Tuesday, December 26, 2017 ~ Parikshit S. Bhat

Theme: Turning Circles - Take a word, rearrange the letters one at a time, moving the first one to the last one

18. Jamaican term for hot chocolate: COCOA TEA

22. Greek salad ingredient: GOAT CHEESE

34. Car accessory that may be faux leather: SEAT COVER

50. Glowing barbecue lump: RED HOT COAL

55. Traitor, and a literal hint to this puzzle's circles: TURNCOAT

Argyle here with Pari's third offering in LATland. Tinbeni will be happy.

Across:

1. Champagne cocktail: MIMOSA

7. Wrist-to-elbow bone: ULNA

11. Young newt: EFT

14. Prepared (oneself), as for a shock: BRACED

15. Be unsuccessful: FAIL

16. The "A" in 59-Across: ALE. 59A. Hoppy beer, for short: IPA. (India pale ale)

17. Dogs from Japan: AKITAs

20. Suffix with hip or tip: STER

21. Stormy weather sound: THUNDER

26. Board game cubes: DICE

27. French friend: AMI

28. "__-ho!": "Everybody lift together!": HEAVE

29. Scrutinized, with "over": PORED

30. __ majesty: high treason: LESE. Lèse-majesté: from Latin laesa majestas ‘injured sovereignty.’

32. Letter before omega: PSI

33. Leftover food bits: ORTS

38. Actor Brad: PITT

40. __ kwon do: TAE

41. Start of a magical chant: ABRA. ABRAcadabra.

45. Longed (for): PINED

46. Minor fight: SET-TO

48. Tyrannosaurus __: REX

49. Norwegian patron saint: OLAF

52. Records again: RETAPES

54. Wolf's cry: HOWL

57. Ex-Soviet leader Brezhnev: LEONID

60. Use a stopwatch for: TIME

61. Painter or sculptor: ARTIST

62. Cleopatra killer: ASP

63. Winter coaster: SLED

64. Balance sheet items: ASSETS

Down:

1. Management deg.: MBA. (Master of Business Administration)

2. Annoying: IRKSOME

3. Rum cocktails: MAI TAIs

4. Two foursomes: OCTET

5. Look online: SEARCH

6. App interruptions: ADs

7. Mixed martial arts org.: UFC. (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

8. "Tao Te Ching" philosopher: LAO TSE

9. Specialized market segment: NICHE

10. Baseball's Felipe or Moises: ALOU

11. Humbly accept blame: EAT DIRT

12. Swindles: FLEECES

13. Got emotional, with "up": TEARED

19. Republic between Spain and France: ANDORRA. Their web site.

22. __ pal: GAL

23. Air filter acronym: HEPA. (high-efficiency particulate air) filter.

24. Sunrise direction: EAST

25. Kicked out: EVICTED

29. Poet for whom the Edgar Awards are named: POE

31. Miami Sound Machine singer Gloria: ESTEFAN

35. Scheduled leaving hr.: ETD

36. Pledge: OATH

37. White House no: VETO

38. Multi-car collisions: PILE-UPs

39. Ensnared: IN A TRAP

42. Chocolate treat: BROWNIE

43. Practical thinker: REALIST

44. Rock singer Rose: AXL

45. "The Merchant of Venice" heiress: PORTIA

46. Opening word for Ali Baba: SESAME. Not the first word spoken but the word that got the

cave to open.

47. Unlisted stuff: OTHERS

50. Lubricate again: REOIL

51. Codgers: COOTS

53. Cuts for agts.: PCTs. %

56. Danson of "The Good Place": TED. Cheers!

57. Anaheim MLB team, in crawl lines: LAA. (Los Angeles Angels)

58. Souse's woe: DTs. (Delirium Tremens) When the pink elephants come to dance with you.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Many regulars are aware that D-Otto and his wife make potato dumplings every Christmas. You can see his recipe here. Quite a challenging project.

Here is a great picture of D-Otto working on the dumplings yesterday. He said below. I was amazed that he still has the original box.

"The grinding is finished and the roast is in the oven.  We're in a brief window before the mixing/boiling stage has to begin.  Here's me with at the controls of the Shred-O-Mat (in glorious Harvest Gold), attired in the official dumpling uniform of the day -- blue jeans, sacrificial tee and no watch."

D-Otto (Tom)

Monday, December 25, 2017 ~ Peter Koetters

Theme: Just another Monday - A non-Christmas theme.

1. Babysitting nightmares ... or relatives of the ends of the four longest puzzle answers: BRATS. Yeah, don't have nightmares about sausages.

20. Piltdown Man, purportedly: THE MISSING LINK

26. Really skimpy, like the polka-dot bikini of song: TEENIE WEENIE

42. Hangover remedy, so they say: HAIR OF THE DOG

50. "Honestly speaking ... ": "TO BE QUITE FRANK ..."

Argyle here. I suppose a lot of people won't get a paper today so they wouldn't have a puzzle to do. Many others may skip today's puzzle so I understand giving us this rather generic piece. It's not a ruiner of your celebrations, I hope.  Ol' Man Keith gets a present today.

Across:

1. "See ya": "BYE"

4. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey __: OSWALD

10. Mediterranean exile isle: ELBA. The houses look fake.

14. Managed: RAN

15. Rain, to a picnic: RUINER. A bit strong; it's more like: Barbarian. to Rome.

16. Stereotypical techie: NERD. Once uncool sort who's now sort of cool. (Sunday)

17. Play part: ACT

18. Innermost foot digit: BIG TOE

19. New Mexico art community: TAOS. Historic Ledoux Street.

23. Vain gaits: STRUTS

24. Less hospitable: ICIER

31. River rollicker: OTTER

34. Finance guru Suze: ORMAN

35. Bearded Serengeti critter: GNU

36. Word after milk or meter: MAID

37. Confederacy foe: UNION

38. Stock holders?: POTS

39. Biblical craft: ARK

40. Where the heart is: CHEST

41. Dugout craft: CANOE

45. Playwright Chekhov: ANTON. "... considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history." Wiki. quote: "Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."

46. What drinks like Jolt provide: ENERGY. "All the sugar, twice the caffeine!"

55. Birth announcement word: GIRL

56. Like the bed of someone rushing out: UNMADE. Were you made to make your bed before presents?

57. Cell occupant: CON

58. A single time: ONCE

59. Big app for Apple: iTUNES

60. Angsty rock genre: EMO

61. Amazed sounds: OOHs

62. Deputized bands: POSSEs. They went thataway!

63. Lawn coating: DEW

Down:

2. Luxury boat: YACHT

3. Go in: ENTER

4. Moon, e.g.: ORBITER

5. Credit __: Zurich bank: SUISSE. Yes, I tried a W before changing to a U.

6. Powdered headwear: WIGS

7. Naysayer: ANTI

8. Writer Uris: LEON. "Exodus"

9. Bit of wine sediment: DREG. Usually plural.

10. Lure: ENTICE

11. Using for support: LEANING ON

12. Forcefully entered: BROKE INTO. Santa never did!

13. Website pop-ups: ADs

21. Muffled, as a trumpet: MUTED

22. Bank's claim: LIEN

25. Employ again: REUSE

27. Nine-piece combo: NONET

28. "When __ Eyes Are Smiling": IRISH. CSO to Troy Miss.

29. Overact: EMOTE

30. Pale: WAN

31. Nebraska city: OMAHA

“The Beautiful Old Market Entry to V. Mertz (in back to the right)”

32. "Pulp Fiction" writer/director Quentin: TARANTINO

33. Luau lamp: TIKI TORCH

37. TV dial letters: UHF. (Ultra high frequency), back in the days of tubes.

38. "Your table's ready" signaler: PAGER

40. Ice cream holder: CONE

41. Come clean: CONFESS

43. Paso __: California wine city: ROBLES

44. Political pundit Myers: DEE DEE

47. Sped: RACED

48. Garden-guarding figurine: GNOME

49. Informal "Catch my drift?": Y'KNOW?"

51. Witticism: QUIP

52. Golden rule preposition: UNTO

53. Irreverent radio host Don: IMUS. Still around.

54. Sunbathers' goals: TANs

55. Sticky stuff: GOO

Since the lyricist has a local connection to my area, I'll leave you with this song.

Argyle

C.C.: Here is Argyle Our Dear Santa

Notes from C.C.:
  

Happy Birthday to our Yellowrocks (Kathy), who's celebrating today with her son David and their family in New York. I thought of her every time I see a picture of vichyssoise or sand tarts or hear Butterfly Lovers, the classic Chinese music inspired by a great love story. Sending our best wishes to David as well.

Yellowrocks and son David, Sept 2016

Happy Birthday also to Lorraine (Fermatprime), who's been with the blog since Nov 2009.  Lorraine is an accomplished math professor and does many puzzles every day.

Thanksgiving, 2015

Snipped this great picture from Chairman Moe's Facebook. The Chairman (Chris) is a wine connoisseur.

Sunday, Dec 24, 2017 Paul Coulter

Theme: "Magnetism" - Each theme entry has a pair of opposites.

22A. *Criminal justice supervisor : PROBATION OFFICER. On/off.

33A. *"Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!" poet : PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY. He/She.

53A. *Get worse, with no way to stop : SPIN OUT OF CONTROL. In/Out.
 
80A *Nero Wolfe title that plays on the start of an old adage : WHERE THERE'S A WILL. Here/There.

96A. *1985 #1 hit for Paul Young : EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY. Me/You.

Reveal:

113. Maxim that applies to pairs hiding together in the answers to starred clues : OPPOSITES ATTRACT

What a great reveal. It describes the gimmick perfectly. Quite challenging to come up with a set where the antonyms are together.

I love the first two the most, as the key words ON/OFF, HE/SHE fully contained in other words.

Across:

1. 16th-century date : MDL. 1550.

4. Big name in shoes : MCAN. Not ECCO/NIKE.

8. Batted : WAS UP

13. See 2-Down : LINE. And 2. With 13-Across, write (to) : DROP A

17. Rail commonly found in water? : SORA

18. Perry of fashion : ELLIS

20. Kind of acid in proteins : AMINO

21. Any minute, old-style : ANON

25. Saturn vehicles? : UFOs. Nailed it.

26. Placing side by side : APPOSING

27. Cries of support : OLES. Had RAHS first.

28. Golf shot : STROKE

30. Wrinkly dog : SHAR PEI. Cantonese. Shar = Sand. Pei = Skin. So "Sand skin".

31. Common conjunction : NOR

32. Hanker : ACHE

41. __ Dictionary : URBAN. So many blush-worthy entries there.

44. Arles assents : OUIs

45. Bury : INTER

46. Amber __ : ALE

47. Delhi wrap : SARI

48. A little lower? : CALF. Low-er.

50. Paper size: Abbr. : LTR

51. Anime cousin : MANGA. Called Man Hua in Chinese. Same characters as Japanese. Man = "Whimsical". Ga/Hua just means "picture". Can also be a verb, meaning "draw".

59. Do serious damage to : SCAR

60. Hwy. : RTE

61. "My man!" : BRO. Clue echo with 107. "My man!" : DUDE

62. Notched, as a maple leaf : EROSE. 

63. Back in the bay : ASTERN

65. 1965 King arrest site : SELMA

67. Shortened, as a dict. : ABR. We use Abbr. as a hint in crossword clues.

68. Ballade's final stanza : ENVOI. You would think this is French for "envoy".

70. Complete : ENTIRE

73. Assume as fact : POSIT

75. Assist : AID

76. Eats or drinks : HAS. We're going to have Hormel Cure 81 Ham today. Boomer said it's the best. Do you have it in your area?

79. Israel's Golda : MEIR

85. Looked like a wolf? : OGLED

87. Oral health org. : ADA

88. Dovetail : MESH

89. In the Aegean : ASEA

90. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" newsman : TED

91. Word coined by writer Capek : ROBOT. In his "R.U. R" play.

93. Creek croaker : TOAD. Not FROG.

95. Tube, so to speak : TV SET

101. All the time : A LOT

102. Bit of work : ERG

103. Pretenses : FACADES

107. Poetic foot : DACTYL. Often the answer is  IAMBUS

110. __-up: hybrid musical piece : MASH

111. Church contribution : OFFERING

112. Wrinkly fruit : UGLI. Our local grocery stores have them. Pretty juicy.

117. Like Beethoven, late in life : DEAF . We also have 92. Ear specialist's science : OTOLOGY 

118. Agree to : GRANT

119. Composer of the short piano pieces "Le Yachting" and "Le Golf" : SATIE. I need "Erik" in the clue.

120. Hockey's Bobby et al. : ORRs. Only know one.

121. Go around in circles : EDDY

122. Goes up and down : YO-YOS

123. Once uncool sort who's now sort of cool : NERD

124. Inquisitive-sounding letter : WYE.

 Down:

1. Transmute : MORPH
 
3. Sensation before a delivery : LABOR PAIN. Nice fill.

4. Specialty : METIER

5. Medical center : CLINIC

6. Sleep like __ : A LOG

7. "Delta of Venus" author : NIN. Imagine my surprise to find this book at our dusty flea market.

8. Symbols of thinness : WAFERS

9. Author Martin : AMIS
 
10. [Not a typo] : SIC

11. Arles article : UNE

12. Company whose German pronunciation has two syllables : PORSCHE. Its Chinese name has three characters.

13. Victory symbol : LAUREL

14. Dope : INFO

15. Cozy corner : NOOK

16. Massachusetts motto opener : ENSE. Our old buddy is back.

17. Healthful retreats : SPAS

19. André Previn's adopted daughter : SOON-YI. Such a complicated life.
 
23. Quaker in the woods : ASPEN

24. Dentist's directive : FLOSS

29. Heat unit : THERM

32. 2017 World Series champ : ASTRO. Don't cheat. How many teams have never won a World Series?

34. Texter's "seize the day" : YOLO. You Only Live Once.

35. Devotee : BUFF
 
36. Sword handles : HILTS. Sometimes it's HAFTS.

37. It's usually just before dessert : ENTREE

38. Tilter's tool : LANCE

39. Knighted English composer : ELGAR (Edward)

40. Thirst (for) : YEARN

41. Cold War initials : USSR

42. Deeply engrossed : RAPT

43. Cracker topper : BRIE
 
48. Long-billed wader : CURLEW. Thank God I don't have that bill. I would have broken mine easily.

49. Elementary particle : ATOM

52. Stop on the Turin-Genoa railway : ASTI. The wine town.
 
54. Upper, in Ulm : OBER

55. Break off : CEASE

56. Comet's path : ORBIT

57. Needle point? : NORTH. Great clue.

58. Deluxe : LAVISH

64. Pop : SODA

65. Many a retired racehorse : SIRE
 
66. Tarzan's realm : APEDOM. Spell check does not like it.

69. Dundee disagreements : NAEs

70. Ham it up : EMOTE

71. Israeli desert : NEGEV

72. Piña colada garnish? : TILDE. Garnish, OK.
 
74. Declaim : ORATE

76. Boo relative : HISS

77. Sheltered in the Aegean : ALEE

78. Bed board : SLAT
 
81. Hard thing to kick : HABIT

82. Slate or Salon : EMAG

83. Change the decor of : REDO

84. Winding-road sign image : WAVY ARROW. Debut entry.

86. How Steven Wright jokes are spoken : DRYLY
  
93. Trunks : TORSI

94. Moral obligations : OUGHTS. Ought can be a noun also?

95. "Be silent," in music : TACET

97. Formally approve : RATIFY

98. Baking supplies : YEASTS. I've been eating this to increase my B12 intake. Won't buy again once this bottle is empty. Not fond of its taste. I'm thinking of trying Steve's Marmite next.

99. Fling : AFFAIR

100. Drifted gently : WAFTED

104. Book with a lock : DIARY
 
105. Yves' ink : ENCRE. Also new to me.

106. PD ranks : SGTs
 
108. Kept in barrels, maybe : AGED
 
109. Decked out : CLAD

110. Like early Elvis albums : MONO

111. Bone head? : OSTE. Prefix for "bone".
 
114. Adept : PRO

115. Wages : PAY
 
116. Suffix with Caesar : EAN

C.C.

Saturday, December 23, 2017, Jeffrey Wechsler

THEMELESS SATURDAY

Do you know that uneasy feeling you get when you're going down the first hill on a roller coaster? That's my feeling when I see a Jeff Wex puzzle anytime but doubly so on Saturday (See kitty on front right!)

Not to worry though, I had to dance around but earned an official "got 'er done"! DATA LIMIT did hold up the SW corner for a while until RATE became necessary. 

A very striking looking grid that complements Jeff's always wonderful cluing!

Now let's see what one of our favorite crossword elves has for us on this Christmas eve eve:

Across
1. With 1-Down, "Gadzooks!" : JUMPING and 1. See 1-Across : JEHOSAPHAT JEHOSAPHAT is a euphemism for Jesus or Jehovah and the phrase "By the shaking, jumping ghost of Jehosaphat" is first seen in the 1865 novel Paul Peabody

8. The Pleiades of myth, e.g. : SISTERS - My astronomy teacher called the Pleiades Constellation "The Shopping Cart"

15. Football's "Boomer" : ESIASON - Many feel he is the best Cincinnati Bengal QB ever. I'll bet our Boomer could beat him in an alley!

16. Oregon city named for a fur merchant : ASTORIA - John Jacob Astor's city is located very near the end of the line for Meriwether and William

17. Couldn't offer any justification : HAD NO GOOD REASON - C.C. ___ for letting me blog Saturday puzzles 

19. Old Monterey Bay fort : ORD - Abandoned in 1994, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority is working on it

20. Lipstick marketing word : SMEARLESS

21. Sizing letters : SML - I know it's an old joke but...

22. Lot : FATE

24. "Music for Airports" producer : ENO - Musical wallpaper

25. "Understood" 39-Across : AYE

26. Sacha Baron Cohen persona : ALI G - He's either your cup of tea or you're like me

27. Type of lizard found indoors? : LOUNGE - Bill Murray played one on SNL perfectly

31. Law enforcement support org. : PBA - Patrolman's Benevolent Association not a bowlers organization 

32. "Livin' La Vida __" : LOCA - Everyone was Living The Crazy Life with Ricky Martin in 1999

33. Like grapefruit : SOUR and they are to be avoided if you have bad 47. Blood test letters : LDL - Low-Density Lipoprotein numbers and are taking a statin

34. Seeks a better deal : HAGGLES and 42. Eco-friendly wheels : TESLAS - I wonder if you could HAGGLE on this $74,000 electric TESLA

36. Usain Bolt, vis-à-vis virtually everyone : FLEETER - The fleetest, er, fastest ever!

39. Where to hear 25-Across : ASEA

40. One might be convincing : LIAR

41. Back again : FRO

45. __ Major : URSA - The constellation URSA MAJOR contains the asterism (Not constellation) The Big Dipper in its rump and tail

46. Hockey legend : ORR 

48. Subtle "Listen up" : PSST

49. Stylish jeans feature : RIP - Uh, what's the point?

50. Data restriction on Twitter usage : RATE LIMIT - Not DATA

54. Camera initials : SLR

55. Mamet play featuring a rare nickel : AMERICAN BUFFALO - Yes, here on the Great Plains we know that is a bison

59. Piranhas, in Venezuela : CARIBES - A synonym

60. Part of the family group : IN A CLAN - That must be us!

61. As a group : EN MASSE - 15,000 of the 18,000 fans in Kansas City to see the lady Huskers win the national VB championship last week were Nebraska fans who went there EN MASSE

62. Bishop's purview : DIOCESE -We are in the "liberal" Omaha DIOCESE  but in the Lincoln DIOCESE the sisters mostly still wear habits


Down

2. Fort Benning, e.g. : US ARMY BASE - It's centennial is next year

3. Knight time : MIDDLE AGES  

4. Item wielded on "Chopped" : PAN - Competitive cooking shows are not on my menu

5. Equal start? : ISOs - ISOTHERMS from yesterday

6. Rich beverage : NOG - Much to the amusement of my wife and daughters, one year I seasoned EGG NOG with paprika and not nutmeg

7. Ancient spiritual groups : GNOSTICS - These works discovered in 1945 could have changed the course of Christianity if they had not been suppressed.

8. "Soldier of Love" Grammy winner : SADE - (shah DAY) I only know her Smooth Operator 

9. Mediterranean land : ISRAEL

10. Fuel in tins : STERNO - It lends an odd scent to every event where it is used.

11. Burns poem whose subject is "ugly, creepin" : TO A LOUSE - "Ye ugly, creepin', blast wonder, Detested, shunned by saunt an' sinner." Yikes!

12. Gaelic tongue : ERSE - Nollaig shona dhuit! (Merry Christmas!)

13. Lago feeders : RIOS - El  RIO Lerma desemboca en el Lago de Chapala (The river Lerma flows into Lake Chapala)

14. Lacking : SANS

18. TAG Heuer competitor : OMEGA - If you can afford $500 ripped jeans...

22. Critical subject in Roman history : FALL

23. Natural emollient : ALOE

28. Like much museum art : NOT FOR SALE - I doubt they'll ever take haggle on the Mona Lisa

29. Small raiding bands : GUERRILLAS - We had 'em on our side 

30. Unreliable, in a way : ERROR PRONE

35. Shopping mecca : GALLERIA - Is Amazon marking their demise?

36. Auction action starter : FIRST BID

37. Bonny one : LASS





38. Logician's "E" : ERAT - Makes sense to us math heads! 

40. Flowering plant in the legume family : LUPIN

43. Improv staples : AD LIBS

44. Examples of bad driving : SLICES

50. Hurdles, for one : RACE - A track event for very brave people

51. "I am __ / More sinn'd against than sinning": King Lear : A MAN

52. School division : TERM - Granddaughter's TERM in Grenoble, France has ended and she is back in the U.S.A. after a life-altering few months

53. Rapper with the albums "Harlem World" and "Welcome Back" : MASE - His lyrics are many steps below profane

56. Aussie college : UNI - Shorthand for University 

57. __ Schwarz : FAO - This FAO store where this scene from Big was filmed is now closed

58. TV monitor : FCC - Federal Communications Commission - Typical Jeff Wex cleverness!

And now a word from our bloggers...

DA GRID

Note from C.C.: 

Happy 73rd Birthday to Misty, our sweet and caring friend. Here's a picture of Misty and her husband Rowland. It was taken probably seven or eight years ago. From what I read on Misty's Facebook post, they were never apart during Christmas times. Thanks for being in our lives, Misty!