49. Parrot's cry : AWK. New sound to me.

51. Not yet interlaced, as yarn : UNWOVEN

52. Putted into the hole : SANK. Boomer never practices his putting/chipping. Not a good strategy when you're losing driving distance.

53. Like some bad weather : VIOLENT

55. Up-and-down inventor? : OTIS. Nice clue also.

56. 2015 World Series winning manager Ned : YOST. Gary's KC Royals.

62. Mine, to Mimi : A MOI

63. Refines one's aim : ZEROES IN

65. Dance runner : DEEJAY

66. King of pop : CAROLE. Carole King. Not that JACKSON fits.

68. Smallish iPods : NANOS. My 10-year-old iPod Classic gave me another scare last week. Finally reset to Factory Settings.  Do you listen then delete, Gary? I've saved so many episodes. Thousands.

69. Tammany Hall Tiger artist : NAST

73. Childless couple's acronym : DINK. "Dual Income, No Kids"

76. "I'll take what I can get," in classifieds : OBO. Or Best Offer.

77. R&B singer Gray : MACY. Stranger to me.

78. Authenticated : VETTED

 

81. DVD predecessor : VCR

82. U.N. workers' gp. : ILO. International Labour Organization

83. Cru output : VIN

85. Tot's toes : PIGGIES

86. Hot : ON A ROLL

87. 1992 Kentucky Derby winner : LIL E TEE. Was this a gimme to you? Never heard of it.

89. Entered on tiptoe : STOLE IN

90. Med. man of '70s TV : DR WELBY. Got via crosses.

93. MML ÷ X : CCV. 205.

94. NYSE trader : ARB (Arbitrager)

  

98. A metro area may be shown in one : INSET

99. Low in pitch : BASSY

100. Playground dispute words : I AM SO

102. St.'s second-in-command : LT GOV. At this moment, I can't remember ours. I can picture how she looks like though. Man! OK, Tina Smith. That's our Governor Mark Dayton to her left. Such a compassionate guy. His great-grandfather founded Dayton's (now Target).

103. Sordid : SEAMY

105. Part of NYSE: Abbr. : EXCH (Exchange).

106. __ Strip : GAZA

107. Final __ : EXAM

108. Semester, e.g. : TERM

110. First name in legal fiction : ERLE. Erle Stanley Gardner.

114. Tune : AIR

C.C.

Saturday, Mar 25th, 2017, Greg Johnson

Theme: None

Words: 66 (missing J,Q,U,X)

Blocks: 32

   This is Saturday puzzle number three from Constructor Greg, and I looked at my review from his last contribution, and fared better this week than on that one back in Oct of last year.  As usual, it did not look good on the first Across pass, but there were some winning moments in the Down run, and then little by slowly the rest filled in, with a few missteps, and a few WAGs.  Though I did notice a healthy lack of proper names - the ones that were in the crossword I knew.  Odd looking grid with a low word count, crossing 11- and 9-letter words with two 10-letter words in there, too;

10d. Conventional : STEREOTYPIC - I'm looking for the "-AL" on the end, still

28a. Firebrick cooker : PIZZA OVEN - there's a stack of  two sitting out back of the restaurant waiting to get cleaned up for sale

24d. When needed : AS NECESSARY

40a. Points at and yells, perhaps : THREATENS

O N (W) bo A R D game S ~ !

ACROSS:

1. Hot-button subject in journalism : MEDIA BIAS - it's all biased, as far as I can tell - I don't watch the news

10. It may be on a dog : SLAW

14. Sacred Aboriginal landmark : AYERS ROCK - knew what we were looking for, took a moment to remember the name of the "rock"

15. Tendency : TIDE

16. Like a meeting of the minds? : TELEPATHIC - har-har

18. "__ so ... " : EVEN

19. Jefferson Davis' org. : CSA

20. "Barefoot Contessa" host Garten : INA

21. Still : AT REST - I got caught in a "still....(and yet....)" loop, so I went with "AT BEST"

23. Best Director between Soderbergh and Polanski : HOWARD - once "-OW---" filled in, I took a guess;  he won for "A Beautiful Mind" in 2001 (or 2002, depending on the source)

25. Unnatural register : FALSETTO - the Bee Gees, and this group's lead singer....caution; "raunchy~!"

 I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness

27. Remove : ERASE - I hesitated, thought this was too easy
 
29. "Nebraska" star : DERN - filled via perps

30. Become twisted : CONTORT

31. "Told you" : "SEE~?"

32. Bygone : OLDEN

33. Congressional approval : YEA

36. Ceremonial cup : CHALICE - Stanley fit, too

38. Settled : PAID

43. Petrol purchase : LITRE

44. White wine grape : RIESLING - dah~!  I see this enough at the restaurants to have gotten it without crossings, you'd think

45. Looked good on : BECAME - yes, the sweater  looks good on her

very becoming

46. Attaches, as a new deck : ADDS ON
 

47. Costumer's suggestion : WIG

48. Edge : LIP - or RIM~?

49. Land shaped by erosion : MESA

50. Fall behind : GET IN A HOLE

54. It sticks out in the water : PIER - FIN was too short

I can hear the music....

55. Model rocket components : NOSECONES

56. Order to stop : STAY - not HALT

57. Common college consequence : EMPTY NEST

DOWN:       

1. __ set : MATCHED - the "C" was in there from CSA, and so I proudly entered ereCtor.  Bzzzt~!

2. Demolition candidates : EYESORES

3. Its only counties are Kent, New Castle and Sussex : DELAWARE - well, this is embarrassing - I was thinking somewhere in Britain, and it turns out to be the US state I just visited last weekend....I was, uh, in, uh, New Castle, I think....

4. Steaming state : IRE - ah, state of mind, not US state

5. Hopeful's term : ASPIRE

6. Ford or Chevy : BRAND - SEDAN~?  Too many "wait and see" clues today

7. Ninth in a series : IOTA - figured it was Greek, good WAG

8. Cry over spilled Milch? : ACH - Das German for milk

9. Waxed sports equipment : SKI - equipment and singular 'ski' doesn't quite jibe for me

11. NFL games, e.g. : LIVE TV

12. Holiday hymn opener : ADESTE - Fidelis

13. Took place : WENT ON - as a show/performance

17. Folded Italian fare : CALZONE - spell check does not like this word....

22. Pre-revolution bigwig : TSAR - oddly, this one, too

25. Bit of successful research : FINDING - used as a noun in this case - I believe that's called a gerund

26. Ancient pyramid builders : AZTECS

28. Wind-borne grains : POLLEN

30. An inch of snow, e.g. : COATING - oops, not DUSTING - that's being from NY, I think

34. What one might do after a broken date : EAT ALONE - I always eat alone - don't need a broken date for that

35. Credit card bonus : AIR MILES - I drove to Delaware - 239 miles, and at one point was getting 26.1mpg in the Dodge Grand Caravan - I didn't think the computer could calibrate that high....

37. Light ring : HALO

39. Superior, of all five : DEEPEST - I had one of the "E"s, so a good WAG

40. Walks heavily : TRAMPS

41. "Quick, get that out of sight!" : "HIDE IT~!"

42. Indian Ocean arm : RED SEA

43. What's left : LEGACY

45. Stanford-__ test : BINET - the Wiki

47. Fleeting puff : WISP

51. Storm dir. : ENE - healthy WAG - can only be a certain grouping of N,E,S,W

52. Pig thief of rhyme : TOM

53. Sweetie : HON

Splynter 

Friday, March 24, 2017, Ed Sessa

Title: Are you crazy, you are acting ENOTS?

It has been a few years since I had the pleasure of writing up an Ed Sessa puzzle. This one made me miss Barry G., as the revealing circles do not exist on this Friday effort, eliminating the competitive disadvantage we have heard about.  After filling the first three theme answers, I had no clue where we were going. It did not take long to decipher the reveal, but finding the "stones" which were hidden was a challenge. Once RUBY was was revealed, it made me look for GEM stones, and poof.  Thank you my role model and mentor. With two 15 letter themers and two 12s, we have a full theme. We also have some very interesting fill -  JELLICLE, CEREBRAL, ISLAMABAD and  FRAGRANCE are each nice challenges.

17A. Last line of Dale Evans Rogers' "Happy Trails" : TILL WE MEET AGAIN (15). This was one of the first TV shows I saw in the mid 50's. I sing it in my head, but never aloud.

27A. Got laughs, hopefully : CRACKED A JOKE (12). I was trying to make something out of rearranging JOKE.

43A. Alternative for beef avoiders : TURKEY  BURGER (12). Then this happened and I was lost, until the RUB met the Y.

57A. What's left by an ace investigator ... and in each of the four longest puzzle answers : NO ENOTS UNTURNED (15). NO STONE UNTURNED is the phrase that turns STONE to ENOTS, ETAGA to AGATE; EDAJ to JADE and YBUR to RUBY. It is also what a good detective would do. Since solvers are in part detectives, I say- the game is afoot Watson!

Across:

1. Device used with a planchette : OUIJA. Really cool, hard first clue, which luckily comes from French. (little plank)

6. Hail in old Rome : AVE. Ave atque vale. Catullus.

9. 2000s Israeli prime minister Sharon : ARIEL. His END was a strange story.

14. Rip out stitchwork in : UNSEW. Legitimate word, but why do we need it.

15. "The Louisville __": nickname for Ali : LIP. Mostly when he was still Cassius Clay.

16. "Five Weeks in a Balloon" novelist : VERNE. This was his last publication. LIST.

20. Puget Sound swimmer : SEAL.  These GUYS.

21. Bull pen locale : RODEO. Nice deception for the baseball people.

22. Sci. subject : ANATomy.

23. Recipe directive : MIX IN.

25. Cat of many colors : CALICO.

31. Stately : NOBLE.

32. Tomato type : ROMA. I mentioned this before, but they are not from Italy.  "It was developed by the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Beltsville, Maryland in the 1950s as a fusarium wilt-resistant cultivar." Wiki.

33. Bird __ : FLU.

36. Scottish countryside sight : BRAE.

37. Northern Kentucky county : BOONE. Not far from Cincinnati.

39. Complain : CRAB. An odd dupe with this Simpson's star...56D. Krabappel of "The Simpsons" : EDNA. When actress Marcia Wallace died so did this CHARACTER.

40. Dancer Charisse : CYD. Making her second appearance this week. She was born Tula Ellice Finklea and her baby brother called her "sid" trying to say sis. She was an amazing dancer, and her turn was a great part of Dancing in the Rain.

41. Stew veggies : PEAS. I never use them, but it does rhyme with....

42. Kid around with : TEASE.

46. Prepare for cooking, as sole : DEBONE. Fillet anyone?

49. One getting under your skin : VEXER. Okay Ed, you win. I know this is real, from the French VEXER, but with CRAB, DEBONE etc. it is a bit much.

50. From the top : ANEW.

51. Time server, usually : FELON.

54. Block in a barn : BALE. Hay, now many barns have you been to lately?

60. Mischievous : ELFIN. Because they were small they were not thought to be as dangerous.

61. Gloucester's cape : ANN. Not a garment but a New England site to see.

62. "The Heart of Georgia" : MACON. It is literally close to the center by the Ocmulgee River,

63. MS. enclosures : SASES. Self addressed stamped envelopes.

64. Strings for Israel Kamakawiwo'ole : UKE. The name was obviously Hawaiian so the fill was easy. I was not familiar with this bigger than life performer.

65. Legislative assemblies : PLENA. While I know the Latin, I do not understand this usage. I know it is the plural of PLENUM....anyway a tough beginning and end to the acrosses.

Down:

1. See 59-Down : OUTS. OOOO.

2. Combined, in Cannes : UNIE. Etats unis.

3. Capital NW of New Delhi : ISLAMABAD. Maybe for your next VACATION some time in Pakistan.

4. Type of cat in "Cats" : JELLICLE.

5. "How cute!" : AWW. I am sure CED went to see Cats many times..

6. Marzipan staple : ALMOND. I am a FAN.

7. Competed : VIED.

8. Parrier's tool : EPEE.  To ward off a sword.

9. Clark's "Mogambo" co-star : AVA.

10. Entertain lavishly : REGALE.

11. Tabriz native : IRANI. More mid-east geography.

12. "Giant Brain" unveiled in 1946 : ENIAC.

13. Slowly, to Salieri : LENTO. The Italian composer depicted in Amadeus as Mozart's rival.

18. Point Pelee's lake : ERIE. Back to our heartland.

19. In the future : TO COME.

24. Jag model : XKE. I wanted one badly back in 1972 but could not afford the $2,500.00 she wanted.

26. Dossier shorthand : AKA. Also known as.

27. "Squawk Box" airer : CNBC.

28. 2016 FedExCup winner McIlroy : RORY.

29. Came up : AROSE.

30. "The Daily Show" host before Trevor : JON. Stewart.

33. Chanel offering : FRAGRANCE. Or more officially- smell good.

34. Whack a mole? : LASE. All perps- no idea what this game has to do with lasers.

35. Lyft competitor : UBER.

37. Deprived (of) : BEREFT.

38. Whiskey barrel wood : OAK. Now breweries are buying them to use for their beer.

39. Highbrow : CEREBRAL.

41. "The lowest form of humor—when you don't think of it first": Oscar Levant : PUN. My kind of guy; he would tell all the starlets if they played their cards right they could take home an Oscar.

42. Prom rental : TUX.

43. Many an off-campus local : TOWNIE. As a product of private schools, I had many varied experiences with townies.

44. '60s Batgirl portrayer Craig : YVONNE. She was on the TV show. I remember best for this DANCE.

45. At an angle : BENT.

46. Some North Sea fishermen : DANES.

47. Name on a historic B-29 : ENOLA. The first A-bomb.

48. Squawks : BEEFS.

52. Genesis brother : ESAU. Who was sadly for him and his children...a....

53. Blockhead : LUNK.

55. "Coming Home" singer Bridges : LEON.

58. Add-__ : ONS.

59. Caller of 1-Down : UMP. End where we began the downs.

Well, I am back this week with a challenge from Ed. I look forward to your thoughts as my mind is all over the place. Thank you all, and thank you Ed. Lemonade out.

Thursday March 23 2017 Matthew Sewell

Theme: Bigger is Better? Augmented alternatives. Three options and then the fourth as the unifier.

17A. 7-Eleven's Big Gulp, for one : SUPER-SIZED DRINK. This one weighs in at 30oz of soda, the Super Big Gulp is 40oz and the Double Gulp is, weirdly, 50oz, considering the Gulp is 20oz. Whichever one you pick you've got way too much sugar. Yikes.

25A. It makes for easier reading : LARGE PRINT BOOK. I'm not sure one of these would help if I lose my glasses. You turn 40 - boom! Everything goes blurry.

46A. Teased style : BOUFFANT HAIRDO. Here's one of the most famous:

59A. What a deejay might do to create energy ... or a request that may lead to 17-, 25- and 46-Across : PUMP UP THE VOLUME. I just had my own personal volume-pump - Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" album just popped up on my iTunes. That will see me nicely through blog-duty. As a segue, here's a recording of a Bob Dylan song on the aforementioned album I hadn't heard until today.

Great theme - three variations on "volume" - the fluid ounces of a soda, the book-volume print size and the updo bouffi-ness of (e.g.) Marge's hair. Great fill too, I don't believe there was one "ugh" moment for me. Of course, your mileage may vary, so let's hear it in the comments.

Let's see what else:

Across:

1. Munro pen name : SAKI. Why do I always fill in TAKI and then take it out?

5. Fix, as faulty code : DEBUG. Yep. Many of these moments in my programming career. One in (something) lines of code contains a bug. I think I was one-in-ten. You'll be grateful I wasn't working on the Airbus fly-by-wire systems.

10. Shorten : CLIP

14. Scoundrel of "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" : ALEC. He was a dashed rotten cove. Great book, a Thomas Hardy classic.

15. One of Chekhov's "Three Sisters" : IRINA. I'll learn them all one day. I've seen the play, but I can't recall the character traits of any of the sisters.

16. Sharpen : HONE

20. Prepare to relax : SIT BACK. SIT DOWN didn't work. Eventually corrected.

21. "__ Pointe Blank": 1997 film : GROSSE

22. Shipping nickname : ARI. Aristotle Onassis. Still a popular crossword fill after all these years.

23. Marketing gimmick : TIE-IN

31. McKinley's first lady : IDA.

32. Like mud in election season : SLUNG. Plenty of that in 2016, and it hasn't really stopped since.

33. Serious violations : SINS. You get a pass on venial ones, if memory serves correctly, as long as you confess. Mortal ones not so much.

35. PC's spacebar neighbor : ALT. No-look answer, as befitting March Madness.

36. Mayor pro __ : TEM. For now. Don't get used to the seat.

37. Swallow : EAT. Be careful, otherwise there'll be Heimlich involved. Bite, chew, swallow.

40. Replayed service : LET. I used to want the job of the net umpire at Wimbledon. You've got the best seat in the house, you put your finger on the top of the net, call a "LET!" or not, then watch the rest of the rally. Rinse and repeat. Awesome.

41. Lay on the line : RISK

43. "The Haywain Triptych" painter : BOSCH. I think I knew this. I was more familiar with "The Haywain" by John Constable in the National Gallery in London. Crosses helped. Here's Constable's:

45. Keen perception : EAR

50. Many a "Call the Midwife" character : NURSE!

51. Part of FWIW : IT'S. Those pesky texters, extending the language! For What It's Worth.

52. Yak-like : SHAGGY

55. Honeymoon spots : RESORTS

62. Digital imaging brand : AGFA. Are these guys still around?

63. Lodging : ABODE

64. Highly prized : DEAR. Dear to my heart.

65. Exec's dispatch : MEMO. More likely an irate email blast nowadays, quickly regretted.

66. iPods since 2005 : NANOS. I had one, I think I lost it at a TSA checkpoint in Atlanta.

67. "The Facts of Life" mentor Garrett : EDNA. Thank you crosses, never saw the show.

Down:

1. Get fresh with : SASS

2. His, in Le Havre : A LUI "To him". You know the French still don't officially have email? "Courrier  électronique", s'il vous plaît.

3. Didn't surrender : KEPT. Held onto.

4. Old-style hangover relief : ICE BAG. I'm pretty sure this never worked. Hydrate before you go to bed, get up with the sun and go hike up a big hill. Carbonated Coca Cola was invented by a desperate gentleman one morning in an Atlanta drugstore though, history has it. How big was the Gulp?

5. Devoted follower : DISCIPLE

6. He played Frank on "CHiPs" : ERIK. Estrada. He's not impressed one bit with the new WB movie reboot.

7. Commercial URL suffix : BIZ. Hand up for "COM". Was wrong.

8. French article : UNE

9. Many an infomercial offering : GADGET

10. Greek personification of time : CHRONOS

11. Lane often in distress : LOIS

12. Honeymoon options : INNS

13. Long-haired lap dog, familiarly : PEKE

18. Most interesting to a collector : RAREST

19. Minute amount : DRIB. Marginally smaller than a DRAB I'm told. Or largest.

23. Element in pewter : TIN, plus copper, antimony and lead. It was the lead that did for you when you used a pewter mug for your beer. It was that leaching thing, you know.

24. Swallow : INGEST

25. Accusatory retort : LIAR

26. Impulsive line : AD-LIB

27. "I'm walkin' here!" speaker of 1969 : RATSO. "Midnight Cowboy". Best Picture at the Oscar ceremony in 1970. Not an easy subject, but a great movie.

28. "Dancing With the Stars" dances : RUMBAS

29. Persian Gulf sight : OILER. Didn't we talk about these last week?

30. Massage : KNEAD

34. Texas ALer : 'STRO Houston, natch.

38. Pulls off : ACHIEVES

39. "Oh yeah?" : THAT SO?

42. Spicy Chinese dish : KUNG PAO. Now, this surprises me. This entry has only been used once before by Matt Skoczen in the LAT (last year) and never in the NYT. I did raise my eyebrows when I saw it - it's a preparation method for chicken, not a finished dish. Nevertheless, food!

44. A : ONE

47. Fish whose preparation is strictly regulated in Japan : FUGU. A slip with the knife during prep will make you definitely ill, if not being measured up for your funeral. However, just avoid the liver, ovaries and intestines and you're fine. Which is what I would probably avoid anyway. I'm trying to think if I've ever eaten a fish liver. I've had goose intestines in Hong Kong, but they were harmless enough. I wouldn't recognize a fish ovary if I tripped over it in the street, even if it came from a sturgeon.

48. Griddle alternative : FRY PAN. For my fugo. Sans liver, thank you.

49. Lover of Tristan : ISOLDE

52. Virtually bombard : SPAM. I read the clue as "Visually bombard". I told you I need reading glasses

53. Voluminous : HUGE

54. Switch on a radio : AM/FM

55. Modernize : REDO

56. Kicked oneself about : RUED

57. IRS agent : T-MAN. Don't mess with these people.

58. Vaccines : SERA

60. Placeholder abbr. : T.B.A. To Be Arranged. I'm having lunch with a gentleman today at a venue in Burbank T.B.A.

61. Sweetheart : HON

Well, after a little diversion due to the fugu discussion, here's the grid!

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

1) I agree with Steve on Kung Pao, but Wiki says "Versions commonly found in the west, called "Kung Pao chicken", "Kung Po"", or just "chicken chilli and garlic"..."  Do you call the dish "Kong Pao" alone?

2) PK asked me to thank all of you for your kind birthday wishes.

Wednesday March 22, 2017 Don Gagliardo and C. C. Burnikel

Theme: VOWEL TRIFECTA.  In the 2nd, 4th and 6th letter position of the first word of each two-word theme entry is a repeated vowel.  These entries appear in the grid in alphabetical order, viz. A-E-I-O-U. Let's have a look.

16 A. Monkey cage discard : BANANA PEEL.  Stereotypically, monkeys love BANANAS, but who wants to eat the outer part, despite its having appeal?  You don't want to encounter one at the top of a slippery slope

22 A. Reason for totaling, as an insured car : SEVERE DAMAGE.  "Totaling," in this sense indicates declaring the vehicle to be a total wreck, destined for the junk yard.  Sadly, I totaled my most favorite car in a multi-vehicle pile up on the Southfield Freeway, back in 1991.

29 A. Cause of some tan lines : BIKINI TOP.  A BIKINI is a two piece swim suit consisting of a bra top and a separate bottom part.  Coverage is widely variable, depending on the specific design parameters.  Of course, the covered parts will not be suntanned, resulting in tan lines.  Per Wikipedia: "The name was coined in 1946 by French engineer and clothing designer Louis Réard, after the recent nuclear tests at Bikini atoll —often better known than its namesake—and with the slogan 'an anatomic bomb.'''

Life's a beach

37 A. Ornate 18th-century genre : ROCOCO ART.  This is a late baroque style that originated in Paris that employed a jocular and florid approach.  The style was ornate, colorful, curvy, and asymmetric, frequently based on witty or playful themes.

Tan lines?

44 A. Fluffy sun blocker : CUMULUS CLOUD.   Well described by the clue, these clouds are generally of low altitude, and often have a flat base along with a puffy, cotton-like top.

Clouding the Issue

55 A. Baseball rarity, and a hint to the vowels in the first words of 16-, 22-, 29-, 37- and 44-Across : TRIPLE PLAY.  Of course, the mandatory baseball reference!  Here, the triple play refers to the repeated vowel in each theme entry.  In baseball, it's an event in which 3 outs are made on a single batted ball.  As rare as this occurrence is, this example is of what must be an even more rare variety.



Hi gang, JzB reporting for duty, with a fine puzzle by our famous dynamic duo.  Clever gimmick and elegant execution.  Very rich themeage, with five entries, plus a unifier.  Nicely done.

Across

1. "That's enough out of you" : CAN IT.  Put a lid on it; give it a rest.

6. Addams family nickname : TISH. Morticia Addams.

Carolyn Jones, from the TV series

10. Festoons with Charmin, for short : TPS. The childish prank of Toilet Papering a tree.

13. Chicago airport : O'HARE.

14. Barak of Israel : EHUD.  Prime Minister from 1999 to 2001, also a highly decorated soldier who held several other political and government positions.

15. __ butter : SHEA.  A fatty substance from the nut of the SHEA tree.

18. Phone using a tower : CELL. 

19. Govt. agency that supports startups : Small Business Administration.

20. Kettle output : STEAM.

21. Ride in the desert : CAMEL.  The ship of the desert.

24. Social ranking : STATUS.  

27. Many mobile downloads : APPS.  APPlications.

28. Coral component : POLYP.  This is an individual animal that, when combined into large clusters can form a coral reef.

34. "All Things Considered" co-host Shapiro : ARI.

35. Day of song : DORIS.  Not a day of the week.

36. Fleece source : EWE.  Lamb's mom.

40. Thyme piece : SPRIG.  A small stem, including it's minor branches.

42. Pre-hurricane emergency op : EVACuation.

43. Runs after : CHASES.   Can also involve vehicles.

49. "No one can beat me" : I RULE.  Arrogant.

50. Poker game concern : CHEAT.  Well - any game, really.

51. Unit of resistance : OHM.  Electricity.

54. Poker at the table? : TINE.  Part of a fork.

57. Where buds may go : EARS.  For listening to music, podcasts, etc.

58. Right hand : AIDE.  Top assistant.

59. Meditation teachers : YOGIS.  

60. "The Affair" network, briefly : SHOtime.

61. Flow with force : SPEW.

62. Place on a pedestal : EXALT.

Down

1. Corny leftovers : COBS.

2. Starbuck's boss : AHAB.  Characters from Moby Dick.

3. Child tender : NANA.  Grandmother.

4. Tax-deferred plan, briefly : Individual Retirement Account.

5. Stiffen in fear : TENSE UP.

6. Prairie home : TEPEE. A portable conical tent made from skins, cloth or canvas on a frame of poles.

7. The Supremes' "__ a Symphony" : I HEAR.

8. "See if I care!" : SUE ME.

9. Cholesterol letters : High Density Lipoprotein. 

10. Annual Augusta National event : THE MASTERS.  Golf tournament.

11. "Pequod" co-owner : PELEG.  The pequod is the Nantucket-based whaling ship from the novel Mobey Dick.

12. Room in a maison : SALLE.  French for house and room, respectively.

15. Shrimp dish : SCAMPI.  This is the Italian word for prawn, which is a crustacean similar, but not quite identical to a shrimp.  You have to count their legs to tell.  The dish is typically made by broiling with garlic butter.

17. Off-roaders, for short : ATVS. All Terrain Vehicles.

21. 2-Down's title, informally : CAP'N.

22. Dirty digs : STY.  A pig's place.

23. Place of honor : DAIS.  A low platform for a lectern, seat of honor, or throne.

24. Prep for a bout : SPAR.  Boxing practice.

25. Big name in riding mowers : TORO.

26. Canadian short story writer awarded a Nobel Prize in 2013 : ALICE MUNRO. [b. 1931]  Her stories explore human complexities in an uncomplicated prose style.

29. Lavish wrap : BOA.

30. Discount rack abbr. : IRRegular.

31. First-aid gear : KIT.

32. Boo-boo : OWIE.  Kid-speak for a minor injury.

33. Cribbage markers : PEGS.

35. Prefix with drama : DOCU-.

38. Small eggs : OVULES.

39. NASCAR's Yarborough : CALE. [b. 1939] One of only two NASCAR drivers to win three consecutive championships, with 83 total wins on the all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner's list.

40. Z's : SHUT EYE.  Sleepy time.

41. Elbow protector : PAD.  Cushioning gear to protect against injury.

43. Mine extraction : COAL. A combustable black or brown rock composed of fossilized organic material.

44. Names as a reference : CITES.  Typically in a foot note.

45. Hater of David, in Dickens : URIAH.  Mr. Heap, the obsequious weasel from the Charles Dickens novel, David Copperfield.

46. Rx : SCRIP.  A doctor's prescription for a certain medication.

47. Reprimand : CHIDE.

48. Aggressive cat lover of cartoons : LEPEW.  Pepe.

51. Gymnast Korbut : OLGA.   She won 4 gold and 2 silver medals for the Soviet team in the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics.

52. Flag down : HAIL.

53. Classic PC adventure game : MYST.  A graphic puzzle-adventure game having a variety of endings, depending on the player's choices.

55. Some univ. proctors : TAS. Teaching Assistants.

56. Curse : POX.

Lots of good stuff here, including a whale of a sub-theme.  No less than we would expect from this all star team.

Cool regards!
JzB

Note from C.C.:


Happy Birthday to dear PK, who turns 76 years old today. She can read our blog write-ups and comments, but she can't comment. Her iMac is so un-Apple!