Friday, March 27, 2015, Jacob Stulberg

Theme: Waiter, what is this fly doing in my soup? ANSWER?.See number 3.

Jacob has always puzzled me with his puzzles like his Wednesday NYT, and while the solve was okay and I am not a great solver, I am having difficulty with the explanation. The basic theme has TANG inside the fill, and I now understand why after consulting with the Corner guru. The first four themers are:

14A. *1952 #1 hit for Leroy Anderson : BLUE TANGO  (9), Do not know the SONG or the artist, but the perps and the theme gave me this answer quickly.

17A. *Math reciprocal : COTANGENT(9). This was easy, but I will defer to our math experts to discuss.

61A. *"Atomic" Crayola color : TANGERINE (9). I am not sure why but I remember this color.

66A. *Bogged down : ENTANGLED (9). Not pefect fit for me.

Then we have the supplemental variation of the old joke about a fly in the soup:

30A. With 35-Across, question the starred clues might ask : WHAT IS THIS FLY (13).
35A. See 30-Across : DOING IN MY ANSWER (15).
44. Response to 30-/35-Across, and a hint to a hidden word in 14-, 17-, 61- and 66-Across : THE BACK STROKE (13).

I was struggling to make sense of the back stroke reference when I was made aware that TANG backwards spells GNAT, which makes it all fit together as the GNAT in each theme answer is backwards leaving a FLY doing a backstroke. Really inventive combination of words and visual.

Again we have a Friday with almost 60 fiveletter or shorter words, 42 blocks and only a few non theme related sparkly fill such as ANCHOR, BEATER, EERILY, IT WAS I, KEITEL, OUTLAW, SHIRTS, SO THAT, AT STAKE, ESSENCE


Across:

1. Long __ : AGO. We begin like STAR WARS Episode IV only it is our constructor who has a mind from a different galaxy.

4. Spartan colonnades : STOAS. You see many of these on college campuses as well.

9. Belief of more than a billion : ISLAM.

16. "Done!" : THERE.

18. Expand : WIDEN.

19. Numskull : DOLT.

20. Start of a rumor : I HEAR...that Rich does not like partials, is this one?

22. Fuel economy testing org. : EPA. Environemental Protection Agency.

23. Business card word : FAX.

26. On the table : AT STAKE.

33. Zhou __ : EN LAI. This Chinese POLITICIAN and cohort of Mao actually died a few month before Mao's death.

34. Wide size : EEE.

42. Boston Coll. is in it : ACC. Atlantic Coast Conference.

43. '90s runner : PEROT. For president, not for distance, Ross.

50. Pith : ESSENCE.

51. Medit. land : ISRael.

52. Revised versions: Abbr. : EDS. Editions.

55. Sharp : ACRID. I think of smells.

57. Stop on Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited route : ERIE. CSO.

58. Theodore's first lady : EDITH. This LADY. She was however, his second wife.

65. Event with pole bending : RODEO. Like slalom for cowboys? No idea.

67. "Octopus's Garden" songwriter : STARR. Ringo wrote some interesting songs. His best witht he BEATLES.

68. Holds up : LASTS.

69. Sch. units : YRS.


Down:

1. Start of a children's song : ABCDE.

2. Gluttonous Augustus in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" : GLOOP. I did not remember his NAME.(2:39)

3. Posse target : OUTLAW.

4. Stop: Abbr. : STN.

5. __ sale : TAG. We have yard sales, garage sales, moving sales as well as THESE. My grandmother manufactured tags in Southbridge.

6. Word with man or horse : ONE. ReallY?

7. Latin lambs : AGNI. A variation from our normal reference.

8. To make sure : SO THAT.

9. Confessor's words : IT WAS I. I started with I DID IT which also fit.

10. Haberdashery stock : SHIRTS.

11. Directed : LED.

12. Exist : ARE.

13. Sign on a door : MEN.

15. Put away : EAT.

21. Djibouti neighbor: Abbr. : ETHiopia.

23. Canine : FANG. Rhymes with TANG.

24. Hun king, in Norse legend : ATLI.

25. Capital of Shaanxi Province : XIAN. CSO to our own.

27. Several : A FEW.

28. "Twittering Machine" artist : KLEE.

29. Observer : EYER.

31. Mother __ : HEN.

32. Fools : SIMPS. Really?

35. 2/3, say : DATE. This partial clue fooled me for a while.

36. Big name in publishing : OCHS. Really, really BIG for the NY Times, not so much our journal.

37. Decorates, in a way : ICES. Tin, it is okay to ice a cake.

38. Mountain sighting : YETI. Ridiculous.

39. JFK list : ARRS.

40. Queen dowager of Jordan : NOOR. Our American export.

41. Wall St. purchase : STK.

45. Rattletrap : BEATER. I know the term from reading old books,, but I have never heard anyone actually use the term.

46. Hold : ANCHOR.

47. "Born on the Bayou" band, briefly : CCR. Credence Clearwater Revival, a Woodstock band.

48. "Mean Streets" co-star : KEITEL. Harvey.

49. How ghost stories are told : EERILY.

53. "2 Broke Girls" setting : DINER.

54. Origins : SEEDS.

56. Actress Delany : DANA. I have watched her since China Beach.

57. Bit of work : ERG. Followed by....

58. Triage ctrs. : ERS. Emergency Rooms.

59. Finish, as a letter, perhaps : DOT. Finish writing the letter, not the letter! Ah ha, I get it.
60. Wyo. neighbor : IDAho.

62. Some Windows systems : NTS.

63. Hood's gun : GAT.

64. U.S. Army rank abolished in 1815 : ENS. A WAG that was easier than I expected.

Friday, March 20, 2015, Jeffrey Wechsler

Theme: PeePee time.

A return to Friday for another of my favorite regular constructors, Jeffrey Wechsler, gives us five two word phrases, with the first word ending in P and the second starting with P but one of the Ps is eliminated. Graturitously for my write up I have chosen the P at the beginning of the second word as the eliminated letter. For me, the key to all letter adding or subtracting is the wit in the reveal and here is a really fun one. I started out with a bit of trouble only because the HUMAN BRAIN has such adaptive qualities that I read STRIPOKER, as if both Ps were present.






EARTHEN, HAD A KID, OLD WEST, WREATHE, APPARENT, GET A BITE, HARRISON, HOOSIERS and some shorter fun words ADDLED, BURROW, CANTOR, OCTAVE, ORIENT, PARSEC, SCATHE, URANIA

17A. Where shirts may be lost? : STRIP POKER (9). I lke the double entendre of the clue/fill as you can lose your shirt, literally and lose your shirt figuratively playing poker.

32A. California Marine Corps base : CAMP PENDLETON (12).

39A. Realm of some self-help books : POP PSYCHOLOGY (12).

62A. Update : KEEP POSTED (9). I now recognize KYP, in texting. (Keep You Posted).

13D. Travel agent's suggestions : TRIP PLANS (8).

35D. Soup variety, and a feature of five puzzle answers : SPLIT PEA (8).

Across:

1. Shoot the moon : GO BIG.This was real challenge as well, because it has so many meanings, and I mostly associate with Hearts where you must take all hearts and the Queen of Spades.

6. "Say from whence / You __ this strange intelligence?": Macbeth : OWE. Not my favorite play, but:
Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more.
By Sinel’s death I know I am thane of Glamis.
But how of Cawdor? The thane of Cawdor lives,
A prosperous gentleman, and to be king
Stands not within the prospect of belief,
No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence
You owe this strange intelligence, or why
Upon this blasted heath you stop our way
With such prophetic greeting. Speak, I charge you.

9. Word of possibility : MIGHT.

14. MDX maker : ACURA.

15. __ Pacis: altar of Peace : ARA.  This EDIFICE. PAX, was the Roman goddess of peace, from when we derive Pax Vobiscum.

16. Tough test metaphor : A BEAR.

19. Dish man? : PETRI.

20. Measurement for Sagan : PARSEC.

21. One sending out bills : ATM
23. Field guard : TARP
24. Bolivian president Morales : EVO
25. Denounce unmercifully : SCATHE
27. Natl. debt unit : BIL
28. Mountain __: soft drinks : DEWS
30. White : ASHEN
31. Galileo's birthplace : PISA.

35. Snowboarding gold medalist White : SHAUN.

38. Begins : OPENS.

45. Easy pace : LOPE.

46. Idle colleague : PALIN.

47. Conan Doyle, for one : SCOT.
51. "Love __ Rose": Neil Young song : ISA
52. At sea : ADDLED
54. LAX stat : ARR
55. Fade out : TIRE
57. Film with six sequels : SAW
58. Muse for Sagan : URANIA
60. Equals : PEERS.

64. Kovacs of early TV comedy : ERNIE
65. Tao follower? : ISM
66. "JFK" director : STONE
67. Late bloomer? : ASTER
68. Skid row woe : DTS
69. Prepares for recycling : SORTS

Down:

1. Suddenly inspired : GASPED
2. Staff span : OCTAVE
3. Underground shelter : BURROW
4. Camera component : IRIS
5. Is visibly thunderstruck : GAPES
6. Sturdy tree : OAK
7. Encircle : WREATHE
8. Like 3-Downs : EARTHEN
9. Place for an X, perhaps : MAP
10. "That's dubious" : IBET
11. Go for lunch, say : GETABITE
12. President who signed the Sherman Antitrust Act : HARRISON

18. Razor man? : OCCAM
22. Patch : MEND
26. Venomous snake : ASP
29. Informal pardon? : SCUSE
31. 1666 London fire chronicler : PEPYS
33. "__ luck?" : ANY
34. Two-by-four source : LOG.

36. Classic 1986 sports movie : HOOSIERS
37. Obvious : APPARENT
40. Makers of many skeds : CPAS
41. Started one's family, casually : HADAKID
42. Grey area? : OLDWEST
43. Small, made smaller : LIL
44. Get ahead of : ONEUP
48. Fixture at Rosh Hashanah services : CANTOR
49. Put on course : ORIENT
50. Masonry and such : TRADES
53. Metallic waste : DROSS
56. City on its own lake : ERIE
59. In the matter of : ASTO
61. Sun. delivery : SER
63. Acute care initials : EMS

Friday, March 13, 2015, Marti DuGuay Carpenter

Theme: "Scooby Doo, where are you?"  "He is over here,  suffering from Rhotic Replacement."

A whimsical marti Friday offering, where the single letter R is added to the beginning of a phrase and hilarity ensues. As soon as I solved 17A, I could hear Scooby in my head, and wondered if Scooby and Rover were the inspiration. Another Friday from a Corner denizen, another Friday the 13th puzzle blogged by Jason, and much fun for me, though it is hard to concentrate as I am thinking with Scooby in my head. Unlike Steve's effort last week, we have many 3,4 and 5 letter fill and average word length only 4.79. We do have some sixes and sevens APHIDS, BESTOW, DIET R C, ENGAGE, MEANIE, UGANDA, CORRUPT, FOLIAGE, ITERATE, WENT APE  but the cluing is fair with little obscurity. We have the use of initilaisms rather than an overrun of abbreviations, and no need for a reveal. let's take a peek.


17A. Allowance for food, vet visits, etc.? : ROVER BUDGET(11). This quickly revealed the theme, though I wonder if younger people relate to Rover as typical dog name? I have seen overbudget as one word, a hyphenated word and two words. For symmetry sake I am going with two words.

23A. Bedtime for bats? : RAFTER HOURS (11). Even with the theme, this took many perps before I got to the bats sleeping in the rafters. After hours also seems can be one word. I like the wordplay as the image of a rafter hours club for bats cmoes to mind.

40A. Threw a tantrum at ballet school? : RAGED GRACEFULLY (15). Well I do think all of the senior crowd here are aging well, but I had this IMAGE  (6:17) brought to mind.

50A. Decisive "Star Wars" victory? : ROUT IN SPACE (11). The outlier, with a three word phrase used. Somehow Pigs in Space came to mind.

63A. Answer to "What did people listen to during the Depression, señor?"? : RADIOS AMIGO (11).
This is such an interesting fill, as we not only change the pronunciation of the word, but the language. I would imagine radios were a luxury back in the 30s. I guess my friends it is time to say good bye to the theme and dissect the rest of miss m's masterpiece.

Across:

1. Principal introduction? : VICE. Do they really need to have a principal in charge of Vice?

5. Ladybug lunches : APHIDS. I remember growing up with all the different flowers my father had in our yard, and the battle against the aphids, and the fun ladybugs who always had to be sent flying home.

11. Handle for a chef? : STU. This actually took me a bit as I started with sou, even though I know it is SOUS Chef.

14. "Yikes!" : EGAD. marti works this owrd into many of her puzzles.

15. Bully : MEANIE.

16. '60s-'70s news focus, informally : NAM.

19. Old sports org. using colorful balls : ABA. American Basketball Association. When the NBA merged them out of existence they did not keep the red, white and blue ball, but they did keep the three point basket. I did not remember that former Knick great David Albert DeBusschere was one time commissioner of the ABA. He also pitched a shut out for the Chicago White Sox.

20. Place to play : ARENA. For ABA and NBA teams. The Heat play at American Airlines Arena, and what an odd year this post Lebron year has been.

21. PC key : ALT.

22. Some execs : CFOS. Chief Financial Officer.

27. Annual New England attraction : FOLIAGE. For me this was the beginning of a mini-theme. 36A. First Poet Laureate of Vermont : FROST. Robert Frost was still alive and active in my youth, appearing at the JFK inaugaration. The Road Not Taken well worth a read. 13D. It has a med school in Worcester : UMASS. "Wooster" is right up the road from Southbridge. I think marti has been snowed in too long this winter. 27D. Maine forest sights : FIRS. At least she did not link Joyce Kilmer again.


31. Mutt : CUR.

32. "__ a traveler ...": "Ozymandias" : I MET. More POETRY, but NIT alert!! in the poem it is spelled traveller by Shelley.
.
33. Dolts : OAFS.

43. You might wake up to one : SNORE. This was hard to follow.

44. Satirist once dubbed "Will Rogers with fangs" : SAHL. He was the voice of the 60's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5yd3Nqp19s

45. Heavily sit (down) : PLOP.

46. Draft choice : ALE. Not a selection in the upcoming NFL draft, but what is on tap, which looks like....

48. Lost it : WENT APE.

55. Eclectic online reader : UTNE. Do any of you all go to this oft referenced site?

56. Slime : GOO.

57. Treacherous type : VIPER. Some alliteration.

62. Beads on blades : DEW. Some alliteration.

66. Poetic preposition : ERE. Some alliteration.

67. Landlocked African country : UGANDA. In South America it is Bolivia.

68. When some ties are broken, briefly : IN O.T. (OverTime) I not understand at first.

69. Clear : RID. And its opposite....

70. Grant : BESTOW.

71. Part of CSNY : NASH. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaBJPgKsiDY

Down:

1. "Up in the Air" Oscar nominee Farmiga : VERA. Her videos are just do not pass the breakfast test.

2. Aircraft pioneer Sikorsky : IGOR. He pioneered many aircraft and is especially known for his work perfecting the rotary helicopter. He spent most of his adult life in Connecticut, where I had the pleasure of meeting him when I was a child.

3. Give in : CAVE. Such a tricky little clue/fill but I did not.

4. Ideal world : EDEN.

5. Diplomatic VIP : AMBassador?

6. Little, in Lille : PEU. Frawnche.

7. Went after : HAD AT.

8. Hastings hearth : INGLE. Friday fireplace words.

9. Tab alternative : DIET R C. R C Cola, the other cola.

10. Play area : SET. Not where children play, but where one puts on a play.

11. Muddled situation : SNAFU. Situation Normal, All F****** Up.

12. Fife-and-drum corps instrument : TABOR. We just had this in marti's January 29, 2015, Thursday puzzle which I blogged for her.

18. Avis adjective : RARA. This bird is not so rare in crossword puzzles.

22D. Crooked : CORRUPT. Perhaps this is a New England reference as well?

24. Awestruck : AGOG.

25. They might cause jitters : FEARS.

26. Snit : HUFF. For tv trivia nuts, LINK (1:58) for football fans LINK (2:08)

28. Arabian sultanate : OMAN.

29. Toy for an aspiring architect : LEGO.

30. Repeat : ITERATE. So reiterate is rerepeating.

34. DOT agcy. : FAA. Federal Aviation Administration is now faced with regulating drones.

35. The "e" sound in "tandem" : SCHWA. Have we discussed this enough?

37. Ceramic pot : OLLA.

38. Dinner on the farm, maybe : SLOP.

39. Enter, in a way : TYPE.

41. Where to nosh on a knish : DELIcatessen.

42. Wire service?: Abbr. : ELECtricity. My favorite fill.

47. Captivate : ENGAGE. Her smile was....

49. St. Petersburg's river : NEVA.

50. More boorish : RUDER.

51. Comic Cheri : OTERI. An SNL graduate who did not appear on the 40th reunion.

52. Single : UNWED. I often have lots of unweds in my wallet.

53. Some floats : SODAS. Root beer anyone?

54. Essence : POINT.

58. "Let's do it!" : I'M IN.

59. Cóctel fruit : PINA. Pineapple.

60. They may be inflated : EGOS. Not around here.

61. Author who created Zuckerman : ROTH. This alter-ego for the the author appears in many of Roth's novels really epitomizing what I learned in college that myth is reality and relaity is myth.

63. Barbecue seasoning : RUB. The simplest, pepper for steak au poivre.

64. Prefix with meter : ODO.

65. Carpenter's tool : SAW. How is the work coming Splynter?

Well I am out of words, so it is time for me to shuffle off; thanks marti. Lemonade out.

Friday, March 6, 2015, Steve Marron

Theme: There is no "I" in Steve Marron's name

Our own Wednesday tag team titan, and well traveled wit has taken an old saw, and made it into a reveal 61A. Sports cliché that explains 17-, 28-, 35- and 47-Across : THERE'S NO I IN TEAM(15) which spans the grid and explains that all the other nonsensical fill are sports teams with the letter "I" removed from the names. Really cute, and inventive, and a classic Friday structure with lower word count and fewer blocks, with the average word length almost 5 and a half letters. This led to lots of 7 and 8 letter fill like ABYSMAL, ACERBIC,  AD ASTRA,  AMPERES,  ATTACHE, BASKETS, BASMATI, CATBERT, ECSTASY, ENTWINE, SEETHES, STREETS, UTENSIL, VIEWING, MANIACAL, VENDETTA. Very fresh fill and almost no common answers (IRA, TEN and AHA) another rising star emerging in the LAT world from our little Corner. Remember when we used to say, Oh great that is C.C.s third solo, or marti's? Let's see what a transplanted Brit brought.

17A. Pennsylvania athletes : PITTSBURGH PIRATES (15) I bet it was deducing that this team left 15 letters when the Is were removed that made this puzzle possible for Steve. Well done catch.

28A. Florida athletes : MIAMI DOLPHINS (10) I love seeing my hometown team (they actually no longer play in Miami) and the fact the mirror clue is also an NFL team.

35A. Illinois athletes : CHICAGO FIRE (9). We have soccer, to go with football. There also is a current TV Show with this name. Am I the only one who finds it odd that things are named after a terrible disaster?

47A. Michigan athletes : DETROIT LIONS (10). Like the Dolpins they are in a long span of futility.


Across:

1. Biting : ACERBIC. What a witty way to begin.

8. Pulley wheel : SHEAVE. The things I learn here, I never knew THIS.

14. Beyond enthusiastic : MANIACAL. Is this a CSO fro marti?

16. __ arch: blood vessel section : AORTIC. Is this a CSO for marti?

19. "Charlotte's Web" monogram : EBW. Elwyn Brooks White. Now I recall why I never remember this AUTHOR's full name. Notice that he likes dachshunds as well as correct use of English.

20. Like dreamers, often : ASLEEP.

21. Word of suspicion, to Tweety : TAWT I saw a puddy tat.

22. Steering aids : REINS. I like this clue so many ways, the misdirection, the sound....

24. __ moment : A HA. Is this two words?

26. Langley-based org. : CIA. Central Intelligence Agency. I had a high scholl classmate who went to work for them and I am hoping he will tell us his adventures at our upcoming 50th reunion.

27. Maritime raptor : ERNE.

32. Booyah, e.g. : STEW. Man this was hard for me, I only know the Stuart Scott version not the FOOD.

33. Tax shelter initials : IRA. Individual Retirement Account.

34. Gray wrote one in a country churchyard : ELEGY.  He originally called it Stanza's Wrote in a Country Church-Yard. LINK.

39. Teatime choice : ASSAM. Leave it to Steve to know his teas.

42. "Un-PC" was added to it in 2014 : OED. Oxford Englsih Dictionary.

43. "Take a Chance on Me" group : ABBA.

50. Company headquartered in Trollhättan : SAAB. WE had the ABBA/SAAB once before and I love it.

51. Fizzy prefix : AERate.

52. Words before hear or see : SO I.

53. Needing to be picked up : MESSY. Or perhaps this ANSWER (for Splynter?).

54. "Let it be" : STET. I do not think the song would have done as well witht his editorial name.

56. Address label words : SEND TO.

60. Düsseldorf distances: Abbr. : KMS. The European mind, Kilometres.
,
64. Make final adjustments to, as a concert piano : RETUNE.

65. Family feud : VENDETTA. I recently rewatched one of my favorite Natalie Portman movies.

66. They may be intangible : ASSETS. Goodwill, for example.

67. Setting piece : UTENSIL.

Down:

1. Electrical units : AMPERES.

2. Scott Adams' Evil Director of Human Resources : CATBERT. He has such a warped mind.

3. Wrap around : ENTWINE.

4. Grafton's "__ for Ricochet" : R IS. Between Wheel of Fortune and Sue Grafton there is always a saving fill.

5. Rum desserts : BABAS. This RECIPE gor 5 star ratings. Who will try it and let us know?

6. Post-op areas : ICUS. Intensive Care Units.

7. Red Sox great Yastrzemski : CARL. Not to be confused with another Carl, 13D. "Understanding is a kind of __": Sagan : ECSTASY.

8. The tenth Muse, to Plato : SAPPHO.

9. Old TV knob : HORizontal.

10. Proof word : ERAT.

11. Diplomatic official : ATTACHE.

12. Taking in : VIEWING.

15. Part of XXL: Abbr. : LGE.

18. Proceed : HEAD. Like head home, or HEAD EAST.(5:17).

23. Air freshener scent : NEW CAR.

25. Ray or Jay : ALER.

28. Emcee's aid : MICrophone.

29. The Era of __: period in Notre Dame sports lore : ARA. Parseghian.

30. Toon with a cat named Bowser : MAGOO. No memory of this feline.

31. Satisfy : PLEASE. It will satisfy me if you say please....

36. Health care orgs. : HMOS. Health Maintenance Organizations.

37. Vintner's prefix : OEN. We usually have Oeno.

38. Hose users: Abbr. : FDS. Fired Departments.

39. Words on the Royal Canadian Air Force badge : AD ASTRA. Latin for 'to the stars.'

40. Is ready to blow : SEETHES.

41. "__ of Philadelphia": Oscar-winning song : STREETS. Not a happy SONG.

44. Court scores : BASKETS.

45. Long-grained Asian rice : BASMATI. We ue primarily Jasmine.

46. Beyond poor : ABYSMAL. Fun word.

48. Pre-game decision makers : TOSSES. Of a coin.

49. Property encumbrance : LIEN. Oh goody, a real property law word.

53. Eiffel's world : MONDE. Just French.

55. Level : TRUE. True dat!

57. Fall mo. : NOVember.

58. "Mon __!" : DIEU. OMG! More Frawnche!!!

59. Salon treatment : TINT. Hair salon.

62. Sinusitis-treating MD : ENT. Ear Nose and Throat.

63. Top __ : TEN. This is absolutley in my top ten favorite Steve Marron puzzles! Great Job! I did get a chance to ask Steve the genesis of this puzzle and he said, "I was working at home one morning and watching the Dan Patrick show on NBC Sports and he started to question the "No "I" in Team" tenet and that's what got me thinking." Remember to set your clocks ahead, and beware the Ides.  lemonade out.