Sunday June 28, 2015 Jim Quinlan

Theme: "Slightly-off Broadway" - One letter is dropped from each play.

24A. Show about shoeless Shem? : BARE FOOT IN THE ARK. Barefoot in the Park.

39A. Show about auto club service? : ON THE TOW. On the Town.

57A. Show about an unusual car? : THE ODD COUPE. The Odd Couple.

71A. Show about sorry predators? : THE PIRATES OF PENANCE. The Pirates of Penzance.

90A. Show about inventions in the military? : PRIVATE LIES. Private Lives. The only unknown musical to me. 

104A. Show about baseball's Hodges as the life of the party? : FUNNY GIL. Funny Girl. Gil Hodges was the winning manager of the 1969 World Series.

122A. Show about a pageant contestant with rhythm? : BEAUTY AND THE BEAT. Beauty and the Beast.

I don't think the dropped letters P, N, L, Z, V, R & S (no dupes!) spell out anything. Just a tight set of  7 musicals that make surface sense once a letter is dropped.

I think this is Jim Quinlan Sunday debut. Lemonade blogged his first LAT back in April. Jim took advantage of the moderate theme material (total 89 squares) and gave us a solid grid. No obscure names or places or words in this puzzle.  Very clean.

Across:

  

1. Performs like Drake : RAPS. Drake is the Taylor Swift of rap.

5. Holy struggle : JIHAD

10. Seek guidance, in a way : PRAY

14. Start of a waste line? : HASTE. Haste makes waste.

19. Like zero : OVAL

20. Speak : ORATE. And 61. Speak : STATE

 

21. Madden : RILE

22. Toss out : EXPEL

23. Man, for instance : MALE. Tried ISLE first.

27. Indigenous Alaskans : ALEUTS

29. Tropicana option : PULP. Orange juice. Not the Vegas casino.

30. Baked __ : ZITI. Never tried it. No cheese for me.

31. Ruler divs. : CMs

32. Hole in the head : NOSTRIL

 

34. Sound often prohibited? : PEEP. "Not a peep out of you!"

36. "A Delicate Balance" playwright : ALBEE

41. Hoarse condition : CROUP. Got via crosses. I can never remember this word.

44. Snuck by : ELUDED

47. Word after top or trade : SECRET

49. Southern stew thickener : OKRA

51. Greeted the day : AROSE

52. One of 256 in a gal. : TBSP

56. Hide : SKIN

59. Common default font : ARIAL. Our blog default is Georgia.

63. Camper's utensil : SPORK

64. "Falling Skies" airer : TNT

65. VIP : BIGWIG. What Marc Maron is now. 

67. Chinese-born poker star Johnny : CHAN. No idea. Wiki said he was born in Guangzhou. That red character on his T-shirt spelled out CHAN in Cantonese.

69. Curved fastener : U-BOLT

77. Sink hole : DRAIN

78. One of three squares : MEAL. Square meals.

79. Modern reading : eBOOKS

81. Place to check your balance : ATM

84. Stop by : END AT

86. Bronze place : THIRD

89. Expensive : STEEP

93. Mustard weapon, possibly : ROPE. Colonel Mustard. Stumped me.

95. Good name for a Whirlpool spokesman? : EDDY

96. Buff : TONED

97. Turn at the tables : ROLL. Casino action, right?

98. Satisfied comment : IT'LL DO. This section remained elusive for a long time. I just could not get the crosses easily.

100. Man cave setup : STEREO

102. Close in films : GLENN. Glenn Close.

109. Weight watcher's concerns : CARBS. Not me. I love carbs.

111. Bee's knees : MOST. I wanted BEST.

113. Elton John's "__ Saved My Life Tonight" : SOMEONE

114. National Humor Mo. : APR. Crosses makes the answer easy.

116. Idina Menzel voiced her in "Frozen" : ELSA

119. One may be taken in desperation : STAB. Take a stab.

121. Give in : RELENT

127. Exam for jrs. : PSAT

128. Fab : BOFFO. Learned from doing crosswords.

129. Hedge formation : MAZE

130. Enterprise competitor : ALAMO

131. Rock follower? : ETTE. Rockette.

 

132. Composer Bruckner : ANTON

133. Went 76 on Route 66, say : SPED

134. Possessive type? : DEMON. I had DEMO? early on, but could not nail it. Stupid.

135. Slacker's opposite : DOER

 

Down:

 

1. Pizzeria shaker contents : ROMANO. So what's your favorite junk food? Pizza? This is mine.

2. Arthurian isle : AVALON

3. Most susceptible to burning : PALEST. Sunburn.

4. Clue seeker : SLEUTH

5. Contractors' destinations : JOB SITES

6. "This American Life" host Glass : IRA

7. Only nonvocal instrument in Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols" : HARP

8. Really enjoyed : ATE UP. Very similiar to how I eat my Shin noodles. Boiled egg and green onions.

 

9. Ricochet : DEFLECT

10. Ace : PRO

11. Cracker with a scalloped edge : RITZ

12. Et __ : ALII

13. Gossip : YENTA

14. Laugh syllable : HEH

15. 83-Down tool : AXE. And 83. Video game involving breaking and placing blocks : MINECRAFT. Fell easily. Never played it though.

16. In la-la land : SPACED OUT

17. Academic period : TERM

18. Chicago-based order : ELKS. Did not know they're based in Chicago.

25. TUV neighbor on some phones : OPER

26. Game piece : TILE

28. "__ chic!" : TRES

33. Hair : LOCKS

35. "Hunny" lover : POOH

37. Golden relatives? : BLACK LABS. Nailed it also.

38. Cannes coin : EURO

40. Legal document : WRIT

42. Lute family members : UKES

43. Support : PROP UP

45. British Open network : ESPN

46. Anti-bug compound : DEET

48. Pass : ENACT

50. PDF creator : ADOBE

52. PC key with two arrows : TAB

53. Brolly carrier : BRIT. I did not know the meaning of Brolly, British for umbrella. Answer slightly dupes the clue for ESPN. Hard to avoid this on Sundays.

54. [Ah, me!] : SIGH

55. Poked, puma-style : PAWED

57. Dollhouse staples : TEA SETS

58. Remotely piloted craft : DRONE

60. Many a deaf person : LIP-READER. Also got via crosses.

62. Foes of us : THEM

66. __ squid : GIANT

68. First name in lexicography : NOAH (Webster)

70. Govt. security : T-NOTE

72. Shotgun caller : RIDER. I had to ask Boomer what it means. He said the front passenger seat next to the driver is called a shotgun seat.

73. Two-handed, perhaps : ANALOG. Oh, clock.

74. Try a new line, say : FLIRT. I want RE???.

75. Like Vassar since 1969 : CO-ED

76. Scratched (out) : EKED

80. Binoculars user : SPY

81. Flats, in the U.S. : APTS. So U.S. indicates an abbreviated answer?

82. Home run pace : TROT

85. Cash box : TILL

87. Massage deeply : ROLF

88. Mark above a "See me!" note : D PLUS. I mentioned earlier, I was bogged down in this area.  Wish I had attended some sort of school here. Felt very disadvantaged over lots of simple stuff.

91. __ Bradley handbags : VERA

92. Sch. level : ELEM

94. Sitcom sewer worker : ED NORTON. "The Honeymooners". Saw similar clue before. Still got me. Never watched the show.

98. As an option : INSTEAD

99. Complimentary words from a bartender : ON ME. I was thinking of something flattering.

101. Get in line : OBEY

103. Munch : NOSH

105. Cried out, as in pain : YELPED

106. Attends : GOES TO

107. Not learned : INNATE

108. Varsity athlete's honor : LETTER. Those stacks in lower right and upper left are not easy to fill cleanly. Great job by Jim.

110. Poetry contests : SLAMS

112. Put aside : TABLE

114. Palindromic pop group : ABBA

115. Lowly worker : PEON

117. [Just like that!] : SNAP

118. Carving tool : ADZE

120. Show elation : BEAM. Lots of 4-letter words in this puzzle.

123. Supposed abduction vehicle : UFO

124. Whole bunch : TON

125. Stevens of Alaska : TED. Bridge to nowhere.

126. "Yo te __": Spanish lover's words : AMO

Joann has kindly kept me in the loop of Husker Gary's progress. Things look very promising at the moment. Gary does lots of diligent walking every day, and  X-rays are performed every morning to monitor his progress. Joann emailed me this yesterday:

"Gary called me this morning and said that the x-ray of the can barium stuff they gave him earlier in the week is now moving through out his intestinal system which is so great to hear! Gary is thinking the Doctors will start him on a diet of cream soups and puddings later today. Then they can monitor how that flows as well. We both want to make sure everything is glowing normally before he is dismissed. "

Looks like he can go home to Joann and Lily soon. You've been through so much, Gary!

Joann & Gary

C.C.

Saturday, Jun 27th, 2015, Daniel Nierenberg

Theme: None

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

Blocks: 28

  I thought I was going to smoke right through this puzzle, and maybe hit my personal best time for a Saturday - alas, it was not to be.  I started off so well, too....drat.  Ran into trouble in the top left quadrant, with three proper names and a couple of vague clues.  So I cheated on 1d.  Then I still did not get my ta-DA~! because of one letter - more later.  As for the grid, triple and double 9-letter corners with two 11-letter climbers and two 12-letter spanners;

28a. Singer with the 2002 debut hit "Complicated" : AVRIL LAVIGNE - I knew who it was right away, but then the spelling became an issue.  I was pleased to read she married Chad Kroeger from Nickelback - I like their music; according to Wiki, the two married in a medieval castle - now that's my kind of wedding~!

 42a. Constitution nickname : OLD IRONSIDES - the ship, not the document

onward~!

ACROSS:

1. NASA program for aspiring explorers : SPACE CAMP - love getting 1a. right off the bat~!

10. Subject of a 1964 Time article subtitled "Pictures That Attack the Eye" : OP ART

if it's moving when you scroll, it's working

15. Crowded locale : URBAN AREA - I was in Dover Delaware helping my good friend Mike move into his new house; he has several reasons for going down there, and I have taken an interest in going as well - I can transfer to the local UPS hub by signing up for school.  Mike's new home is about 5mins from the heart of the city, so "Firefly" was the talk of the town, Bluehen - YoUDee~! (actually, it'll likely be the Tech school for advertising design)

16. Nikon competitor : RICOH - I WAGed CANON; I could argue I was 40% correct....nice job yesterday~! ;7))

17. Empty entirely : PICK CLEAN

18. Western formation : BUTTE

19. Furniture wood : RED ELM - as a wood worker, I'd really like to get into a project made from something other than pine or oak

20. Clergyman's deg. : ThD - Doctor of Theology

22. Building __ : SITE

23. "Peer Gynt" widow : ASE - and with 24a....

24. Runner-up before RMN : AES - ....a mini-anagram going on

26. Short-tailed weasel : ERMINE

31. Dow 30 company : APPLE

34. Focus of many a botanical festival : TULIP

35. Ottoman bigwig : BEY - I thought it was "AGA", and then "REY"

36. Farm newborn : FOAL - ah, not CALF

37. When many retire : AT TEN - my first fill was TEN PM

38. Great : HUGE

39. Hogwarts redhead : RON - Harry Potter's best bud

40. 1979 sci-fi classic : ALIEN - one of my top five movies

41. Gibson's "Lethal Weapon" role : RIGGS - I managed to recall his first name - Martin - too

45. Sign of anxiety : PACING

46. Allowance holder, perhaps : CAN - JAR, PIG, DAD(~?)

47. Place to see sea monsters, once : MAP

50. "¿Quién __?" : SABE - What is this, Spanish~?  Who Knows~?

51. Announcer Hall : EDD

53. Dead Sea stronghold : MASADA - I recall having watched this in school; even tho I was 10, I remember thinking the surprise at the end made it a great story - IMDb

55. Pay : TREAT

57. Cepheus neighbor : URSA MINOR - I went with ursa MAJor to start; the "J" made it unlikley

(BTW, if I ever have kids, I'd like to name one daughter Cassiopeia)

59. Floor in the Louvre : ÉTAGE - Frawnche; can't get away from it

60. Quiet break : CEASE FIRE - yeah, that's one way to describe it

61. Corning creation : PYREX

62. Hog support? : KICKSTAND - Harley Davidson "hog"

DOWN:   

1. 1978 Toyota debut : SUPRA - DAH~!!  I couldn't think of this; Sentra? Celica?  I am excited for their new hybrid pick-up, the A-BAT, due for release 2016

2. Looks closely : PRIES - argh~!  Not PEERS

3. Tot's song starter : A B C D E - H, I, J, K....now I know uh, sumthin'

4. Decorator's target : CAKE - nice; didn't occur to me

5. Lesotho, for instance : ENCLAVE - OK, so I thought this was a Shakespearean character; turns out it's a land-locked country in South Africa - the Wiki

6. Comparatively still : CALMER

7. Exist : ARE

8. Essence : MEAT

9. Like the ancient Olympic Games : PAN-HELLENIC - "All of Greece"

10. Blake's eye : ORB - if I go to Delaware, I'll have to give up on my blue-eyed girl  :7(

11. 15th-century pope : PIUS II - I nearly nailed it; "V" or "I"~?

12. Drive on the way to Hollywood? : ACTING BUG - yeah, um, what's an acting "RUG"~?

13. Stinker, in more ways than one : ROTTEN EGG

14. Old Testament pronoun : THEE

21. Backup site : DRAIN

25. One who's easy to take : SITTING DUCK

27. NBA honor : MVP - also MLB, NHL, NFL, etc.

28. Tide alternative : ALL - nice; laundry detergents

29. Tambur relatives : LUTES

30. Most spiders have eight : EYES - I had perps, so it was not "LEGS"

31. High style : AFRO - hair style, that is

32. Place to make a splash : POOL PARTY - My B-day is in February, so my parents frequently suggested I do a summer pool party for a better turnout and more fun; I was OK with the idea because I basically celebrated twice

33. Sichuan native : PANDA BEAR

37. Separate : ALONE

38. __ Honor : HIS

40. Name from the Hebrew for "lion" : ARI

41. Alters on a desktop, maybe : RENAMES - your computer desktop

43. 2002 film with a mammoth co-star : ICE AGE

44. Table linen fabric : DAMASK

47. Fanaticism : MANIA

48. Dress : ADORN - oh, the verb, not the noun - it's part of my "47d"

49. Cut off : PARED - as say, the branches of a shrub or bush

50. Short distance : STEP

52. Square root of neun : DREI - Das German~!

54. Recipe direction : SIFT

56. '60s-'70s soul singer Joe : TEX

58. Ink __ : SAC - "JET" seemed plausible; made me question my "URSA"

Splynter

Friday, June 24, 2015 Joseph Groat

Lemonade is taking a well-earned day off, and our regular pinch-hitter is in a bit of a pinch, himself. This is my first try at blogging, so let's see if I can keep 'er 'tween the ditches and get us safely through to the other end of this bad boy. I believe this is Joseph Groat's debut in the LAT. If so, “Well done, Joseph!” I hope we see more of your work in the weeks to come.

Theme: “Tea For Me, Please.” – T sound is added to each theme entry, changing the original Z-ending sound into ST. All the key words go through spelling changes.  There are five theme answers, and since it's Friday, there's no reveal.  But there are two giant T's in the grid design.

17a. Cheater's victory? : FAUX FIRST Faux Furs. I think I've mentioned my former boss who visited a model home, and then waxed eloquent about the “faux pas” [sic] wall finishes. I almost peed my pants.

23a. Haunted house nightmare? : GHOST ON A SPREE Goes on a spree.

38a. Chicken strips on browned bread? : FINGERS AND TOAST Fingers and Toes. Too bad that initial T had to remain.

46a. Facetious tribute for Hollywood's Stone? : ROAST OF SHARON Rose of Sharon – from the Song of Solomon or, perhaps, from the Joan Baez album. Link:

59a. Big dinner for the tech staff? : USER FEAST User Fees. 

Let's see what other treats Joseph has laid out for us...

Across:

1. Fun : JEST Jest as I'll 'splain later, the J was my final fill.

5. Top : ACME

9. Org. with an eighth note in its logo : ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. They license the public performance of music and make sure the folks who wrote it get paid.

14. Title matchmaker of 19th-century literature : EMMA Jane Austen, 1815.

15. Condemn : DOOM

16. Daughter of Martin and Ida, in '70s TV : RHODA Morgenstern, played by Valerie Harper. Valerie's got incurable cancer, and was told two years ago that she had just weeks to live. She's 75 now, and still hangin' in there. Good for her!

19. Half a '60s quartet : MAMAS Michelle Phillips and “Mama” Cass Ellliot of the Mamas and Papas.

20. Custard component : EGG

21. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" author : LOOS Anita Loos. It's said she never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

22. Short standards? : REGS Regulations.

28. Nine of its cast members received Emmy nominations for 1988-89 : L.A. LAW A creation of Steven Bochco, who also gave us “Hill Street Blues,” “N.Y.P.D. Blue” and “Doogie Howser, M.D.”

30. Plural medical suffix : OSES As in psychoses. The singular is OSIS.

31. Sean O'Casey's home : ERIN Or will it be Eire or even Erie? Only the perps know for certain.

32. Pretend : FAKE IT

35. Coll. instructors, at times : T.A.'S Teaching Assistants.

41. Touch with a ball : TAG Baseball.

42. 1885 Savoy Theatre premiere, with "The" : MIKADO Gilbert and Sullivan.

43. Embezzle : SKIM I prefer 2%, myself.

44. 2002 A.L. Cy Young Award winner Barry : ZITO More baseball. Dunno.

45. Reflection : GLINT

52. __ Minor : URSA The “Little Bear” or “Little Dipper”

53. Practice with poses : YOGA Not baseball. I do know; that'd be YOGI.

54. PX patrons : GI'S

57. Popcorn, e.g. : MAIZE

61. Pucci contemporary : BLASS Fashion designers Emilio Pucci and Bill Blass.

62. Not happy at all : SORE

63. Kunis of "Black Swan" : MILA Ukranian actress. Esquire Magazine declared her to be the “sexiest woman alive” in 2013. She hangs with Ashton Kutcher.

64. "Piece of cake!" : A SNAP

65. It adjoins the altar : APSE

66. Eclipse, to some : OMEN

Down:

1. Baja boss : JEFE I had originally entered HEFE, because that's the way it's pronounced. But HEST just wasn't making it any “Fun.” 

2. Kindle download : E-MAG Started as BOOK – Wite-Out, please.

3. Coast Guard concern : SMUGGLING

4. Stress : TAX

5. Parting word : ADIOS Or Adieu? Perps.

6. Barbizon school artist : COROT French. Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot – not exactly a household name. The National Gallery in D.C. does own almost 100 of his paintings, mostly landscapes. 

7. Meno __: not as fast, in music : MOSSO I tried MOLTO first, but that's a breakfast cereal.

8. ER staff member : EMT

9. Sea section : ARM Bay wasn't working.

10. Note changers : SHARPS Music, not currency.

11. Promising type : COMER She's a real comer.

12. Saw : ADAGE

13. Not at all current : PASSE (I'd put an acute accent mark on that E if I knew how.)

18. Tidal movement : FLOW Throw in Ebb, Neap and Spring, and those are all the tidal words I know.

24. Loiter : HANG I learned the word “Loiter” at about age 5 at the Post Office. My uncle, the postmaster, told me to quit loitering and get out of there.

25. Eternally : NO END

26. Words of accord : AS I DO Can be hard to parse.

27. Paving stone : SETT We had this just a few weeks back.

28. Split : LEFT When bowling, at least two pins must be LEFT to form a “Split.” Right, Boomer?

29. Song often heard in a foreign language : ARIA Not in my house.

32. Ruffle relative? : FRITO A ridgeless snack alternative.

33. Want from : ASK OF

34. Kipling python : KAA From “The Jungle Book.”

35. About to shoot : TAKING AIM

36. "It's __ to tell ..." : A SIN Anybody try “Hard?”

37. List of charges: Abbr. : STMT Statement.

39. Send out : EMIT

40. City where sidewalks are decorated with Ibsen quotes : OSLO – Norwegian playwright.

44. "Moulin Rouge" (1952) co-star, familiarly : ZSA ZSA The most flamboyant of the three Gabor sisters.

45. Five-time US Open champ : GRAF Tennis, not baseball.

46. Latin dance : RUMBA Samba, Salsa, Tango, Mambo, ad nauseum. I think there's a law that the Latin dance names must be 5-letters long.

47. Challenging tests : ORALS I had one of those exams yesterday. “Open wide, please.”

48. Turk, most likely : ASIAN [Meh].

49. Online bulletin board mgr. : SYSOP System Operator.

50. Ones working on beds : HOERS My SIL remarked that when it came to weeds, she was a better puller than a hoer. Nuff sedd.

51. Go along : AGREE

55. Vacation destination : ISLE

56. Baseball Hall of Famer Musial : STAN More baseball, but I actually knew that one.

58. Foresight : ESP

59. Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show network : USA Three-letter soup. Could've been most anything.

60. Confessional genre : EMO I still don't know exactly what that is, but if it's a 3-letter genre and RAP or POP won't fit, it must be EMO. 

Time to “Split.” Desper-otto, over and out. 

 

Thursday, June25, 2015 Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski

Theme: Anagrams!

21. Patient care group : MEDICAL TEAM.

32. Political convention announcement : RUNNING MATE.

42. Casing filler : SAUSAGE MEAT.

55. Like much rock ... and like the last words of 21-, 32- and 42-Across? : "META"-MORPHIC.
Cute theme from Bruce and Gail today.  We have the prefix "META," morphing into other words.

Here's my bonus theme entry: PUDDING TAME ("What's your name?" "Pudding Tame. Ask me again, and I'll tell you the same!")

Across

1. The Olympic Australis and others : OPALS. Gimme. I have used this clue in one of my own puzzles!

6. Sound detectors : EARS. Haha.

10. Move lightly : FLIT.

14. Full range : GAMUT.

15. Produce on a farm : GROW. Verb form. Anyone else toy with things like "corn" or "beet" or "bean"?

16. Biked it : RODE.

17. Video game brother : LUIGI. Fraternal twin of Mario.

18. Hold 'em fee : ANTE.

19. "That makes sense" : I SEE.

20. 2002 British Open champion : ELS. Ernie, aka "The Big Easy."

24. Pay : DISBURSE.

26. "Frasier" role : ROZ. Last week I had Niles Crane, this week it's Roz.

27. "Arabian Nights" name : ALI.

28. Duties : TARIFFS.

37. Novelist Tolstoy : LEO.

38. Rep on the street : CRED.

39. Place for a small pet : LAP.

40. Jag, e.g. : AUTO.

41. Had-at link : A GO.

46. Picking up, in a way : SENSING.

48. Quaint preposition : ERE. And a semi-clecho at 61-Across. Quaint "not" : NARY.

49. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls" : KAT. This lady.

50. The "it" in "I don't want to talk about it" : SORE SPOT.

59. Wild way to go : APE.

60. "Little Things Mean __": 1954 #1 hit : A LOT.

62. It's usually not more than a foot : TAP IN. I hope Gary is soon back at his favorite game.

64. Lead : CLUE. Did you have one?

65. Slush Puppie maker : ICEE.

66. Part of a meet : EVENT.

67. Enjoys a hero : EATS.

68. Agreeing words : AYES.

69. Takes chances : DARES.


Down

1. Looked like a wolf? : OGLED.

2. Eighth-century pope : PAUL I.  May 29, 757 to June 28, 767.

3. Not quite right : AMISS.

4. Haul : LUG.

5. Reaction causes : STIMULI.

6. "Holy moly!" : EGADS.

7. Golf nickname : ARNIE. Palmer.

8. Coll. drilling group : ROTC. Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

9. Curse : SWEAR AT.

10. Aunt in "Nancy" : FRITZI. Full name: FRITZI Ritz.

11. Come in too late? : LOSE.

12. Start of a solution : IDEA.

13. Abound (with) : TEEM.

22. "Happy Days" actress Moran : ERIN.

23. It's retold often : LORE.

25. Ratt or Poison : BAND. Total WAG.

28. Taberna snack : TAPA.

29. Drawing passage : FLUE. And 31-Down. 29-Down buildup : SOOT.

30. Crumbly salad topper : FETA.

32. Some HDTVs : RCAs.

33. Push for : URGE.

34. Reason for glowing letters : NEON.

35. Water cooler sound : GLUG.

36. Humanities degs. : MAs. Master of Arts.

40. City north of Des Moines : AMES.

42. Rama VII's kingdom : SIAM.

43. "Mary Queen of Scots" biographer Fraser : ANTONIA. I haven't read that one.

44. One of the Spice Girls : GERI.

45. Built : ERECTED.

47. Winter Olympics equipment : SKATES.

50. Self-gratifying outing : SPREE...because "ego trip" didn't fit.

51. "But of course!" : OH YES!

52. Supermarket option : PAPER.

53. Speak one's mind : OPINE.

54. Staked shelters : TENTS.

55. Nutmeg spice : MACE.

56. Scat legend, familiarly : ELLA.

57. Talk up : TOUT.

58. Suggestive : RACY.

63. Co-star of Richard in "The Night of the Iguana" : AVA. Richard Burton and AVA Gardner. I love Allan [sic] Sherman's song about it (to the tune of "Streets of Laredo"):
"They were down there to film The Night of the Iguana 
With a star-studded cast and a technical crew. 
They did things at night midst the flora and fauna
That no self-respecting iguana would do."

Iguana go now...

Marti

Wednesday, June 24, 2015 Gareth Bain

Theme: Celebrations

17A. *Lightweight kitchen appliance : HAND MIXER. This is my hand mixer. It's called a whisk. Sometimes we like to over-complicate things.

 24A. *"Let me help" : WHAT CAN I DO? You can whisk the egg whites, thanks!

37A. *Not doing one's job : DROPPING THE BALL. What if you're a soccer referee? That's part of your job! 

50A. *Romance : LOVE AFFAIR. A tennis match before anyone scores a point?

61A. Wayne's World catchphrase, and a hint to the end of the answers to starred clues : PARTY TIME!

I think Gareth forgot the "Excellent"

Morning all - Steve here pinch-hitting for JzB, who unfortunately can't join us today. I'll do my best on his behalf.

Four types of mostly formal gatherings in the thematics today (and the first time I've been able to link a song from my theme title!) I think of "do" as a "British" thing; however it was first used in the US in this sense in a magazine article in 1952, so it's been in the vocabulary for over 60 years so let's call it "assimilated".

Wayne's World is almost as old, most skits airing on "Saturday Night Live" between 1989 and 1992.When I saw the reveal, I wanted "Party On" rather than "Party Time" - our reveal is missing the "Excellent", so I'm underwhelmed by that. Minor nit, but it was a little awkward for me.

I don't often look too closely at grid designs, but the "extra" nine-letter entries at 13A and 67A made me wonder what caused that to happen. This is a 78-word puzzle (the maximum for an LAT 15x15) and there are already 42 black squares, so shortening the two 9's to two 8's would break Rich's 43-maximum count  rule - you'd have 44. There are already six cheater squares in the grid, so there's not much wriggle room left.

OK, enough of that - let's trot down the rest of today's challenge:

Across:

1. "__ to Be Square": Huey Lewis & the News hit : HIP. I think we might have a retro theme working here - a 1986 Billboard #3 leads us off.

4. Pair on a rowing club wall : OARS

8. Press __ : CORPS. As we're on a history trip, I encourage you to read "Once Upon a Distant War" by William Prochnau - the story of the journalists Halberstam, Sheehan, Arnett and others trying to make sense of the early years of the Vietnam war.

13. "David Copperfield" blackmailer : URIAH HEEP. One of the odd 9-letter outliers.

16. Humble : ABASE

18. Himalayan region : TIBET

19. Thing on a ring : KEY

20. Story : YARN

22. Nevertheless : BUT

23. Energy : PEP

27. "To be continued" installment : PART TWO

29. "The Simpsons" shop owner : APU. Copyright rules forbid me to link the wonderful "Who loves the Kwik-e-Mart? I doooooo" clip. You may like to search for yourselves.

30. Works in a museum : ART

31. Father : SIRE

33. Brits' raincoats : MACS. The Mackintosh (note the "k") is a rubberized overcoat to keep out the rain. They also, being rubberized, keep in the sweat, so you're as wet with perspiration on the inside as you keep the precipitation out on the outside. Hopefully not made nowadays!

42. Since, in a seasonal song : SYNE

43. Nerd : GEEK

44. When repeated, a Kenyan rebel : MAU. "Rebel" might be a kindly word, but we tend to forgive.

45. Play about Capote : TRU

48. De __: strictly proper : RIGUEUR. Word of the day. I had "RIG" and I knew - KNEW! it had to be EUR but. Gosh darn it, I will remember that extra "U" for ever.

55. Game console letters : NES. Nintentdo Entertainment System. More time-warp. 1983? Later? Earlier? Who knows.

56. Saloon order : ALE

57. Says lovingly : COOS

58. Flop opposite : HIT

59. Capital of Belarus : MINSK

66. Bring to mind : EVOKE

67. Made a point of? : SHARPENED.

68. Mail in, as payment : REMIT

69. Bordeaux belief :  IDÉE. Idea. French.

70. African antelope : GNU

Down:

1. "Say what?" : HUH?

2. Portfolio element, for short : I.R.A. I'm waiting for the "Irish Republican Army" to make a debut

3. Eponymous detective agency founder : PINKERTON

4. "Yowza!" : OH MY!

5. Sashimi tuna : AHI

6. T. __ : REX

7. "Ciao!" : SEE YA!

8. Forty winks : CATNAP

9. Geisha circler : OBI

10. Torah teacher : RABBI

11. False: Pref. : PSEUD. Not really, unless slang is inferred. PSEUDO might be accurate.

12. Little fight : SET-TO

14. Masterful : ADEPT

15. Backside, slangily : PRAT. Only in the "prat-fall" context. I'm not sure anyone fell on their "prat", or had a kick up the "prat". I'm sure Dictionary.com will have a different opinion, but I'm just working on common usage here.

21. "In the Year 2525" record label : RCA.

23. Fencing deflection : PARRY

24. Battle of the Bulge conflict, briefly : WWII

25. French __ : HORN. What a wonderful-looking instrument. Ron - can you play one of these?

26. Feeling nothing : NUMB

27. Paw parts : PADS

28. Chef's meas. : TSP.

32. Bird-to-be : EGG

34. First-name-only gathering : A.A. MEETING

35. Santa __ : CLAUS

36. Put-down : SLUR

38. Tennis great Sampras : PETE. I see that the Wimbledon Championships are being trailed on TV right now. Who are your favorites? Please "boo" any sports announcer who pronounces it "Wimble-Ton", It's a "D" and has been for *cough* couplehunderdyears *cough*. I used to live a couple of miles away from the venue - I have to confess I never saw a match at the All-England Club,but I did have a few beers at the Rose and Crown on Wimbledon Common.

I never went here

I went here a lot

39. Actress Hatcher : TERI

40. Will beneficiary : HEIR

41. Pre-op test : E.K.G.

46. Clamor : RACKET. Or racquet, at Wimbledon. "Quiet Please!"

47. What a weather balloon may be mistaken for, briefly : U.F.O.

49. Make one : UNITE

50. Less credible, excuse-wise : LAMER

51. Greenish color : OLIVE

52. Stingray secretion : VENOM

53. Fancy dressers : FOPS

54. Beer brand from Tokyo : ASAHI. Not Kirin? Damn. Do-Over.

58. Promote aggressively : HYPE.

60. Deal with moguls : SKI. Or pratfall, mostly, in my case

62. "Far out!" : RAD!

63. Afternoon ora : TRE. Ouch!

64. Patriarchy rulers : MEN

65. Kin of gov : EDU. There's COM, ORG, NET and all sorts to keep you company on your journey around the World Wide Web!

Apologies for the brevity - busy week this week! If you're confused about anything here, you've got my email address.

Look forward to seeing you all soon! Here's the grid:

Steve

Note from C.C.:

Just got this cheerful update from Joann:

"Good news!  For now no surgery.  Dr wants to wait and see if the small intestine will open up more. Walking will help so we walk a lot at the hospital. No food or drink yet for now; IV's give him nutrients and meds.  Dr told Gary that if he were in Gary's shoes he would wait and see if this works.  If not then last resort he will do surgery.  

This will mean remaining in the hospital for a while longer but we both agreed we can live with that. We got a kitty last September so she has been a god send to both of us. Gary does miss seeing here but I send him lots of videos on his phone.  

Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers. Keep them coming okay?"

 

Tuesday, Jun 23, 2015 David Poole

Theme: Keep looking up - to see the stars in the sky...and in the puzzle.

28D. Up-and-comers, and what the circled squares contain : RISING STARS

4D. "Sugar and spice" tykes : LITTLE GIRLS. RIGEL - In the constellation Orion.

9D. Altar exchanges : MARRIAGE VOWS. VEGA - In the constellation Lyra.

21D. Brunch dish with hollandaise sauce : EGGS BENEDICT. In the constellation Cygnus.

Argyle down here. Tough to pick out the stars without the circles but they aren't needed for the solve. One entry is within the last word while the other two span two words.

Across:

1. Wayne Gretzky's NHL career record 894 : GOALS

6. SALT warhead : ICBM. (intercontinental ballistic missile) It can carry a warhead but I would not call it a warhead.

10. Gridiron throw : PASS

14. Columbo's asset : LOGIC. The TV detective.

15. Law office hiree, briefly : PARA. (paralegal)

16. Superficially highbrow : ARTY

17. Singer Baker : ANITA

18. Finished : OVER

19. Way in : DOOR

20. Mickey of the Yankees : MANTLE

22. O.K. Corral family name : EARP

24. CAT scan kin : MRI

25. Table supports : LEGS

27. Three-dimensional historical display : DIORAMA

29. Throat soothers : LOZENGES

33. "Thrilla in Manila" boxer : ALI

34. Props and scenery, as a unit : STAGE SET

35. Treat leniently, with "on" : GO SOFT

39. Nobelist Morrison : TONI. Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993 for Beloved.

40. Utah's __ Canyon : BRYCE

42. Intestinal sections : ILEA. Ileum, singular.

43. Actress North : SHEREE. ... was Kramer's mom on Seinfeld?!

45. With affection : LOVINGLY

47. System of connected PCs : LAN. (local area network)

48. Stretch out : ELONGATE. Turns a circle into an oval.

49. Waded to the other side of : CROSSED. Meh.

53. Hooting hunters : OWLS

54. Put a spell on : HEX

55. Perfect place : EDEN

57. Suppresses, as bad news : SITS ON

61. Flower painted by van Gogh : IRIS

63. Desktop image : ICON

65. Niño's mother : MADRE. Spanish.

66. Art class subject : NUDE

67. Roadwork marker : CONE

68. Shore up : BRACE

69. From square one : ANEW

70. Arborist's study : TREE

71. Heroic Schindler : OSKAR. He made a list.

Down:

1. Glittery rock music genre : GLAM. Short for glamour.

2. O'Neill's daughter : OONA

3. Feudin' with : AGIN. An informal, facetious, or dialect word for against.

5. Like some triangles : SCALENE. I had to look up the meaning. (unequal sides)

6. Wall St. debut : IPO. (initial public offering)

7. Stalactite site : CAVE

8. Diner basketful : BREAD

10. Bachelor __ : PAD

11. Food court lure : AROMA

12. Weather-controlling "X-Men" character : STORM

13. Country where damask was first made : SYRIA

23. Sport with mallets : POLO

26. Visionary : SEER

29. D-Day carriers : LSTs. Welcome back, old friend. (Landing Ship, Tank)

30. IMer's "Then again ... " : OTOH. (On The Other Hand)

31. Western writer Grey : ZANE

32. Fashion : STYLE

36. Gold medalist Korbut : OLGA

37. Poolroom surface : FELT. On the table.

38. Actor Diggs : TAYE. Taye Diggs, born and raised in Rochester, NY.

41. Where Pikes Peak is: Abbr. : COLO. (Colorado) Just behind Nevada in size.

44. Lack of difficulty : EASE

46. Left hanging : IN LIMBO

49. Wedding registry category : CHINA

50. Between-seasons TV fare : RERUN

51. Nitrous __ : OXIDE

52. Interior designer's concern : DÉCOR

56. Zero : NONE

58. Mt. Rushmore's state : SDAK. (South Dakota)

59. Ocean predator : ORCA

60. Not e'en once : NE'ER

62. Attach a patch, say : SEW

64. Bridal bio word : NÉE

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

Gary's wife Joann wrote to me earlier. She said that the meds to remove the blockage have not worked, and it's very likely that Gary will have surgery sometime tomorrow.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Get back to us soon, Gary!

Joann & Gary