Thursday, January 29, 2015

Theme: Can you saw a sawbuck for me?

For the younger generation, a sawbuck is a ten dollar bill. This derived from the Roman Numeral X meaning ten, which looks like one end of a sawhorse. C-note meaning a hundred is also from the Latin. Anyway, marti has taken the word TEN and broken between two adjacent fill which are all clued by the first clue, cross-referentially. There is a double symmetry of 1/3 having t/en and 2/4 te/n. with 1/4 10 letters and 2/3 9 letters. The reveal is a central gridspanning 15. The fill is heavy on 5 letter words, some of which are tough like ERISA, ICAHN and TABOR and there are some nice 7-8 letter fill such as AMNESIA, CD RATES, EERIEST, HASTIER, NICE DOG, ROB ROYS, BREAD BIN, STAY HERE, many of which required work. Pinch hitting for marti, so let's get to work.

14A. With 15-Across, accounting unit : DEBIT. 15A. See 14-Across : ENTRY. Our system of mathematics, and accounting are based on the base 10. (10 in the theme).

29A. With 31-Across, anathema : BETE. 31A. See 29-Across : NOIRE. We have had bete noire before clued before as bete___?(8/12/14) and _____noire?(9/30/14). (9 in the theme). Aren't you all glad we had this word Tuesday?

44A. With 47-Across, some receivers : TIGHT. 47A. See 44-Across : ENDS. Rob Gronkowski is the New England Patriots star receiver. LINK. (0:29)(9 in the theme).

65A. With 66-Across, National Book Award-winning novel by Don DeLillo : WHITE. 66A. See 65-Across : NOISE. I did not know the book, but I knew the theme. (10 in the theme).
and the reveal
37A. Question about change, which hints at the hidden feature of four two-part puzzle answers : CAN YOU BREAK A TEN? (15).

Across:

1. Some portrait frames : OVALS. I had some trouble with this bginning even though I have a big oval frame of my mother with her brothers when she was little in my living room.

6. Noble __ : GASES. Back on track.

11. Singsong syllable : TRA. Well, Lah di dah!

16. Like some aces : RED. Some?

17. Manage : SEE TO. I always think of,,,
xxxxx
18. Walking __ : ON AIR.

19. Sound after a satisfying swig : AAH. How cool that this is next to...

20. Scotch cocktails : ROB ROYS. The Scotch version od a Manhattan, it was named by a bartendere at the Waldorf for a p[lay about the Scottish hero, RECIPE.

22. Zenith : ACME.

23. "I won't hurt you" : NICE DOG. This was all perps,

26. Not as deliberate : HASTIER.

28. Toothbrush-endorsing org. : ADA.

32. Worlds : REALMS.

35. __ legend : URBAN. We have urban legends, dictionaries, even cowboys; where is the love for suburbia?

42. Blue Grotto locale : CAPRI.

43. "Ramona and Beezus" co-star Gomez : SELENA.

49. Set-__ : TOS.
50. Malady in the 2000 film "Memento" : AMNESIA. I could not remember what this movie was about.
XXXX

52. Like the best occult films : EERIEST.

55. It's about a foot : SHOE. Sock fits this misdirection as well.

56. Yield figures : CD RATES.

58. Figure under a line : SUM.

59. Fife-and-drum drum : TABOR. From the same Latin root where we get Tambourine.

60. Two cents : IN PUT. Cute clue/fill.

64. Bardic before : ERE. The Bard?

67. "M*A*S*H" titles : LTS. Lieutenants. Actually they had lots of majors and captains there.

68. Private : INNER.

69. Mount : STEED.

Down:

1. Pigs out (on) : OD'S.

2. Center of gravity? : VEE.  Tricky.

3. Presidential nickname : ABE.

4. Petrol unit : LITRE. You see, they do not say gasoline, so...

5. Gave up a seat : STOOD. So simple, but the political aspect slowed me. In the UK, the stand for Parliament, I think, even more confusing.

6. One of six British kings : GEORGE. I am still waiting for King Ringo.

7. Year in Tuscany : ANNO. Year in Italian, the same word as Latin.

8. "Wait for me" : STAY HERE.

9. Pension law signed by Ford, briefly : ERISA.

10. Jordan neighbor: Abbr. : SYRia.

11. Gillette razor : TRAC II.

12. Hole enlarger : REAMER. hard to remain pc with this clue/fill.

13. Cleave : ADHERE.

21. Comes to the surface : BOBS UP.

22. Harsh-sounding, to some : ATONAL.

23. Traffic stopper? : NARC. Drug traffic.

24. Notion : IDEA.

25. "Elf" actor : CAAN. ACTOR James, not to be confused with 51D. Corporate raider Carl : ICAHN. This was easy for me, but this MAN may not be as well known unless you have worked in the investment world. Both names are variations of the Hebrew family name Cohen.

27. Shoshone Falls river : SNAKE.

30. Shroud city : TURIN.

33. Chinese evergreen : LYCHEE. Nuts ot these obscure clues.

34. Zoo security features : MOATS.

36. Droopy-eared hound : BASSET. Do you all remember this early TV star?
XXXX
38. Wonderful container? : BREAD BIN.

39. Bordeaux bean? : TETE. A french reminder, but still no answer to why the head /brain is called 'bean.'

40. "The Dukes of Hazzard" officer : ENOS. A break from the biblical reference, played by Sonny Shroyer, a former FSU football player like Burt Reynolds. His character became so popular they had a spin-off called Enos.

41. Tammany Hall caricaturist : NAST. Perhaps the most famous political cartoonist in America.

44. Mortarboard frill : TASSEL.

45. "That upset me!" : I'M HURT.

46. Speakers of Tolkien's Noldorin language : GNOMES. I very much enjoed both the Hobbit and the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but was completely unaware that the Noldorin Elves were orignally called Gnomes, but what elese starts GN? READ?

48. Costing more : DEARER. "Oh, dear, that's too dear, dear."

53. Jockey's handful : REINS. Cute, evocative clue.

54. "This __ a drill!" : IS NOT. A scary set of words.

57. Mechanical repetition : ROTE.

59. Prefix with light or night : TWI. Rhymes with...

61. "Easy as __!" : PIE. No, but a doable Thursday, don't you think?

62. Wear and tear : USE.

63. Former Ohio governor Strickland : TED. I am not sure what is special about this one term GOVERNOR, but it is time to go anyway.

As always it is great to blog a marti puzzle and once I remembered to not write Friday in the title, it all went well. Thanks for  reading and enjoy a mareti Friday tomorrow. Lemonade out.

Friday, January 23, 2015, Sam Buchbinder

Theme: Sure Auric, we will be happy to make some gold paint for you; we will just add the gold to the mix.

The periodic table symbol for Gold (AU) is inserted in existing phrases to create new and entertaining fill. Two phrases have the AU added to the final word, at the end thereof; one added to the end of the fist word; and the final before a one letter phrase. Mr. Buchbinder, who is 28 and a teacher had his debut in the NYT August 19, 2014. There are two gridspanning theme answers. As marti pointed out yesterday, the big challenge for a theme is establishing symmetrical theme fill. 15, 10, 10, 15 is a common format; here we have the central reveal also at 9 letters, giving 49 in the theme. As a result we have many 3 and 4 letter words, but there are also some nice 7 letter fill to make this a Friday, such as BIG DATA,  CURTAIN, DRIVE-IN, FEATURE, HAN SOLO,  IT’S TRUE, NEUTRAL, OBJECTS, ONE EACH, SYNERGY, TRAPEZE, TRUCKER . Welcome to our world Sam.

16A. Striking painting of paddles, net and ball? : PING PONG TABLEAU (15). Ping pong table and crowd the plate are both sports references. I like the visual of the painting, but this fill does not really change the meaning of the phrase in the same way the two of the other themers change their phrases.

23A. Extraordinary northern bird? : SPECIAL AUK (10). We go from a cereal to one of our favorite crossword birds.

46A. Alaskan insects? : JUNEAU BUGS (10). June bugs might emigrate to Alaska and be Juneau bugs, I guess.

55A. Overdevelop a high plain? : CROWD THE PLATEAU (15). A baseball reference really transformed.

34A. Mythological figure who touched 16-, 23-, 46- and 55-Across? : KING MIDAS (9). The poor man could not eat or fool around.

Across:

1. "Mad Men" productions : ADS. Madison Avenue Admen.

4. Bark elicitor : SPEAK. I love the simplicity of this clue.

9. Lax : SOFT. The modern parent?

13. Force (open) : PRY.

14. Close-fitting dress : SHEATH.

15. Powerful dept.? : ENERgy. Pun one.

19. Uber : VERY. German. Our first clecho 48D. Uber : ULTRA.

20. Facebook button : LIKE. How many of the Corner use FB? A show of hands?

21. Truncation abbr. : ETCetera.

22. Austin of "Knot's Landing" : TERI. She had lsot of HAIR.

26. Statistician's challenge : BIG DATA. Computers have created an exponential increase in data.

28. Plot component : ACRE. Misdirection two. Lnad, not a novel.

29. "__ thoughts?" : ANY.

30. Reasonable : SANE.

32. Purim heroine : ESTHER. A wonderful story. LINK.

36. Available : ON HAND.

39. Anthony Hopkins' "Thor" role : ODIN.
XXXX
40. Channel for old films : TCM. Turner Classic Movies.

43. Noodle : BEAN.

44. "I'm not kidding!" : IT'S TRUE.

51. Chief Justice Warren : EARL. Appointed by Dwight Eisenhower, led a court which drastically reformed the interpretation of indicual rights.

52. Subjects of some conspiracy theories : ETS. Extra Terrestrials.

53. Specks on cartes : ILES. Carte is French for "MAP."  Along with 9D. Sprinkling on French fries? : SEL, and all the EAU words, I might guess Sam is around French people.

54. Enthralled : RAPT. Do I have your attention yet? I want to warn you, I have a...

60. It may be cautionary : TALE.

61. "I shall be late!" speaker of fiction : RABBIT.
xxxx
62. Letter director : ZIP. Code.

63. Narrow opening : SLOT. Started with SLIT, picturing some of Splynter's favorite dresses.

64. Indo-__ languages : ARYAN.

65. Nixon has two : ENS. Not ears, or eyes, but the letters. Misdirection three.

Down:

1. Angry Birds, e.g. : APP. I know this but have never actually seen it.

2. "Happy Days" setting : DRIVE IN.
xxx
3. Cooperative action : SYNERGY.

4. "Dexter" airer, for short : SHOwtime. Anyone watch all of the series?

5. Write : PEN.

6. Scout rank : EAGLE.

7. Top story : ATTIC. At 11? Nope of my house, misdirection 4. So we get the clecho 11D. Top story : FEATURE.

8. Uniform material : KHAKI. Urdu?

10. Free sample limitation : ONE EACH. Do you think you can pay for your Sam's Club, COSTCO etc membership just from eating the free samples?

12. Cab driver? : TRUCKER. At least the answer was not TAXIER.

14. One of a pair of Mad adversaries : SPY.

17. Off the __ : GRID.

18. Arthur of "The Golden Girls" : BEA.

22. Sched. uncertainty : TBA. To Be Announced.

23. Witness __ : STAND. In the US we sit so it all sounds silly.

24. Sharp feeling : PANG.

25. Rowing beneficiaries, for short : LATS. Latissimi dorsi. Side back.

27. Z-zebra link : AS IN. I doubt that will be Sue Grafton's choice.

31. Dashboard Confessional's genre : EMO. No idea.
xxxx
32. Changes, in a way : EDITS.

33. Without : SANS. A French word now accepted in English.

34. Rosebud's owner : KANE. orson Welles' sled.

35. "Cool, man!" : I DIG. maynard G. Krebs.
xxxx
36. Things : OBJECTS.

37. __ color : NEUTRAL.

38. Fictional pilot with the iconic line, "Laugh it up, fuzzball" : HAN SOLO. I told you last week Star Wars references were coming.

40. Circus staple : TRAPEZE.

41. Sun block : CURTAIN. Meh.

42. "The Producers" screenwriter Brooks : MEL.

45. Milk dispenser : TEAT. We had the the bird TIT, the idiot BOOB and now we actually have a milk dispenser. Udderly amazing.

47. Help : AID.

49. "The View" alum Joy : BEHAR.

50. Milk carton words : USE BY.

54. Snitch : RAT.

56. 18th Amendment opposer : WET. This was the Prohibition Amendment.

57. Cops' org. : PBA. Patrolmen's or Police Benevolent Association. Unions for the police.

58. Harvard grad Jeremy who's now a Laker : LIN. Made a brief splash with the Nets, signed to big money by the Pockets, and now exiled to the Lakers.

59. Rises : UPS . Man, ending on a downer.

Friday, January 16, 2015, Julian Lim

Theme: C C senor.

In the never ending CSO's in the world of the LAT, our feerless leader gets her puzzle from Julian Lim, who lives in Singapore. Normally, Julian's puzzles are very hard for me, but this one was just hard enough for a Friday, with a low word count, and the theme, once revealed really helped releive the stress. The letter "C" is added to the beginning of first and last word of a known phrase or name to create a new and completely unrelated phrase. 3 are two word phrase; 1 has a proper  name, both before and after. I saw no other hidden agenda here, and the reveal which we usually do not get was not a slam dunk reveal so it is a Friday. We have some fun 6 letter fill HONCHO, PHOBIA, PORTIA, PSYCHO, SCROLL, SMOOCH and some longer sparkle BELABOR, GOLIATH, DIES IRAE, DOVETAIL , EMOTICON and NICE SHOT


18A. Jar for leafy vegetable storage? : CHARD CROCK (10). This is difficult on so many layers; firs you need to know that CHARD is a leafy vegetable. I hear it mostly as Swiss Chard, and it is called Spinach in South Africa but it is the leafy part of a type of beet. The leaf is quite healthy. HARD ROCK  is a developer of hotels, casino etc., here they have partnered with the Seminole Tribe.

24A. Actor Jackie's pet fish? : CHANS CARP (9).  We usually see the ARTIST as Jean Arp, founder of Dada, but in German he was Hans. Jackie Chan has had a successful career as a comedic martial arts expert. I was surprised to read that he had done a porno.

50A. Emulate an inveterate swindler? : CON AND CON (9). On and On we go.

57A. Vessel with limited space? : CRAMPED CUP (10). I did not get (r)amped up about this fill, I guess it runneth over.
And the hint:

37A. Opine ... or create four long answers in this puzzle? : ADD ONE'S TWO CENTS. This is not a simple reveal because the symbol for cents, while a C, is really ¢.

Across:

1. Sardine cousin : SHAD. These ae both generic names for types of herring.

5. "My take is ..." : I'D SAY. The Millenial phrase.

10. Princess from Amphipolis : XENA. If you need the whole STORY.

14. Iota : MOTE. Little things.

15. One-up : OUTDO.

16. "Head With Pipe" artist Nolde : EMIL. No idea.

17. Watchable, in a way : ON TV.

20. 2000s World #1 female golfer : OCHOA. She came, she conquered, she retired; her CAREER. I remeber when she came out of Arizona and played the futures tour winning 3 of the 10 events she played. We obviously have some who like the LPGA because we also have 49A. With 60-Down, only South Korean World Golf Hall of Fame inductee : SE RI. 60D. See 49-Across : PAK. She changed the face of golf with her success inspiring the asian world of golf.

22. Nurture : REAR.

23. Word with cake or break : TEA. Any other day would have CUP added.

27. "__ Love" (Maroon 5 hit) : THIS.
XXXXXXXX
29. Smoking, perhaps : HOT. Interestingly next to another sexist measure of females....

30. Half a score : TEN. Ladies and genrleman, please let us know who think is a TEN.

31. 1959 novel in whose film version Mary Crane became Marion Crane : PSYCHO. Still one of the most unsettling movies of all time. I love that the P crosses with 31D. Psychologist's concern : PHOBIA though some may suggest it is an imperissible dupe of fill/clue..
XXXXXXXXXXX
33. Giant : GOLIATH. This guy slings back into our radar.

36. Rabbit's friend : POOH. Can you bear any more Winnie references?

41. Literary __ : LION. This was a struggle, while it is  a term I have heard (Mailer was a literary lion) I needed perps to get started.

42. More than hammer home : BELABOR. Very nice fresh fill, which I will not say too often.

43. Video game segments : LEVELS. I do remember  the thrill of new levels back in the days of playing pac man in the bar.

45. Jr.'s jr. : III. The kids are often called Tre.

46. Spot for a soak : SPA.

53. Small songbird : TIT. We must have a GREAT picture.

54. Work on a canvas? : SPAR. Excellent misdirection, not a painting but in the boxing ring.

56. Unfortunate : SORRY.

61. Bard's verb : DOTH. A soupçon of Shaespeare.

62. "See Dad Run" star : BAIO. Scott. Never heard of it.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
63. Steer snagger : REATA.

64. Mishmash : OLIO. Along with morel, the word that defines Crossword Corner.

65. TripAdvisor alternative : YELP. My oldest uses their review all of the time for restaurants.

66. "No worries" : IT'S OK.

67. White side, maybe : SLAW. Really, I always have carrots and purple cabbage in mine.

Down:

1. More than peck : SMOOCH.

2. Head __ : HONCHO. Comes from Japanese hanchō squad leader, from han squad + chō head, chief. We got it from returniong servicemen. Han Solo?

3. Besides : AT THAT.

4. Plymouth's county : DEVON. This area has an interesting HISTORY.

5. Org. with a multi-ring logo : IOC. International Olympic Cmmittee.

6. "No __!" : DUH.

7. Whitewater figure : STARR. Ken. No politics, just a LINK.

8. Pitcher? : AD REP. One who 'picthes' i.e. gives a sales pitch.

9. Green sage : YODA. Now that Episode VII is in the works I am sure we will see more Star Wars references, though Yoda is dead?

10. Survey taker, at times : XER. I guess this means one who xes, checks boxes. A complete meh.

11. Text clarifier : EMOTICON. Since people do not talk and only text, you need some idea of the facial expression tog et meaning of the words.

12. Compliment on a course : NICE SHOT. Gary, I am sure your golf gme will be ready.

13. Antacid brand word : ALKA. My old pal...

XXX

19. Old PC monitors : CRTS. Cathode Ray Tubes.

21. Martin's start? : ASTON. Bond, James Bond.

25. Hollywood glitterati : CELEBS. Eh.

26. Sambuca flavoring : ANISE. Licorice anyone?

28. On a sugar high, say : HYPER.

32. Quaker Honey Graham __ : OHS.

33. Toast, with "a" : GONER.

34. U.S.-U.K. separator : ATLantic.

35. "Truth is more of a stranger than fiction" writer : TWAIN. One of the great minds of all time with a true way with words.

37. The works : ALL.

38. Second section of Verdi's "Requiem" : DIES IRAE.

39. Fit nicely : DOVETAIL.

40. Quarters, e.g. : COINS. So simple, but...
44. Daffy Duck has one : LISP.

46. Move on a screen : SCROLL. To the finish?

47. Shakespearean heiress : PORTIA. My weekly dose of Will. Who said it better?

"The quality of mercy is not strain'd,

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:"

48. "But I digress ..." : ANY HOW. I am an anyway man, Drat.

50. Trainee : CADET. Not just in the service.

51. Marine predators : ORCAS. Whale of a good answer.

52. Bygone birds : DODOS. CSO!

53. Mango tango smoothie server : TCBY. This Can't Be Yoghurt. Cousin of I Can't Beleive It's Not Butter.

55. Prefix with cardial : PERI. The sac where the heart truly is.

58. Post-spill need : MOP.
Hasten jason
Get the basin
Oops plop,
Get the mop.

59. __-Aztecan languages : UTO.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Theme: If you go to Chicago you must add the ELL to your plans.

Frank is back to Friday in 2015, and the first Friday since his coincidental LEM ON ADE puzzle two days after my birthday. This is a sound rather than a visual challenge, with the last word in a common phrase altered by adding an LLL sound to create a new last word. The difficulty in constructing was enhanced by the themers all ending up as gridspanners. Some nice 6 letter fill like DC AREA, GETS UP, I DO I DO, LYRICS and SITS ON as well as some sparkly longer ones: SHINERS, UPLIFTS, EINSTEIN, HIDEAWAY, DIET PEPSI, TRIES HARD.   As with all punny themes, you need to find humor, and I did. Let's take a look.

17A. "Pardon my sword fight"? : DON'T MIND IF I DUEL  (15). 'Don't mind if I do' is the phrase that transforms. I sussed the theme here, always good on a Friday to get the theme early.

26A. "The good news: mostly A-OK. The bad news: __"? : TEN PERCENT AWFUL (15). 'Ten percent off...'

47A. Tool for putting a Ping-Pong ball in orbit? : LAUNCHING PADDLE (15). 'Launching pad.' My favorite of the theme, as the image in my brain is cool.

62A. Big affair for E.T.? : ALIEN LIFE FORMAL (15). 'Alien life form.'  Another fun visual, and my way of always remembereing the spelling of Allen's name.

Across:

1. Like some restrictive dinners : STAG. Men only, dearie. Very unpc.

5. Andrew of "Melrose Place" : SHUE. He played Billy Campbell I am told by wiki, but I knew he has a famous older sister.

9. First, for now : AHEAD. Yes, the 5 horse was there at the top of the stretch, but...

14. Strives : TRIES HARD. Also an unpc term when parents use this phrase to describe their disappointing child.

16. Brewery prefix : MICRO. Not to be confused with CRAFT brewery. Who would ever guess I would end up knowing about beer?

19. Refuses to release : SITS ON. I assume this clue is in the context of information, though this pic came to mind.

20. "Lifts the spirits" gp. : USO.

21. Eau Claire-to-Green Bay direction : EAST. They will all be going in that direction for the big game against Dallas, Sunday at 1:05PM, EST. The Dallas/Green Bay match ups of the 60's were awesome. Back at the 'frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.'

22. All-purpose rides : UTES. I have never heard a person in real life use this term.

24. Ocean predator : ORCA.

33. Singer Carly __ Jepsen : RAE. She has apparently supplanted Norma and Charlotte in puzzledom. I was introduced to this Canadian by Gareth in 2013.

34. Start of some Texas city names : SAN. And some California cities as well.

35. Mrs. Robinson's daughter : ELAINE. A Friday clue for this name, though the actress should be remembered, quite the face. Coo coo ca choo.

36. Milo of "The Verdict" : O' SHEA. He died this past year.

39. Play about Capote : TRU.

41. With an __: mindful of : EYE TO. Nice new fill 1.

42. Words : LYRICS. Nice new fill 2.

44. Okla. campus with a Prayer Tower : ORU. For newer solvers, the fact that OKLA. is an abbreviation is a clue that the answer is also an abbreviation.  Oral Roberts University.

46. Author Yutang : LIN. A very interesting MAN; I wonder what he was thought of in the China of C.C.'s childhood? A Friday name.

51. Boer village : STAD. From their Dutch German heritage. I am sure Gareth Bain could give a more complete perspective on these people.

52. Monthly pmt. : ELECtricity.

53. Boom holder : MAST. Not a microphone.

56. Court : WOO. Not where judges hang out.

58. "Magic Hour" author Susan : ISAACS. I did not know that book, but I love the book and movie Compromising Positions. LINK. Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia were great.

65. McGwire broke his record : MARIS. Roger whose 61 home run record went the way of Mark McGuire's bat during the dawning of the steroid age. Roger ended as a beer distributor living in Gainesville.

66. "Love every sip" sloganeer : DIET PEPSI.

67. Concert venue : ARENA.

68. Poems of praise : ODES.

69. Memo demand : ASAP. As Soon As Possible.

Down:

1. Stylebook entries: Abbr. : STDS. Standards. This GUIDE.

2. Picard's counselor : TROI.

3. "__ No Sunshine": Bill Withers hit : AIN'T.

4. Averts a knockout : GETS UP. Such a simple answer. Paired with 5D. Fight souvenirs : SHINERS. Not what you buy at the concession stand.

6. Solo in space : HAN. Episode VII is on its way.

7. Source of khaki? : URDU. The word, not the cloth.

8. New Jersey township with the motto "Let There Be Light" : EDISON. Thomas Alva will live on always, expecially in puzzles.

9. "Moi?" : AM I? Which is often the clue in French.

10. Retreat : HIDEAWAY. My recollection was THIS. My parents loved Broadway musicals which helped with 48D. "My Cup Runneth Over" musical : I DO, I DO. Mary Martin and Robert Preston, 1967.(6:53).

11. S.A. country at 0 degrees latitude : ECUAdor. Odd, once again. Last time we learned thast the name came because it is at the Equator.

12. Father of Phobos : ARES. The Greek who who gave us our word PHOBIA.

13. Fool : DOLT.

15. Whacked, biblically : SMOTE.

18. Strong suit : FORTE. Fort or fortay?

23. "Beat it!" : SCAT. For all the non-lovers of cats.

25. NASCAR's Yarborough : CALE.

26. Chat room persona non grata : TROLL. Don't feed th trolls.

27. GPA booster : EASY A.

28. Big name in Indian politics : NEHRU. And jackets.

29. With 30-Down, a former name of Minute Maid Park : ENRON. We just had this referenced last week.

30. See 29-Down : FIELD.

31. No later than : UNTIL.

32. Freetown currency : LEONE. Freetown, the capital is used to clue the Leone, the capital of Sierre Leone.

37. Matthau's "I.Q." role : EINSTEIN. This odd movie with Meg Ryan.

38. Passbook abbr. : ACCT.

40. Drive : URGE.

43. Loosely worn garment : SHAWL. My youngest son's girlfriend knitted one for Oo for the holidays.

45. Buoys : UPLIFTS. Gurls ? Up____?

49. "The Fox and the Grapes" writer : AESOP. Fabulous fox fable.

50. Beltway environs : DC AREA.

53. Household nickname : MAMA. No Papa today.

54. Apple application no longer in use : ALAR.

55. Filly's father : SIRE. DAM this was easy.

57. "The Wizard __" : OF ID. The same number of letters as OZ. Coincidence? I think not. LINK.

59. Cranks (up) : AMPS. From amplifier, or the original ampere?

60. Julio's home : CASA. Some Spanish for Lucina et al.

61. Faux pas : SLIP. And of course, French for Splynter.

63. Org. whose seal includes an eagle perched on a key : NSA. So much controversy in 2014.

64. Really big shoe : EEE. I must end with this.

Frank V. thanks for the ride. Lemonade out.

Friday, January 2, 2015, John Lampkin

Theme: You had to be a big shot didn't ya. LISTEN.





AT FAULT, AURORAS, BAD CALL, DOLLS UP, HAYSEED, I’M TOAST, SPARROW, SPEEDOS, TEARFUL, COPY DESK, SUSPENSE


17A. Top horticulturist? : BUSH MASTER. Ths SNAKE breaks into parts for the theme. It is part of the viper family.

27A. Top orthopedist? : BONE HEAD. Any bonehead know orthopedists deal with bones.

36A. Top dairyman? : CREAM CHEESE. Like wheel below, this one needs a "Big" before it to project the same meaning as the rest of the theme.

47A. Top entomologist? : FLY WHEEL. You had to know John would get something buggy into the grid. A flywheel is a rotating mechanical device that is used to store rotational energy. Flywheels have a significant moment of inertia and thus resist changes in rotational speed. The amount of energy stored in a flywheel is proportional to the square of its rotational speed. Energy is transferred to a flywheel by applying torque to it, thereby increasing its rotational speed, and hence its stored energy. Conversely, a flywheel releases stored energy by applying torque to a mechanical load, thereby decreasing the flywheel's rotational speed. per wiki.

57A. Top cinematographer? : FILM LEADER. The TERM is also about movies but I did not know it.

Across:

1. Like Sherlock's game : AFOOT.

6. Jerk : BOOB. This meaning for the word boob has lng been supplanted by the slang word for femal breast, which makes JL's intersecting 6D. Museum work : BUST so amusing. The king of the cross-reference strikes again.

10. Medical ending : OSIS. For some reason HALITOSIS popped into my head, even though HYPNOSIS, OSMOSIS and TUBERCULOSIS are clearly more common. .

14. Sierra Nevada tourist attraction : TAHOE. A truly awesome place to visit with the mountains, the lake and the casinos.

15. Bruin's home : UCLA. This took much longer than it should have, perhaps a product of growing upo near Boston, though my first answer was CAVE.

16. Leave in a bad way : DUMP. Ah the heartbreak of it all. Any great stories of broken romances?
35D. Like some goodbyes : TEARFUL.

19. East in Ecuador : ESTE. How odd that of all the Spanish speaking countries, JL picked Ecuador. We have clients invo;ved in a big project there.

20. Puncture opening? : ACUpuncture.

21. Lay : PUT.

22. Main signal : SOS.

24. "I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity" writer : POE. An intersting and tragic figure. You can read more HERE.

25. Less inclined to ramble : TERSER.

29. Get a leg up ... and down : STEP.

30. Pearl Buck heroine : OLAN. How lucky can I get, we just had this.

32. Playground retort : CAN SO.

33. Comparable to a beet : AS RED.

35. Private meetings : TRYSTS..

38. Emulates a fan : ADORES.

40. Lessen : ABATE.

41. Go __ : TO POT.

42. Rosa's rosa, e.g. : FLOR.

43. Cut, in a way : ETCH.

49. Homburg kin : FEDORA. Hats off to John, who actually wears hats for getting this fill in the grid.

51. City VIP : ALDerman.

52. Lamp opening? : ELL. The letter, silly.

53. Cannes confirmation : OUI. Must have some French for Splynter.

54. Even so : YET.

55. Applications : USES.

60. Verdant : LUSH. Usually associated with growing things.

61. "Young Frankenstein" Fräulein : INGA. The incomparable Teri Garr and her knockers.
xxxx
62. "If only!" : I HOPE.

63. I-76 in Penn., e.g. : TPKE.

64. Handy : NEAR.

65. "Good Lord!" : OH GOD.

Down:

 1. Chances for a walk in the park? : AT BATS. Some baseball misdirection as the park is the ball park. It is safe to say John likes to be misleading, as in another baseball clue 27D. Mistake at home, perhaps : BAD CALL.

2. Tap : FAUCET. So simple but I started out struggling in the NW corner.

3. "And I'm Cleopatra" : OH SURE. followed by...

4. Awed response : OOH. Now if the next clue were Buckeye state, we would have quite a progression. We also have 59D. Spa sound : AHH.

5. Home of Arizona State : TEMPE. I have quite a few cousins who got degrees there.

7. Calendar pg. : OCTober.

8. Nellie __, character in Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books : OLESON.

9. Low-grade peer : BARON.

10. Lyric tribute : ODE.

11. Film genre : SUSPENSE.

12. "My goose is cooked" : I'M TOAST. Two cooking references.

13. Small trunks : SPEEDOS. Joe Manganiello anyone?

18. Dawns : AURORAS.

23. It may be told in anger : SECRET. 34D. Rage below the surface : SEETHE. 46D. More than dislike : HATRED. Mini-theme? Hmm, some issues JL?

26. Field chirper : SPARROW.

28. Yokel : HAYSEED. Fun fill.

31. Apollo 11's Eagle, briefly : LEM. Thanks JL for the CSO.

36. News editing site : COPY DESK. Where is our newwoman?

37. Starz rival : HBO. Is htis still an initialism for Home Box Office?

38. Liable : ATFAULT

39. Dons fancy duds : DOLLSUP

42. One may be in your lap : FELINE. The perfect clecho for the Corner. For CED.

44. One may be in your lap : TOY DOG. For Manac.

45. Sleazeball : CREEPO.

48. Puckish : ELFIN.

50. Farm sequence? : EIEIO. Old Macdonald would be proud of so many O words.

53. "A Book of Verses underneath the Bough" poet : OMAR.

56. Ship, to the captain : SHE.

58. JFK alternative : LGA. Three letter airport codes. MSY, MCO, ORD are trickier to suss.