Friday August 1, 2014, Julian Lim

Theme: Flights of fancy, or just plane pun!

White rabbit, white rabbit. In a reversal theme, in the four in the language phrases are clued to make them related to air travel. The first word of each phrase can be used in the context of a scheduled flight, and what you may see if you look at the board at an airport. If you Google, even with quotation marks the four phrases are all common, though obviously some more easily sussed. Boarding School tipped me to the theme and it made getting the others much easier. Julian, a prolific constructor living in Singapore always gives me a work out, but this one seemed a tad easier. Not easy, just doable. In addition to two 13s and tow 14s in the theme (TEMA for our Italian friends) there were some gems CASIOS,  SPATES, CROATIA,  DATA SET,  PAY CASH,  RASHERS, LOLL AROUND and my favorite TOOTSIE POP.  Well, while I suck on my candy, let's get to work.

20A. Consequence of a late flight? : DELAYED EFFECT. (13). For me this was the hardest because it is such a vague, all encompassing phrase. Flight delays are less of prob;em now that the airlines deliberately factor them into their estimates.

33A. Where to learn how to be on time for a flight? : BOARDING SCHOOL.(14). Went to boarding school, one run after the tradition of Eton (see below)

39A. Luggage on a recently-arrived flight? : LANDED PROPERTY.(14). This TERM may be more prevalent in Singapore, but I am sure you knew of the landed gentry and their ESTATES.
 
52A. Mark showing the status of a stormy-day flight? : CANCELED CHECK.(13).


Across:

1. Bottom application : TALC.Cute way to start the day with a bab's bottom.

5. Crystallizes : JELLS. Are they the same? Certainly when it comes to an idea, but does the science work?

10. Hemingway sobriquet : PAPA. I get called Papa, because my beard is all white but I do not look like these guys:

14. New car feature : ODOR. You can buy the smell in a can now.

15. "Stop kidding around!" : OH YOU. I get this often.

16. Claire's younger daughter on "Modern Family" : ALEX. The smart one. CLIP. (0:23).

17. First name at Woodstock : ARLO. He gave the absolute worst performance and refused to sing even a few bars of Alice's Restaurant.

18. Harold's film partner : KUMAR. The modern version.

19. "Eek!" : YIPE.

23. Outpourings : SPATES. Spate to me is even more dramatic then just an outpouring.

24. Day __ : SPA. Very popular here.

25. Narrow inlet : RIA. A word I know only from crosswords.
26. 2014 U.S. Women's Open champ : WIE.This 6' Hawaiian is finally harnessing her TALENT. (0:32) You may not know that her mother was a beauty queen.

29. Immature retort : IS TOO. IS NOT!

36. Premier __: wine designation : CRU.

37. Patek Philippe competitor : OMEGA. You have to watch out for Julian's trickery.

38. Ratified : OKD.

44. Stop by : END AT. Not to visit, but to cease.

45. Getting-off pt. : STN. Station.

46. Some hosps. : VAS. Hard to comment and not get political.

47. Talking-__ (lectures) : TOS. Ah, the old parental good "talking to."

49. Privia digital pianos, e.g. : CASIOS. The FACTS.

56. Media concern : BIAS. Really? It hardly seems anyone cares about bias in the media as all sides have their slanted presentations.

58. Bellowing : AROAR. Oh my, I have not had an "A" word in months; they used to be the bane of Fridays.

59. Sport with touches : EPEE.

60. Boxer's reward : BONE.

61. Tool in Excel : MACRO. I know how to use macros in word perfect...

62. It's played on Broadway : ROLE.

63. Stop : QUIT.

64. Church reading : PSALM. I get confused, as the Psalms are all part of the Old Testament, how are they used in the Church?

65. Hit the __ : SPOT. For me it is that first sip of coffee.

Down:

1. Natterjacks : TOADS.

2. Pitcher? : AD REP. Back to my Monday references to Mad Men and Crazy People.

3. Hang out : LOLL AROUND. This required building from the perps, just not a phrase that jumped to mind.

4. Montenegro neighbor : CROATIA. The Black Mountain is a very entertaining book in the Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout where he explores the characters Montenegrin background.

5. Routine elements : JOKES. Really great Friday clue, as jokes are part of a comedians routine, not part of everyday life.

6. Israeli statesman Barak : EHUD.This past prime minister of Israel perhaps is best known for his involvement in successful RAIDS.

7. __ disease: tick-transmitted affliction : LYME. This was named after a town in Connecticut, not far from where I grew up.

8. Word with meat or sugar : LOAF.  Your choice, MEAT  (7:18) or SUGAR.(4:00).

9. Sees the sites : SURFS. Sights, sites word play.

10. Exchange notes : PAY CASH. Bank notes. Tricky.

11. Disembarked : ALIT.

12. Zip or drive : PEP.
13. Big name in men's grooming : AXE. This does appear in many forms in so many of my puzzles to blog.

21. Wine datum : YEAR.

22. Expansive : EPIC. Four letters but not that easy.

26. Chickens : WIMPS. I perceive wimps as even more afraid than chickens.

27. Nonreactive : INERT.The clue is often a gas. How noble.

28. Goad : EGG ON. According to Answers.com the use of  egg as the vern to  'urge' as in egg on is from Old Norse eggja 'incite, encourage, urge on' - and is not related to the eggs laid by birds. Egg as a verb is recorded in print in 1200, but not until 1566 in the phrase egg on.

30. Lickable candy since 1931 : TOOTSIE POP. I bet many a tooth was lost to the impatient ones wanting the to get to the center. HISTORY.

31. "The Addams Family" adjective : OOKY. The theme SONG.
 
32. Clichéd : OLD.

33. Cereal box word : BRAN.

34. Chuck Hagel's gp. : DOD. Department of Defense.

35. Enervate : SAP. The opposite of the similar sounding energize.

36. Browns, on scoreboards : CLEveland, Johnny Manziel and Lebron; and the PGA at Firestone in Akron; how much excitment can Ohio take?

40. Mining target : DATA SET. The next step in the Bif Brother world predicted. LEARN.

41. "The most private of private schools": Hugh Laurie : ETON. You need to know this four letter school in England for kings and princes and actors.

42. Copter rescue, perhaps : EVACuation.

43. Bacon units : RASHERS.

48. Rogue : SCAMP.

49. Storage medium : CDROM. Why are all CDs gypsies?

50. 3M sponge brand : OCELO.

51. Sport with shotguns : SKEET. I never heard of a word which was born in a CONTEST.

52. "Is it allowed?" : CAN I? I was raised to ask May I.

53. Chunks of history : ERAS.

54. "Livin' La Vida __": Ricky Martin hit : LOCA.

55. Well-manored individual? : EARL. Another fun play on words, as Downton Abbey is Lord Grantham's manor. A reference to the Landed Property above.

56. Chip flavor : BBQ.

57. Slip for chips, maybe : IOU. A chip double...When you win keep betting, when you lose quit before you lose big.

Monday, July 28, 2014, D. Scott Nichols and C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Hello 'Dere

In comedy circles the pairing of a handsome Italian singer and a clownish Jewish comedian is common practice, and while Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis may be the gold standard, Allen and Rossi worked together for many years with this catch phrase.

It seemed fitting to use this pairing as the theme for the reappearance of the team of Argyle and C.C.
I found the puzzle a great example of a Monday, with a very gettable theme with a good reveal and many easy fill.  But there are also many middling length words like DEPART, NESTLE,  SPARSE,  STALLS,  STEAKS, UNREST,  ALL THAT,  SITS PAT, PASSOVER,  BE MY GUEST,  SO IT SEEMS which like their earlier efforts in 2012 and 2013, make you work a little bit for your porridge. After Steve blogged the first one, and Argyle his own, Scott was looking for a pinch hitter, so here I (we) am (are).


17A. Nautically themed boy's outfit : SAILOR SUIT. Hello Sailor is a classic line from a working girl. Speaking of girls and sailor suits..this was very popular when my boys were little. LINK. (1:32)

25A. "9 to 5" singer : DOLLY PARTON. Hello Dolly the very successful stage play and movie about the matchmaker.

47A. Filler for Tabby's box : KITTY LITTER. The ridiculously successful FRANCHISE.

And the reveal,

58A. Friendly greeting, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 25- and 47-Across : HELLO THERE..


1. Electrical pioneer Nikola : TESLA. With Tesla Motors I am sure everyone knows something of this highly charged scientist.

6. __ and bolts : NUTS.

10. Take the chance : DARE. Of course this fill is what brought Marty Allen back to mind.

14. Not whispered : ALOUD.

15. Morales of "NYPD Blue" : ESAI. Classic beginner crosswordese for a minor character on a show off the air for a very long time.

16. Charles Lamb pseudonym : ELIA.

19. Repressed, with "up" : PENT.

20. Caesar's rebuke to Brutus : ET TU. Brute. And you Brutus?

21. JFK prediction : ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.

22. Thinly distributed : SPARSE. Like the beards on many young men, which you can see clearly in...

24. Hi-__ image : RES. My write over, as I had hi-def. Any comments on HI in an Hello puzzle?


27. Beethoven's "Für __" : ELISE. Another very common fill in early week puzzles.

29. Direction after Near, Far or Middle : EAST.

30. Three-layer cookies : OREOS. A fresh clue for another old favorite.

32. Greasy spoon orders, briefly : BLTS. Bacon Lettuce Tomato(s).

33. Green __, Wisc. : BAY. Training camp has started. Interesting that there are two Bays in the NFL.

36. Overplay on stage : HAM UP. Would like an "IT" somewhere there.

37. Nil : ZIP. So many ways to say nothing.

38. More than chubby : OBESE. Based on height and weight I am obese.

40. NBA tiebreakers : OTS. OverTimes.

41. Put down, as linoleum : LAID. Yeah, I had a girl friend like that once, but she was not one of those...

43. Femmes fatales : VAMPS.

44. Pretzel topping : SALT. At my \Auntie Annies there is so much more.

45. Far from posh : SEEDY. Like many places with linoleum floors.

51. Space between things : GAP. Am I the only one who thought of Michael Strahan's teeth?

54. Pre-riot state : UNREST. Newspeak.

55. Dinghy propeller : OAR.

56. Aww-inspiring? : CUTE. Really cute clue.

57. March Madness org. : NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association.

61. Poster-hanging hardware : TACK. I bet you all nailed that one.

62. Jump on the ice : AXEL. Always a nice SO to dear Clear Ayes.

63. Eye surgery tool : LASER. Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Had mine in 2011, did not go well. Not related to 1D. Stun gun kin : TASER. The one used by the police according to wiki  was invented by a man who named it after his childhood favorite Thomas A. Swift and His Electric Rifle.

64. Picnic spoilers : ANTS. And cousins...

65. Wobbly walkers : TOTS. Alliteration and a cute mental picture.

66. Credits as a source : CITES.

Down:


2. Lift the spirits of : ELATE. Euphoria here I come.

3. "Evidently" : SO IT SEEMS. Multiple word fill can be tricky.But this one was not a...

4. Doozie : LULU. Causing no...

5. Commotion : ADO.  Allowing me to ...

6. Get snuggly : NESTLE. In my...

7. Bar regular's order, with "the" : USUAL. Place next to the lamp.

8. "__-Pan": Clavell novel : TAI. An interesting book about some Hong Kong BIG SHOTS.

9. Refuses to make changes : SITS PAT. From poker?

10. Leave : DEPART.

11. Like a sentry : ALERT. We all hope....

12. Classic laundry detergent : RINSO. To me it was RINSO BLUE. Recognize the pitchman? (1:55).

13. All finished, as dinner : EATEN.

18. Antique autos : REOS. Mr. Olds old car.

23. Holiday with a Seder : PASSOVER. Or two....

25. Showroom exhibitions : DISPLAYS.

26. Website providing restaurant reviews : YELP.

28. Reed of The Velvet Underground : LOU. Lou who died this year, is the favorite of Melrose Plant; perhaps you will like his SONG.(4:32).

30. "Now I get it!" : OHO. Meh.

31. Lab rodent : RAT. Dawn of the Planet of the Rats?

32. Bridge player's call : BID.

33. "Help yourself" : BE MY GUEST. I had the B and the rest came easily; of course my youngest performed in Beauty and the Beast. SONG. (3:30)

34. Snake on a pharaoh's crown : ASP.

35. Thumbs-up : YES. Tempted to link more music. SONG.(6:06).

37. Pasta tubes : ZITI. I make a nice baked ziti.

39. Like stormy weather : BAD. Maybe some Bad Company too. SONG. (6:16)

42. "It's __ and a bag of chips" : ALL THAT. My research suggests this 90's phrase which I learned from my kids originated in a Busta Rhymes (love that name) lyric. Anyone?


44. Outback specialties : STEAKS. The restaurant chain with the bloomin' onion and Paul Hogan who just divorced Linda after 17 years.

45. Delays on purpose : STALLS.

46. Designer Saarinen : EERO. On to the weird first name part of the fill, with this famous architect and...
47. Kinte of "Roots" : KUNTA. Alex Haley's great, great, great, great, grandfather is back.


48. Peruvian native : INCAN.

49. Parcel of land : TRACT.

50. Apartment vacancy sign : TO LET.

52. "... poem lovely as __": Kilmer : A TREE. I hope neither Owen or Chairman Moe are threatened but...LINK.

53. Social equals : PEERS. In Britain, the Lords and Ladies.

56. Indian spiced tea : CHAI. I like one now and then.

59. Prefix with thermal : EXO. I never saw it so it eiminated the GEO EXO conflict.

60. Compassionate handling, briefly : TLC. Tender Loving Care, which I tried to bring to this blog, sitting in for Argyle. It is my maiden Monday effort, and I now have all five days of the week done.Well enjoy the last week in July, NFL training camps open (!) sun shining and the puzzles keep on flowing from the Corner and its friends. Thanks guys , a fun ride. See you all next time,

Friday, July 25, 2014, Jacob McDermott

Theme: AUTO-fill.

Not sure why, and nothing to cry about, but I saw the theme immediately after filling in SAND CRAB. It still takes some solving to find the right car companies, but it was all good and the reveal, the tricky 'tear apart' meaning for rent masking the simple theme of taking an automaker name, split it, and use the front for the beginning of first word of a two word phrase and the rest for the end of the second word. The theme phrases went from  very good (BUILDING BLOCK and DOCKING BRIDGE) to FIRE HAT. The fill had some fun non-theme like AGATHA, BYE NOW, KING ME, LOFTED, ROCOCO, URBANE, RATLINE,  DON’T DELAY and SIDEKICKS. It looks like Mr. McDermott, (who we welcome to the LAT today (he has two NYT publications in 2013, his debut on my birthday) is still hedging on too much long fill, but he used minimal blocks to get this one done. Let us see where Jacob has driven us.


17A. *Beach scuttler : SAND CRAB (8). When I moved down here and visited a house near the ocean, I was shocked by the number of these guys in the yard. My favorite English Teacher in College drove an old SAAB which had no reverse. Made driving and parking a challenge.

24A. *Platform used when mooring ships : DOCKING BRIDGE (13). I will let the boaters explain this, as I DODGE my responsibility.

39A. *Headwear for a hose user : FIRE HAT (7). MY girl friend weighs 100 pounds and want this FIAT.

50A. *Lego unit : BUILDING BLOCK (13). I wonder  if this was the seed entry. My father used to always drive a BUICK.
And the reveal:
62A . Wheels on loan ... or, as the circles show, what four puzzle answers have done? : RENT A CAR. As I always say, the reveal is the key ot the fun and the renting (tearing apart) of thr car names is cool.


Across:


1. Went through with : DID. Good start for me.

4. Places to get stuck : RUTS.

8. Mr. Miyagi's art : KARATE.The movie was brought back to many by the constant references on How I Met Your Mother. Pat Morita of Happy Days fame was great.

14. Prefix with hazard : ECO.

15. Oft-fried vegetable : OKRA. There are only a million vegetables that people fry.

16. Army chopper : APACHE.

19. One concerned with show horses? : BETTOR. My defenrate friends always bet Win/Place not Show. Very cute clue.

20. 101 course, briefly : INTROduction.

21. "Later" : CIAO. Italian, now, like AmEx, accepted world wide.

23. Filmmaker Riefenstahl : LENI. I have had this controversial filmmaker BEFORE.

27. "Later" : BYE NOW.

29. Phrase of clarification : AS IN.I had trouble sussing this one, though it looks easy.

30. Part : ROLE. Mine is to explain.

31. Selma, to Bart : AUNT. Not sure I can tell her from her sister Patty Bouvier.

34. Shindigs, ultimately? : FESTS. Wanted FETES for some reason; I blame Steve and NC.

38. Scandinavian rug : RYA. Another repeat Friday word, this one from JW in May.


41. Soc. Sec. supplement : IRA. This clue for Individual Retirement Account took me longer than it should have.It was a...

42. Kind of pain? : ROYAL.

44. Victim of Atalanta in the Calydonian Hunt : BOAR. I do not want to bore you with this MYTH, but if you want to get a glass of wine and sit and READ....

45. Sixth-day creation : ADAM. Man, this was tricky too.

46. Verdi motif : TEMA. More Italian, hmm, McDermott?

48. Places to see bowlers : ALLEYS. Not the cricket pitch t\his time, eh Boomer?

55. Tolstoy title name : ANNA. One way to look at for all you BOOK CLUB people.

56. Secure, in a way : SEAL.

57. Impose fraudulently : FOIST. It makes me think of the three stooges  and what comes before second.

60. Disconcerting looks : STARES.

64. Demand upon reaching the other side : KING ME. Very difficult to parse, but good Friday
\
65. Fictional blue bovine : BABE. Paul Bunyan.

66. The Wildcats of the Big 12 Conf. : KSU. Never to be confused with the boys from Manhattan, the JayHawks.

67. Rains hard? : SLEETS.

68. Dutch town : STAD.

69. Ella, in the States : SHE. Some Spanish (Italian too?).

Down:


1. Fred : William :: Ricky : __ : DESI. Did you Love Lucy?

2. Positive words : I CAN. I think I can, I think I can....

3. Urgent ad words : DON'T DELAY. order now!!!!!

4. Florid 18th-century style : ROCOCO.

SOURCE

 5. The Dnieper flows through it: Abbr. : UKRaine. An area in the news all too much lately.

6. Bingham of "Baywatch" : TRACI.  Lots of stuff on the internet.

7. '50s vaccine pioneer : SABIN.

8. Skewered fare : KABOBS.

9. Arboreal critter : APE. Anyone seen the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, yet?

10. Rope ladder rung : RATLINE. Complete unknown term.

11. Pretended to be : ACTED.

12. Adventurous beachwear : THONG. Look if you must.  LINK 1. LINK 2.

13. Creepy : EERIE.

18. Go on and on : DRONE.

22. Mystery award : AGATHA. Dame Agatha Christie.

25. River in a 1957 Best Picture title : KWAI. Really fine MOVIE. (3:09)

26. One may lead to a feud : RIFT.

27. Cold response : BRRR. I was thinking figuratively at first.

28. Fluctuate wildly : YOYO. Big dieting word these days.

32. Cosmopolitan : URBANE. David Niven for me....

33. "The Matrix" hero : NEO. Future urbane?

35. Robin and others : SIDEKICKS. I got this solely from the perps as there are entirely too many Robins.

36. Room service item : TRAY. "Yes, I would like to order a tray please."

37. BJ's competitor : SAMS. These places are just too big, but great if you have a large family.

39. Bolted : FLED. Not Usain.

40. Sea once fed by the Amu Darya River : ARAL. No idea, but the letters are easy.

43. Out there : AT LARGE. I am not sure which one was meant.
Idiom: at large
1. Not in confinement or captivity; at liberty: a convict still at large.
2. As a whole; in general: the country at large.
3. Representing a nation, state, or district as a whole. Often used in combination: councilor-at-large.
4. Not assigned to a particular country. Often used in combination: ambassador-at-large.
5. At length; copiously.

45. Metal giant : ALCOA. ALuminum COmpany of America.

47. Air balls, e.g. : MISSES. Used often in basketball telecasts.

49. Hit in the air : LOFTED. A soft fly ball to left...

50. Luxuriates : BASKS. Here, it is in the sun.

51. Up to : UNTIL.

52. Silly : INANE. An apt word for much of my blogging style.

53. Clothes : GARBS.  It used to mean stylish ones; from the French garbe meaning graceful outline, which explains why Greta Guftasson chose her stage name..


54. Pasture call : BLEAT. A word I have not heard in years. This SOUND.(0:18).

58. Ceremonial accessory : SASH. The sash is critical.

59. "Indeed" : TRUE.

61. ER staff member : EMT. Emergency Medical Technician. Nit.

63. Spurs' org. : NBA. National Basketball Association.

Well another month flying by, another new constructor named Jacob (thank you JMc);   I leave you with the image of the 2012 Miss Universe from Rhode Island, Olivia Cuplo, who reminds us even the smallest garden can grow roses. Lemonade out.

Friday, July 18, 2014, Robin Stears

Theme: Does this puzzle go both ways?

In another variation of the letter substitution puzzle, Robin removes the letter "H" from some common phrases and inserts an "IT" in its place, and the resulting new phrases are skillfully clued. The clincher is the very witty reveal which reparses Switch Hit  to Switch H IT. As you all know by now, for me the reveal is critical to the enjoyment of this style of puzzle, and I love IT!  Robin has been with the LAT for many years going back to this PUZZLE She also is active on Twitter, and commenting on puzzles as well as having her own SITE promoting her puzzles and some books she has authored. This puzzle for me had the feel of a Friday with a low word count, no classic crosswordese and some fun 7 and 8 letter fill. ACETONE, ADOPTEE, ASUNDER, CELESTE, FERRARO, ROBERTS, CHATROOM, ETRUSCAN, LOIS LANE, SUGAR PEA.


17A. Imp who annoys the webmaster? : SITE DEVIL. SHE DEVIL transformed. Odd to see this paired with its homonym as part of the theme.

24A. Security group at a protest? : SIT IN GUARDS. SHIN GUARDS an appropriate fill for World Cup time, harkens back memories of college in the 60's.

34A. Quote from "Guerrilla Warfare"? : CITE GUEVARA. CHE GUEVERA was another major player in the 60's media.

49A. Improved Gemini missile? : BETTER TITAN. BETTER THAN is a bit of a flat phrase but we are being consistent with a rocket from 60s.  And the reveal,

57A. Swing both ways, and a literal hint to how four puzzle answers were created : SWITCH HIT.

Across:
        
1. 1980s Vicki Lawrence TV role : MAMA. The much younger Vicki played Carol Burnett's mother first on Carol's variety show and then on MAMA's FAMILY.(6:12).

5. Baylor University site : WACO. Where RG III and Brittney Greiner starred.

9. Cul-__ : DE SAC. We do not always want to use literal translations of French phrases incorporated into English. Not to be confused with 18D. Make potable, as seawater : DESALT.

14. Org. created in Baghdad in 1960 : OPEC. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

15. Emperor after Galba : OTHO. He was one of the 4 in the year of 4 Emperors, which I learned abot from my Classics studying son. No operation or salad named for this one.

16. Taken : IN USE. I doubt the movies would have done very well with this title.

19. Person of influence : MOGUL. If you ever wondered, the name comes from the Great Mogul, Mongol emperor of India after the conquest of 1520s,

20. Steel plow pioneer : DEERE. A company built on a very simple. premise. HISTORY.


21. Amy Adams' "Man of Steel" role : LOIS LANE. Why do the movies and TV shows always get it wrong; Lois is a brunette and Lana Lang the red-head. Once again a ginger.

23. "Baudolino" author : ECO. Author Umberto is becoming a favorite of constructors.

27. Mondale's running mate : FERRARO. Geraldine, if you forgot.

29. Cheesecake ingredient? : GAM. Pulp fiction word for an attractive female leg, probably from the Italian Gamba. Splynter are you out there? A classic.

30. Fondle : PET. Sounds weird.

31. Tasteless : BLAND. Ah, tasteless, not tasteless.

33. "Where __ you?" : WERE. A bad question to ever here.

38. Cheers : RAHS.

40. "On the Record" host Van Susteren : GRETA. No way to link this Fox news star without it ending up in political discussion.

41. Mozart's "L'__ del Cairo" : OCA.

42. Humanities degs. : MAS.

45. Oliver Twist, e.g. : ADOPTEE. Not my first or second thought.

52. __ mission : ON A. A Gemini one?

53. Ancient Po Valley dweller : ETRUSCAN. With a son who majored in Roman Archaeology, the pre-Roman Italian people  is another gimme.

54. Classics, e.g. : I-PODS. I am too old to understand this.

56. Underground network : ROOTS. This clue/fill will grow on you.

60. CD alternative : T-NOTE.

61. Fleming and McKellen : IANS. An Odd Couple? James Bond and Magneto? Or Gandalf?

62. Hawk's foe : DOVE. A very vocal comparison from the 60s when the Vietnam War raged.

63. Certain car carriers : SEMIS.

64. Span. miss : SRTA.

65. Hip follower? : STER. This is an accepted suffix (mob, trick etc.) even if you do not like this type of fill. My personal favorite is easy. LOB.

Down:

1. Rapper Yasiin Bey, formerly : MOS DEF. I know him only from his films, certainly not his most recent name. He was born Dante Terrell Smith. Not a 60s reference.

2. Pricing word : A PIECE.

3. Astronomer's sighting : METEOR.

4. Aspire maker : ACER. Computer.

5. Distress : WOE.

6. Beach transp. : ATV. All Terrain Vehicle.

7. It may be seen on a dog : CHILI.

8. Chinese tea : OOLONG. Did you know the HISTORY? It ties into the ...

9. Chinese dish served on small plates : DIM SUM. An odd sort of Clecho.

10. __ Gay : ENOLA.

11. Edible pod : SUGAR PEA. These are a form of snow or snap pea, not a sweet pea.

12. In bits and pieces : ASUNDER. Divorced anyone?

13. Pizza-For-One maker : CELESTE. A CSO to my son's MIL.

22. Supermarket letters : IGA. Independent Grocers Alliance.

25. Requiem Mass hymn word : IRAE.

26. Half a patio pair : TONG.

28. MLB stats : RBIS. It should never be "RBI's" as the plural is Runs Batted In, still RBI.

32. Grooved on : DUG. here we go back to the 60s; I am home.

33. Trendy sandwich : WRAP. So last year.

34. Place to practice netiquette : CHAT ROOM.

35. Latin 101 word : ERAT.

36. Sacred Hindu text : VEDA.

37. Not accented, as syllables : ATONIC.

38. 1955 Fonda role : ROBERTS. Hey MISTER. (2:18) A wonderful romp with Hank Fonda, Jimmy Cagney, Bill Powell and a young Jack Lemmon (no relation).

39. Polish remover ingredient : ACETONE.It is where the smell comes from. If you smell that in someone's breath getr them immediately to a hospital as it is likely caused by diabetic ketosis. Or too many orange certs.

42. Diddles (around) : MESSES. Not my first thought, nor likely Dennis'.

43. Hyperbola part : ARC. Not an exaggeration.

44. Equilibrium : STASIS.

46. One of Goldilocks' complaints : TOO HOT.

47. Vitamin K source : ENDIVE.This is the one vegetable I do not like.

48. __ egg : EASTER.

50. __-frutti : TUTTI. We have to go here: LINK. (2:05).

51. "__, truth is the first casualty": Aeschylus : IN WAR. Another topic I will avoid for non-political political reasons.

55. Third degrees? : PHDS. Philosophiae Doctor(s).

58. Bank acct. entry : INTerest.

59. PC-checking org., at times : TSA. Transportation Safety Administration.

Friday, July 11, 2014, Jacob

Theme: Welcome to Crossword CORNER! Leave your STAND over there.

A quick turnaround in Friday puzzles for Jacob, as we just had him on June 20, with his BETCHA CAN'T EAT JUST ONE puzzle..Today we have visual where the reveal tells us to look at the corners and the circled spaces. Obviously, the theme is impossible without the circles.Each set makes a word when read around the corner describes a type of stand. (Stand in the corner...get it?). The visual of the puzzle almost shows the various stands in the corners, if you use your imagination. I confess the connection between the four circled answers eluded me. But with a little help from my friends... Ringo turned 74 on Monday! With so few words dedicated to the theme there was plenty of room for fun and Jacob gives us 30! seven (7) letter fill. Some of the best are ANODYNE,  A PRIORI BROMINE,  DEDUCES,  DEMERIT, FLAT TAX,  FLICKER GONE MAD,  GRENADE,  HIND END,  IMITATE,  INK PADS, RADIATE, ROGAINE ROLODEX,  SEXLESS, SPLAYED, SUMATRA. Anyway, here we go...

21A. With 55-Across, be punished at school, old-style ... and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters : STAND IN.(7). 55A. See 21-Across : A CORNER.(7) This was a common punishment in grammar school when i was young. The revealed words in the circles are:

NW: MUSIC (5) Music stand.
NE: DISPLAY (7).Display stand.
SW: TAXI(s) (4).Taxi stand.
SE: WITNESS (7).Witness stand.


1. Often-bracketed word : SIC. Does (sic) you often get this wrong?

4. Lot's uncle : ABRAHAM. His wife got in a lot of trouble with too much sodium. Bible. 43D. Whence "salt of the earth" : MATTHEW. More bible, 5:13. Salt appears again (after Ms. Lot's transformation) as early as Leviticus 2:13.

11. Put down : DIS. The modern shortcut speak of DISRESPECT, not related to the negative prefix DYS.. Surprised by the inclusion of 45D. Object : DISSENT, which does come from the same base.

14. Dotted line? : URL. Uniform Resource Locator, another modern clue/fill.

15. One of the halogens : BROMINE. Old knowledge here, (Br) along with fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), iodine (I), and astatine (At) are elements.I did not recall At, meaning I guess I no longer know where it is At.

16. Diocletian, e.g.: Abbr. : EMPeror. Old, old KNOWLEDGE. Thanks to my Classics major son, I am aware this one was the last in the chain to severely persecute Christians.

17. 1972 host to Nixon : MAO. I remember it well.

18. Color in four-color printing : MAGENTA. One of the CYMAK colors, along with CYAN, YELLOW and BLACK.

19. 1,000 thou : MIL.

20. T or F, maybe : ANSwer.

22. Itinerary abbr. : ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.

23. Knotted : TIED. The score was....

25. Begets : SIRES. Now some biblical wording.

26. Tea holder : TRAY. Tea the service, not the bag or the drink.

27. Deserve : RATE.

28. Family nickname : NAN. I presume he is referring to the common nickname for grandmothers.

29. Bar mitzvah, for one : RITE. Ritual.

30. Pain reliever : ANODYNE.I am not sure where I learned the word, but Martha Grimes, Anodyne Necklace placed it firmly in my memory banks.

33. Charged, as an account : DEBITED.

36. OPEC member : UAE.United Arab Emirates.

37. Certain clip-on, briefly : MIC. This clue at least tells you it is an abbreviation.

38. Start to go out : FLICKER. Light bulbs and humans are good examples.

42. Lost it : GONE MAD. Sounds like a drama queen to me.

46. Unassisted : LONE.

47. Galley item : OAR. The ship not the kitchen on a ship.

49. Big __: Red Sox slugger's nickname : PAPI. Not much joy in Beantown this year for any of the defending World Series champs. Chemistry really seems to matter.

50. Aquatic birds : AUKS. WATCH. (2:18) Anyone been to Auckland? Not related.

51. Stephen King's "DOCTOR __" : SLEEP. His recent sequel to THE SHINING. LINK.

53. Orch. section : STRS. I guess this means strings, JzB, help me out?

54. Hot info? : TIP. From the track touts next to....

57. "___ not for you to hear what I can speak": "Macbeth" : TIS. The ironic greeting MacDuff gives Lady Macbeth as she comes upon Duncan's lifeless body.

58. Gatekeeping org.? : TSA. Transportation Security Administration.

59. Give off : RADIATE.Pregnant women are said to glow, what do you think?

60. Prepare for planting : HOE. No Don Imus jokes.

61. Lend a hand : AID.

62. Like new tires : TREADED. Really?

63. Directional suffix : ERN.

64. Frat letters : XIS.

65. Neuter : SEXLESS. Hey, let's not get personal.

66. One skilled in repartee : WIT. Well we are half way home, and perhaps the same can be said for the wit here.

Down:

1. Island on the Equator : SUMATRA. My favorite Starbuck's coffee. This is the largest purely Indonesian Island, and sixth largest island in the world. (per wiki).

2. Ahvaz native : IRANIAN. A city from ancient Persia with a new NAME.

3. Within reach of : CLOSE TO. All perps.

4. Subj. of a 1972 defense treaty : ABMS. Anti-Ballistic MissileS.

5. Regular sources of annoyance : BRATS. Well those Chicago Cub and Bear fans can get very rowdy.

6. Growth industry brand? : ROGAINE. Funny, hair growth industry.

7. Egyptian god : AMEN RA. Also spelled AMON and AMUN. More religion.

8. Rear : HIND END. What we often think of when dealing with...

9. Naysayers : ANTIS, who are often bad-spirited or down right...

10. Small-minded : MEAN. If we run things we can give them a ...

11. Black mark : DEMERIT.

12. Ape : IMITATE. I am excited about tonight's opening of this new franchise LINK.

13. Spread out : SPLAYED. Sounds cute but very serious for ANIMALS.

24. Concludes : DEDUCES. Interesting as this is part of understanding 44D. Like some knowledge : A PRIORI.

26. Arm straightener : TRICEPS.The muscle you use, and if exercised creates a nice horseshoe.


31. Long-haired grazer : YAK.

32. Formerly : NEE.

34. Genre of the band Jimmy Eat World : EMO.

35. Storage container : BIN.

38. 1992 Jerry Brown campaign proposal : FLAT TAX. Many have proposed flat taxes, but to discuss would be politics.

39. French king known as "the Stammerer" : LOUIS II. Poor guy! I wonder if he saw this MOVIE.

40. Stamp suppliers : INK PADS. Nice misdirection.

41. Circular file? : ROLODEX. We think of the garbage can as the circular file, but the old Rolodex certainly were.

42. It has a safety pin : GRENADE. My favorite clue/fill, so far from my first thought of DIAPER.



48. Passé rooftop sight : AERIAL. Same thin as an ANTENNA.

51. Alarm : SCARE. I do not mean to alarm you, but we are almost done.

52. "For __ sake!" : PETE'S. According to the phrase finder, this was developed as a substitute oath much like JEEZ, FOR PETE'S SAKE - The phrase is simply a polite version of a common and profane expression involving the name of Christ. We'd surmise that the original 'Pete' was St. Peter."

55. Fine __ : ARTS. What is a coarse art? Exotic dancing?

56. They're often served with spaghetti : REDS. Cincinnati ball players? No wines, you idjit!

Friday July 4, 2014

Theme: A Fourth of July tribute to America and to Ralph Ellison and the Invisible (American)Man

Oh, Jeffrey Wechsler, what did you do to me? When a puzzle begins with 1A as part of the theme you know you are going to have to work for your supper. Confidently putting in AMERICAN (the airline of the Admirals Club) and then ATL as 1D and MAD as 2D, I got slapped in the face with 3D which had to be RET(ired). Scuttling along like a beetle, I went to the next starred clue and knew Centurion was one of many AmEx cards, which gave me the theme; revived. I went back fixed the beginning and had a mostly smooth solve. I loved the theme for this holiday with AMERICAN the unsaid beginning to each starred answer. The thought of the invisible American in each answer brought me to Mr. Ellison. Without any politics or religion subplot, there are so many reasons I am proud to be an American and proud to blog this fun work from JW.  A few unknowns and some  distant memories, but it all filled. Aside from the 9 short theme fill (if you see asterisks you know there are fill longer than the designated theme fill in the grid) there are some crunchy, yummy fill. INGENUE, PUMMELS, SNEERED,  TIEPOLO, UNTAMED, BIO-DOME, LET ME TRY, LUTENIST, TREE BARK all are great. Of course to get this many interesting things in the fill, you are going to need some short fill and JW goes the acronym route, I hope that does not make you acrimonious. So let's get to the fireworks.

1A. *Admirals Club carrier : AIRLINES. (8). American Airlines.

9A. *Rose variety : BEAUTY. (6). American Beauty.

29A. *Centurion card issuer : EXPRESS. (7). American Express. Worked for them for a while.

37A. *Entertainment phenomenon since 2002 : IDOL. (4). American Idol.

38A. *TV show that had a 50th anniversary celebration in 2002 : BANDSTAND. (9). American Bandstand.

41A. *Line of 18-inch dolls : GIRL. (4). American Girl.  This was 4 letters but the one i needed help on.

51A. *PBS cultural documentary series : MASTERS. (7). American Masters. I do appreciate PBS.

70A. *Armed forces support group : LEGION. (6). American Legion. Very important in New England where I grew up.
and the reveal
71A. Apt adjective for today that's needed to make sense of eight puzzle answers : AMERICAN. (8).

Across:

15. Cork, essentially : TREE BARK. I bet you did not all of THIS.

16. "Right away, boss!" : I'M ON IT. An interesting vowel consonant progression, with its partner...

17. "I'd like a shot" : LET ME TRY.

18. Like some windshields : TINTED.

19. Condescends : STOOPS. These are not synonymous for me at all. How could you STOOP so low, does not equate to he CONDESCENDED to speak to the crowd. IMO.

21. __ tide : NEAP.

22. Toot : JAG. A bender.

25. River in Hades : LETHE. For Greek scholars, I guess I forgot about this ONE, not as famous as STYX. (4:28).

27. Stylish '60s Londoner : MOD. The mods and the rockers ruled my teen age years.

33. Beats badly : PUMMELS. Not to be confused with Pommel.

35. Know : BE SURE. My mind went here....

36. Kitchen spray : PAM. Did you this is  an acronym for Product of Arthur Meyerhoff?

44. Word with job or laborer : DAY.

45. Bahamian capital : NASSAU. A real gimme for us here in So.Fla.

49. Showed contempt : SNEERED.

52. Turkish honorific : AGA. Not a British cook stove.

53. Speak : ORATE. Not related to O Ration the favorite food for Orangutans.

55. Woven thing : WEB. Tangled usually...

56. Wax-wrapped import : EDAM. Cheesy. Sub theme? 50D. Parmesan alternative : ROMANO. I get them together.

58. Wiser partner? : SADDER. There are many things we all learn the hard way.

62. The NFL's "Golden Arm" : UNITAS. Loved those high tops.

64. Closed ecosystems : BIODOMES.

68. They're likely to be edited : RUNONS.

69. Renaissance musician : LUTENIST. New word for me. Just don't see that many Lutes outside of GOT.

Down:

1. N.L. East team : ATLanta Braves.  Are they and Cleveland next after the Washington Redskins?

2. Choler : IRE.

3. Like Gen. Powell : RETired.

4. NASA moon landers : LEMS. An unintentional SO to this blogger, and a reference to a junked name for the Lunar Excursion Module which is apparently now just LM.

5. "That's doubtful" : I BET. She asked you out?

6. Intl. alliance since 1949 : NATO. North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Acronym time. part II ( I do not count PAM as so few know this is an acronym).

7. Director Morris et al. : ERROLS. Flynn is too easy but is this one too HARD?

8. Video chat choice : SKYPE. Great tool for overseas business. Not an acronym, not a portmanteau, but close.

9. Small amount : BIT.

10. "8 Mile" star : EMINEM. Marshall Bruce Mathers, III is among the top ten in career album sales. He is an twisted acronym.

11. Top-notch : A-ONE. Do you like their steak sauce?

12. Wild : UNTAMED.

13. 18th-century Venetian painter : TIEPOLO. Just as Erroll Morris is arguable the greatest documentary director, this prolific PAINTER may be the best of his time, but is also not a household name.

14. Until now, to CPAs : YTD. Year To Date.

20. Mar. honoree : ST. PATrick.

22. Son and brother of George : JEB. Clearly Bush league cluing here. John Ellis Bush.

23. Tool for fellers? : AXE. More SSO here.

24. Tracking aid: Abbr. : GPS. Global Positioning System.

26. Wellpoint competitor : HUMANA. Health care giants.

28. Broadband letters : DSL. Digital Subscriber Line. Beginning to see red? 48D. PC port : USB. Universal Serial Bus. 62D. High-tech address : URL. Uniform Resource Locator.

30. Belarus currency : RUBLE. A lucky guess.

31. Historical period : ERA.

32. Shipping worker : SENDER.

34. Core : MIDST.

36. Korean musician with the hit "Gangnam Style" : PSY. 15 minutes over? Do you want a Link?

39. Certain parents, to their tots : DADAS.

40. __ in November : N AS.

41. Fed. procurement agency : GSA. General Services Administration.

42. Vamp opposite : INGENUE. Ah, all the poor ingenues who flocked to Hollywood.

43. Grade school focus : READING. 'Riting and 'Rithmatic.

46. Darn, say : SEW. Socks, not curses.

47. "There you __!" : ARE. Yes I am right here.
.
51. Pizza order : MEDIUM. Not in my house.

54. Drum with a sitar : TABLA. A total learning experience. Join and READ.

57. Yours, in Tours : A TOI.

59. Lavish attention : DOTE.

60. Linda of Broadway's "Jekyll & Hyde" : EDER.

61. Rice-A-__ : RONI. Still a San Francisco treat.

63. Federal ID : SSN. Social Security Number.

65. Karaoke need, briefly : MICrophone. Not always are you told it is an abbreviation.

66. That: Sp. : ESA.

67. Where many stand and wait: Abbr. : STN. Station. A little POETRY dear to me to end the day. MILTON.

A Happy Fourth of July to all of you, happy birthday America and many more; 238 candles! and thank you JW for another challenge which both suits the day but also shows the diversity of clues and life.  Lemonade out.