Friday, September 26, 2014

Theme: Sounds like....PHUN

A sound-alike pun puzzle where common F words are replaced with sound alike PH words and clued whimsically.


NAG NAG,  OMERTA,  SEA HAG,  SLIDER, HEXAGON,  RAKES IN,
AMEN AMEN,  ANTI-HERO,  SPEAKS UP





17A. Seriously uncool dairy product? : NON PHAT MILK. If phat still a positive term?
 (Fat =phat).

24A. Enjoy a TV psychologist? : HAVE ONES PHIL. Dr. Phil McGraw, of whom I long ago had my fill. (Fill=Phil).

46A. Followers' flowers? : PHLOX OF SHEEP. Flocks of sheep; love that sheep in the fill means a follower not the animal. The flowers which we had growing wild in my neighborhood. LINK. (Flocks = phlox).

56A. Sign on a hacker's door? : GONE PHISHIN' (11).  Gone fishin' replaced by THIS.
(Fishin' = phishin.)

Across:

1. Hamlet, for one : DANE.

5. Happy hour sandwich : SLIDER.

11. Modern film effects, briefly : CGI.

14. Troubled cry : ALAS.

15. Roman board game similar to modern backgammon : TABULA.

16. Cartoon Chihuahua : REN.

19. Farm resident : ANT.

20. Mauna __ : KEA.

21. Sitcom world : ORK.

22. Nail polish brand : ESSIE.

28. Long cold spell : ICE AGE.

31. Renée's "Chicago" role : ROXIE.

32. Pulitzer author McMurtry : LARRY.

33. Church cry : AMEN AMEN.

37. Boom, e.g. : SPAR.

38. Chose, with "for" : OPTED.

40. Flier on the beach : KITE.

41. Mad Max or Dirty Harry : ANTI-HERO.

43. "__ directed" : USE AS.

44. Serape wearer : SENOR.

45. They may be pulled : STUNTS.

50. Isabella, por ejemplo : REINA.

51. Teacup feature : EAR.

52. These, to Thierry : CES.

55. WWII battle site, for short : IWO.

61. "__ and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance": '70s best-seller : ZEN.

62. Code of silence : OMERTA.

63. Sleekly designed : AEROdynamic.

64. Masthead VIPs : EDS.

65. Response to constant carping : NAG NAG.

66. Last little bit : DREG.

Down:

1. Dungeonlike : DANK.

2. Natural heartburn remedy, some say : ALOE.

3. The Darlings' dog : NANA.

4. Alleged ability : ESP.

5. Feel a strong need (for) : STARVE.

6. Traditional Hanukkah serving : LATKE.

7. "THINK" sloganeer : IBM.

8. Issue of MADD : DUI.

9. Addition, perhaps : ELL.

10. Collects a lot of, as chips : RAKES IN.

11. Attend uninvited : CRASH.

12. Bottled spirits : GENII.

13. Big name in chips : INTEL.

18. Composer Carmichael : HOAGY.

23. Doesn't remain silent : SPEAKS UP.

24. Indiana player : HARRISON.  This one got me, as I filled in the answer and a blank look on my face until I realized we were having a Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones reference.

25. They provide addresses : ORATORS.

26. Iditarod terminus : NOME.

27. Marked, as a ballot : EXED.

28. "Sing it, Sam" speaker : ILSA.

29. Skip on the sea : CAP'N.

30. Q.E.D. word : ERAT.


34. Carriage : MIEN.

35. Nouveau-Mexique, e.g. : ETAT. All French, New Mexico and State.

36. Head of the Untouchables : NESS. Which did you prefer ONE or TWO.
38. Sonoma prefix : OENO. Relating to wine.

39. TA's boss : PROFessor. Teaching Assistant.

42. Honeycomb cell shape : HEXAGON. Six sided; and the next is 49D. Penta- plus two : HEPTA.

43. Development sites : UTERI. The old choice between Cherie Oteri or...

45. Witch who was a Popeye nemesis : SEA HAG.

46. Cherish : PRIZE.

47. Cut down : HEWED.

48. Community service club, with "the" : LIONS. They do much good work for blind people. READ.

52. "Believe" singer : CHER.
 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
53. Cork setting : EIRE. UK or not?

54. Kiss and cuddle, in Kent : SNOG. A word learned from the British mysteries I have read; sounds like a good choice. A step on the shag latter.

57. Medical suffix : OMA. A word end that sadly often means a person's end. LINK.

58. Pic source : NEGative. Are there negatives any more? I am not positive?

59. Northwest end? : ERN. NorthwestERN.

60. Blue : SAD. Did anyone ever wonder about this use of blue? We love blue skies, bluebirds and lagoons(oops that was last week).

Friday, September19, 2014, Jacob Stulberg

Theme: Happy Talk like a pirate day. 9/19/2014.

It is not uncommon for certain holiday or special days to have puzzles constructed to honor these occasions, and I have my first to blog which involves a quip leading to grid spanning very silly reveal. structurally, I have not written up a quote/quip type so  this will be interesting. I do like vertical gridspanning fill. Oddly Jacob's very first LAT was a Friday quote puzzle, but marti and I had switched so she did the work. Some nice fill like ENAMEL, ENMESH, HAT TIP, PAPAYA, PESETA, STIFLE, ELATEDLY,  ENTRYWAY HEAT  RASH, HIGH  BEAM,  RYE  BEERS,  SABOTEUR, but still many 3,4 and 5 letter fill for a Friday. I guess the question the audience will answer is whether the reveal was witty enough. This is my third Jacob this year, and usually I work very hard to solve his words. I guess like his potato chips, I can't solve just one.


17A. Start of a riddle : WHAT'S. (5)
30A. Riddle, part two : A PIRATE'S. (8)

49A. Riddle, part three : FAVORITE. (8)
64A. End of the riddle : MOVIE. (5)

Well the favorite movie is of course; TA DAH!

7A. Answer to the riddle : ARRRRRRRRRRRRGO. (15). Of course there is a degree of poetic license in determining the 12 "R"s but either it is funny or it is not.




Across:
        
1. Caesar in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," for one : CHIMP. Also in the Dawn.

6. Road __ : MAP.

9. Long-legged wader : HERON.

14. Halos : AURAE. When you develop cataracts you have halos dominate your visual field.

15. Bold alternative : ERA. Detergent brand names; did not fool me this time.

16. Really ticked : IRATE.

18. "Shirt Front and Fork" artist : ARP. We get Jean often; like the painting?

19. Well-mannered fellows : GENTS. Old fashioned and likely to remember the 35A. Polite gesture : HAT TIP.

20. Summertime woe : HEAT RASH. On the edge of the breakfast test?

23. "__ Shorty": Elmore Leonard novel : GET. Get reappears; if you did not read the book, you can watch the MOVIE.  (2:34). 20 years already.

24. Sumptuous meals : FEASTS.

27. Some microbrews : RYE BEERS. As implied the beer is made from rye rather than barley malt. If you need suggestions, my son reads the BEER ADVOCATE.

29. Rm. coolers : ACS. Air Conditioners.

32. Big piece : SLAB. Good term when ordering beef.

34. Kazakhstan, once: Abbr. : SSR.

39. Chevrolet SUV : TAHOE. Actually a well regarded product, part of Chevrolet's post bankruptcy recovery.

41. Mystery guest moniker : MR X.

43. Highs and lows, perhaps : MOODS.

44. Suppress : STIFLE.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
46. KOA visitors : RVS. Kampground of America. Recreational Vehicles.

48. Mice, to owls : PREY. This has a definite cruel tinge to it.

52. Buddy : MAC.

53. Monkey wrench wielder? : SABOTEUR. The one who sabotages your endeavors.

56. Catch in a web : ENMESH.

58. Many a lap dog : TOY.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
59. Coat closet locale, often : ENTRYWAY.

61. Dropped the ball : ERRED. To forgive divine.

63. Sellout sign, briefly : SRO. Standing Room Only.

68. Lagoon border : ATOLL.

69. Goad, with "on" : EGG.

70. Heroic stories : EPICS.

71. Like a string bean : LANKY. They are often left-handed pitchers, unless they were Mickey Lolich.

72. Burnt __ crisp : TO A.

73. Unauthorized disclosures : LEAKS.  The WIKIPEDIA on Wiki Leaks.


Down:
1. Farm field cry : CAW
2. "That's a surprise" : HUH
3. Lyricist Gershwin : IRA
4. British subject? : MATHS
5. Currency replaced by the euro : PESETA
6. Beef, e.g. : MEAT

8. Melonlike fruit : PAPAYA. Never thought of papaya that way.

9. Headlight setting : HIGH BEAM. Can you believe he has melons and high beams juxtaposed? I have to LINK.

10. "Let us part, __ the season of passion forget us": Yeats : ERE
11. Singer's asset : RANGE
12. River mammal : OTTER
13. Makes a home : NESTS
21. Egyptian snakes : ASPS
22. Actor Green of "Robot Chicken" : SETH
24. Doesn't take anything in : FASTS
25. Fanfare : ECLAT
26. Tokyo-based brewery : ASAHI
28. Bar, in law : ESTOP
31. Suffix with Mao : ISM
33. Smashing, at the box office : BOFFO
36. Singer with the Mel-Tones : TORME
37. A muse may inspire them : IDEAS
38. "Fooled you!" : PSYCH
40. With joy : ELATEDLY
42. Louis __, eponym of the Kentucky city : XVI
45. All square : EVEN
47. Lose sleep (over) : STEW
50. Square one : OUTSET
51. Tooth covering : ENAMEL
53. Pinch : STEAL
54. Cardiologist's concern : AORTA
55. Lakers coach __ Scott : BYRON
57. Nearsighted one : MYOPE
60. Activity on a mat : YOGA
62. Image on the Michigan state flag : ELK
65. Through : VIA
66. "Gross!" : ICK
67. Small opening? : ESS

Friday, September 12, 2014, Jeff Stillman

Theme: Define this...how to build a puzzle.

A return to a variation of the definition puzzle, where one phrase is used as the clue and evokes varied fill; in this case a punny second half is added to pin down the definition. Each fill is a two word description of work on a house which might be on a blueprint.  The really challenging part of the theme is the resulting fill use different meanings of the words to meet both the blue print and other definition. I will let Splynter, our resident builder, discuss the various work involved in each construction creation. Once again, beyond the entertaining theme, the fill is mostly 3,4 0r 5 letter words, leaving a non-Friday feel to the puzzle. We do have NEGATED,  PARAGON,  STIRRED, DES MOINES,  SERENADER to ponder on and much fun misdirection to ratchet the difficulty to a Friday level, so let us see what you all think of the latest from Jeff, adding to my string of Jeff(rey) puzzles to blog.


17A. Blueprint spec ... or, allowable hours for hound sounds? : BAY WINDOWS (10). The window of opportunity for the doggies to howl at the moon. 

24A. Blueprint spec ... or, job fit for a king's silversmith? : CROWN MOLDING (12). Molding a crown from silver is very different from the work of a mill worker.

48A. Blueprint spec ... or a '60s-'70s rock group conceding a poker hand? : FOLDING DOORS (12). We introduce the ill fated musicians who give up their hands in a card game, becoming a fancy way in and out.

58A. Blueprint spec ... or an MGM heartthrob's cousin from the Netherlands? : DUTCH GABLE (10). Poor Clark probably did not have any cousins in Amsterdam.

Across:

1. Short pants? : GASPS. I like a Friday starting with misdirection as long as it is not too obscure. This one popped immediately for me.

6. Boston or Chicago : BAND. Sure CITY may fit, but it is Friday; which do you like better?

10. Sound of relief : PHEW. Finally, a direct clue.

14. Mendelssohn's Opus 20, e.g. : OCTET. This was written when he was 16!

15. One-on-one sport : EPEE. Is Epee the sport or an event of the sport of fencing?

16. Con artist, for one : LIAR. Whatever happened to Jim Carrey and his career?

19. Naysayer : ANTI.

20. LeBron's Miami uniform number : SIX. This was how many championships he promised the city.

21. Mr. __!: old whodunit game : REE. I never played this one, only Clue,  but the name of this one is fun. LINK.

22. Initial : MAIDEN. Tricky, but fair; we had a Maiden solo publication this week for constructor Steve, so awesome.

27. The __, Netherlands : HAGUE. I just drafted a contract with a provision for dispute resolution by this BODY.

30. Regular TV show : SERIES.

31. Bestows : AWARDS.

33. __ splicing : GENE. Wire fits also.

34. "Top Gear" airer : BBC. British Broadcasting Company.

37. Gets ready for lunch, maybe : ZAPS. Ah, the handy microwave. My friend calls it the 'wave.'

38. Scrub : ERASE. This was not an easy one for me, I needed perps to see where it was going.

40. "__ We Are": Estefan hit : HERE.

41. Look over : EYE.

42. "How now? __?": Hamlet, before mistakenly slaying Polonius : A RAT.

43. __ column : SPINAL. Doric and Ionic and Corinthian did not work.

45. Used a plane on : EVENED. Smoothed?

47. Useful quality : ASSET.

52. Tater Tots maker : OREIDA. Last week it was the ONEIDA tribe; you can see the choices constructors must make.

53. __ fault : TO A.

54. Words of agreement : I AM.

57. Improvisational style : SCAT.

62. Manuscript encl. : SASE. Self Addressed Stamped Envelope.

63. Shell competitor : ESSO. Standard Oil, now I remember.

64. Soul singer Adams : OLETA.

65. Begun: Abbr. : ESTD. Established.

66. Study, say : ROOM. The noun, not the verb.

67. Name on a Yorba Linda library : NIXON. Some HISTORY. I am looking forward to the PBS series abour the Roosevelts.

Down:

1. Slew : GOBS. We are not killing, but have lots of them.

2. Berry rich in antioxidants : ACAI. They have gobs of anti-oxidants.

3. "Come Sail Away" band : STYX.

4. Service station? : PEW. Alliteration and misdirection, what makes Fridays so much fun.

5. Inflamed : STIRRED. 50 shades of grey? Gaga's current hair color?

6. Moistens, in a way : BEDEWS.

7. GI's mail drop : APO. Army Post Office.

8. Unfamiliar : NEW.

9. "State Fair" setting : DES MOINES.

10. Crisscross patterns : PLAIDS.

11. Rajah's tongue : HINDI.

12. Downed : EATEN.

13. Twist and compress : WRING.

18. Revival prefix : NEO.

23. Sheltered, nautically : ALEE.

24. Contemptible ones : CURS.

25. Ruled out : NEGATED.

26. GI chow : MRES. Meals Ready to Eat. Another non-existent plural.

27. Cloud : HAZE.

28. Out of town : AWAY.

29. Yawn : GAPE.

32. One who might play under a balcony : SERENADER. Romeo, wherefore art thou?

34. Uncle __ : BEN'S. I used to use their 90 second jasmine rice all the time.

35. "Up hill, down __ ...": Burns : BRAE.

36. Bird was one, briefly : CELT. The briefly here is especially tricky because it suggests an abbreviation, and Larry was a Celtic fro many years.

39. Took its toll? : RANG. Last week knelled, this week tolled. Fun Friday cluing.

40. Kettle emission : HISS.

42. Ardent : AVID.

44. Ideal : PARAGON. Of virtue, of course.

45. Ready to be printed : EDITED.

46. Many a late '90s startup : DOT COM.

48. "Pippin" Tony winner : FOSSE.

49. Ocean predators : ORCAS.

50. Numerical extreme : LEAST.

51. Circus sound : OOH.Ahh, I guessed correctly.

54. Goat with Iberian and Siberian species : IBEX.

55. Like some saxes : ALTO.

56. Inconsequential : MEAN.

59. GI show gp. : USO.

60. General on a takeout menu : TSO.

61. Will Smith title role : ALI. Muhammed Ali.

Friday, September 5, JW

Theme: Take two aspirin and add a J.

I often complain that constructors do not use enough imagination to add the letter "J" to their creations, being prejudiced by my name. This puzzle by our new Friday fixture, JW, takes out all of the stops and uses a really cute reveal to explain all the Js 'popping in' the four in the language phrases, each of which is clued with wit and becomes a fun visual. Mr. Wechsler seems to be on a good Friday run with his usual array of fill such as KNELLED,  SEXISTS,  ST JAMES,  WII MINI, IN A STATE,  MILLINER,  SOMEWHAT,  TO AND FRO.  TOOL SHED,  UNBURDEN. Like yesterday's puzzle, the reveal is really entertaining and fair and no Naticks.
So let's unburden ourselves and see what this First Friday in September has to offer.


16A. Exceptional practical joke? : GREAT JAPE.(9). Am I alone in wondering about the oxymoronic concept of a "practical" joke? Certainly the great ape friend of Cesar had no sense of humor. Jape appears in so many of the British mysteries I read, but it is not a word I would use.

23A. What bearded men get in blizzards? : SNOWY JOWLS. (10). Being a bearded man who is getting more jowly with age, this was easy and revealed the theme quickly. For obvious reasons, the beautiful BIRD does not make it to Florida.
 
34A. Short hike for a beginner? : MAIDEN JAUNT. (11). This seemed so perfect, especially with my mental picture of the Maiden Aunt out in the woods with her binoculars, looking for Snowy Owls.

48A. Jack's friend resting on the hill? : JILL AT EASE. (10). While this is the outlier, with the J added to the first word, I wonder if it wasn't the seed entry to the theme. The question always remains unanswered; why DID they really go up the hill?

And the reveal:

57A. Pretentious showoffs, or, another way, what one would do to create 16-, 23-, 34- and 48-Across : POPINJAYS. (9). I just love a well thought out reveal like this which make the theme so cool.

And the gratuitous bonus fill

5D. NBA legend, familiarly : DR J. Julius Erving, UMass graduate and NBA hall of famer.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Across:

1. How an airport shuttle travels : TO AND FRO. Because Back and Forth would not fit.

9. Savors, with "in" : BASKS. In the sun, to...

14. Take a load off : UNBURDEN. from the days stresses.

15. Hwy. paralleling I-95 : US ONE. I live one block west of US 1 and two miles east of 95.

17. Wrist brand : TIMEX. Back in the early days TV commercials never pitted products by name, it was always PRODUCT and brand X, with brand x a poor substitute. I wonder if that insoired the name of this timepiece?

18. Condos, to the management : UNITS.

19. Arrest readings: Abbr. : RTS. An accepted abbreviation of rights, but clued on a Friday level.

21. Lunch spot : DELI.

22. Michelangelo's "David," e.g. : NUDE. 2nd time we have had this recently, and of course fiiting that it adjoins...

26. Place to luxuriate : SPA. where people often parade around naked.

27. Band from Birmingham, Eng. : ELO. Electric Light Orchestra.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

28. Glorifying work : ODE.

29. Distressed, with "up" : HET. They say it derives from situations which 'heat up'. In modernusage, HET refers to a heterosexual person.

30. Cast aspersions : SNIPE.

32. Plenty : SCADS.

37. Goodman's forte : SWING. Benny and his licorice stick.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

39. Prepare for a siege : DIG IN. because stock up would not fit.

40. "Voices Carry" pop group '__ Tuesday : TIL. Not in my knowledge bank.

41. 1964 Nobelist's monogram : MLK. Martin Luther King. There are so many famous initials, but few reach his level. If you think only of scientists, this was a very tricky clue.

44. Destroy, in a way : GUT. Once owned a duplex, rented half to a client/friend and he gutted the place. Lesson learned.

45. Discreet email letters : BCC. Blind Carbon Copy, originally.

51. Pull up stakes, briefly : RELOcate. I am not a fan of this form of abbreviation: 7D. Dupe : REPROduction.

52. 1975 Pure Prairie League hit : AMIE.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
53. Comfy room : DEN. This room has gone through more changes without ever changing.

54. "A Few Good Men" playwright Sorkin : AARON. My oldest son's name and a prolific and successful WRITER who also created the TV drama the West Wing.

55. Supply near the register : MINTS.

60. War need? : ENEMY. An ironic clue, juxtaposed with...

61. Perturbed : IN A STATE. For which one might need a

62. Warning sound : SIREN. to let the world know of the impending danger.

63. Storage place : TOOL SHED. Do they build these with houses any more? I loved ours growing up, it was dark and dank and a fun place.

Down:

1. Appear : TURN UP.

2. Iroquois League tribe : ONEIDA. One of the Six Nations: Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora.

3. Wane : ABATE.

4. "Shoot!" : NUTS.

6. Org. that regulates vaccines : FDA. Food and Drug Administration.

8. Damaging combination : ONE TWO. Really nice misdirection with boxing the hidden ingredient.

9. On the other hand : BUT. and, 11D. To a degree : SOMEWHAT.

10. "Just like me" : AS I DO. Do as I do. 49D. "I'll take a shot" : LET ME. What do you have to lose?

12. Rang tragically : KNELLED.  The ringing of a bell to signal a death (Death Knell) goes back centuries; bells also toll for the dead.

13. Some discriminators : SEXISTS. Damn those people who send naked pictures in the cloud!

16. Tries (for) : GUNS.

20. Barrett of Pink Floyd : SYD. He was a founder, the lead singer and guitarist who did not make it past the second album with Pink Floyd.

23. Lost one's footing : SLID. Rhymes with Syd.

24. "Uh-uh" : NOPE. Rhymes with Pope.

25. Pope Francis, e.g. : JESUIT. This religious order was a logical response to the reformation efforts of the Protestants


27. Brain teaser : ENIGMA. Wrapped in a riddle inside a crossword puzzle.

30. __ Jose : SAN. On my way....

31. Word with living or bitter : END.

33. "The Situation Room" airer : CNN. Cable News Network.

34. Top designer? : MILLINER. Cute, a top (a hat) designer, NOT a TOP Designer. Did this have you spinning?

35. Reel relatives : JIGS. YR must have eaten this clue up about Virginia Reels and Irish Jigs, started me thinking about movies and old music.

36. Fever with chills : AGUE.

37. Place in Monopoly's orange monopoly : ST. JAMES. One of the boring properties along with New York and Tennessee, not cheap but not exciting unless you can get the ones before and after.

38. Lower-cost Nintendo offering : WII MINI. Their PROMOTION. Never saw one, let alone played one, though I have many WII hours logged.

42. Relative of Inc. : LTD. Many other countries use this designation for privately held companies.

43. "Consider that a gift" : KEEP IT. Usually said after someone has either taken a bite or a sip of your drink/food.

45. Dress down : BERATE. With employees this should always be done in private.

46. Was too sweet : CLOYED. I am used to cloying, so I guess CLOYED should not have been hard.

47. Pen occupants : CONS. many of whom are pros.


50. Reprimand ending : A NO NO. Charlotte is learning about no nos.

51. Hindustan ruler : RAJAH.

54. Single-file travelers, at times : ANTS. Where do those damn sugar ants come from?

56. Numbers for songs?: Abbr. : SYNonym. I nice deception asking to compare the words.

58. Kung __ chicken : PAO.

59. Alcatraz, e.g.: Abbr. : ISLand. Now open for tourists? LINK.