Darin McDaniel

Title: How do I parse parson?

There are 612 people in the US named Darin McDaniel according to the White Pages, none of whom had a puzzle published in the LAT...but there is a Darin McDaniel who had One (1) NYT published puzzle, a Sunday no less! That PUZZLE (spoiler alert- this has the answers) was a delight. Today, Darin who went to the same high school as the late great Merl Reagle, found six known entertainers who had last names that both began and ended with the letter "S." He then removed the first S to reveal a new word and paired that with a word that used the removed "S" as a possessive. He then clued the new phrase with wit. I love word play and deception and this was fun, simple once you gor the gimmick and it is a smooth pangram! With 70 spaces used up in the 6 themers, here was not room for much else but we did get ASPIRED, FISHERS, BAPTIZE, ALLWISE, BLUEBIRD and OLD SALTS. If you hate proper names go home now, otherwise hop on for the ride.

17A. "What's My Line?" comedian's craft brewery? : SOUPY'S ALES (10). This old COMIC.

23A. Pop diva's fruit stand? : BRITNEY'S PEARS (13). This DIVA.

30A. American Idol winner's amusement chain? : JORDIN'S PARKS (12). This WOMAN.

39A. Rapper's shopping center properties? : BIGGIE'S MALLS (12). This MAN.

49A. Guitarist's cash register company? : STEPHEN'S TILLS (13). This ROCKER.

59A. "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" comedian's flooring store? : RYAN'S TILES (10). This not old COMIC.


Across:

1. Arafat's successor : ABBAS. lat name clue, last name answer. LINK.

6. City near Yorba Linda : BREA.

10. Brief responses to common concerns : FAQS. Frequently Asked Questions.

14. Composer of a seven-movement work that excludes Earth : HOLST.  I could recall the PLANETS but not his name.

15. Tach count : REVS. Revolutions measured on your tachometer.

16. "... even now / __ myself to thy direction": "Macbeth" : I PUT.
From overcredulous haste. But G-d above
Deal between thee and me, for even now
I put myself to thy direction and
Unspeak mine own detraction, here abjure
The taints and blames I laid upon myself...

19. Sail support : SPAR.

20. R.E.M.'s "The __ Love" : ONE I.

21. Heifetz's teacher : AUER.

22. Present : HERE.

27. City of northern Spain : OVIEDO.

29. David and Bird : LARRYS.

34. In a blue state : SAD.

35. Nile reptile : ASP.

36. Corvallis sch. : OSU. In this case, Oregon State University.

45. Equally speedy : AS FAST.

48. Forest bovine : WILD OX. Very popular in the Torah. More Bible, 61A. Número de Mandamientos : DIEZ. The ten Commandments.

53. Collate : SORT. Having copiers that collate was great.

54. Film on water : SCUM. Pond scum anyone?

55. Toddler's drink : WAWA. Bobwa?

58. Farm opening? : AGRIculture.

62. Frank of 1950s Broadway : ANNE. The PLAY starred Lee Strasberg's daughter Susan.

63. Basketwork fiber : ISTLE. We have had this little used word a few times but not since 2013; it was very popular in the NYT for years. I wonder if AGAVE is used to make a 66A. Jai alai basket : CESTA.

64. Bone-dry : SERE.

65. Hwy. crossings : JCTS. Junctions.


Down:

1. "Understood" : AH SO.

2. Windfall : BOON.

3. Symbol of happiness : BLUEBIRD.

4. Had ambitions : ASPIRED.

5. Mess : STY.

6. Big name in coffee makers : BRAUN.

7. Civil War signature : R E LEE.

8. __ other: alternating : EVERY.

9. Sancho's "steed" : ASS.

10. Pole users : FISHERS.

11. Materialize : APPEAR.

12. Slate source : QUARRY.

13. Burnout cause : STRESS.

18. Squelched : SAT ON.

24. Forest's 2006 Oscar-winning role : IDI.

25. 35mm camera option : SLR.

26. Where the Indus flows: Abbr. : PAKistan.

27. IHOP orders : OJS.

28. U.S. news source since 1942 : VOA.

31. Slump : SAG.

32. Tire pressure meas. : PSI.

33. Parody : APE.

36. Veterans of the briny : OLD SALTS.

37. __-pitch : SLO.

38. Steel giant, as it was known from 1986-2001 : USX.

39. Cleanse spiritually : BAPTIZE.

40. Book ending : ISH.

41. Co. merged into Verizon : GTE.

42. Moves in a school : SWIMS.

43. .001 of an inch : MIL.

44. Omniscient : ALL WISE.

45. Syrian ruling family : ASSADS.

46. Cheap smoke : STOGIE.

47. "Cyrano de Bergerac" Best Actor (1950) : FERRER.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzwsoPK_ve8

50. "Bye Bye Bye" band : NSYNC. They were Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCKpLc374bc

51. Meager : SCANT.

52. iPod contents : TUNES.

56. Shoemaker's strip : WELT. Shoes 101.

57. Where to find 36-Down : ASEA.

59. British rule in India : RAJ.

60. Hold 'em tell, maybe : TIC. We are talking Poker. The WSOP final table starts on Sunday, 8 Million to the winner.

Chuck Deodene

Title: Chuck you are driving me crazy!

After more than four years, Chuck D. is back. LINK. I recalled the name, but had to go to the archives to look over the puzzle I had blogged of his. I hope he stops by - he had 38 NYT puzzles published by 2012 and 3 LAT but nothing in either place until today. This effort is a variation of the 'one word' as the clue for all theme answers, but here the word not only is used if 4 different meanings, but modified.



17A. Place to take a 36-Down : EXPRESSWAY (10). Here we have the place where we drive vehicles.

25A. Place to run a 36-Down : CATTLE RANCH (11). You gather up the cows and head to Kansas City on your cattle drive.

37A. Place to install a 36-Down : DESKTOP COMPUTER (15). The office server has about 10 drives, we use mostly g and h.

47A. Place to hold a 36-Down : BLOOD MOBILE (11). They park outside the movie theater here for their blood drive.

57A. Place to hit a 36-Down : GOLF COURSE (10). With HG, Big Easy and other of our golfing group, hitting a long straight drive keeps them going back.
And the reveal:

36D. Theme of this puzzle : DRIVE (5). How direct is that for a reveal, but  is it?

Across:

1. Deceptive operation : STING. Immediate clecho 10A. Deceptive distortion : SPIN.

6. Work with a number : OPUS. I always have like this piece by Chopin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E6b3swbnWg

14. Indulge : HUMOR. Nice Friday clue, as we all have humored our spouses or children or even parents at one time in our lives.

15. Probe-launching org. : NASA. CSO to HG.

16. Words often after a number : OR SO. This took me 10 minutes or so to complete.

19. Attire : WEAR.

20. Euripides drama : MEDEA. CSO to me as Jason played a large part in this Tragedy - not a nice part.

21. Cook books, say : CHEAT. Many businesses do keep different sets of books, cash accounting, GAAP accounting and regulatory accounting, Way beyond me.

22. Venomous reptile : ASP. Cleopatra another tragic figure.

28. Horror film reaction : SHRIEK.

30. Way out : EXIT. Literal.

31. __ Throne: "Game of Thrones" monarchy : IRON. Wonderful fun. LINK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ5p18wIQEI

32. They may span decades : SAGAS. The first one I heard of was THIS.

34. Tack on : ADD.

41. Pasture parent : EWE. I like the alliteration. Ma maa.

42. Members of an exclusive league : IVIES. Hmm- 53A. One percent, so to speak : ELITE.

43. Pasta choice : ZITI. Probably time for a refresher on the many shapes of PASTA.

44. Lack of focus : BLUR. My eye doctor says I am blessed with blurred vision recognition.

45. See 12-Down : ASIMOV. 12D. With 45-Across, "The Bicentennial Man" author : ISAAC. While an interesting book (which is only slightly related to the Robin Williams movie version) this was one in his robot series. He is the most impressive AUTHOR I have read because of hs facility in so many fields.

52. PC file extension : EXE.  An executable file for DOS

54. Lead-in to a drink? : I NEED.

56. Fund-raiser, perhaps : GALA.

62. "Totally!" : AMEN. From Moses to Mos Def.

63. Brink : EDGE.

64. Mill output : FLOUR. Steel anyone?

65. Not : NARY.

66. Wolfish look : LEER.

67. Neighborhood posting : FLYER.

Down:

1. "__ Hate Me": Spike Lee film : SHE.

2. Prom duds : TUX.

3. Devil : IMP.

4. Social convention : NORM.

5. Country bordering three seas : GREECE.

6. Kickoff : ONSET.

7. Grab for clumsily : PAW AT.

8. "Royal Pains" network : USA.

9. Declare : SAY.

10. "Well, whoop-de-do" : SO WHAT.

11. Get duded up : PREEN.

13. Up __ : NORTH.

18. Deadwood's state: Abbr. : SDAK.

21. Like new bills : CRISP.

22. Out of the way : ASIDE.

23. Nag : SHREW.

24. Essay makeup : PROSE.

26. Locking blocks : LEGOS.

27. End-of-term ordeal : EXAM.

29. Letterpress need : INK.

32. VP after Hubert : SPIRO.

33. Expert : ACE.

34. Fairy-tale intro words : A TIME. The dreaded partial?

35. Do a juice cleanse, say : DETOX.

38. El Niño feature : TILDE. Nicely disguised.

39. Female gamete : OVUM.

40. Action film weapon : UZI.

44. Mendel's science : BOTANY.

45. Novelist Waugh : ALEC.

46. Wave to from the dock : SEE OFF.

47. Initiated : BEGAN.

48. Andean transport : LLAMA.

49. Edmonton NHL player : OILER. Splynter?

50. Hull region : BILGE. This TERM has been around 500 years.

51. Deduce : INFER. Nero Wolfe used to get apoplectic about those who misused this WORD.

55. Sigh-inducing : DULL.

57. Holder of locks : GEL. hair, silly.

58. Shelley work : ODE. For the season - the first stanza of Ode To The West Wind
O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being,
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,

59. Scheider of "Jaws" : ROY. He had a long and successful CAREER.

60. Seek payback, maybe : SUE. The law is the only field where one professional creates business for another.

61. Fumble, e.g. : ERR. is human, to forgive divine. Not in Cleveland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5rQmdKKQgI

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: BY THE OUNCE ( as proclaimed by the constructor in 57A.

This wekk, JW is the Wizard of OZ, giving us four phrases which add the abbreviation for Ounce-OZ- to 4 phrases and create new, and humporously clued expressions.
http://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=04/09/2009

TRIODES, OTTOMAN,  RICE BAR,, ONE MAN ON,  FEMININE, TOPOLOGY, AMAZONIA



17A. Doughnut order from a king? : LION'S DOZEN (10). The king part was tricky, though we all know the Lion id King of the jungle whether or not in its den..

25A. Musicians given to tippling? : BOOZY BAND (9). Many boy bands do face problems with alcohol and drugs. LINK.

34A. Set of data within an atmospheric analysis? : TABLE FOR OZONE (13).

48A. Occupants of a well-insulated nest? : COZY YOUNG (9).

57A. How perfume is sold ... and this puzzle's title : BY THE OUNCE (10)

Across:

1. Talked into, with "on" : SOLD.

5. Calyx part : SEPAL. So a calyx is the sepals of a flower, typically forming a whorl that encloses the petals and forms a protective layer around a flower in bud.

10. Typical artist's apartment : LOFT.

14. Samoan capital : APIA. Apia is the capital and the largest city of Samoa.

15. Amtrak option : ACELA.

16. Cabinet dept. formed under Carter : ENER.

19. Fifty percent up front? : DEMI. Brilliant, the prefix (up front) like demitasse.

20. Recorded : ON TAPE.

21. GPS info : RTE.

23. Pisa possessive : MIO. Italian for my.

24. Recording device : METER.

28. Writer LeShan : EDA.

29. Is next to : ABUTS.

31. Sergeant Bilko, to friends : ERNIE.

32. Tapestry thread : WEFT. My first thought was WTF!?! I am not much of a weaver and missed the APRIL 12, 2015 puzzle where it last surfaced. I note that both ACELA and DEMI are in that one. I thought it a bit cruel to have Demi Moore and Mila Kunis in the same grid.

33. Saturn models : IONS. I owned a black one, with the odd doors.

40. Quarterback Tony : ROMO.

41. Swamplike : MIRY.

42. Protection against Mr. Decay Germ, in old ads : IPANA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT3snZo5StQ

44. Continued violently : RAGED.

45. MDX ÷ X : CLI.

50. One of the Coen brothers : ETHAN. Movie making brothers.

52. "10538 Overture" gp. : ELO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztjfiS9fnlY

53. Ocean bird : ERN.

54. Gets rid of : SCRAPS.

55. M's favorite agent : BOND. Is Daniel Craig out C.C. ? NEW?

60. Commercial exchange fee : AGIO. Way beyond me. LEARN.

61. Ames native : IOWAN.

62. Future ENT's exam : MCAT. Medical College Admission Test.

63. "You've Got Mail" co-star : RYAN. Meg.

64. Grabs : SNAGS. I snagged the last piece of pizza.

65. Turtles, sometimes : PETS. We had one stay with us recently. He was quiet.

Down:

1. Biblical seductress : SALOME.
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/208448/Salome-Original-Trailer-.html

2. Offered a view : OPINED.

3. Shoeless Joe Jackson portrayer in "Field of Dreams" : LIOTTA.

4. Mother of Perseus : DANAE.

5. Marquis de __ : SADE.

6. Prefix with friendly : ECO.

7. Product with a Simpsons set : PEZ.

8. Last Olds models : ALEROS.

9. Andy Panda creator : LANTZ. Walter Lantz became well known to me narrating the TV version of his Woody Woodpecker cartoons which took over the first half hour time slot of the Mickey Mouse Club in 1957. ANDY was one of the cartoons that ran on the show. I learned today that Lantz' first hit cartoon character was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a creation stolen from Walt Disney.

10. Took charge : LED.

11. Two-run homer situation : ONE MAN ON. Simple phrase, but maybe not for non-baseball fans.

12. Like "executrix," e.g. : FEMININE. Testatrix...there are many.

13. Old TV parts : TRIODES. The old three pronged vacuum tubes. Triodes were widely used in consumer electronics devices such as radios and televisions until the 1970s, when transistors replaced them.

18. Urban __ : SPRAWL.

22. "Beauty is bought by judgement of the __": Shakespeare : EYE. Love's Labour's Lost | Act 2, Scene 1
PRINCESS
"Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean,
Needs not the painted flourish of your praise:
Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye,
Not utter'd by base sale of chapmen's tongues:"

25. Fit and muscular : BUFF. I should let someone else pick

26. Certain footrest : OTTOMAN. They must be good they named an empire after them.

27. Verve : BRIO. Maybe for Steve. LINK.

30. Quilting party : BEE.

34. Math branch concerned with surfaces : TOPOLOGY. It is the study of geometric properties and spatial relations unaffected by the continuous change of shape or size of figures. Please explain math people.

35. Rain forest region : AMAZONIA.  LINK.
Not a documnetary...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkRg_374DlY

36. Beyond slender : BONY.

37. Former PBS "Mystery!" host : RIGG.

38. Extractable natural resource : ORE.

39. Louisiana genre featuring the accordion : ZYDECO.

40. Grain-based treat : RICE BAR.

43. "Understood, Cap'n" : AYE.

44. His stories inspired "Guys and Dolls" : RUNYON. I have always had an appreciation for this transplanted Kansas REPORTER.

45. Luck : CHANCE. The French word.

46. Pet that needs a sitter? : LAP CAT. A CSO to all of our cat ;lovers (CED!) and a well crafted Friday clue. Apparently this can TAUGHT.

47. Many Alaska maps : INSETS.

49. "__ non sufficit": the world is not enough : ORBIS.

51. Outdo : TRUMP. No doubt a tongue in cheek non-political choice by our New Jersey constructor.

54. Beltway VIPs : SENS.

56. Put on : DON. Our gay apparel....

58. BOAC competitor : TWA. Now both gone.

59. Storied cauldron stirrer : HAG. Despite the contribution of Elizabeth Montgomery, witches are still generally depicted as old crones. This seems silly since they can (in that owrld) make themselves look like whatever they want.

Jeffrey Wechsler

Title: Jack's are wild!

Once again a big thanks to Tom for taking you through Joseph Groat last week.  I am back and our Friday phenom JW is back as well. We have an add a letter theme BUT it is not 1 letter; no not 2 letters, not even 3 BUT a four letter word -JACK- is added to a two word phrase. Two are tacked on the first word, two added to the second. I love some of the new phrases with Seventh Jackson and Jackal Fresco my favorites. As always with JW we have some fun fill like MIDLAND,  ONE ACRE, ANTOINE,  YEARNED, LINGER AT,  EDGINESS,  CAROUSES and OCCIDENT. Not easy, lots of fresh fill, but a fun ride. Let's go!

16A. Item on a certain thief's rap sheet? : PAST CARJACKING (14). Past caring.

32A. Dinner for a lottery winner? : JACKPOT ROAST (12). Pot roast. This gave it away to me.

39A. Mural of a wild canine? : JACKAL FRESCO (12). Al fresco. Jackal was hard to parse but the most creative fill.

56A. Last of a $140 stack? : SEVENTH JACKSON (14). Seventh son. If you can divide 140 by 7...


Across:

1. City NE of Odessa : MIDLAND. Texas. When you work your way east from Dallas through Abilene on you way to El Paso.  They are only about 20 miles apart.

8. American Pharoah accoutrement : BRIDLE. Some of you may bridle at the use of the French based accoutrement, or the need to know the HORSE that won the Triple Crown in 2015, but it is a very apt clue/fill.

14. Like many lots : ONE ACRE. Not down here.

15. Like bad butter : RANCID. From Latin meaning smelling bad.

18. Party planner's compilation : E-LIST. We must learn to accept these made up words for our electronic world.

19. Big Island entertainment : UKES.

20. Tour stop : GIG.

22. Put down : DIS. I see it more spelled DISS, but since the word comes from DISrespect, this makes sense.

23. Sequential exercise : SCALES. While I have never played, I have worked with many guitarists and they explained to  me this CONCEPT.

26. Name on the 1983 album "More Music for Films" : ENO.

27. Long-distance calling org.? : SETI. Complain, complain.

29. Linguistic ending : ESE. This is so easy after Splynter's comment about languages last Saturday.

30. Graceful wader : EGRET. Here  is a snowy one.

36. "C U When U Get There" rapper : COOLIO. I do not care much for rap, but this interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP1PXRiVoJw

38. Cans on a Lowe's shelf : PAINTS.

41. Flew like a birdie : ARCED.

42. Minn. neighbor : ONTario, Canada.

43. Zachary Taylor, e.g. : WHIG.
The Whig Party was a political party active in the middle of the 19th century in the United States. Four Presidents belonged to the Party while in office. Along with the rival Democratic Party, it was central to the Second Party System from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s.

47. Affected denial : MOI.

48. Held up : PAUSED.

51. With 48-Down, judging with others : ON A. 48D. See 51-Across : PANEL. This seems like too much work for two simple fill. E.g. _____wing and a prayer.

52. Sign of spring : BUD. In the south people drink Bud year round.

53. Prominent feature of "Twilight" films? : FANG. Funny, I wonder if any would have answered this to "Phyllis Diller's husband."

54. Query in Matthew : IS IT I? Matthew 26:22...
King James Bible
And they were exceeding sorrowful, 
and began every one of them to say unto him, 
Lord, is it I?

60. Follows : ENSUES.

61. "The Little Prince" author Saint-Exupéry : ANTOINE. I will always have a soft spot for this MAN as it was his Vol de Nuit that I read with my father (who did not speak great French). My father would quote random and incomprehensible lines from the book. It was fun.

62. Like hunks : STUDLY. gratuitous pic. Loved him in True Blood.

63. Ached (for) : YEARNED. Any yearning PK, Yellowrocks?

Down:

1. Economical bikes : MOPEDS. This should have been easy, I forgot about them..

2. Not a good way to be caught : IN A LIE. A fun multi=word fill.

3. Call it off : DESIST.

4. Pullover beneficiaries : LATS. Latissimi dorsi.

5. Bookkeeper's concerns: Abbr. : ACCTS.

6. Gp. with many arms : NRA.

7. Strauss' "__ Rosenkavalier" : DER. The rose knight (or something like that in German, whence our word cavalier)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYZliEez2Vk

8. Slow down : BRAKE. We all like cute. HELP!

9. Hurries : RACES.

10. Tattoo parlor supplies : INKS.

11. Roman 601 : DCI.

12. Not hurry home from : LINGER AT. JW like his multi-word fill.

13. Avant-garde quality : EDGINESS. Nice fill.

17. Aromatic cocktail : JULEP. From the Mint. RECIPE.

21. Düsseldorf deity : GOTT. More German.

24. Director DeMille : CECIL. B.

25. "I'll kneel down / And ___ thee forgiveness": King Lear : ASK OF. Our drop of Will words from JW. Speaking to Cordelia Act V, Scene III
LEAR
No, no, no, no! Come, let’s away to prison.
We two alone will sing like birds i' th' cage.
When thou dost ask me blessing, I’ll kneel down
And ask of thee forgiveness. So we’ll live,
And pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh
At gilded butterflies, and hear poor rogues...

28. "Kidding" : I JOKE.

30. Former attorney general Holder : ERIC.

31. Moody Blues hit with an exclamation point in its title : GO NOW!

33. "When I was __ ... ": "H.M.S. Pinafore" lyric : A LAD.

34. Starts the day : OPENS. really vague...one's eyes? the mail? the bathroom door?

35. Sample : TASTE.

36. Whoops it up : CAROUSES.

37. West : OCCIDENT. Orient.

39. Hinge holder : JAMB.

40. Like stormy seas : ROUGH. Damn you Matthew!!

44. Sauce served with mu shu pork : HOISIN. Popular all over Asia. The Thai add crushed peanuts.
4 tablespoons soy sauce.
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter.
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar.
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar.
1 garlic clove, finely minced.
2 teaspoons sesame seed oil.
1 teaspoon hot sauce (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper.

45. Chant : INTONE.Good Friday fill.

46. Profited : GAINED.

49. Not at all calm : ANTSY. Ants in your pants.

50. Judge's decrees : DICTA. Hmm, what do you mean by decree? Dicta are the opinion(s) of a judge that do not embody the resolution or determination of the specific case before the court.

53. It might be resolved through mediation : FEUD. Not likely, many lawyers including the one I work with are licensed and skilled mediators. Much faster and cheaper than litigation.

55. Candy bar with a Nordic name : SKOR.

57. Sch. near the Appomattox River : VSU. Virginia State, home of much joy and tragedy.

58. Noisy bird : JAY.

59. Chemical suffix : ANE.

With our hurricane howling I may not be able to read your comments for a while.  Be safe all in the path and see you next time. Lemonade out.