Saturday, Jan 7th, 2012, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie

Words: 70

Blocks: 28

Well, sure, we can start 2012 with a Saturday puzzle from Mr. Barry Silk, right??? This one looked awfully sparse after my first pass, with only WATT (wrong) and TAE for my across answers. But then Ricky Nelson showed up, and I literally stagger-stepped my way back up the grid to Soft Pretzel, my last fill - sort of like that moment in a game of checkers when you see a path open up for your last man, and jump all the way to being kinged in your opponent's last row....

So we had a great looking pinwheel of 11's and 9's, with a very neat pair of diagonal blocks in the middle. Two Z's but no J,Q, or X, lots of acronyms. I finished in my personal time, and I did not have to sneak a peek at Google this week - but I did have to review my completed puzzle for my two letters that were wrong - I found them without the red-letter assistance.

On to the first Saturday, and Silkie, of 2012 ~!

Across:

1. Street vendor's offering : SOFT PRETZEL - Very good in NYC - I try to stop and get one from a street vendor, or at least one in MSG when I go to a Ranger Game; my last "fill"

12. Oldie syllable : SHA - Oh yeah, I had this on my first pass, too

15. Later : AFTER A WHILE

16. Internet company with a 2009 IPO : AOL - America On-Line was my first ISP, back in the mid-nineties; seems like a long time for the company to get to Wall Street; their Initial Public Offering.

17. Dark brown raptor : GOLDEN EAGLE - beautiful Image

18. Big fan : NUT - Did a little over-thinking, and considered "JET" for the answer - hey, it really is just a big fan

19. Draft, maybe : ALE - fresh answer for the age-old ale

20. Electrical unit : VOLT - 50/50 on WATT or VOLT, and I am sure there are other electrical units out there of 4-letters, too

21. Poker challenge : I RAISE - I had this on the first pass, too, but was not so confident about it

23. The Blue Demons of the NCAA : DePAUL - pretty cool logo

25. Sneaky pitch : SPITTER - and a little baseball for our host; I will again defer to her for the details of the pitch - hey, I know it involves spit....(Saliva. Spitball was banned in the 1920s.)

26. Meet : SIT - Like government

27. Suffer disgrace : LOSE FACE

28. Virus spreader, at times : EMAIL - Ah, yes, very good clue/ans

31. Worse : DIRER - i know it's a word, but it sounds ugly

32. Low-quality paper : RAG

33. Tops : LIDS - not the verb Tops, in this case

34. Fictional alien adopters : KENTS - never think of Superman as an "alien" - not the Tanners (ALF), not the Smiths (American Dad) and not McConnell (Mork & Mindy)

35. Reporter in the comic strip "Bloom County" : MILO - I thought it was OPUS, the penguin

36. Amer. Airlines Center player : MAVericks, just had to wait on the perps; Dallas

37. Common woes : COLDS

38. Australian exports : OPALS - I did not know this - Link

39. Blockbuster : SMASH HIT - this was a second pass WAG, and I almost changed it when I considered "CAFES" for 31D.

41. Paternity suit evidence : DNA - uh, evidence?? I would have used "test" here

42. Adorns, as a tree : TINSELS

43. Turkey choice : BREAST - Dennis? Lois? I don't go for turkey in this... - oh, lunch meat

46. Like "Rambo" : RATED R & 35D. Movie-rating org. : MPAA - Motion Picture Association of America

47. Fire : ZEAL - when I had the grid filled, I was left with "KEEL" here - and I was thinking in pirate's talk, this would be OK

48. Weed killer : HOE

50. Cy Young Award factor : ERA - again, baseball; this I know - it's Earned Run Average

51. "Blankman" co-star : DAMON WAYANS

54. Head lines? : EEG - Har Har, a regular joke here at the CW Corner

55. Shout before a hurried departure : ABANDON SHIP~!!!! - Funny

56. Inventor's monogram : TAE - Thomas Alva Edison, a regular in grids, too

57. Early rock 'n' roll idol : RICKY NELSON - before my time; go ahead and link away ~!

Down

1. Major account : SAGA - I had the two A's; the "story" account

2. Bygone : OF OLD

3. Va. site of the U.S. Army Women's Museum : Ft. LEE

4. Former British Poet Laureate Hughes : TED

5. Triumph : PREVAIL

6. Expired : RAN OUT

7. "The Seven Year Itch" actor : EWELL

8. Pointer's reference : THAT

9. Slalom move : ZIG - not "ESS"

10. Quote shorteners : ELLIPSES - This .... series of dots; "Frankly my dear..."

11. More wary : LEERIER

12. Health resorts : SANITARIA - plural of Sanitarium - one for ant, perhaps?

13. Rare medical service : HOUSE CALL - or a ring-up from Hugh Laurie??

14. Very close friends : ALTER EGOS - oh so very cute; these friends don't get any "closer"

22. Brady Bill enforcement org. : ATF - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms; they have no idea I exist - I quit drinking, I quit smoking, and never bought a gun (this might be considered sad)

24. Trident-shaped letters : PSIs - Greek

25. Separates : SORTS - I had PARTS here, like the Red Sea; left me enough to work with

27. Big name in chocolate : LINDT

28. One of more than 5,000 in the United States, per the Census Bureau : ELM STREET

29. Hollywood is in it : MIAMI AREA - Link to a website; we have a few Floridians here at the Corner; tell us more.

30. Head start, say : ADVANTAGE

31. Lunchtime destinations : DELIs

34. Turnip cabbage : KOHLRABI - love this word, but never had the food

37. Cheese originally from Somerset, England : CHEDDAR

38. Like some rural bridges : ONE LANE - Pic #1, Pic #2, and Pic #3

40. Pilot's hdg. : SSE

41. Utilize, as sources : DRAW ON - I changed to drEw on, and had to switch back

43. Type of straw : BENDY - oh, of course, a bendy straw - this thingy



44. Persian sovereigns : SHAHs

45. "Pagliacci" role : TONIO

47. Doze, with "out" : ZONK - I had KONK to start, which gave me my KEEL

49. "Monday Night Football" channel : ESPN

52. Pal : MAC

53. Initials on Elle perfume : YSL - Yves St. Laurent - a Link

Answer grid.

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Here is a picture of Husker Gary golfing yesterday (January 6). He said "The 71F temp shattered the record high for the day and I wish I worn a short-sleeved shirt."

Friday, January 6, 2012, Ki Lee

Theme: Wrap it around your mind. Each of the 4 theme answers have the same first and last letter, but the end one is removed, and you have to "borrow" the first letter to finish the word or phrase. The answers are just that, no puns or wordplay. Something new from another new contributor; I think I have seen his name on some online puzzles, but I did not find a previous newspaper publication. Let's look over the theme and the reveal which include two across grid spanners  and one up and down.

17A. *Major financial concern: ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

22A. *Numbers field?: ANESTHESIA.  Expliquez, s'il vous plait. (From C.C.: Numb-ers = Things that numb.)

50A. *Fantasized : DAYDREAMED.

59A. *Misrepresent, in a way: TAKE OUT OF CONTEXT. 

And the reveal, 7D. Hint for understanding this puzzle's starred answers: BACK TO SQUARE ONE.

The rest of the puzzle is very much a Friday with fewer words and many new clues, some have me baffled and some were fun, Let's welcome the creator after we review each clue.

ACROSS:

1. You might do it after making a wish: BLOW. Man, how difficult to not start out my analysis with painting a nice obscene mental picture. It was a job.

5. Equally undesirable: AS BAD.. Ah, like Dan Naddor, this constructor likes two word answers, see how many you find.

10. Sitting around: IDLE. Not Eric.

14. Stopped sitting around  ROSE. A shout out to our own, ARABON. Kewl.

15. "10 Things __ About You": 1999 comedy: I HATE. A 'modernization' of Taming of the Shrew. TRAILER. (1:28)

16. Symbol of courage: LION.

20. Already old, with "so": LAST WEEK. Do you like the phone commercial?

21. Words before "Do I have to?": AW GEE. See how he gets odd letters together like Dan did.

25. Quits: STOPS. No, not yet, come on....

28. Caring but strict approach: TOUGH LOVE. See another one.

32. Get ready for a concert: TUNE UP. Gee in my day it was , "light up." 4 already!

34. Orch. section : STR. I get strings all the time.

35. Noted 16-Across portrayer: LAHR. The incomparable BERT. (1:19)

36. Put away: ATE. Did you see her put away that chocolate cake?

37. Some awards: PLAQUES. Not on your teeth, but your mantelpiece.

40. "Dracula" director Browning: TOD. He. loved the monsters. LINK.

41. Kid's reward, maybe: STAR. I bet CA got all gold stars in her reading classes.

43. __ Dhabi: ABU. Another place in the desert.

44. Electronic music genre: TECHNO. You like? LINK.(2:37).

46. Certain settler's tract: HOMESTEAD. How the west was settled.

49. "It's nobody __ business": ELSE'S. Mind your own beeswax.

52. Dispossess: EVICT. Not easy for landlords in Florida.

55. Japan and China are in it: EAST ASIA. Geography even I know.

62. "You said it!": AMEN.

63. "Exodus" actor: MINEO. Was killed.

64. "The __ Affair": Jasper Fforde novel: EYRE. Weird alternate universe detective Thursday Next investigates Jane. LINK.

65. Squabble: SPAT. Never happened to Jack Sprat.

66. Fired, as a cartridge: SPENT. Used up.

67. Epitome of thinness: REED.

DOWN:

1. Songwriter Jacques: BREL. Like Hercule Poirot, most think he was French, but this Belgian entertainer influenced popular music around the world. LINK.

2. Crazy, in a Ricky Martin song: LOCA. La Vida Loca, you can pick your own version.

3. Baja bears: OSOS. Spanish.

4. Lost it: WENT APE. Not tape.

5. Name meaning "beloved": AIMEE. I have a niece, Amy.

6. Slowest to mix, perhaps: SHIEST. Mix socially, not in a glass.

8. Flight coordinators: Abbr.: ATC. Air Traffic Control

9. "Gloria in Excelsis __": DEO. Hmmm, a hymn.

10. Hostility: ILL WILL. Or a sick Shakespeare.

11. Rect. bisector: DIAG. onal.

12. Run easily: LOPE. Don't sprint, just lope you dope.

13. Massachusetts motto opener: ENSE. For all of my my neighbors, "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem." (Latin)  By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.

18. Confesses: OWNS UP. I admit this was easy.

19. Whip part: LASH. Whiplash, the insurance companies enemy.

23. Native Rwandan: HUTU. Learning moment, though reminds me of who do the voo doo like you do from earlier. LINK. All perps.

24. Everglades wader: EGRET. No regrets if you do not kn.ow egrets.

25. Put away: STASH. Where do you keep your stash?

26. All, in Asti: TUTTO. Italian.

27. Graveyard shift hr : ONE AM.

29. Promising words: OATHS. Pledges, not curses.

30. "Pop Up Video" airer: VH ONE. MTV's little sister.

31. Subject of the biography "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers": ERDOS. Mathematician, think older version of SHELDON COOPER, equally eccentric. LINK.

33. Prefix with -pus: PLATY. Really, we all love the odd duck billed Platypus, but that is not a prefix.

38. Retired: ABED. Where do you stand on the "A" word controversy?

39. Apparently do: SEEM TO.

42. Insignificant amount: RED CENT. With the reddish color of a true copper penny, this was the smallest amount of money.

45. Grime fighter: CLEANER. A little pun with crime fighter, unless it is Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction, where it is both.

47. '60s-'70s Japanese leader: SATO. With NIXON (2:17).

48. Make really uncomfortable, in a way: DEAFEN. I guess from a deafening racket, but...

51. Fancy neckwear: ASCOT. Not the racetrack.

52. LAX postings: ETAS. Estimated Time of Arrival S.

53. Siren: VAMP. One of my favorites. LINK (2:45).

54. Big name in furniture: IKEA. Who recalls my unraveling of this Swedish acronym?

56. Lid trouble: STYE. Eyelids, not as bad as chalazia, but irritating.

57. "Able was __ ...": I ERE. I SAW ELBA. Palindrome anyone?

58. Fired: AXED. Be the first in your neighborhood to get AXEOLOGY, the two disc set of the best of the band AXE from 1979-2001.

60. Thinking-on-one's-feet indicators: UMS. Err, ahhm you know...

61. It may be left on a table: TIP. No longer thought to be from To Insure Promptness. My tip of the hat to Ki Lee for an interesting ride, and to all of you for your comments, both old times and newbies. You keep the corner young. Well another year has started, thanks for inviting me into your homes, see you next time.

Answer grid.

Lemonade

Thursday January 5, 2012 Victor Barocas

Theme: "All for one, and one for all!"

Follow the bold red letters to see the stars in the different rows of this puzzle:

1. The "u" sound in "circus" : SCHWA 6. Even if, for short : THO 9. Ladle cousin : SPOON ("Athos")

20. Rotterdam, for one : SEAPORT 22. Party person : HOSTESS  ("Porthos")

54. Boxer from California : BARBARA (U.S. Senator) 58. Letter : MISSIVE ("Aramis")

69. Control tower tracker : RADAR 70. Game for it? : TAG  (I thought this was a great clue - You are "It" in the game  of tag!) 71. Some iPods : NANOS ("D'Artagnan")

And the unifier:

40. With "The", classic novel, each of whose major characters is hiding in a row of this puzzle : THREE MUSKETEERS 

"The Three Musketeers", by Alexander Dumas, portrays the life of a young man named D'Artagnan who travels to Paris to join the other three adventurers of the title.

I thought this was a brilliantly executed puzzle.  Did you find the hidden characters before coming here?

Marti here, with your Thursday entertainment from Victor Barocas. We just saw his work in late December, with his "Bill of Rights" puzzle. But I thought this was a step up in the difficulty level. So let's see what he has to offer:

Across:

14. "Yond Cassius has ___ and hungry look" : A LEAN. From Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar"

15. Water in Côte d'Ivoire : EAU. Abejo, you nailed it, right?

16. Dispute : ARGUE 

17. Spicy Indian dish : CURRY. Also Thai, right?

18. One side of the GW bridge : NYC . George Washington Bridge is not always easy to get to New York City...

19. Preserves, in a way : SALTS

24. Schnozzola : SNOOT. Funny clue/answer for "nose"

26. Tell it like it isn't : LIE. Clever.

27. TV's Dr. House, e.g. : LIMPER. Oooh, I thought this was an un-PC clue!

30. Enjoy a kiddie pool : WADE

32. Many a GI : PVT. Private.

35. Plains native : OTOE

36. "...from my snow-white pen the ___-colored ink": Shak. : EBON Nice to see a quote for this answer.

38. Bender : SPREE. I went on a shopping bender the other day, and bought five pairs of shoes.

43. Thrift, briefly : S AND L. Short for "Savings and Loan". With this economy, it seems like I have been more "loan" than "savings". Maybe I should cut out buying so many shoes...

44. Crack : STAB. I took a stab at this answer.

45. Snug retreat : NEST.

46. Super Bowl highlights, for many : ADS . One of my favorites (0:30)...

47. Luncheon follower? : ETTE. Luncheonette...

49. Takes a position : OPINES. I often opine on this blog, but please don't take me seriously!

51. Eggs, biologically : OVA

52. Biden's 2008 counterpart : PALIN. I just finished reading Tina Fey's book "Bossypants".  She did a great Palin on SNL (2:18).

62. ___ a time : ONE AT

63. One in an unhappy chorus : BOO

65. Shroud city : TURIN 

66. Wind: Pref. : ANEMO. ...meter

67. Coffee holder : URN. Mine would be a "mug".

68. '30s Chan portrayer : OLAND. Do you remember him in "The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu"? Then you are a classic B&W oldies movie buff like me!!

And now, let's all settle...

Down:

1. Pouches : SACS . My favorite Saks purchases are Jimmy Choo and Prada... (C.C. would be proud of me!)

2. This is one : CLUE. HaHa. Funny clue!

3. A sister of Demeter : HERA. OK, I will 'fess up...this is the one I actually had to gg... (Oh the horror!)

4. "Star Trek" measure : WARP SPEED. And, why did I know this one without gg????

5. Whomever : ANYONE 

6. Nearing the hour : TEN TO. Or long odds...ten to one.

7. Farm gathering : HAY. Hey! I bet Windhover got this one!

8. Pained interjection : OUCH.

9. As fresh as they come : SASSIEST.

10. Chatter : PRATE. From German "pratten", to pout.

11. Seriously check out : OGLE. Seriously, do you ogle the check-out lady at Wal-Mart?

12. Inning enders : OUTS. Hah!  Nailed this one!  (I'm dancin', I'm dancin', I'm doin' the victory dancin' !!!)

13. Largest Scottish Loch by volume : NESS. Largest monster, too!

21. Composer of the 2005 opera "Our Town" : ROREM. Ned Rorem.  Adapted from the Thornton Wilder play "Our Town", which was first performed by the Indiana University Opera in 2006.

23. Word with man or maid : OLD. Did you play Old Maid when you were kids?  My old man did!!

25. Texas dance : TWO-STEP. Here is a perfect version (2:03) of this classic Texas dance.

27. Many, informally : LOTSA.

28. "___ to Be You" : IT HAD. First chance to link music. The original version by Priscilla Lane wasn't a winner, IMHO.  But Billie Holiday (4:04) nailed it!

29. E'ens' counterparts : MORNS

31. "Puppy Love" singer : ANKA. Another chance to link music. Wow!  I feel inspired (2:45)...

32. Get ready for the prom, say : PREEN.  I think of parrots and cockatoos when I think of "preening".  But I guess this also qualifies (3:50)...

33. Frost product : VERSE . Cold cheek? Nipped nose? Nope!

34. Medical battery : TESTS. As in, a battery of tests.

37. Exceed 21, in a way : BUST. OK, I guess these exceed 21"

39. The Crimea, e.g. : PENINSULA. Geography lesson of the day.

41. Car in a shaft : ELEVATOR

42. Where Christ stopped, in a Carlo Levi title : EBOLI . Memoir published in 1945. His anti-fascist beliefs led to his banishment by Benito Mussolini, to this remote southern Italian town.

48. La Brea goo : TAR

50. One of six in a V-6 engine : PISTON

51. "Dreams From My Father" memoirist : OBAMA

53. Surrounded by : AMONG

54. Tusked mammal : BOAR

55. Alexi Karenin's wife : ANNA . You do remember Anna Karenina?  She was most likely inspired by Maria Hartung, who is the oldest daughter of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin (what a small world!!)

56. English horn, for one : REED. This instrument:

57. Lie alongside : ABUT 

59. Caspian Sea country : IRAN 

60. Rosso o bianco : VINO . Vin rouge ou blanc, for those non-Italians out there...

61. Closes : ENDS ...We're almost there!

64. Tuscan time period : ORA. 

"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,

That struts and frets his ORA upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing..."

And so, I apologetically strut off into the sunrise...

Answer grid.

Hugs,

Marti

Wednesday Jan 4, 2012 Bruce Venzke

Theme: Blind Date Symptoms

17A. Scratchy symptom of nerves : DRY THROAT

25A. Agitated symptom of nerves : RACING HEART

38A. Unstable symptom of nerves : WEAK KNEES

53A. Moist symptom of nerves : SWEATY PALMS

65A. Situation in which this puzzle's symptoms may appear : BLIND DATE

Neat unifier. I originally thought the theme entries are just "Adjective+body parts". Those symptoms are true for some men though. We girls are cool. No sweaty palms or weak knees.

Nice columns of triple 7's in the grid, which occurs when:

A: Your central grid is 9-letter long;

B: None of your other theme entries has 12 or more letters (unless they're grid spanners).

C: You're a good grid designer like Bruce Venzke, as it could be challenging to get clean crossing suitable for a Wednesday.

C.C. here. Our beautiful Bee needs an extra month off to settle down in her new home. She's one step closer to Mount Shasta.

Across:

1. Times to call, in ads : AFTs. Why not just a shorter "PMs?"

5. Graduate school degs. : MBAs. For Jazzbumpa & Marti. And W.

9. Zippo : ZILCH

14. The first Mrs. Copperfield : DORA. You all know this?

15. Kathryn of "Law & Order: C.I." : ERBE. Rhymes with "Herbie". German for "Descendent" or "Heir".

16. Diplôme issuer : ECOLE

19. Place to get eats : DINER

20. Woman in a "Paint Your Wagon" song : ELISA. Have never seen the movie.

21. 22-Downs, e.g. : NCOs. And 22D. Mil. rank : SGT

23. Shoot the breeze : GAB. Can you picture a meeting between Dennis & Lois? More than breeze will be shot.

24. "We are __ amused" : NOT

29. Hive denizens : DRONES

31. Shoe part : TONGUE

32. Meara of comedy : ANNE. She's a crossword fan.

33. First name in Japanese golf : ISAO (Aoki). Here he is again. The hardest working golfer in crossword.

37. Parkinson's treatment : L-DOPA

41. Fictional neatnik : UNGER (Felix). From "The Odd Couple".

44. Treated, as a bump on the head : ICED. Boomer had a head fall last year. Scared me to death.

45. Bank statement abbr. : ACCT

49. Hardly skilled in : POOR AT

51. Mailer or Miller : AUTHOR. Norman Mailer and Arthur Miller.

57. 60 minutes, in Florence : ORA. "Hour".

58. "'Tain't" rebuttal : 'TIS. Apostrophe season!

59. Prego competitor : RAGU

60. Like cornstalks : EARED. Have you read this article about our Husker Gary? Best wishes for his daughter.

62. Comparable, distance-wise : AS FAR

67. Crystalline stone : GEODE

68. Emulate the 18-Down : LOSE. 18D. Overconfident critter of fable : HARE.

69. High: Pref. : ALTI. Or plural for alto.

70. Made a blooper : ERRED

71. Had chits to pay : OWED

72. Bad-tempered : MEAN

Down:

1. Riders, e.g. : ADDENDA. Plural of addendum. "Rider" refers to the addition to a bill, not the horse rider as I first thought.

2. Woebegone : FORLORN

3. "I wonder if this will fit" response : TRY IT ON. Normally it doesn't, for me anyway.

4. H.S. seniors' concerns : SATs

5. La Méditerranée, e.g. : MER

6. Hard-to-ride horse : BRONC. Lois can tame them all.

7. Ancient calculators : ABACI. "Ancient"? Sure makes me feel old, since I carried my own abacus for a few years.

8. New Jersey's __ Hall University : SETON. What's it famous for?

9. British series ender : ZED. We have two Brits on our blog.

10. Henri's here : ICI. Tricky use of 's.

11. Way back when : LONG AGO

12. Become cloudless : CLEAR UP

13. Chamomile soother, e.g. : HERB TEA. I always call it "Herbal tea".

26. Gobi Desert locale : ASIA

27. Boring result? : HOLE. Great clue.

28. Concludes by : ENDS AT

30. Period to usher in : NEW ERA

34. Enjoy Telluride, say : SKI. Oh, dear, Telluride is a ski area in Colorado. It just looks like some kind of drug/chemical to me, Marti!

35. "Best in Show" org. : AKC

36. Small bill : ONE

39. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT

40. Red-coated wheel : EDAM

41. Steal the spotlight from : UPSTAGE

42. Still clueless : NO WISER

43. Likes a lot : GOES FOR

46. Bach work : CHORALE

47. Civil rights leader __ Scott King : CORETTA. Wife of Martin Luther King, who's called "phony" by Jackie Kennedy.

48. Common car sale component : TRADE IN

50. Norse god of heroic glory : TYR. Thanks for giving us Tuesday, Mr. Tyr!

52. Employed : USED

54. Cellist Casals : PABLO

55. Softly lit : AGLOW

56. Rainer who was the first to win consecutive Oscars : LUISE. For "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936) and "The Good Earth" (1937). I was unaware of the trivia.

61. Grandfather of Enos : ADAM. Oh, yeah, just another reminder that Enos lives forever in crossword as well. If not answer, then clue.

63. Soft drink suffix : ADE

64. Roulette bet : RED

66. Outlaw Kelly : NED. Aussie.

Answer grid.

Two more notes:

1) If you're interested in guest-blogging once a month here at the Corner, please send me an email (crosswordc@gmail.com). Thanks.

2) Happy Birthday to Dick!

3) Congratulations to Jazzbumpa on his new writing gig. His first post is up today.

C.C.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012 Bernice Gordon

Theme: Fed Ex Delivery - I think this video explains the theme.

20A. Sounding relieved : HEAVING A SIGH

25A. Doing witch's work : CASTING A SPELL

42A. Preparing greens : TOSSING A SALAD

47A. Losing it : THROWING A FIT

Argyle here with our birthday girl, Bernice Gordon. I don't know the exact date but she will be 98 this month. We had one from her last winter(here) on a Wednesday and some of today's felt like a Wednesday. The grid has 10 cheater squares. (Because of the themes being close to each other?)

Across:

1. Terminer's partner, in law : OYER. The designation "court of oyer and terminer" is French, to hear and decide.

5. Arouse from sleep : WAKE 9A. What insomniacs count : SHEEP. Now that's a cute pairing.

14. Present : HERE

15. Leaf-to-branch angle : AXIL

16. Terra __: pottery clay : COTTA

17. User's morning reading : MAIL

18. French-American soprano Lily : PONS. She specialized in the coloratura soprano repertoire. A nice write-up goes with this clip.(3:32)

19. Ran competitively : RACED

23. Favorite : PET

24. News agcy. since 1958 : UPI. United Press International.

32. "What light through yonder window breaks?" speaker : ROMEO

33. Arizona natives : YUMAs. Also called the Quechan. Make a note of it; it could be in a puzzle late in a week. That reminds me this puzzle is just short a Q from being a pangram.

34. Corn unit : EAR

36. Like the Gobi : ARID

37. "King Solomon's Mines" hero Quatermain : ALLAN. Always reminds me of Alan Quartermaine, a soap opera character on General Hospital.

38. Snug and comfy : COZY

39. Get some morning exercise : JOG

40. Apply for __: try to borrow money : A LOAN

41. Transplant recipient : DONEE

45. Purring pet : CAT

46. Conclusion : END

53. Louisiana marsh : BAYOU. Blue Bayou.(2:29)

55. Baseball family name : ALOU

56. Carbon compound : ENOL

58. Flynn of film : ERROL

59. Like much early TV : LIVE

60. Neutral shade : ECRU

61. Jules's 43-Down : ÉCOLE

62. New Zealand parrots : KEAs

63. Strong taste : TANG

Down:

1. Electrician's unit : OHM. Unit of electrical resistance.

2. Slangy assent : "YEAH"

3. Lake where Perry achieved an 1813 victory : ERIE. Funny coincidence, the Battle of Lake Erie is also called the Battle of Put-in-Bay. It resulted in the famous message: We have met the enemy and they are ours.

4. Became ill again : RELAPSED

5. Antlered animal : WAPITI. Elk

6. Nerve cell transmitter : AXON

7. Certain monarch : KING of the jungle and 8D. Lioness in "Born Free" : ELSA

9. Big name in newspaper publishing : SCRIPPS. Founded by Edward W. Scripps, U.S. publisher and media financier, in 1878.

10. Sub in a deli : HOAGIE

11. Emulate Rembrandt : ETCH

12. Summer along the Seine : ÉTÉ

13. Hippie's home : PAD

21. Presidential power : VETO

22. Lazy gal? : SUSAN. Lazy Susan - A revolving tray for foods, condiments, etc., placed usually at the center of a dining table.

25. French landscape painter : COROT. Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot(1796 – 1875)

26. Cancún comrade : AMIGO

27. Parachute fabric : NYLON

28. Soviet labor camp agency : GULAG

29. Radarange maker : AMANA

30. British singer/songwriter Lewis : LEONA. Leona Lewis performing Better In Time.(3:56)

31. Took it easy, with "around" : LAZED

32. British rule in India : RAJ

35. Sandwich choice : RYE

37. 2005 Bush Supreme Court nominee : ALITO (Samuel)

38. Last-minute loss of nerve : COLD FEET

40. Usually : AS A RULE

41. Delany of "China Beach" : DANA. The ABC TV drama aired for three years, from 1988 to 1991, but in that time there were four seasons. Dana.

43. Word after high or tech : SCHOOL

44. Smooth transitions : SEGUEs

47. Beginner : TYRO

48. Base on balls : WALK. What's a crossword without some sports related clues.

49. Nastase of tennis : ILIE

50. __ Scotia : NOVA

51. Andean native : INCA

52. Struggling with choices : TORN

53. Spelling contest : BEE

54. Pop-up path : ARC. A baseball pop-up.

57. Loutish type : LUG

Answer grid.

Argyle

From C.C.:

1) Thanks for the newspaper information yesterday. I've updated the list.

2) Please click here for an in inspiring article about today's constructor Bernice Gordon. Bernice and the LA Times should have the "oldest constructor" record unless she will be published by the NY Times again this year.

Monday, January 2, 2012 Steve Blais

Theme: Tootsies - I wonder if there is any society that doesn't have a version of this nursery rhyme. Clip.(0:24)

39A. Tot's chant suggested by the starts of 17-, 24-, 49- and 60-Across : THIS LITTLE PIGGY

17A. Percentage of industry sales : MARKET SHARE

24A. Commodore 64, e.g. : HOME COMPUTER

49A. Offering at Arby's : ROAST BEEF SUB

60A. Hardly certain : NONE TOO SURE

63A. When tripled, cry near the end of 39-Across : WEE, WEE, WEE! All the way home.

Argyle here. It appears to be a debut for this constructor. Cute theme, a nice spanner in the middle, perhaps a few too many abbreviations and a touch harder than a normal Monday but I liked it.

Across:

1. Drink made with steamed milk : LATTE

6. Prefix meaning "ten" : DECA

10. 1970 hit that asks about its title, "What is it good for?" : WAR. Edwin Starr clip.(3:26)

13. Under way : AFOOT

14. Fred's "I Love Lucy" wife : ETHEL

16. Dublin's land: Abbr. : IREland

19. Shaq's former org. : NBA. Shaquille O'Neal / Basketball.

20. Get on one's knees, perhaps : PRAY

21. Roosters' mates : HENS

22. Plantation house : MANOR

27. "__ the ramparts ..." : O'ER

28. Many an Iraqi : ARAB

29. Internet commerce : E-TAIL

33. Simile words : AS AN

36. Narcotics squad action : RAID

42. Circle dance with a chair, often : HORA

43. Oscar winner Patricia : NEAL. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the middle-aged housekeeper Alma Brown in Hud. (1963)

44. Me.-to-Fla. highway : US ONE

45. Wrestling successes : PINS

47. Put a stop to : BAN

54. Brittany or Normandy, once : DUCHY. It is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.

55. __'acte: intermission : ENTR

56. Get ready, as for surgery : PREP

59. Seek information : ASK

64. __ de menthe : CREME

65. Robber James : JESSE. Died 1882. He and his brother, Frank, had an outlaw gang.

66. Prime meridian std. : GST. Greenwich Sidereal Time, a variant of Greenwich Mean Time used in astronomy.

67. Astronomical dist. : LT-YR. Light-Year.

 

 

68. None of the above : OTHER

Down:

1. Desk light : LAMP

2. Some distance away : AFAR

3. Sacred Judaic scroll : TORAH

4. Japanese metropolis : TOKYO

5. Québec summer : ÉTÉ

6. Defile, as something sacred : DESECRATE

7. Prefix with -centric : ETHNO

8. Deep gorge : CHASM

9. __ Lingus : AER. Aer Lingus Group Plc(an anglicisation of the Irish Aer Loingeas meaning roughly "air fleet") is the flag carrier of Ireland.

10. Motor home brand : WINNEBAGO. The company history.

11. Shady recess : ARBOR

12. Hitchcock's "__ Window" : REAR. (1954) The film received four Academy Award nominations.

15. Madagascar primate : LEMUR

18. What you used to be? : THEE

23. Classic video games : ATARIs

25. Gangster's gal : MOLL

26. Window section : PANE

29. Country N. of Kenya : ETHiopia.

30. However, briefly : THO. (although)

31. Cause of a sudden drop in altitude : AIR POCKET

32. Hebrew prophet : ISAIAH

34. RR stop : STAtion.

35. Completely healed : ALL BETTER

37. Engine starter: Abbr. : IGNition.

38. Source of much blonde hair : DYE

40. The "I" in MIT: Abbr. : INSTitute.

41. Some George Carlin jokes : PUNS

46. "Bye Bye Bye" pop group : *NSYNC

48. Bushy hairdo : AFRO

49. Deceptions : RUSES

50. Poet Stephen Vincent __ : BENÉT. Not to be confused with Edna St. Vincent Millay.

51. Foe : ENEMY

52. Surprise victory : UPSET

53. Dense overgrowth : BRUSH

54. "Deputy __": TV toon : DAWG. Interesting. We had this clue/answer on Jan. 1, 2010.

57. Gaelic tongue : ERSE

58. House of Lords member : PEER

61. Florida 19-Across team, on scoreboards : ORLando Magic.

62. Spanish eye : OJO

Answer grid.

Argyle

Note from C.C.:

I'd like to update papers that carry LA Times Daily crossword. Please click here and leave a comment if your local paper is missing from the list or the paper listed no longer has LA Times puzzle. Thanks.

Sunday January 1, 2012 Gia Christian

Theme: January First - J sound (first letter in January) is inserted into familiar phrases, resulting in spelling changes in four theme entries, which are symmetrically placed.

23A. Advice to a nervous skier? : KILL THE JUMP. Kill the ump.

25A. Hot air in the conference room? : JARGON GAS. Argon gas.

43A. "Eat my wake!" e.g.? : SWIMMER'S JEER. Swimmer's ear.

69A. "Ode on a Grecian Urn" genre? : JARS POETICA. Ars Poetica.

94A. Halloween carving of a Yankee hero? : PUMPKIN JETER. Pumpkin eater. This answer made me laugh. Jeter, Jeter, Pumpkin eater.

117A. First punch of an old Roman bout? : JAB INITIO. Ab initio. "From the beginning" in Latin.

120A. Northern African quip? : BARBARY JAPE. Barbary ape.

39D. Multitalented court clown? : POLY JESTER. Polyester. This is the only one-word base phrase.

48D. Nattily dressed Broadway character? : JAUNTY MAME. Auntie Mame.

We also have JAY (121D. Loud bird), which could be used as a unifier. The J in JAM UP (1A. Office malfunction) and JOKE (1D. Monologue bit) is the only straying non-theme J in the whole grid, but they're excellent entries.

Gia Christian is an alias name of LA Times crossword editor Rich Norris, anagram of "Again, it's Rich". We haven't seen Rich's byline in quite some time, though every day he's challenging and entertaining us with his clues. Some solvers may not be aware that very often half of the clues we tackle every day are Rich's creation.

Across:

6. Empty the Recycle Bin, e.g. : ERASE. Your computer Recycle Bin.

11. Hit the snooze button too many times : OVERSLEPT

20. Campus town near Bangor : ORONO (Maine)

21. "The Bells of St. __" : MARY'S

22. Persona non grata : BETE NOIRE. I always associate "bete noire" with things, not person.

26. "Don't let it get cold!" : EAT. Yes, Bill G, I cook savoy cabbage occasionally. Their texture is tougher than our normal cabbage. Different taste also.

27. Hi-fi component : PREAMP

28. Where a herd is heard : LEA. Nice clue.

29. H.S. proficiency tests : GEDs

30. Fashion giant : DIOR. And 18D. Big name in fashion : PRADA. The Devil wears them.

31. Prepares, as mussels : STEAMS

35. Crewmate of Spock and Sulu : UHURA. On "Star Trek".

37. Cheats on a test, in a way : COPIES

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

41. Flu 9-Down : AGUE. 9D. Indication : SYMPTOM.

42. Mil. mail drops : APOs

48. Gravy, on menus : JUS. Au jus.

51. High-pitched barks : YELPS

53. Hosp. drama locale, usually : ICU. Reminds me of Buckeye and his Picabo ICU center.

54. Japanese golfer Aoki : ISAO

55. Something in the oven : ROAST. No BREAD.

57. Comparatively crafty : SLYER

58. Bath salt fragrance : LILAC

61. Small-scale : MINIATURE

63. Spokesceleb for Fiat : J LO. Good match?

64. Post-WWI Treasury secretary : MELLON (Andrew). Drew a blank.

66. Girl in a Beach Boys hit : RHONDA. Beach Boys is Dummy Dennis' favorite band.

67. Menlo Park wizard, initially : TAE (Thomas Alva Edison)

73. Wee lad : TAD

74. Not hoodwinked by : WISE TO

77. Big name in little suits : SPEEDO. Look, my favorite! All right, this one for our Saturday guy Splynter.

78. Singer Winehouse : AMY

80. No longer on speaking terms : ESTRANGED

84. Remove paint from : STRIP. Oh, paint.

85. D'Artagnan's chronicler : DUMAS. I only read his "The Count of Monte Cristo".

88. Nicholas Gage bestseller : ELENI. I used to think the book was written by actor Nicolas Cage.

89. "I __ a loss for words!" : AM AT. No Amo, amas, AMAT today.

91. Urgent offshore signal : SOS

92. Barrel support : STAVE

93. "__ Rosenkavalier": Strauss opera : DER

99. "Sounds good to me!" : I'M IN

100. Reject as false : DENY

101. Geometry class calculation : AREA

102. Trojan War warrior : AENEAS. He abandoned poor Dido.

104. "Try to __ my way": Beatles lyric : SEE IT

106. Like some braids : FRENCH. Very pretty.

108. Melbourne greeting : G' DAY. 112A. Eucalyptus lovers : KOALAS. For Kazie, who's probably still in Germany.

109. Resistance units : OHMs

110. Serious conflict : WAR

114. Place to hoist a pint : PUB

122. Covent Garden notable : OPERA STAR. Covent Garden is where the Royal Opera House is. Unknown to me.

123. Concrete hunks : SLABS

124. "Storage Wars" network : A AND E. Got me. "Storage Wars" is a reality show about auctions.

125. Like a couch potato : SEDENTARY

126. Long-eared critters : ASSES

127. Online VIP : SYSOP

Down:

2. Bizet's "Toreador Song," e.g. : ARIA

3. Snakes' renewal process : MOLT. Man, I wish I could renew my skin also.

4. Like some phone nos. : UNL, Alright, unlisted.

5. Comfort food in a deep dish : POT PIE. For me, comfort food is rice congee & freshly steamed bread. How about you?

6. Arabian chief : EMEER. AMEER also, though we see EMIR more often.

7. Rani's spouse : RAJA

8. Skunk cabbage and philodendron : ARUMS

10. Eerie ability, for short : ESP

11. Transitive vb. follower : OBJ (Object)

12. Meat-yielding calves : VEALS

13. To be, in Arles : ETRE. Not to be confused with the Art Deco guy ERTE.

14. Measure again : RE-GAUGE

15. Nestlé's __-Caps : SNO

16. Chaise __ : LONGUE

17. Peak in the 59-Down : EIGER. 59D. European peaks : ALPS

19. Hardy heroine : TESS. Thomas Hardy.

24. Reform Party founder Perot : H ROSS

30. Put to rest, as rumors : DISPEL

32. Ship's hdg. : ENE

33. Atmospheric prefix : AERI

34. "Divine" showbiz nickname : MISS M. Bette Midler.

36. "Yay!" : HURRAH. The feeling I had when Lemonade was back to his blogging seat. Hopefully Melissa will be back in Feb.

37. Low isles : CAYS

38. European automaker : OPEL

41. Quite a long stretch : AEON

44. Fictional Stone Age redhead : WILMA. In "The Flintstones".

45. Not as friendly : ICIER

46. Considers carefully, with "over" : MULLS

47. __ alai : JAI

49. Dietary std. : US RDA

50. Stand in good __ : STEAD

52. "No more seats" sign : SRO (Standing Room Only)

56. Plains Indian : OTO

60. Places for chickens : COOPS. In China, prostitutes are called "wild chickens".

62. Certain tax shelter, for short : IRA

65. Nair rival, once : NEET

67. Rough wool cloth : TWEED

68. Seating request : AISLE

69. Bon Jovi of rock : JON

70. Far from verbose : TERSE. My emails are usually short. Just the way I am. I don't mean to be terse.

71. Village celebrity? : IDIOT. I don't get this clue. Why "celebrity"?

72. Small group of trees : COPSE

75. Bird by the beach : ERN. So what's the difference between ERN and TERN?

76. Eastern island capital : TAIPEI. Where Jayce spent some of his youth. Tasty snacks there.

78. Much junk mail : ADs

79. Kind of conspiracy : MUTINY

81. Like venison : GAMY

82. Ruler of anc. Rome : EMP

83. Port of Senegal : DAKAR. Gimme for Chickie, whose grandson volunteers there for Peace Corps.

86. Saucony rival : AVIA

87. D.C. hundred : SENS

90. Fade : TIRE

95. Work the kinks out of : UNTWIST

96. Former Giants pitcher Robb : NEN. You've got to commit his name into memory. Constructors have no other way to clue NEN but "Pitcher Robb".

97. African scavengers : JACKALS

98. Pitching coach's aid : RADAR

100. Appetite : DESIRE

103. Undemanding classes : EASY A's

104. Mold : SHAPE

105. Nestle securely : EMBED

106. Monastery resident : FRIAR

107. Wedding dances : HORAs. I've never attended a Jewish wedding.

108. "The __ Menagerie" : GLASS

109. Eyes, in Oaxaca : OJOS

111. "__ girl!" : ATTA

113. Songstress Lane : ABBE. Nope. Not familiar with this lady.

114. Two-thumbs-down reviews : PANS

115. Salon style : UPDO

116. Answering machine cue : BEEP

118. Bert Bobbsey's twin : NAN. I like this clue better than "Indian bread", which should be NAAN.

119. Suffix with access : ORY. Accessory.

120. Webelos' org. : BSA

Answer grid.

I wish all of you a happy and healthy 2012!

C.C.