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.

Friday, February 27, 2015, John Farmer

Theme: Where did I hide that TV show?  I guess I will start at the bottom and work my way up.

Whenever I see a Friday with lots of black squares I know their is a visual aspect to solution, in this case the visual is revealed both by circles (if you do not have them, the 'theme' is virtually impossible to find) and by 55A. Appears ... and the contents of this puzzle's circles? : SHOWS UP (7). Words like BACK, UP and DOWN in a reveal let you know direction. This is a return trip for John, who. spoke with CC in 2012 . This layout has many short words, but quite a bit of longer fill like ATE DIRT, CHOLERA, ESKIMOS, ETHICAL, GULF WAR, NEMESES, PATRONS, PEACHES, PRIOR TO, SHOWS UP, TOO LATE. I am confused as to whether we were supposed to give up using the word Eskimo, but the rest are fun.

I will treat the hiding places for the theme, as the theme answers.

2D. Bit of deception : HOCUS POCUS(10). Which is basically a self-referential clue then. Reading from the bottom up, we see COPS revealed. This show launched Spike TV. Nicely juxtaposed with the Police.

8D. Realization often preceded by "Whew!" : IT WAS ALL A DREAM (14). I would bet this was the seed entry, and Mr. Farmer, while creating one of his more common themeless puzzles, noticed that DALLAS, (4:07) with its most famous episode, was hidden in this fill.

13D. Rodgers and Hart title lyric that precedes "I get no dizzy spells" : THIS CAN'T BE LOVE (14). I tried really hard to find a connection between CSI and these LYRICS but I had no success; did I miss something?

20D. James Brown memoir : I FEEL GOOD (9). Did they ever sing any James Brown on GLEE? EPISODE 21 season 1.

29D. One way to lighten the mood : CRACK A JOKE.(10) Nice fill, with a J! Well Telly Savalas as KOJAK (0:46) with his lollipop was a fun cop show....


Across:
  
1. Fall follower? : THUD. Well this puzzle did not begin with a BLAM.

5. Ophidian menace : ASP. Somewhat obscure, as OPHIS is Greek for snake.

8. Brightness stats : IQS. Paired with, 46A. Hardly bright : DIM.  Some intellectual elitisim?

11. Arts supporters : PATRONS.

14. Frat letter : RHO.

15. Son of Akhenaten : TUT. The boy PHARAOH.

16. On the level : ETHICAL.

17. Battle of Khafji conflict : GULF WAR.

19. "Battle it out" quintet : AEIOU. Like facetious, a place to find the vowels in order, I guess.

20. Plasma particle : ION. Okay scientists, explain how plasma is a hot ionized gas consisting of approximately equal numbers of positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons.

21. Loafer's lack : LACE. The shoe, not your lazy neighbor.

22. Some audiobooks : CDS.

23. Pro shop supplies : SHAFTS. Golf clubs are made of many different materials, and having your clubs reshaffted is not uncommon.

Now the question becomes is there a genteel way to ask our audience about whether they prefer stiff shats...

26. Opposite of bids : ASKS. This is from the stock markets, as well as any auction.

27. Kool-Aid alternative : HI-C. Well they are drinks, but one primarily in powder form, one in liquid...

28. "__ Eterno": 2004 sports documentary : PELE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1-v5n8-hxw

29. Boorish : CRASS.

30. Detergent with Oxi Booster : ERA. Three letters had to be FAB or...

31. Bone: Pref. : OSTEopath? Osteoarthritis?

32. "Seasons in the Sun" songwriter : BREL. This BELGIAN was popular when I was young.

33. Dot on an MTA map : STN.

34. "Love in the Time of __": García Márquez work : CHOLERA. This winner of the NOBEL PRIZE for Litereatrue. I am afraid was not on my radar. This was a very hard fill, especially as it crosses three (3) of the five theme holding fill. In the end, it was I FEEL GOOD that put me on the right track.

36. ICU staffer : LPN. Licensed Practical Nurses can work in the Intensive Care Unit.

39. "Can't argue with that!" : TRUE.

41. Former car-financing org. : GMAC. General Motors Acceptance Corporation. This became ALLY during the bailout process of 2009.

42. It may come after you : ARE. You are here. Not following you.

43. Court attire : ROBES. Does the 21st century really need the judiciary in robes?

45. Rooting sound : OINK. Cetainly especially true of Arkansas fans, but he meant 'rooting', not 'rooting'. This word has many meaning, and they use pigs to root out truffles; also perhaps KZ can confirm this word means 'shagging' in Oz. Depending on your partner, it may have more meaning.

47. "Agreed!" : AMEN.

48. Title girl in a 1965 #1 hit : RHONDA. I was in high school.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mZ0ApTA-y4

50. Sushi topper : ROE. Bear in mind that fish eggs, are also known as CAVIAR.

51. Mall draw : SALE.

52. Sci-fi suffix : OID. Interesting factoid about androids and humanoids who use steroids and become freakazoids....

53. Signs of dissatisfaction : JEERS.

57. "Missed your chance!" : TOO LATE.

59. Brief facilities? : LAVatories.

60. Zing : PEP.

61. Early Alaskans : ESKIMOS. Help me Rhonda? Opps wrong clue.

62. Memphis-to-Nashville dir. : ENE.

63. Year abroad : ANO.

64. Payroll deduction, perhaps : DUES. In the old days union dues were common deductions.


Down:

1. The Police, most of the time : TRIO. The Police not the police. I am sure if you would get this wrong, it would sting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYFjTPAQ6G0

3. A, in Argentina : UNA. Can you imagine a puzzle with each of these USA, UMA, UTA, UNA, UPA, UVA, ULA, UCA, UFA, UGA, UBA, UEA as fill?

4. ISP option : DSL. Digital Subscriber Line.

5. Shoptalk : ARGOT. Meh, this is more specific a term meaning a special language.

6. Treats as persona non grata : SHUNS.

7. D.C. figure : POLitician. How cool that this is next to...

9. Charlatans : QUACKS.

10. Hardly gloss over : STRESS.

11. Still-life subject : PEACHES. Really?

12. Swallowed one's pride : ATE DIRT. Dirt is not the only four letter word that fits, but....

18. Roadside warning : FLARE.

24. Inclusive pronoun : HE/SHE. Are there any safe comments?

Now if we shave that Adam's apple, and put on lipstick- maybe.

25. Quartet member : ALTO. I am confused because ALTO is for femle voices with baritone, tenor and base for males not to mention soprano, contralto, mezzo-sopranom counterbaritone. So what quartet is this?

32. Word before or after name : BRAND. Brand name = name brand.

35. Key of Dvorák's "New World Symphony": Abbr. : E MINor.

37. Before : PRIOR TO.

38. They can't be beaten : NEMESES. An interesting plural.

40. Get Wired again : RENEW. The capital W lets you know this is referring to the magazine, Wired so it is a subscription that is being renewed.

43. Fight in the sticks : RASSLE.

44. Fred Astaire, by birth : OMAHAN. I am sure a fact known to our Nebraska contingent. HG?

48. President François Hollande's birthplace : ROUEN. Not to speak politics, but do many Americans know much about this socialite SOCIALIST?

49. Whale relative : HIPPO. Isn't SCIENCE grand!?!

54. Bulldog fans : ELIS. The mascot at Yale is the Bulldog, also at UGA.

56. Facial spot : SPA. Ha ha, not a Zit.

57. Brother of Jack and Bobby : TED. All gone now.

58. College Football Playoff champion crowned Jan. 12, 2015 : OSU. The Ohio State University. The third national championship for coach Urban Meyer.








Funny, yesterday we had 72 words and only 29 blocks with today having

Mark McClain

THEME: This is one of those times where the reveal is better than anything I can think of to describe this letter replacement puzzle, which only requires remembering how to parse reveal clues.
63A. Modernize, in a way ... and when divided into three parts, a hint to the answers to starred clues : RE TO OL (6).

This is Mark's second puzzle for me to blog; his first puiblication was an LAT I wrote about on October 3, 2014 which involved adding DD into phrases. He since has had other publications, and while he stopped by to introduce himself, he did so a week after the puzzle, so in case you missed it,  here are his words. About myself? I've enjoyed xwords for many years, but just started tinkering around with constructing late in 2013 and started submitting puzzles early this year. This puzzle was actually made in March 2013, but went through a revision with Rich and was finally approved in June. I've had 8 puzzles approved for publication, including one in collaboration with Brad Wilber, who has been a great source of encouragement and knowledge. We started our dialog a few months ago when he approved one of my puzzles (scheduled for December). I live in Salem, Virginia, in the mountains near the Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Parkway. Both my long-time partner Diana Christopulos and I and do volunteer work for a number of local organizations. He has a website: LINK.

In every theme answer an 'in the language' phrase which includes the letters RE together in that order, are replaced with OL, in that order- RE to OL. The placement of the RE/OL is different in each of the theme answer; some of the fill is humorous, some functional. The puzzle also scrupulously avoids having any other words containing RE. The inclusion of the asterisks and the reveal made this one of my faster Friday solves, but then again, I am not a very fast solver, so....Many three and four letter fill for a Friday, with some nice medium fill like AIR RAID, ‘FRAID SO, IRIDIUM, MIRAMAR, SEE THRU, SORRIER, LHASA APSO, OUT SHOOTS.  let's see the theme and more....

19A. *Site of preserved ancient gaucho weapons? :LA BOLA TAR PITS (13). La BREA Tar Pits
are in one form or another very common in crosswords. The BOLAS is a nasty weapon; I am not sure if the singular is a legitimate word.

32A. *Hip curriculum? : COOL COURSES (11). CORE Courses are the basic ones you need for your degree.

41A. *Second-hand seat? : THRIFT STOOL  (11). TheThrift STORE has become  big business in the US. They used to be second hand stores when I was a kid.

54A. *Heroine in a reprised fairy tale? : OLD RIDING HOOD (13). My favorite of the theme, and I am sure by now she is the one in bed waiting for her granddaughter.

We revealed the reveal above...

Across:

1. Word with cake or meal : OAT.

4. Doctrinal suffix : ISM.

7. Pat Nixon's real first name : THELMA. I guess she liked the name because like most named Thelma, she hated her name. LINK. My ex-mil Sue is also a Thelma.

13. Classic sci-fi play : RUR.

14. Tres equivalent : DREI. French to German number 3.

15. Clinton's birth name : RODHAM. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, did others recall that Bill was born William BLYTHE, also 6 letters?

16. Bush spokesman Fleischer : ARI. Staying with politics, Alex....

17. Part of DAR: Abbr. : AMERican. Daughters of the American Revolution. My third and fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Sochor was a member; she was in 80's and as a very small child I thought the name was literal.

18. Busy enterprise? : APIARY. It be where they have bees. Leading to...

22. Grouse : BEEF. Can't complain about this clue/fill.

23. Humana option : HMO. Health Maintenance Organization; I just joined their gold plus plan.

24. Cut (it) : HACK. He just couldn't hack it as a salesman.

27. Blitz : AIR RAID.

31. MLB "minors" : AAA. Triple A baseball is the highest of the minor leagues which now go from rookie to A, AA and AAA; no more D leagues.

36. Banned chem. pollutant : PCB. PolyChlorinated Biphenyl; the initialism adding up.

37. Protective bauble : AMULET.

38. Capital SE of Tallahassee : NASSAU. Capital of the Bahamas.

40. GPS datum : LATitude. Not a CSO to the LA Times.

45. Canadian sentence enders? : EHS. But a CSO to our own resident Canadian.

46. Worse : SORRIER.

47. __ Men: "Who Let the Dogs Out" band : BAHA.

49. Andalusian aunt : TIA. Spanish.

50. Emerald City princess : OZMA. The dedicated fans of L. Frank know this half-human, half fairy GIRL.

59. "Ditto" : I DO TOO.

61. Thought : IDEA. Not to be parsed I, DEA.

62. French handle? : NOM. Just  French meaning "name." 21D. Versailles rulers of old : ROIS. French for kings. And42D. Roast, in Rouen : ROTI. This is one time where the accent would help. Rôti.We all remember that the accent is replaced with an "s" in many americanized versions of French words as explained by Kazie..

64. Functions : USES.

65. One of quarterback Archie's boys : ELI. With Peyton, the fading Manning brothers.

66. Lover's request : KISS ME. Often followed by, "you fool."

67. Stylish, once : MOD. Ah, the days of the mods and rockers.

68. Symbiont on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" : DAX. probably the most interesting and complicated CHARACTER(s) in the Star Trek universe. Realy only one DAX but two hosts....And the similar 14D. Indian lentil stew : DAL. A much harder clue than Delta. All perps. A CSO to my twin Vidwan and Mangesh Sakharam Ghogre.

Down:

 1. Colgate competitor : ORAL B. Even with the O from OAT, my inclination was CREST.

2. Halos : AURAE.

4. Culinary author Rombauer : IRMA. So many to chose from.

5. Sexy, in some ads : SEE THRU. Click if you want to see an EXAMPLE. (for the guys)

6. San Diego Marine Corps station whose name means "sea view" : MIRAMAR. Living in So.FLa. this is a gimme (a) we have a city with the name (b) you hear "mira" a billion times when people want you to look at something or understand something.

7. Trick : TRAP. Not synonymous for me, but it was easy fill.

8. Arizona natives : HOPI. We studied this tribe extensively in my undergraduate sociology classes. And a token cross reference. 3D. 8-Down, e.g. : TRIBE.

9. Archie's wife : EDITH.

10. Himalayan canine : LHASA APSO. This breeed's HISTORY is interesting.

11. Spoil : MAR. Mira! Another one.

12. '70s White House daughter : AMY. Where is she NOW?

20. Taking everything into account : OF ALL. Huh?

25. Evergreen bean : CACAO. Of course we love chocolate, and especially the fine aroma beans from Ecuador.

26. Capital where Pashto is spoken : KABUL.With all the years of war, this should be easy.

28. Rhyme $yndicate Records founder : ICE-T. Not to be confused with ICE CUBE; sorry Tin.

29. Certain IRAs : ROTHS. Names for Senator William from Delaware, also home to Joe Biden.

30. Driller's prefix? : DENTI.

32. Biblical spy : CALEB. Interesting and CONFUSING part of the story of Moses, which happens to be where the cycleof reading the Torah is now. Caleb (dog) was perhaps one of the 12 spies.

33. Home of the Beef, an indoor football team : OMAHA. How perfect; I must get an email per week from Omaha Steaks. Now we would know how to answer when Clara Peller asked her famous question.

34. Makes more baskets than : OUTSHOOTS.

35. Fund drive appeal encl. : SASE. Self Addressed Stamped Envelope.

39. Eponymous brewer Bernhard : STROH.

43. Atomic number 77 : IRIDIUM. Was that easy for you science guys? Not the part of the periodic table that I remember.

44. "'Tis true, sorry to say" : FRAID SO.

48. Certain choristers : ALTOS. Why not chorusters?

51. Subdivided : ZONED. Zoning is part of the process, but a previously zoned property can be subdivided.

52. Scratch : MOOLA. Another interesting word, and one of questionable HERITAGE.

53. Blend : ADMIX. This is a real word, on its own, why I do not know.

55. Not a happy fate : DOOM. Doctor, doctor...

56. Function : ROLE. Super-villain.

57. Mandatory item : NEED. The Avengers? Fantastic Four?

58. It can be natural : GAS. Crepitation? LISTEN? (15:17).

59. Vex : IRK. Yes, vexsome.

60. Agnus __ : DEI.  Ah, we finish with classic crosswordese.


Well this was a really admix of information which brought out the linker in me; thanks Mark and I hope you all aol golat. Lemonade, out.

Friday, February, 6, 2015, Paul Coulter

Theme: Where can I hide the theme?  On the edges...

This puzzle was easier to fill than to discuss, especially to a crowd that does not like cross-referential cluing. (Sorry Barry G.). Each outside edge of the puzzle consists of three (3) four (4) letter fill, where the first and third fill together are the clue for the middle word. When combined, words 1+3  create a compound word, hence the reveal COMPOUND FRACTURE i.e., the compound word is fractured (broken) into two pieces. This was a hard Friday for me, and I hope you all stuck with it because there were lots of learning moments.

1A. Predicament : BOAT (4) a very tricky clue (in the same boat, being the easiest way to explain clue/fill) paired with 9A. Mutual fund charge : LOAD (4) (funds are no load, front load, or back end loaded) gives the clue for 5A.  Boatload: *1-/9-Across : HEAP which describes how much trouble you would be in if you did not see this gimmick.

73A. "Easy to be Hard" musical : HAIR (4) paired with 75A. Business : LINE (4) leaves the compound word clue for 74 A. Hairline: *73-/75-Across : THIN (4) as in a hairline fracture.

1D. Overdue, as pay : BACK (4) paired with 53D. Converse : TALK (4) produces the clue for 29D. Backtalk *1-/53-Down : SASS (4).

16D. Stern : HARD (4) paired with 64D. Reactor part : CORE (4) results in  the clue for : Hardcore: 39D. *16-/64-Down : AVID such as the fans for the Patriots or AC Milan, the soccer club.

The reveal is also cross-referential:
32A. With 49-Across, bad break ... and what each answer to a starred clue creates vis-à-vis the answers that define it : COMPOUND (8) 49A. See 32-Across : FRACTURE (8). A Compound fracture of a bone, as opposed to a simple clean break. (Hence bad break).

Add to the fun, the very difficult pair 62D. With 29-Across, Balkan city on the Danube : NOVI. 29A. See 62-Down : SAD.  Novi Sad according to wiki is  the second largest city in Serbia, the administrative seat of the province of Vojvodina and of the South Backa District. It is located in the southern part of the Pannonian Plain, on the border of the Backa and Srem regions, on the banks of the Danube river, facing the northern slopes of Fruška Gora mountain.

This is a very odd and very hard Friday, it seems like it should be easy with forty 4 letter fill, but the short ones like ABU, ARA, ELAH, AMUR  and the few long ones like  TONSURE, TREATED, TRUSTER , AMARETTI,  AVE MARIA, HEREFORD and RARE COIN were not gimmes.

I can hear all the grumbling, but when you consider he found 4 compound words which clued 4 letter fill, with each compound word 8 letters long that broke into 4 letter parts, and was revealed by two 8 letter reveals, the math is awesome. The architecture is very impressive. On with the show.

Across:

13. Up to it : ABLE. I was able and I finished without cheating, but it was work.

14. Prefix with plasm : ENDO. Already the ECTO/ENDO debate.

15. 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient : OPRAH. I did not recall but the OP___ had to be.

17. Nocturnal critter : COON. Aside from any politically unacceptable existence, is the reference to 'critter' enough to evoke the regionally popular abbreviation?

18. Source : ROOT. Of all evil?

19. Adams' "Nixon in China," for one : OPERA. I had LOAD, LOOSENS and OPP and wondered about OP--- over OP---. I have heard of but not listened to this work.

20. Handled vessel : KETTLE. Finally a stout clue.

22. Pouches : SACS.

24. Orch. section : STRings. JzB, is this abbreviation ever used as a notation in preparation for a concert?

25. Site of unexpected change? : SOFA. Wonderful clue/fill. So evocative and misleading. I am lucky I grew up surrounded by dairy farms.

27. Didn't trick, maybe : TREATED.

34. Prayer set to music by Schubert and Gounod : AVE MARIA.
xxxx
36. Choice to sleep on : SERTA. Of course SEALY also fits.

40. Diva highlights : SOLI. In Latin the plural of a word ending in O (SOLO) can become I.

41. Distillery founder John : DEWAR. A CSO to Tin and all of our scotch drinkers.

44. "Ray Donovan" star Schreiber : LIEV.

45. Aptly named bird : SWIFT.

47. Italian almond cookies : AMARETTI.

52. British pen pal's last letter? : ZED. A nice misdirection as this replaces our American ZEE as the last letter of the alphabet.

53. Part of a Buddhist monk's ordination : TONSURE. Ritual shaving of the ehad exists in many religions.

56. Ridge just below the surface : REEF.

58. "Father of," in Arabic : ABU. I had the pleasure of protraying Auda Abu Tayi, who along with the Lawrence was a hero of the Arab revolt. He had married 28 times, which may explain why he has no fear going into battle.

59. Identical : SAME.

61. Place where cheap shots are a good thing : CLINIC. Wonderful clue, especially now during flu season.

65. Allow to attack : LET AT. I nominate this as my meh clue, while accurate, it does not sound like a real phrase.

67. Dagwood's annoying little friend : ELMO. A new/old clue for this fill.

69. Inflict on : DO TO. Others.

70. 1985 Chemistry co-Nobelist Jerome : KARLE.

71. "Avatar" race : NAVI. I hope noone blue this easy clue.

72. Always : EVER. Always and forever and more.

Down:


2. Instrument to which an orchestra tunes : OBOE.

3. Bushels : ALOT.

4. Pitchers' places : TENTS. Very difficult to suss, especially with 1A a tough fill, but when I understood the theme and backed into BOAT, this made sense as one pitches a tent.

5. White-faced cattle breed : HEREFORD. I grew up driving by large herds of cows, who were the weather forecasters of my youth.

6. Roxy Music co-founder : ENO. Brian has become a staple.

7. Stirs : ADOS.

8. Knish filling : POTATO. No doubt most popular knish thought kasha and meat are alos out there.

9. Unfastens : LOOSENS. This was the key word in loosening up the North and getting me the theme, along with....

10. Up and down, say: Abbr. : OPPosites.

11. "Give it __" : A REST.

12. Puccini's "Vissi __" : D'ARTE. An ARIA from Puccini's Tosca. If you listen, read the commentsif you like to see debate about Opera, I love that is crosse 19A.

21. Like "la vida" in a Ricky Martin hit : LOCA. An odd duplication as VISSI is Italian for "I lived" and vida is "life" in Spanish.

23. French vineyard : CRU. Staying in romance languages, Alex, we have a French WORD, and then another.

26. Gallic girlfriend : AMIE. And another. 38A. Idée source : TETE.

28. Jane Eyre's charge : ADELE. Like ELMO above, the popular singer gets replaced by an old clue last seen here in a marti puzzle I blogged in 2013.

30. Declare : AVOW.

31. Where to find a hero : DELI. A common pun in the xword world.

33. Play with, in a way : PAW AT. Something for all our cat lovers.

35. Irritates : MIFFS.

37. Cheese holder : RITZ.

42. Russia-China border river : AMUR.

43. Numismatist's find : RARE COIN.

46. Reliant soul : TRUSTER.

48. Casting aid : REEL.

50. Constellation near Scorpius : ARA.

51. Bind : CEMENT.

54. West Indian folk religion : OBEAH.

55. __Sweet: aspartame : NUTRA.

57. Friend of Che : FIDEL.

60. Where Goliath was slain : ELAH.

63. Rte. through Houston : I-TEN.

66. Will Smith title role : ALI.

68. DIII doubled : MVI.