Friday, July 18, 2014, Robin Stears

Theme: Does this puzzle go both ways?

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

30. Fondle : PET. Sounds weird.

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

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

38. Cheers : RAHS.

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

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

42. Humanities degs. : MAS.

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

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

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

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

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

60. CD alternative : T-NOTE.

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

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

63. Certain car carriers : SEMIS.

64. Span. miss : SRTA.

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

Down:

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

2. Pricing word : A PIECE.

3. Astronomer's sighting : METEOR.

4. Aspire maker : ACER. Computer.

5. Distress : WOE.

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

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

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

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

10. __ Gay : ENOLA.

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

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

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

22. Supermarket letters : IGA. Independent Grocers Alliance.

25. Requiem Mass hymn word : IRAE.

26. Half a patio pair : TONG.

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

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

33. Trendy sandwich : WRAP. So last year.

34. Place to practice netiquette : CHAT ROOM.

35. Latin 101 word : ERAT.

36. Sacred Hindu text : VEDA.

37. Not accented, as syllables : ATONIC.

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

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

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

43. Hyperbola part : ARC. Not an exaggeration.

44. Equilibrium : STASIS.

46. One of Goldilocks' complaints : TOO HOT.

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

48. __ egg : EASTER.

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

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

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

58. Bank acct. entry : INTerest.

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

Friday July 4, 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Across:

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

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

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

18. Like some windshields : TINTED.

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

21. __ tide : NEAP.

22. Toot : JAG. A bender.

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

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

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

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

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

44. Word with job or laborer : DAY.

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

49. Showed contempt : SNEERED.

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

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

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

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

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

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

64. Closed ecosystems : BIODOMES.

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

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

Down:

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

2. Choler : IRE.

3. Like Gen. Powell : RETired.

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

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

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

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

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

9. Small amount : BIT.

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

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

12. Wild : UNTAMED.

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

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

20. Mar. honoree : ST. PATrick.

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

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

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

26. Wellpoint competitor : HUMANA. Health care giants.

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

30. Belarus currency : RUBLE. A lucky guess.

31. Historical period : ERA.

32. Shipping worker : SENDER.

34. Core : MIDST.

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

39. Certain parents, to their tots : DADAS.

40. __ in November : N AS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

57. Yours, in Tours : A TOI.

59. Lavish attention : DOTE.

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

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

63. Federal ID : SSN. Social Security Number.

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

66. That: Sp. : ESA.

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

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

Friday, February 28, 2014, Daniel Landman

Theme: Pat, give me a G, no better make that a double!

The letters "GG" are inserted into descriptions or expressions to create a new phrase clued wackily.My second offering from this rabbinical student living in Jerusalem, the first being a January Friday with PE removed from phrases. So we take away, we add, I wonder what is next. I like most of the theme, but not crazy about the middle grid-spanner for reasons listed below. The rest did not seem like a Friday at all with the plethora of 3,4 and 5 letter fill. with the longest non-theme fill 6 letters. Well into the fray, let's see where we come out.

18A. Non-magical "Harry Potter" animal? : MUGGLE DEER. (11). If you somehow missed the entire Harry Potter craze, Muggles are what the magical ones call humans. Mule Deer have big ears and live out west in the US.

23A. Camembert left out in the sun too long? : SAGGY CHEESE. (11). Supposedly the baring of the teeth which comes from enunciating 'Cheese' is where the expression started. Camembert like brie, often sags.

37A. Woman's enticing movements? : FEMININE WIGGLES.(15) A grid spanner, and the odd man out in two ways, as it is the only one with GG added to the second word, and the meaning of the phrase does not change much as wiggling is certainly one of the ways of the world.

52A. Miracle in the mire? : BOGGY WONDER.(11). Boy wonder is used to describe any prodigy, from Mozart to David Steinberg; growing up in New England we all know BOGGS..

58A. Periodical dedicated to stylish boots? : UGGS WEEKLY. Are UGGS considered stylish, I always thought they were so named because they were ugly but comfortable? The advertise in US Weekly? Weakly?
and a bonus hint...

63A. Best Picture of 1958, and a hint to this puzzle's theme : GIGI. Love Maurice Chevalier, and I have always taken this advice to heart. LISTEN.(1:04).

Across:

1. "Poetic" or "Prose" mythological work : EDDA. No Icelandic hint on Friday.

5. Movie-rating org. : MPAA. Motion Picture Association of America

9. R&B singer known for popularizing Auto-Tune : T PAIN. Not only had I not heard of this artist, I had no clue there was such a device infecting modern music. I certainly was interested by the effects on Cher's Believe but I had no clue, even though I have heard the sound again. I really enjoy when a constructor teaches me something I never knew, and I feel rather foolish for missing the whole controversy. LINK.

14. Device for Marner : LOOM. Well George Eliot's Silas Marner will always stick in my mind if only because as a youngster  I was fascinated by George being a woman. The literary device of the LOOM can be discussed, but her contribution to Victorian literature in this and others like Middlemarch is a question only of degree.

15. Orderer's reference : MENU. Orderer, what an awkward sounding word.

16. "In what way?" : HOW SO.

17. Not to mention : ALSO.

20. Shill : PLANT. The audience member placed there to fool the others into thinking they are having a good time, or need to spend money.

22. Serengeti predators : LIONS. Semi clecho, 25D. Serengeti scavenger : HYENA. Finally, 60D. Serengeti prey : GNU. Sums up the region and life.

26. Whammy : HEX. marks the spot? In Liverpool?

29. Cockney location word : ERE. We are not there, we are 'ere.

30. Bean opening? : SOY.

31. Constant flow : STREAM. Are we too early for prostate humor?

33. Annoy : MOLEST. I had a very hard time sussing this, as lots of people have annoyed me....

36. Inventing middle name : ALVA. Mr. Edison to you.

42. Gulf of __ : ADEN.

43. Stands : ARISES.

44. The Aztecs' Tonatiuh, for one : SUN GOD. Not up on my Aztec deities, but this filled easily.

47. Bert Bobbsey's twin : NAN.

48. Old sports org. with a red, white and blue ball : ABA. American Basketball Association.Home of the incomparable Dr. J., Julius Erving who played at UMass when I was in undergrad and graduate school in UConn. What a player, and the NBA owes the three point shot, slam dunk contest and other changes to the ABA.

                                                         The last ABA game

51. Germaphobia may be a symptom of it, for short : OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

56. British bishop's headdress : MITRE. A word every crossword solver should know.

57. Target : AIM AT.

64. Japanese comics : MANGA. My kids were very into MANGA and ANIME, I will ask YR to explain more about how they fit in Japanese culture.

65. Kitchenware brand : EKCO. I heard that before.

66. First name in case fiction : ERLE. Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason.

67. Rebuff : SPURN.

68. Lunkhead : DODO. A shout out to our own who derives her nick name from her name not a reminder of the extinct bird which was believed to be not very intelligent.

69. One may make you uncomfortable : LEER. Or it might make you pretty excited...


Down:

1. Go by : ELAPSE. Where does the time go, we are on the downs already.

2. Almighty __ : DOLLAR. Ah yes, the American Dream.

3. How much to take : DOSAGE. Well after last Sunday, it is nice to see AGE make a comeback.

4. First __ equals : AMONG. An odd sounding phrase from the LATIN to describe the senior member of a group of peers.

5. "Dee-lish!" : MMM. Good.

6. Little, in Lille : PEU. Straight French, an accessible for those who parle un peu.

7. Position, as a pool cue : ANGLE.

8. Bellow title hero March : AUGIE. This was the first of his three National Book Awards; I have read his work and  enjoyed them, not equally, but certainly Herzog and Mr. Sammler's Planet have stuck with me. He also won a Pulitzer Prize and a Nobel Prize. However my favorite AUGIE (0:20) who would fit because of the 2 G's.

9. Place to browse : THE NET.

10. Sci-fi vehicles : PODS. The ships or the home of the body snatchers?

11. Reverence : AWE.

12. Expert finish? : ISE. If we complain about ADE as a puzzle answer, how Expertise?

13. Here-there link : NOR.

19. Fan's disappointment : LOSS.

21. 1980s-'90s heavyweight champ : TYSON. Now a media star.

24. E. follower : COLI.

26. Word after raise or catch : HELL.

27. Place for a nest, perhaps : EAVE.

28. Short holiday? : XMAS. I thinks this is cute, certainly once I saw the answer I thought it was cute.

32. Joplin works : RAGS. I know Scott Joplin wrote Ragtime music, but I was ready to nitpick, but...

Merriam Webster says it is a composition in ragtime,short for ragtime. First Known Use: 1897

33. Artistic dynasty : MING. C.C. any thoughts?

34. Sun. message : SERmon. Sunday.

35. Strong like string : TWINY. String is not strong, twine is strong string which is doubled up.

37. Burkina __ : FASO. I have never heard of this COUNTRY, let alone know where it is located.
Damn you American geography.

38. Cabinet dept. : EDUCation.

39. Heal : MEND.  A HEART? (3:00).

40. Part of Caesar's boast : I SAW. VIDI.

41. Italy's largest port : GENOA. No, I did nota noa that.

45. Sci-fi character nicknamed Ben : OBIWAN. Kenobi. Ken, ben?

46. Heap affection (on) : DOTE. Followed by....

48. Regard highly : ADMIRE. Which leads to....

49. Hunting dog : BEAGLE. Snoopy?

50. More pretentious : ARTIER.

53. "__ is good" : GREED. Saw the promo a million times.

54. "Wall Street" antagonist who said 53-Down : GEKKO.. Michael Douglas.

55. Spinal Tap guitarist Tufnel : NIGEL. One of many CREATIONS (0:50) of Christopher Guest.

56. Roman Cath. title : MSGR. Monseigneur.

58. Verbal stumbles : UMS. Er, I hope you all got this one.

59. Disparity : GAP. Like this?

61. PC screen type : LCD. Liquid Crystal Display.

62. "__-hoo!" : YOO.  Boo-hoo, we are done for another week.

Can you believe we are two months into the year already, the Olympics are over, and spring is on the way for all you who choose to live in the frozen north. I am off to my day job, so I will see you all at the beach next time. Lemonade out.

Friday, July 5, 2013, Robyn Weintraub

Theme: FREE THROW LANE, the ultimate Clecho..

In basketball the rectangular area under and away from the basket is known as the KEY, which is our clue for all four theme answers. Last week I was noit sure how to present the theme, today it presents itself.  If you want to know more about BASKETBALL and the court, click the link. You can read about our constructor HERE. This our third from Robyn who had two Monday LATs and two others published by the NYT. This is a classic "same clue for all themes fill" puzzle with 4  long fill, two 13s and two 14s. As befitting a Friday there was difficulty and some wit, but overall I enjoyed her Mondays more. I actually like FREE THROW LANE better than the PADLOCK OPENER which seems arbitrary (why pad not regular lock?) but I have never made a puzzle so it might be a foolish suggestion, but for me if you do this big clecho (by now all you newbies understand the term our Dennis coined and had approved by the official URBAN DICTIONARY). you need to have some tricky and fun theme fill.Well let us take a slow post Holiday walk into Robyn's mind.

20A. Key : PADLOCK OPENER.  (13). A simple literal fill.

27A. Key : ANTHEM LYRICIST. (14). Francis Scott Key, a Maryland lawyer who wrote the Star Spangled Banner after watching the British bombard Fort McHenry. LINK.

42A. Key : MAP EXPLANATION. (14).Where they tell you one inch equals ten miles.

50A. Key : FLORIDA ISLAND.  (13). Also spelled Cay. Have you ever driven to Key West?  Hemingway's influence is still strong.

Across:

1. Break the rules : CHEAT. We begin with a rule breaker.

6. "___ difference" : SAME. An odd phrase which probably comes from same thing, no difference..

10. Apothecary's measure : DRAM. When I was young pharmacists still made most of the things they sold, based on a Doctor's instruction and drams are the common measure. Since then big Pharma took over making medicines.

14. Refuse : SAY NO. To drugs.

15. Buck : CLAM. Idioms for money.

16. Quite : OH SO. All perps but if you think, oh so good, then it fits.

17. Update, perhaps : AMEND. Pleadings are amneded all of the time. Not to be confused with EMEND.

18. Ingredient from the garden : HERB. We need to get Herb out of the garden and to get a job.

19. "Copacabana" guy who "went a bit too far" : RICO.
His name was Rico, he wore a diamond
He was escorted to his chair, he saw Lola dancin' there
And when she finished, he called her over
But Rico went a bit too far, Tony sailed across the bar

23. Eye-catching wrap : BOA. I hope you have never been hit in the eye with one of these as they are swung around; it stings.

25. ___-tzu : LAO. The founder of Taoism? It reminds me of Tuesday's video and COW TSE TONGUE.

26. Exorcism targets : DEMONS. Anyone read Dan Brown's new book?
.
31. Keep happening : RECUR.

32. Some tributes : ODES. Can someone write an ODE to this oft used clue?

33. Gus ___, subject of the 1951 biopic "I'll See You in My Dreams" : KAHN. No memory of the man, a famous Lyricist (mini-theme?) or the movie. His music is part of the Liberace MOVIE.

34. Touch type? : MIDAS. Golden, and very tricky.

36. Treaters of boxers : VETS. Yes the woof woof kind, a shout out to the prolific Gareth Bain. Wonderful animal sleeping video Dennis. More of the puzzle going to the dogs, 23D. Lab output? : BARK.

40. ___ novel : DIME. Read WIKI.

41. Three-time NFL MVP : FAVRE. Brett.He also was in a movie, remember?

47. Joseph Kennedy's middle daughter : EUNICE. She married R.Sargeant Shriver. Why would you name your kid Sergeant? As well as being the mother of Maria, Arnold's wife; this Kennedy started the Special Olympics.

48. Mark Thackeray, to his students, in a 1967 film : SIR. Really too obscure for me, but once revealed by perps I knew the ROLE.(0:20).

49. Fleur-de-___ : LYS. I always think of this lily as LIS.
.
54. Hip bones : ILIA. This is becoming a popular fill.

55. Calamine target : BITE. Insect ones usually, also used for poison ivy.

56. Went a-courting : WOOED. Old fashioned clue and old fashioned fill.

59. Period of sacrifice : LENT.

60. War god : ARES. Three weeks in a row?

61. ___ football : ARENA. It is their season for this indoor game. This odd indoor spring/summer football did give us this QB.

62. Feminine suffix : ETTE .Like Smurfette.

63. 6-Down rooms : GYMS. and, 6D. Hogwarts, e.g. : SCHOOL. All schools have gymnasiums, right?

64. Golf scorecard word : YARDS. In the US, the length of each hole is shown in yards.

Down:

1. Lee side: Abbr. : CSA. Confederate States of America. If you have three letter fill this tricky, it is all good, as we usually are bombarded with leeward and alee, and to slip in a Robert E. was well done.

2. Seuss title food : HAM. Green Eggs anyone?

3. 44-Down accessory : EYE PATCH. and 44D.. 3-Down wearer : PIRATE. Arrgh.

4. Wintour of fashion : ANNA. This designer, editor and all around in VOGUE woman.

5. One prone to falling : TODDLER. This is a sweet and somewhat poignant clue as Charlotte now stands.

7. Smart ___ : ALEC.

8. A, ideally : MARK.

9. Personifies : EMBODIES.

10. "The Sound of Music" song : DO RE MI. Classic Julie Andrews SONG.(4:51).

11. Large-horned mammals : RHINOS. Twice this week, it must be mating season.

12. Trip up : ASCENT. Nicely done, a trip UP, not a tripup.

13. Othello et al. : MOORS. Do any of us recall who they were?  A learning LESSON?

21. Flee : LAM. Another repeat.

22. Push-up targets : PECS. Pectoral; like young Arnold?

24. Most fit for duty : ONE A. Draft status.

28. Fifth-century invader : HUN. Attila anyone?

29. Feature of bluegrass singing : YODEL.

30. Nutritional stat : RDA.

34. Hodgepodge : MIXED BAG. There are a  POTPOURRI of answers here.

35. Calvin of comics, for one : IMP. Really, Calvin is a sweetheart, it is Hobbes who keeps getting him in trouble.

36. Large vessel : VAT. Not for the sea, but for holding stuff.

37. Superhero's nemesis : EVIL DOER. Really?

38. Metal-measure word : TROY. If you had an ounce of sense you got this easily; the reason for the variant spelling of LIS. We could have had Deanna, well actually we could not.

39. D.C. bigwigs : SENS. Senators.

40. Prefix with liter : DECI. My least favorite liter. 1/10 th of a liter, or about 3.3 ounces. Only a good measure if you are visiting Casa Incognito.

41. Like some unfocused looks : FARAWAY.

42. Popular '80s-'90s do : MULLET. Billy Ray Cyrus anyone?

43. Consecrate, in a way : ANOINT. Before or after washing the feet?

45. Take stock of : ASSESS.

46. Zip : NIL. No comment, zilch, zero, nada, rien.

47. System used for most returns : E-FILE. Income tax returns not bad purchases. E-filing has come to the courts and man is it a mess.

51. Well-ventilated : AIRY. Yes the family room is quite well ventilated.

52. Two stars, maybe : ITEM.

53. Asta's "mom" : NORA. Myrna Loy.

57. English fin : END. French FIN (sounds more like fan) from which we get finsih, which I almost have, but we have to come full circle as we started with a cheat and now we have someone to deal with that.

58. Court VIPs : D AS.District Attorneys.

Well if anyone is out there after the rare Thursday holiday, I hope you enjoyed the show and see you next time.

Friday, June 7, 2013

Theme: Is she out there? Letter in.
Or,This LINK.(1:03).

Each of the four theme answers are recognizable two word phrases with a single letter inserted and attached to the final word to create a new and whimsical phrase. I just had one of Mr. Holland's puzzles in April where he entertained us with a punny one; this time he has an add on with four solid entries. To accomplish that we have many more than a Friday worth of 3,4 and 5 letter fill. I liked OBSOLETE, DOODLER, STEAMS UP and some others but there there were some really hard short ones. Let's explore.

17A. Spontaneous camera adjustment? : SUDDEN F-STOP. (11). A quick stop becomes the misunderstood action which basically controls how much light comes in through the lens.

26A. Electronic device for some singles? : BACHELOR I-PAD. (12). The single man's cave becomes his tablet.

43A. Oversized cleaning tool? : GENEROUS Q-TIP (12). Just keep it out of your ear.

57A. Kid's sport played in costume? : MASKED T-BALL. (11). My favorite one as I picture all the little kids in their masks swinging away.

Across

1. Brown shade : ECRU.  Continuing my shade theme from last week.

5. Authentic : LEGIT.

10. Yale Law students, until 1918 : MEN. He tried tricking you into putting in ELI.

13. Move furtively : SLINK.

15. Muse for Byron : ERATO. A repeat performance from yesterday, and not the only one as we also have, 38D. Belligerent son of Zeus : ARES. War god.    

16. Cry of support : OLE. This is a lot of bull.

19. URL ending : GOV. You have to wait for peeps.

20. Unemployed? : OBSOLETE. This was not easy clued this way.And we have and antoclecho 45D. Employed : USED.

21. Car buyer's choice : COUPE. DeVille?

23. In one's cups : LIT.

24. One at a dull meeting, perhaps : DOODLER. I doodle at all opportunities.

31. Alberta NHLer : OILER. Edmonton, Alberta Canada, which suggests Mr. Holland has some ties as he also includes, 8D. 1989 World Champion figure skater : ITO. She also won the OLYMPIC (6:48) gold in Alberta, Canada. Every figure skating clue brings back fond memories of dear CA and our other past posters who skated. We miss you dear Clear Ages.

32. It often includes a bio : OBIT. Uary

33. Unfavorable : BAD. Not my first thought.

36. "The Man Show" co-host Carolla : ADAM.

37. Ship's anchor hole : HAWSE. I love the definition in the dictionary, "Where the hawsehole is on the ship." Apparently from Old Norse for neck? Jerome, SB?

39. Decree : RULE. Which is also a Law which rhymes with

40. Green : RAW.

41. Gun barrel measurement : BORE. Which has nothing to do with 26D. Tusked mammal : BOAR.

42. Like staying in the Bates Motel : EERIE. If you do not know the movie Psycho, they have a tv series now.
.
46. Lets out early : PAROLES. Last day of school in Florida, so the traffic gets better.

49. Halifax hrs. : AST.In Nova Scotia, more Canada, and Atlantic Standard Time, I hour earlier than EST.

50. Something to aspire to : IDEAL.

51. Angers : STEAMS UP. Nice fresh fill.

56. Captain's record : LOG. How many have seen the new Star Trek movie, I still have not gone, but I can always here Shatner's voice, "Captain's Log, stardate..."

60. Jazz ___ : ERA. Which was when JzB?

61. Dangerous snake : ADDER. My favorite is the BLACK (2:42) one.

62. "...could ___ lean" : EAT NO. Poor Mrs. Sprat.

63. Retreat, perhaps : DEN. Unless it one of iniquity...I think they are now media rooms, or family rooms.

64. Pries (into) : NOSES. Such a nice literal usage, as you see people actually inserting their face, nose first...

65. Ticket word : SEAT.


Down:

1. Exxon, previously : ESSO. Classic crosswordese.

2. Bridge ___ : CLUB. I used to play often, but not in a long while.

3. Clears : RIDS.

4. Command following a mistake : UNDO.

5. Gave, as in a will : LEFT TO. To many legal terms slowed me down here.

6. Gaelic tongue : ERSE.

7. Rod : GAT. Hard boiled detective fiction words, Mickey Spillane, etc.

9. Fall wear : TOP COAT.

10. Trump, for one : MOGUL. I will avoid comment on this man except to ask if anyone has seen the ESPN show where Trump is credited with destroying the USFL?  I know his attorney from those days.

11. Use a ladder stereotypically : ELOPE.

12. "___ My Love": 1967 hit : NEVER. My teenage years from the ASSOCIATION.(2:46).

14. Sullivan's student : KELLER.  I have always been fascinated by the story of HELEN.(2:59). The Movie the Miracle Worker was also wonderful.

18. Diamond on many charts : NEIL. He was at Fenway Park to support Boston after the Marathon Massacre.

22. Vegas bet : ODD.

24. Informal claim : DIBS. Like the ubiquitous call, "shotgun."

25. Expectant father in "Return to Mayberry" : OPIE. A reunion show, with all the old characters, here is the entire SHOW. (1:36:08).

27. "O patria mia" singer : AIDA. H\ow many opera fans do we have?

28. Nail that's often curved : CLAW. Kitty lovers?

29. Moment of hesitation : HEM. Haw, he got them.

30. Trireme mover : ROWER. The three rows of oars in this ancient VESSEL. Very hard fill.

33. Eponymous beekeeper Shavitz : BURT. This was very obscure, while the company kept his name, he sold out to his partner who made a success of BURT's BEESWAX products.

34. Et ___ : ALII.

35. Serious : DEEP. Like all those conversations in college where we were able to....

37. Fine-tune : HONE. are seductive ways.

39. What an asterisk means on some forms: Abbr. : REQ. Uired. You can't finish the form unless you fill it in.

41. Luggage lugger : BELL MAN. Bell Cap?

42. Fancy spread : ESTATE. Not food, dirt.

43. India's smallest state : GOA. I had no clue, but perped it in.

44. Some of their scenes were filmed in deserts : OATERS. I knew this immediately was referring to old westerns.

46. In a stack : PILED.

47. Be gaga over : ADORE.

48. Lear daughter : REGAN. Clearly Goneril and Cordelia would not do.

51. Arcade game word : SKEE. Balls!

52. Work force entrants' assets, briefly : MBAS. Master of Business Administration.

53. Fill to capacity : SATE.

54. Prismatic bone : ULNA. I never really thought about PRISMS.

55. Scheme : PLOT.

58. Flurry : ADO.

59. Radical campus org. : SDS. Students for a Democratic Society.

Well another Friday done and an odd experience, with some very hard fill in a grid with primarily short words but a very clever theme. Until next time, I am either in a storm or playing in golf tournament as you read this; live long and prosper. Lemonade out.