Tuesday, December 22, 2009 Merle Baker

Theme: "Calls of the Toady" - Things that a 'Yes-Man' might say to keep from being axed, canned, booted or fired.

17A: "Affirmative!": "POSITIVELY!".

27A: "Affirmative!": "OF COURSE!".

46A: "Affirmative!": "YES SIREE!".

59A: "Affirmative!": "BY ALL MEANS!".

11D: "Affirmative!": "OKEY-DOKEY!".

34D: "Affirmative!": "SURE THING!".

Argyle here, you betcha'! Six entries on a Tuesday! Absolutely a great idea, Mr. Norris. Excellent job, Mr. Baker.

Rather easy but a lot of fun in there. My favorite was the cross of 37A: Hair style for Marie Antoinette: POUF and 25D: Salon do: COIF but her last hair-cut was a 'bob'. And 9D: Salon worker: STYLIST used the latest thing in hair trimming, a guillotine.

Across:

1A: Coffee, slangily: JAVA.

5A: Exchanges: SWAPS.

10A: Tapestry machine: LOOM.

14A: Actor Arkin: ADAM. He is the son of actor Alan Arkin and appeared in TV's Northern Exposure and Chicago Hope.

15A: Explorer Sebastian: CABOT. An Italian explorer who led an English expedition in search of the Northwest Passage (1509) and a Spanish expedition to South America (1525-1528).

21A: Pay careful attention to: HEED.

22A: Vocal cords locale: LARYNX.

24A: Mountain climber's return: DESCENT.

32A: Like an inspection: ON SITE. Construction site, e.g..

35A: Poses: SITS.

36A: Singer __ Rock: KID. Kid Rock is known for music that fuses rap with heavy metal, blues rock, southern rock, funk and country music. Feel free to link your fave song; I don't have any.

38A: USA neighbor: MEX..

39A: "Didn't you get the __?": MEMO.

41A: "Good buddy": "CBER".

43A: Nightly ritual for many: PRAYER.

45A: "__ Loves You": Beatles hit: SHE. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

50A: Place for an Eggo: TOASTER.

54A: '60s United Nations secretary general: U THANT. He chaired the UN in a troubled time.

56A: Scold, with "out": BAWL.

57A: Big Band __: ERA.

58A: Switchblade: SHIV.

63A: Like a Stephen King novel: EERIE.

65A: Exit indicator: SIGN.

66A: Tire pattern: TREAD.

67A: Easter egg decorators: DYES.

Down:

1D: Made fun of: JAPED.

4D: "__ dreaming?": AM I.

5D: Physics, for one: SCIENCE.

6D: Greet from across the street: WAVE TO.

7D: Not up: ABED.

8D: D.C. go-getter: POL.

10D: Peter who played Mr. Moto: LORRE.

12D: Algerian seaport: ORAN.

13D: Comedy's __ Brothers: MARX.

18D: An alarm may deter it: THEFT.

26D: Cereal with a spokesrabbit: TRIX. "Silly Rabbit, TRIX are for kids."

28D: Computer operators: USERS.

30D: Frosty coating: RIME. Like the East coast?

33D: Biblical boat builder: NOAH.

38D: Stocking material: MESH.

39D: Actresses Clarke and West: MAES.

41D: Greenish-blue hue: CYAN. I got this one because that is what they call my blue ink cartridge in my printer.

42D: Wisest choice: BEST BET.

43D: Searched for prey, lion-style: PROWLED and 44D: King's domain: REALM. The lion is the King of the Jungle(even though lions are on the plains.)

47D: Appennini locale: ITALIA. Mountain range

49D: Poe's one-word bird: RAVEN.

51D: Not dry-eyed: TEARY.

52D: Singer Tennessee __ Ford: ERNIE. The Old Pea-Picker hisself. You gotta hear this one.

53D: Coarse files: RASPS.

54D: Daily delivery org.: USPS.

55D: Asian cuisine: THAI.

60D: "__ out!": ump's call: YER.

61D: LAX datum: ETD. Estimated Time of Departure from Los Angeles International Airport.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, December 21, 2009 Holly Barnes

Theme: Your Services Are No Longer Required - Synonyms of "fire" are hidden in the beginning of the first word of each theme answer.

17A: War on terror foe: AXIS OF EVIL. That is what President Bush named Iran, Iraq and North Korea.

26A: Elton John tribute rededicated to Princess Diana: CANDLE IN THE WIND. Originally dedicated to Marilyn Monroe

46A: "Alice Adams" novelist: BOOTH TARKINGTON. His "Alice Adams" won a Pulitzer Prize. Full Name: Newton Booth Tarkington (died 1946).

60A: Donald Trump catchphrase, and hint to the first two, three and four letters, respectively, of 17-, 26- and 46-Across: YOU'RE FIRED.

Quite a tight theme. AX, CAN, BOOT are all independent verbs embedded in the start of the first noun of the theme phrase. Four X'es and one J also add a bit of scrabbliness to the grid.

Argyle here. If this isn't a theme you can relate to, congratulations. Two fifteen letter fills on a Monday must be unusual. And it seems to be a puzzle that being a little older is a good thing.

Across:

1A: Urge forward: IMPEL.

6A: Rock genre involving flamboyant garb: GLAM. Mere words won't do! We Want More - Brisbane's (OZ) Glam rock band.

10A: Hasn't yet paid: OWES.

14A: __ Gras: MARDI.

15A: Insolvent banking giant, familiarly: WAMU. Washington Mutual, Inc.

16A: Green Hornet's sidekick: KATO. Keye Luke (a frequent visitor to crosswords) took the role in the movie serials, and in the television series he was portrayed by Bruce Lee.

20A: Cake-making aid: MIX.

21A: 1492 ship: NINA. And 22A: Crow's-nest cry: "LAND HO!".

24A: Tex-__ cuisine: MEX.

25A: Litigator's org.: ABA. American Bar Association. And 38A: Litigator's field: LAW.

35A: Util. product: ELEC.. Electric utility.

39A: "__ Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts": old song: I'VE. Singing Roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch

40A: Hens do it: LAY.

43A: Three-time Masters champ Sam: SNEAD.

49A: Pickle holder: JAR.

50A: Ballot marks: XES.

51A: Canal country: PANAMA.

54A: Bar in a grill: SPIT. Outdoor grill with a rotisserie.

56A: Tarzan raiser: APE.

59A: Economist Smith: ADAM. Followed by 65A: Exorbitant interest: USURY.

66A: Change of a five: ONES.

67A: Johnny of "Public Enemies": DEPP.

68A: Sugar bowl cubes: LUMPS.

Down:

1D: Mosque official: IMAM. And 9D: Islamic clerics: MULLAHS. Not the same?

2D: Leg-covering skirt: MAXI. You only get a pic if it's a mini.

3D: Grand __: auto race: PRIX.

4D: Publishing VIPs: EDS.

6D: Rock star Stefani or actress Verdon: GWEN.

10D: 1945 Pacific battle site: OKINAWA.

11D: Magician's rod: WAND.

12D: Engrave, in a way: ETCH.

13D: Manhattan district: SOHO. The NYC Manhattan today.

18D: Repairs: FIXES.

24D: XL squared: MDC. 40x40=1600

28D: Not familiar with: NEW TO.

29D: Turner autobiography: I, TINA. Cover.

30D: "No chance!": "NEVER!".

31D: Fine-tune: TWEAK.

32D: Archipelago part: ISLET.

33D: "Groovy!": "NEATO!". Time to retire "NEATO" and bring back "RAD".

34D: Israeli war hero Moshe: DAYAN.

42D: Orange Place on a Monopoly board: ST. JAMES.

43D: Got off course: STRAYED.

44D: The South: DIXIE.

45D: NFL three-pointers: FGS. Field goal- Kicking the football through the goal posts.

47D: Meat with eggs: HAM.

48D: Trawler's haul: NETFUL.

51D: Half a Samoan city: PAGO.

52D: Tennis score: AD IN. The server only needs one more point to win.

53D: Main church section: NAVE.

54D: __ pump: waste disposal device: SUMP.

55D: Yorick's skull, e.g.: PROP. "Alas, poor Yorick! A fellow of infinite jest, reduced to a mere PROP."

56D: Calla lily family: ARUM. Have we learned this yet?

57D: Cop's quarry: PERP. And our savior.

58D: "Grand" ice cream brand: EDY'S.

62D: Terre Haute sch.: I.S.U.. Indiana State University. Indiana State was originally founded as Indiana State Normal School in 1865. The University changed its name three times and finally agreed upon today’s name in 1965.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Sunday December 20, 2009 Alan Arbesfeld

Theme: Loose Lady. Or rather RUN AROUND SUE (120A. 1961 #1 hit for Dion, and a literal hint to this puzzle's hidden theme) - Letters SUE are running loose, bookending each theme entry.

23A. Seafood restaurant starter: SHRIMP BISQUE. Yummy creamy!

38A. Heirloom quality: SENTIMENTAL VALUE. What's the most treasured heirloom in your family?

54A. Acid rain component: SULFUR DIOXIDE

84A. Literally, "with highest praise": SUMMA CUM LAUDE

101A. The world's longest crosses Japan's Akashi Strait: SUSPENSION BRIDGE. The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge. Unknown to me.

16D. Nickname heard in Manhattan: SUNFLOWER STATE. I was in NY direction. Did not know there's a city named Manhattan in Kansas.

50D. June observance: SUMMER SOLSTICE

I have never heard of the song "Runaround Sue". The lyrics says "She took my love then ran around with every single guy in town...". Hence "Loose Lady" theme title I suppose.

Most of the theme clues for our Sunday puzzles seem to have question marks and involve some sort of wordplay or out-of-the-box thinking. Today's theme clues are honest and straightforward. Nice to have a change.

How's your solving experience today? I felt quite challenged by the geography trivia. Had to peek at the cheat sheet a few times.

Across:

1. Have the final turn: GO LAST. Very seldom did 1-Across come to me immediately. Today was not exception.

7. Kin of ibid.: OP. CIT. Both footnote abbrs.

12. Plenty: A LOT

16. Alastair of "A Christmas Carol": SIM. He played the Scrooge. His name was not stored in my brain shelf.

19. Since way back when: IN AGES

20. Moonshine: HOOCH. Illicit liquor.

21. Convertible, maybe: SOFA. "Maybe" did not prevent me from thinking of car.

22. Game whose name must be spoken during play: UNO

25. Toned down: SOFTENED

27. Drops by Niagara Falls?: MIST. I fell into "drops by" verb trap.

28. Sweep's target, perhaps: SOOT

29. Hard worker's output: SWEAT

31. Actress Woodard: ALFRE. She campaigned hard for Obama, and of course she scored a precious seat at the last state dinner.

32. Mountain nymph: OREAD (AW-ree-ad)

34. Follow: TAIL

36. Will Smith title role: ALI. Someday he's going to play Obama in a biopic.

37. Swabs: SALTS. Both slang for "sailors".

43. "Nothing __!" TO IT

44. Unsavory pair of options: EVILS. The lesser of two evils.

46. Entrance: GATEWAY

48. "The Big Chill" director: KASDAN (Lawrence). Unknown to me. Wikipedia says he wrote "The Bodyguard".

51. Heavy weight: TON. I like the clue.

52. Ill-gotten gains: LUCRE. Filthy lucre.

53. Tulsa sch. named for an evangelist: ORU (Oral Roberts University)

60. Monopoly buys: Abbr.: RRS

63. Gives pieces to: ARMS. "Pieces" here refer to guns.

66. Old knowledge: LORE. I associate LORE with tales rather than knowledge.

67. Palace abroad: ELYSEE. The Élysée Palace. The French "White House".

69. Prom night rentals: LIMOS

71. Indic language: URDU

73. Smooth in the shop: SAND

75. Shining: LIT UP

76. Portrait photographer Richard: AVEDON. Oh, so he shot this famous snake picture.

78. Major in astronomy?: URSA. Ursa Major.

80. Old Italian bread: LIRA. "Bread" here refers to money.

82. History: PAST

83. Sun. discourse: SER. And SEM (5D. Theological inst.)

88. Driving aid: TEE. Golf drive.

89. Hot day refuge: SHADE

91. "The Partridge Family" actress: DEY (Susan)

92. Disquiet: UNREST. Always thought "disquiet" is a verb.

94. Expand: BROADEN

96. City ESE of Mocha: ADEN. In Yemen. Tricky new clue.

98. French noble: COMTE. French for "count". "Comte de Monte-Cristo" (The Count of Monte Cristo) is a fantastic read.

107. Party leaders: HOSTS. Was thinking of the political leaders.

109. Milk units: Abbr.: QTS

110. Queens stadium: ASHE. And LENDL (40D. Frequent McEnroe opponent). Ivan Lendl.

111. Vast, in verse: ENORM

112. When a teen's curfew may be: AT TEN

113. Did some after-dinner work, maybe?: BUSED. Excellent clue.

115. Extended: LONG. Adjective "extended".

117. Fair-hiring org.: EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)

118. Gist: MAIN IDEA

123. Duke's gp.: ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference)

124. Character __: FLAW

125. Tarnish: TAINT

126. Songlike: ARIOSE. Same root with Aria?

127. Jeanne d'Arc, e.g.: Abbr.: STE (Sainte).

128. Squealer: FINK. Rat.

129. They may follow dogs: SLEDS. Nailed it.

130. Seeded: RANKED

Down:

1. Doodads: GISMOS. GIZMOS is more commonly used.

2. Available for work: ON HIRE

3. Only World Series perfect game pitcher: LARSEN (Don). Gimme. Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

4. Worked up: AGITATED

6. Cup's 48: Abbr.: TSPS. One cup has 48 teaspoons. I was thinking of bra.

7. Natives of Lima or Toledo: OHIOANS. Gimme for the Pollo-ed out Jazzbumpa, I am sure. But I did not know there's a Lima in Ohio.

8. Popular yellow office product: POST-IT. From 3M.

9. __ au vin: COQ. Cock in French. Needs MOREL mushroom for extra flavor.

10. Hosp. areas: ICUS

11. It's caused by standing fans: THE WAVE. Lovely clue/answer.

12. Tear into: ASSAIL

13. Plunder: LOOT. Verb or noun.

14. Vacationing: OFF

15. Breezy farewells: TATAS

17. Couch potato quality: INERTIA

18. "The only sure bait when you angle for praise": Lord Chesterfield: MODESTY. Not familiar with this quote. Modesty is very valued in Asia.

24. Waterside inn: BOTEL. Bo(at) + (ho)tel. New to me.

26. One who gets you up: ELATER. Not excited about any ER suffix word.

33. Celebrated singers: DIVAS

35. Workers: LABOR. This S-less style entry often stumps me.

39. Less: MINUS. Verb.

41. Wrinkly fruit: UGLI. It's quite sweet.

42. __ Cologne: EAU DE. What are you using? I love my husband's Polo Sports.

47. Immune system lymphocyte: T-CELL

48. Eucalyptus eaters: KOALAS

49. Show up: ARRIVE

51. Arctic plain: TUNDRA. Minnesota is sure a tundra at this time of the year.

55. Bud's bud: LOU (Costello). Bud Abbott. "Who's on First?" fame.

56. Discussion site: FORUM

57. Aegean island: IOS. Island where Homer is supposed to be buried.

58. How much medication is taken: ORALLY. I am sure Dennis has other clue on mind.

59. City near Dayton: XENIA. No idea. Another city in Ohio. Wikipedia says Xenia means "hospitality" in Greek.

62. Deadly sins, e.g.: SEPTET

64. Earth: SOD

68. Kennel sound: YIP. More commonly seen in crossword than YELP.

70. "What a pity": SO SAD

72. Sch. with a record 33 Rose Bowl appearances: USC (University of Southern California)

74. Joanne of film: DRU

77. Ones who can barely be seen?. NUDES. Nudes are bare. My favorite clue today.

79. "The Age of Anxiety" Pulitzer winner: AUDEN. Poet W.H. Auden.

81. "What __ idea!": "How stupid!": A DUMB

85. Course list: MENU. Meal course.

86. Smart set: MENSA. "Stupid" in Spanish.

87. __ nous: ENTRE. Literally "between" in French.

90. Pick up the pace: HASTEN

93. Kept under control: REINED IN

94. Atlantic commonwealth: BAHAMAS. Have you been there?

95. Reading in a disorderly class?: RIOT ACT. Got the answer with the Across help.

96. 2-BR listings, perhaps: APTS

97. Strands: DESERTS. Can you come up with 2 sentences in which the two words are exchangeable grammatically?

98. Pals: COHORTS

99. Bridge bid, for short: ONE NO. No problem this time.

102. Bellyache: SQUAWK. And GROUSE (105D. Bellyache).

103. Large-kitchen feature: ISLAND. Our kitchen is rather small.

104. Manages: DOES OK. Alas, my multi-word woe.

106. Ran the show: EMCEED

108. Get a whiff of: SNIFF

113. Noodle: BEAN. Both slang for "head".

116. __ gum: thickening agent: GUAR. Have never used it.

119. Mid sixth-century date: DLI. Roman numeral 551.

121. Never, in Nuremberg: NIE. "No, in Nuremberg" is NEIN.

122. Strong D.C. lobby: NRA

Answer grid.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Audrey and all the LAT Sunday solvers!

C.C.

Saturday December 19, 2009 Barry Silk

Theme: None

Total blocks: 28

Total words: 72

Barry weaved a mini-theme in this grid, with four non-symmetrically placed entries. (Corrections: This is not a mini-theme. From the editor Rich Norris: Cross-referencing alone doesn't qualify. The main mini-theme answers should be either symmetrically placed or crisscrossed in the middle.)

50A. Singer with four recent best-selling albums of pop standards: ROD STEWART. What's your favorite Rod Stewart song? I like his "Have I Told You Lately".

1D. Soul immortal: JAMES BROWN. "The Godfather of Soul".

43A. 1-Down or 50-Across, e.g.: MALE

54A. Where 1-Down or 50-Across may be heard: ON THE RADIO

There are also six very noticeable "it" clues in the puzzle:

34A. It's sometimes deep-fried in the South: OKRA. I've never deep-fried mine.

44A. It heats up your food immediately: TABASCO. Superb clue. Hot!

2D. It may be twisted apart: OREO COOKIE. Sweeter than OREO alone.

7D. Think of it: IDEA. Somehow the grammar of this particular "it" clue bothers me. You?

38D. Washington is on it: QUARTER

52D. Chattering tongues do it: WAG. Just lovely.

Lots of V-8 moments for me during the solving. Tricky clues aplenty. And I was so pleased to see the new clue for TORII (44D. Angels outfielder Hunter who has won nine straight Gold Gloves). Just mentioned a few days ago about Torii Hunter and his Gold Gloves when TORII was clued as "Shinto temple gateway". Eat worm if you missed it. I met Torii a few times at various Twins events. He's super friendly.

Across:

1. Prominent bloodhound feature: JOWL. Scrabbly start.

5. Southwestern site of gypsum dunes: WHITE SANDS. In New Mexico. Unknown to me.

15. Burnoose wearer: ARAB. Dictionary defines burnoose (also spelled as burnous) as "a hooded mantle or cloak, as that worn by Arabs".

16. Accountant's concern: AUDIT TRAIL. Have only heard of money trail.

17. Citi Field team: METS. Started this year. Citi Field is named after the Citigroup. Another baseball reference is ERA (51D. Hurler's stat). Barry is a Phillies fan.

18. Polite invite: PLEASE STAY. Triple-stacks of 10-letter answers in each corner makes this puzzle look very open.

19. Want ad abbr.: EOE (Equal-Opportunity Employer)

20. "Diana" singer: ANKA (Paul)

21. Places for dips: POOLS

22. Fights: SCRAPES. Misread the clue as "Flights".

24. Benefit: BOON

26. One unhappy about a split: BOWLER. D'oh, bowling split.

27. "Coppélia" costume: TUTU

28. Trapper's ware: FUR. Was picturing pottery ware rather than the merchandise.

31. 1976 best-seller that spanned three centuries: ROOTS. By Alex Haley. I watched a few episodes in Chinese.

32. Frightening ordeal: NIGHTMARE. Frightening indeed.

35. Chihuahua chicken: POLLO. Spanish for "chicken" I presume.

36. Hamburg's river: ELBE. It flows to the North Sea.

37. User-edited online compendium of notable snippets: WIKIQUOTE. Refreshing answer.

39. Like ens: NASAL

40. Nintendo's Super __: NES

41. Coffee houses?: URNS. Nice clue.

42. Pop, e.g.: PARENT. Was thinking of the music genre "Pop".

45. Can't stand: ABHOR

48. Pixels: DOTS

49. Work on the road: TAR. And PAVE (53A. Work on the road). I absolutely dig this kind of clue connection.

55. Independent: FREE

56. Swearing-off words: NEVER AGAIN. Nailed it.

57. Key in a corner: CTRL. Lower left corner of your keyboard.

Down:

3. Source of tears, slangily: WATERWORKS

4. Dumbbell abbr.: LBS

5. Original "People's Court" judge: WAPNER (Joseph). Nope. Total stranger to me.

6. Clumsy vessels: HULKS. Rich Norris once clued "ARKS" as "Clumsy vessels".

8. Familia member: TIA. TIO too. Spanish aunt/uncle.

9. Some say they live among us, briefly: ETS. Oh, I've never heard anyone says so.

10. Leave temporarily: STEP OUT

11. Hot pursuit?: ARSON. Awesome clue. I was still in awe of Barry's "Illegal firing?" for ARSON last time.

12. Brussels-based intl. alliance: NATO

13. Watch part: DIAL

14. Stone and Stallone: SLYS

20. Galoots: APES

23. __ Mountains: Central Asian range: ALTAI. Al is Turkic for "gold", Tai is "mount".

24. Army brass?: BUGLE. Another great clue.

25. Emperor Galba's successor: OTHO. The Roman emperor who reigned for a short three-month (January to April 69). His name simply escaped me.

27. Arcade violations: TILTS

28. Race infraction: FALSE START

29. Unauthorized explorer of city tunnels and sewers: URBAN CAVER. Not in my vocabulary.

30. Cassette alternative: REEL TO REEL. Did not come to me readily.

32. "__ Knows": 1958 hit: NO ONE. Here is the clip. By Dion and The Belmonts. I was stymied.

33. "Awakenings" actress: MEARA (Anne). Got me. Have never seen "Awakening".

35. Knitting loop: PURL

39. Busts: NABS. Again, I was in the sculpture bust direction.

42. Battle of the Bulge commander: PATTON. Did you like the movie "Patton"?

43. Arens of Israel: MOSHE. Nope, not in my radar. Somehow Ariel Sharon popped into to my mind.

45. Cal's brother in "East of Eden": ARON. Gimme. I liked the movie.

46. Something to pick?: BONE. Nailed it.

47. Cutting-edge set, briefly: HD TV

48. Arp works: DADA. ARP is often clued as "Dada pioneer". Nice to have a clue/answer swap.

53. Rank below cpl.: PFC (Private First Class)

Answer grid.

C.C.

Friday December 18, 2009 Dan Naddor

Theme: Give It a (T)RY - RY is added to the T-ending first word of a common phrase.

17A. Battlefield success strategy?: INFANT(RY) FORMULA. Infant Formula.

21A. Church pool table features?: VEST(RY) POCKETS. Vest Pockets.

35A. Downside of grits and chicken-fried steak?: COUNT(RY) CALORIES. Count Calories.

43A. Armed guard?: SENT(RY) PACKING. Sent Packing. I don't quite get this one. What's the connection between "guard" and PACKING?

50A. Customs of dessert chefs?: PAST(RY) PRACTICES. Past Practices. Not a familiar legal term to me.

Today's Dan Naddor Index (non-theme entries with 6 or more letters) is 18. Quite high. Nice pairs of 7-letter Across entries in each corner. Heavy 71 theme squares.

Wish EAT ON (22D. Use, as china) were clued as stationery brand EATON to avoid the duplication with EAT IT (26A. Absorb a loss, slangily).

I am used to seeing Dan's question-marked theme clues. His hallmark. Just like the vibrant yellow & blue colors in van Gogh's paintings. Last week's PHENOMENAL simply felt bland.

Across:

1. News: TIDINGS. Had the urge to fill in UPDATES.

8. Lumberyard tools: RIPSAWS

15. From 1988 to 1999, a record 856 consecutive games were played in Dodger Stadium without one: RAINOUT. Not aware of this Major League record.

16. Slightly: A WEE BIT

19. Big name in calculators: CASIO. "Big name in watch" too.

20. In an apt way: FITLY

27. Time co-founder: LUCE (Henry)

28. Minute Maid Park baseballer, locally: STRO. Houston Astros.

29. "What a looong day!": I'M BEAT

32. Store proprietor on "The Simpsons": APU

38. Mich. neighbor: ONT (Ontario)

40. Cross inscription: INRI. Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews).

41. Its county seat is Grand Junction, Colorado: MESA. Where the Grand Mesa is located I presume.

42. Composer Bruckner: ANTON. An Austrian.

56. At risk of being lost in a hard drive failure: UNSAVED

57. Yes-men: TOADIES

58. Medical probes: STYLETS. What's the difference between a lancet and a stylet?

59. That much or more: AT LEAST

Down:

1. Numerical prefix: TRI. Prefix for "three".

2. "At Seventeen" singer Janis: IAN. See this clip. I've heard of the song, not the singer.

3. "What's the __?": DIF

4. Dormancy: INACTION. This one intersects three theme answers.

5. Dada, to many of its critics: NON-ART. Did you want NOT ART?

6. Brave: GUTSY

7. Steakhouse order: STRIP. Oh, bacon.

8. Battle of Britain gp.: RAF (Royal Air Force)

9. Target of WWII's Operation Detachment, familiarly: IWO. Was ignorant of the fact that Battle of Iwo Jima is also called Operation Detachment.

10. Tapered cigar: PERFECTO. No idea. Looks rather thick. What's their length?

11. Arab, e.g.: SEMITE. "Israeli, e.g." too.

12. Borders: ABUTS

13. Source of heir cuts?: WILL. Nice play on "hair cuts".

14. Canine command: STAY

18. "__-hoo!": YOO

21. 1970s fugitive financier Robert: VESCO. Nope. Not in memory bank. This guy was involved in the Watergate scandal.

23. Swaggering gait: STRUT

24. Like a smooth getaway: CLEAN. Fleeing getaway.

25. __ Lumpur, Malaysia: KUALA. A big part of "Entrapment" happened in Kuala Lumpur.

29. "__ my case": I REST

30. Polyester film trademark: MYLAR. What's the name origin of this brand? I can never remember it.

31. Pre-A.D.: BCE (Before the Common Era)

32. "__ a stinker?": Bugs Bunny line: AIN'T I

33. "Evita" subject: PERON (Eva)

36. "How dare they!": THE NERVE

37. Like premium hockey seats: RINK SIDE. Easy guess. Have never attended a hockey game.

39. State capital near the Big Belt Mountains: HELENA. And PLATA (45D. Oro y __: Montana's motto).

41. Like unwritten notes: MENTAL. Mental notes. Great clue.

42. Alcohol-based compound used in cosmetics: ACETAL. Al is a suffix for "alcohol".

43. Coward: SISSY

44. Suffix with law: YER. Lawyer. Sawyer too. Here is a great suffix list Clear Ayes found for us. YER = IER, meaning "one who".

46. Fancy scarf: ASCOT

47. Catalogued work: OPUS

48. Sound after a sprint: PANT. By the way, what does your "Runner's High" feel like? And how long does it normally last?

52. Law and order gps.: PDS (Police Departments). Silly, but it stumped me.

53. Covert fed. group: CIA

54. Some Caltech grads: EES (Electrical Engineers)

55. Old Atl. crosser: SST. Crossword constructors just can not live without SST.

Thanks for the awesome airport code information yesterday, everyone.

Answer grid.

C.C.

PS: Here is Orange's write-up on the warm story behind Merl Reagle's musical notes puzzle last Wednesday.

Thursday December 17, 2009 Samuel A. Donaldson

Theme: SECRETARIES (54A. Heads of the tails of 18-, 23-, 36- and 48-Across) - The tail word of each theme entry is a US department headed by a secretary.

18A. Court strategy: ZONE DEFENSE. Secretary of Defense. Basketball court.

23A. Some contractions: FALSE LABOR. Secretary of Labor.

36A. Mid-Atlantic nickname, with "The": QUAKER STATE. Secretary of State. Pennsylvania.

48A. Like hikers' snack food: HIGH ENERGY. Secretary of Energy. The dates & cashew Larabars are my favorite snacks.

Great clue for the unifying theme entry SECRETARIES.

Samuel A. Donaldson mentioned in his interview that he's fond of non-theme multiple-word entries. I counted 10 in today's grid.

I also liked the three weaving "court" clues:

18A. Court strategy: ZONE DEFENSE.

13D: Take to court: SUE.

56D. 1973 court name: ROE. Roe v. Wade.

Lovely echo. Small details delighted me.

Across:

1. Retired flier, briefly: SST. And SKY (28D. Pilot's beat).

4. Angry trick-or-treater, perhaps: EGGER. Is this a common word? I've never used it.

14. Last half of a drink?: TAI. Last half of Mai Tai. Stumped me.

15. 22-Across lullaby syllables: LOO RA. And IRISH (22A. Lucky ones?). The luck of the Irish. Was unaware of the Irish lullaby "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral"

16. Part of a Valentine's text message: I LUV U

17. First name in objectivism: AYN (Rand). The only objectivism name I know.

20. Escaped convict's need: FAKE ID. Nice answer.

26. 35-member treaty gp.: OAS (Organization of American States)

29. Apt name for a herding dog: SHEP. And PEKE (52D. Short dog, for short). Pekingese. We just call it lion dog in China.

30. U.K. awards: OBES (Orders of the British Empire)

31. Moved furtively: SNUCK

33. Alley Oop's girlfriend: OOOLA. Finally I remembered her name.

35. Like mud puddles: SLOSHY

38. Contests on horseback: JOUSTS. Wrote down RODEOS first.

40. "__ Nothing": 1993 Whitney Houston hit: I HAVE. Loved "The Bodyguard". Did not remember this song though.

42. Cause of a run: SNAG. Oh, pantyhose run.

43. __ dire: jury interview: VOIR. Voire dire (vwahr deer) is new to me. I do know the individual French words: voir "to see" & dire "to say". Makes sense.

47. Old CIA foe: KGB. And JFK (38D. Queens airport, familiarly ) & ORG (39D. Nonprofit's URL). Three abbreviations are crowded in this section.

50. Political exile, for short: EXPAT. Well, I am a just Chinese expat living in the US, not an exile.

53. __ it over: ruled: LORDED

58. Hot season for a Parisian: ETE. Yawner.

59. Word after control or neat: FREAK

60. Pocahontas's spouse: ROLFE (John). His name escaped me.

62. Where ham is often found: ON RYE. Not a fan of rye bread.

63. Sellout lack: SEATS. Was thinking of the traitor "sellout".

64. Sgt.'s superiors: LTS ( Lieutenants)

Down:

2. Checkup request: SAY AAH

3. Wind chime sound: TINKLE

4. "Popeye" creator Segar: ELZIE. Only knew him as E. C. Segar.

5. They usually aren't enough, so it's said: GOOD LOOKS. Oh well, even with good brains, still not enough for some men. Look at Elin Nordegren.

6. Poly- ending: GON. Polygon.

7. "... __ he drove out of sight": ERE. "But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight..."

8. Boom boxes: RADIOS

9. Hi-tech airport connection: WI-FI

10. Pints' contents: ALES

11. Midway attraction: FUN HOUSE. Have never been to one.

12. Sports bar array: TVS

21. Advocate, as a cause: ESPOUSE. Nailed it.

25. Demeanor: BEARING

27. Düsseldorf "D'oh!": ACH. Alliteration again.

31. Croat or Serb: SLAV

32. At no time: NOT EVER

34. Wild things to sow?: OATS. Sow wild oats.

35. One way for an actor to exit: STAGE LEFT. Had trouble obtaining this answer.

36. Many a Canadian francophone: QUEBECER. Oh, did not know a person from Quebec is called a Quebecer.

37. Old Iranian VIP: SHAH

42. Indian instruments: SITARS. Indian lute.

44. It's no picnic: ORDEAL

45. "Yeah, yeah, very funny": I GET IT. Lovely clue/answer.

46. Comics cowboy Red and others: RYDERS. Not familiar with this comic or the cowboy at all.

48. Magician's prop: HAT

49. Rhinoplasty targets: NOSES. Rhino is a prefix for "nose".

51. Picture of bones, often: X-RAYS

54. Northern Cal. hub: SFO. San Francisco International Airport. What does O stand for? (Added later: See this great link from Warren.)

55. Coastal bird: ERN

57. Pier gp.: ILA (International Longshoremen's Association)

Answer grid.

See you tomorrow!

C.C.

Wednesday December 16, 2009 Merl Reagle

Theme: Note-orious - Three consecutive musical notes are embedded in each theme entry.

16A. Comfort: CONSOLATION. So La Ti. Thought it's Sol.

61A. Sister Sledge hit: WE ARE FAMILY. Re Fa Mi.

39. Queen whose name contains three apt words in a row, as does each of this puzzle's four longest answers: LATIFAH. La Ti Fa. I like Queen Latifah in "Chicago". Then we had A ROW (5D. In __: lined up). Undesirable duplication.

10D. Outnumber all others: PREDOMINATE. Re Do Mi.

24D. Pooped: ALL TIRED OUT. Ti Re Do.

And two more musical instrument references from Merl Reagle, who plays keyboards:

52D. Instruments with pedals: HARPS. I don't associate harps with pedals.

64D. Concert finale?: INA. Concertina. Stumped me.

Unusual numbers of tricky and fresh clues for a Wednesday, no? Despite the heavy proper names, the puzzle itself is not hard. Fair crossings.

Across:

1. First name in nursing: CLARA (Barton). Founder of American Red Cross.

6. Bridges of Los Angeles County: JEFF. He's "The Dude" in "The Big Lebowski", directed the Coen brothers. Hollywood/LA is in LA County. The clue reminds me of "The Bridges of Madison County". Very romantic!

14. Shooting Starr: BELLE. Have never heard of Belle Starr. Wikipedia says she's a notorious American outlaw. I could only recall Ken Starr.

15. Cry that's a laugh backward: RAH. Nice new clue.

18. Eddie's "Green Acres" co-star: EVA (Gabor)

19. Contraction that's an "i" dropper: 'TWERE. Contraction of "it were". Got me. I liked the "eye"/"i" dropper pun.

22. Rhyme scheme used in a villanelle: ABAA. Maybe Clear Ayes can find us a villanelle today.

25. Follow: ENSUE

28. The __ Parade: ROSE

29. Co-creator of "The View": WALTERS (Barbara)

31. It gets let off: STEAM. Let off steam.

33. Specter on the Hill: ARLEN. Capitol Hill. Senator from PA.

34. Actor Dillon: MATT. He's awesome in "Crash".

35. Alcatraz, e.g.: Abbr.: ISL (Island). "The Rock" is a great movie.

38. Nap or nip preceder: CAT

42. PBS funder: NEA (National Endowment for the Arts)

43. Go down a slippery slope: SKI. Vivid clue.

44. Work without __: A NET

45. Mil. schools: ACADS (Academies)

47. Play delayers: RAINS. Twins new stadium has no roof.

49. Beethoven specialties: SONATAS. Beautiful "Moonlight Sonata".

51. "Mermaids" actress: CHER. Was ignorant of the film.

53. Online business: E-TAIL

55. __ Sweeney, Ethel Merman's "Anything Goes" role: RENO. The answer emerges itself.

56. "You __ be there": HAD TO

58. "The Crucible," e.g.: DRAMA. Arthur Miller play.

60. Guillermo's gold: ORO. Guillermo is the Spanish form of the name "William".

67. PC core: CPU

68. Thinks the world of: LOVES. "Ai" in Chinese. "Wo Ai Ni" = "I love you". Chinese does not have singular/plural forms for verbs.

69. Oscar de la __: RENTA. Laura Bush's favorite designer.

70. Sunrise direction, in Stuttgart: OST. German for "east". New to me, so is the German city Stuttgart.

71. Flip out: SNAP

72. Lewis or Lois colleague: CLARK. Lewis & Clark Expedition. Lois & Clark, Superman.

Down:

1. L x VI: CCC. 50 x 6 = 300

2. Oft-visited pub room: LOO. Nailed it.

4. Say another way: RESTATE

6. Ballet leaps: JETES (/ʒəˈteɪ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation zhuh-TEY). I forgot. Here is a clip. PLIES is the "Ballet bends".

7. Passing Manning: ELI. Quarterback for the NY Giants. Nice rhyme.

8. __-Jo: Olympic sprinter's nickname: FLO. Lovely nickname.

9. Sedge-filled wetlands: FENS

11. #1 picks: FAVES

12. Phillies all-star slugger Utley: CHASE. Second baseman for the Phillies. I bet Dennis was excited to see Merl's byline today. He's been solving Merl's Sunday for years.

14. Tractor shelters: BARN. I like the double-syllable sounds of the clue.

17. Look like a wolf: LEER. Was picturing a real wolf.

21. Tax-deferring option, briefly: IRA

22. Spy plane acronym: AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control System). Completely unknown to me.

23. Netanyahu's successor: BARAK (Ehud). Same pronunciation as Barack?

26. Gp. with F-16s: USAF

27. Henri's conclusion?: ETTA. No idea. I suppose it refers to Henrietta the town in NY.

30. Zhou __: EN-LAI. Mandarin Chinese. Cantonese is Chow En-Lai.

32. A Coen brother: ETHAN. Pride of Minnesota.

34. Where Ben Bernanke got his Ph.D.: MIT. Somehow I thought it's Yale. Bernanke was just named as Time Person of the Year 2009. Netanyahu graduated from MIT too.

36. Ford Taurus, e.g.: SEDAN

37. Calf catcher: LASSO

40. Actress Hathaway: ANNE. She's in "The Devil Wears Prada".

46. Apple topping: CARAMEL. Sweet!

48. Word before or after thou: ART. New spin on a common crossword fill.

49. Foal fathers: SIRES

50. Norse saint: OLAF. No Olaf/Olav wobbling today.

51. Intro to -holic: CHOCO. Chocoholic.

54. TV spot pro: AD REP. Fell into the ADMAN trap.

57. Temple's team: OWLS. Wikipedia says Temple was the first school in the United States to adopt the owl as its symbol.

59. Painter Chagall: MARC

62. Awfully long time: EON

Answer grid.

Ming tian jian!

C.C.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 Joel Fagliano

Theme: Aye Aye, Sir - Eight-letter, Two-word Assonant Phrases (Long "I" vowel rhyme).

20A: Like Tater Tots: BITE-SIZE.

24A: Metaphorical site of some presidential chats: FIRESIDE.

48A: Lengthy guarantee period: LIFETIME.

53A: "Ditto": LIKEWISE.

4D: Delicate path to walk: FINE LINE.

40D: Energetic type: LIVE WIRE.

Argyle here. I don't know what to say. It's a pangram puzzle, but it has the feel of a puzzle put together by a computer program. Just not much life to it.

Would be cool if long "I" sounds were completely eliminated from non-theme fill.

Across:

1A: Valley girl's "Pshaw!": AS IF.

5A: Ere: AFORE.

10A: Facial bones: JAWS.

15A: City attacked by Godzilla: TOKYO. Movie monster

18A: Bee parts that are really cool?: KNEES. Coined in 1920s as part of the flapper language, 'the bee's knees' meant excellent, as did 'the cat's pyjamas'.

19A: Online prefix with -pedia: WIKI. I would be lost without it(but I don't always trust it.)

22A: Jeered: GIBED.

23A: Novelist Deighton: LEN.

27A: "Haste makes waste" and others: MAXIMS.

30A: Sassy: FRESH.

31A: Tree of life site: EDEN.

32A: Baked __: BEANS.

33A: Automne preceder: ETE. French. Summer (ete) precedes autumn (automne).

36A: Place for a Pinot: WINE BAR.

39A: Handyman's carryall: TOOL BOX.

41A: __-Caps: candy: SNO. Usual found in movie theaters. Sno-Caps

44A: "Dies __": hymn: IRAE.

45A: Bravery: VALOR.

46A: Chunks of fairway: DIVOTS. Something I'm familiar with. "Please replace your divots."

51A: Many a Roddick serve: ACE.

58A: Turin-based automaker: FIAT. One-time largest auto maker in the world.

59A: Dispatch boat: AVISO. Finally has become a gimme for me.

63A: Ceiling: LIMIT.

64A: Pro __: RATA.

65A: River of Hades: STYX.

67A: Prefix with distant: EQUI.

Down:

1D: Graceful horse: ARAB.

2D: "The Open Window" storywriter: SAKI. I loved that story.

3D: Part of LBJ, e.g.: Abbr.: INIT.. Initial.

5D: "Diet Revolution" doctor: ATKINS.

6D: "Aaay!" sayer of '70s-'80s TV: FONZ.

7D: Painter Georgia: O'KEEFFE.

8D: Deli request: RYE.

9D: Dawn deity: EOS. Aurora for the Romans.

10D: Like the calendar established by Hillel II: JEWISH. The Jewish calendar is lunisolar. That is, its months are synchronized with the phases of the moon, but its average year length approximates the mean length of a solar year.

11D: Cover story?: ALIBI.

12D: Roused: WAKED.

13D: Said with a sneer: SNIDE.

21D: Future father's sch.?: SEM..

22D: Plaster painting surface: GESSO.

25D: Teed off: IRATE.

26D: Attorney general under Clinton: RENO. Janet Reno.

27D: Kittens' cries: MEWS.

28D: Server's edge, in tennis: AD IN.

29D: Alien: Pref.: XENO.

32D: Dustpan's partner: BROOM.

33D: Spanish river: EBRO. Northern Spain. Map

34D: Perfectly: TO A T.

35D: It can be awkward when they run into each other: EXES.

37D: Rhythms: BEATS.

38D: "__ want for Christmas ...": ALL I.

43D: Fights before the main event, for short: PRELIMS.

45D: Highest point: VERTEX.

46D: Actress Fanning: DAKOTA. She was seven when she won a role in the movie Tomcats(2001).

47D: Rocks at the bar: ICE.

48D: Hay storage areas: LOFTS.

49D: Chucklehead: IDIOT.

50D: Like freshly poured beer: FOAMY.

54D: "__ just me, or ...": IS IT.

55D: Baghdad's land: IRAQ.

56D: In __: as found: SITU.

57D: Morales of "La Bamba": ESAI.

59D: Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP.

60D: Through: VIA.

Answer grid.

Argyle

Monday, December 14, 2009 Samantha Wine

Theme: Keep It Under You Hat - Three items that you can cover with a lid. (Both cover and lid are slang for hat.)

17A: Comical character in "Star Wars" films: JAR JAR BINKS.

33A: Novel by a hack: POTBOILER.

41A: Ticket-selling place: BOX OFFICE.

59A: "Stop complaining!" (and what you might do to the start of 17-, 33- or 41-Across): "PUT A LID ON IT!".

Argyle here. Tough for a Monday. Things like 35D: Fitzgerald of scat: ELLA. are ok but 6D: Elephant boy portrayer of film: SABU. seem like they are later in the week entries. I'll admit 39D bolloxed me up but good!

Today's constructor Samantha Wine is Rich Norris himself. Anagram of "What's in a name".

Nice looking lay-out. Scrabbly too. Three J, two Q's, 1 X and five K's.

Across:

1A: Trumpet mufflers: MUTES. Trombones, too.

6A: Like pretzels: SALTY. Like Popeye, too,

11A: CD-__: ROM.

14A: Observe Yom Kippur: ATONE.

16A: Latin lover's verb: AMO.

19A: __ Bartlet, "The West Wing" president: JED. President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet (Martin Sheen)

20A: O.K. Corral event: SHOOT-OUT.

21A: Old enough: OF AGE.

23A: French designer's monogram: YSL. Yves Saint Laurent

24A: Father of Isaac: ABRAHAM.

26A: Takers of pics: CAMS. As a mechanic, I don't think of pics when I hear CAMS.

29A: Be superior to, as in the military: OUTRANK.

32A: Japanese sash: OBI.

37A: Hit on the noggin: BONK.

39A: Davis of "Dr. Dolittle": OSSIE. He portrayed Dr. Dolittle's father, Archer Dolittle, in the 1998 Eddie Murphy film.

40A: "Golden" principle: RULE.

43A: P. Hearst's kidnappers: S.L.A.. Symbionese Liberation Army. She was kidnapped in February of 1974.

44A: "Is the gamble worth it?": "DO I DARE?".

46A: London guy: CHAP.

47A: "Fencers, prepare to duel!": "EN GARDE!".

50A: Sine __ non: essential: QUA.

52A: Seismic event: QUAKE.

53A: "Could be": "I SUPPOSE".

58A: Suffix with sub: URB.

62A: Lead-in for metric: ISO.

63A: Whisky __: Hollywood disco: A GO-GO. Note the spelling of "Whisky".

64A: Dad's brother, in Bordeaux: ONCLE.

66A: Excited cry: WHOOP.

Down:

1D: They're above capts.: MAJS..

2D: Great Salt Lake state: UTAH.

4D: Gets a kick out of: ENJOYS.

7D: Not very much: A BIT.

8D: Data-sharing syst.: LAN.. A local area network (LAN) is a computer network covering a small physical area, like a home, office, or small group of buildings, such as a school, etc..

9D: Displeased cluck: TSK!.

10D: "Make up your mind!": "YES OR NO!".

11D: Indian bigwig: RAJAH.

12D: Last Greek letter: OMEGA.

13D: Digital data transmitter: MODEM.

18D: Hershey's caramel-and-chocolate brand: ROLO.

22D: Hindu wonder-worker: FAKIR. Alt. sp., fakeer, faqir, faquir.

24D: More hoity-toity, in a cultural sense: ARTIER.

25D: Ruth of the Yankees: BABE. "The Sultan of Swat"

26D: Actor Lee J. __: COBB. He had a long and illustrious career in film and on Broadway. He died in 1976.

28D: Hussy: MINX.

30D: Rising trend in the market: UPSIDE.

31D: Puccini title heroine: TOSCA. She is Floria Tosca, a celebrated singer in Rome about June 1800.

38D: Instamatic maker: KODAK.

39D: "The Wizard __": OF ID. Oh, yeah, I had OZ. Messed me up for quite awhile. The Wizard of Id is a daily newspaper comic strip created by American cartoonists Brant Parker and Johnny Hart. The Wizard.

42D: Cat's front foot: FOREPAW.

45D: Same: Pref.: EQUI.

47D: Furnish with gear: EQUIP.

48D: Emergency room VIP: NURSE.

49D: Eva or Zsa Zsa: GABOR.

51D: High hair styles: UPDOS.

53D: Othello's betrayer: IAGO.

54D: Sty food: SLOP.

55D: In days gone by: ONCE. In days gone by, my boyhood job was to slop the hogs.

56D: Fancy hat fabric: SILK.

57D: Sorbonne summers: ETES.

60D: "That's icky!": UGH.

Answer grid.

Here are a few wonderful pictures J.D. took during her recent trip to Las Vegas. Click on each one for clearer photo. J.D. has been busy babysitting and helping her daughter moving out.

Argyle

Sunday December 13, 2009 Joon Pahk

Theme: Teeing Off - FORE is inserted in common phrases. Immediately upon teeing off, golfers might yell "Fore!" if they fear that their wild shots could endanger the spectators/players ahead.

23A. Sharp rock used by early hominids?: BLADE (FORE)RUNNER. Does the base phrase Blade Runner refers to the Harrison Ford movie?

33A. Choose Mounds over Almond Joy?: (FORE)GO NUTS. Go Nuts. Reminded me of Dan Naddor's "Gone nuts, horsewise" suggestion for Jerome's GELDING.

53A. Like the elbow of Rodin's "The Thinker"?: (FORE)VER BENDING. Plays on Verb Ending. Hard base phrase to parse.

70A. Anti-park service career advice?: DON'T BE A (FORE)ST RANGER. Don't Be a Stranger.

87A. According to predictions in the show "Medium"?: AS (FORE)SEEN ON TV. As Seen on TV.

103A. What Ali did often at the Rumble in the Jungle?: HIT (FORE)MAN. Hit Man. Foreman here refers to George Foreman, who lost to Ali in the historic bout in Rumble of the Jungle.

119A. "Clear skies tonight," to an astronomer?: ALL STAR (FORE)CAST. All-Star Cast.

And PAR (81D. 72, often). What's your best round? I've only had a couple under 90.

Also a bit of car/traffic undercurrent:

19A. Mercury or Saturn: AUTO. Not planet.

22A. Last Olds model: ALERO

93A. Went two ways: FORKED. I tried PARTED first.

118A. Family auto: SEDAN. Don't like the auto/AUTO duplication.

94D. Like a road section with a flagger, maybe: ONE-LANE

Nice pangram. One more W, we would have had a double pangram, i.e., all the 26 letters would have been used at least twice.

I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle. It held my attention throughout. Worked from bottom up and realized the FORE gimmick immediately, then filled in all the possible FORE's. When I first read the theme title, I thought letter T might be cut off from common phrases, but then the title would be "Tee Off" rather than "Teeing Off".

As usual with the Sunday puzzle. I double bogeyed my round. Had to peek at the cheat sheet a few times. Sunday puzzle is just too formidable to me. Always a few new names to learn and a few traps to fall into.

Across:

1. Archie Bunker oath: JEEZ. Shock and Awe scrabbly start.

5. Spice (up): JAZZ. Four Z's, two J's, two X'es, and Two Q's in this grid.

9. Refracting device: PRISM

14. Fashions: MAKES. Verb.

20. __ fixe: IDEE. French for "idea".

21. Soprano Mitchell: LEONA. Have never heard of this name before.

26. One paid to make hoops, briefly: NBAER. And CLE (35A. Cavs, on scoreboards) & SHAQ (107A. Teammate of LeBron). LeBron James and Shaq O'Neal are both with Cleverland Cavaliers now.

27. Get rolling: BEGIN

28. __ paradoxes: ZENO'S. Zeno of Elea. Don't confuse him with Zeno of Citium (the stoic Zeno).

29. Refinement: ELEGANCE

32. It might be given orally: EXAM

37. Former Giants manager: ALOU (Felipe, 2003-2006)

39. Prone to prying: NOSY

40. Rained out, e.g.: Abbr.: PPD. Postponed. Not a familiar abbr. to me.

43. Not gun-shy?: ARMED. Great clue.

47. Scary movie reaction: SCREAM

56. "The Kitchen God's Wife" novelist: AMY TAN. I love her "The Joy Luck Club". The stories echo with me.

58. Box: CRATE

60. Singer Vannelli: GINO. His name escaped me again. Gino is Italian for Gene.

62. Reproductive cells: OVA

63. Vino __: dry wine: SECO. Spanish for "dry". SEC is French.

64. Capital of Pakistan's Punjab province: LAHORE. Pakistan's second-largest city, after Karachi.

68. Earth tones: SIENNAS. Isn't this earth tone beautiful?

75. Monarch's spouse: CONSORT

76. 1980s timekeeping fad: SWATCH. Still a fad in China.

77. Omnia vincit __: AMOR. "Love conquers all" in Latin.

79. Prefix with fauna: AVI. Prefix for birds.

82. Briny greeting: AHOY

84. Ocho minus uno: SIETE. Spanish for seven. Eight minus one.

85. Wet floor?: SEABED. Ocean floor. Nice clue too.

92. Bald eagle relative: ERNE

95. Lasso: REATA. Or RIATA.

96. "That's right," quaintly: 'TIS

97. MBA subject: ECON

99. Language that gave us "khaki": URDU. Would not have got it without the crossing USNA (100D. Sen. McCain's alma mater).

101. "M*A*S*H" NCO: CPL (Corporal). And PFCS (40D. 101-Across's subordinates). PFC = Private First Class.

111. Ageless pitcher Satchel: PAIGE. Love the "Ageless" clue. He pitched until he's 60 years old. He said his aging secret is fried food and hot shower.

115. "Spamalot" co-creator: ERIC IDLE. Unknown to me. Always good to see a full name.

116. Major muddle: SNAFU

117. Turkish coins: LIRAS. I thought the plural form is LIRE as well.

123. Wind, as a river: SNAKE

124. When la luna rises, usually: NOCHE. Spanish for "night" I suppose.

125. Falafel holder: PITA. Have never tried falafel, not fond of chickpeas or any bean.

126. Blue-green hue: AQUA

127. Fished using pots, perhaps: EELED. True.

128. Turn out: END UP

129. Farm team: OXEN. Real farm team. Not the minor league affiliates.

130. Reading material for some?: LIPS

Down:

1. "Star Wars" gangster: JABBA. No idea. Have never seen "Star Wars". Jabba the Hutt.

2. Swiss mathematician: EULER. Same pronunciation as Oiler. Stumped me again.

3. Floor, in France: ETAGE

4. 12-part belt: ZODIAC. D'oh.

5. Skippy competitor: JIF. Chunky chunky!

6. Napping: ADOZE. Man, it's a real word.

7. Antifreeze brand: ZEREX. Keep learning and unlearning this damned brand. What's the name origin of Zerex?

8. Ethan Frome's sickly wife: ZEENA. Nope. Only know the basic plot line.

9. And: PLUS

10. "You eediot!" speaker of cartoons: REN. Stumped by the new clue. From "The Ren and Stimpy Show".

13. 4 Seasons hit of 1963: MARLENA. Waiting for Argyle for the correct link. I've never heard of the song.

14. Tropical fruits: MANGOS. Sweet!

15. Capital west of Boston, MA: ALBANY, NY. Abbreviation of the state in the clue, abbrevivation of the state in the answer.

16. Reeves of "Speed": KEANU. What's your favorite Keanu Reeves movie?

17. Upright: ERECT

24. Shackle: ENSLAVE

25. It's up the coast from Napoli: ROMA. Easy guess.

30. Bloated condition?: EGOMANIA. Bloated head. Awesome clue.

33. Convergence points: FOCI. Plural for focus.

34. Boondocks possessive: OURN. Ours?

36. Afore: ERE

38. Source of some '60s trips: LSD

41. Studied in detail: PORED OVER

42. Extremely unforgiving: DRACONIAN. Derived from the Greek harsh lawgiver Draco.

44. Richie's dad, to the Fonz: MR. C

45. African virus: EBOLA. Named after the Ebola River in Congo.

46. Joltless joes?: DECAFS. Another good clue. Thought of Shoeless Joe immediately.

48. Silly Putty holder: EGG

50. Amends: ATONEMENT

51. Vocalist who gave his farewell performance at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin: PAVAROTTI. Did not know this trivia.

54. Jackets facetiously called bum-freezers: ETONS. Was ignorant of this trivia also.

55. Not at all: NO HOW

57. Big name in showerheads: MOEN

61. Leb. neighbor: ISR. The answer always seems to be Israel.

65. __ pro nobis: ORA. Latin for "pray for us".

66. Pave over: RETAR

67. Artist who explored infinity in his work: ESCHER (M. C.). Did not know the "infinity" connection. Here is his famous "Drawing Hands".

69. Marsh of whodunits: NGAIO. Always have trouble remembering her name. Maori origin. Some kind of tree.

71. Rent: TORE. Rent here is the past tense of rend. Tricky clue.

72. Primary author of the Mayflower Compact: BRADFORD (William). Total stranger to me. Wikipedia says he is credited as the first to proclaim what popular American culture now views as the first Thanksgiving.

73. UFO pilots, ostensibly: ETS

74. More than that: THOSE. And "these" in Spanish ESTAS (114D. Spanish pronoun). Could also be ESTOS.

75. Docket item: CASE

78. Guns: REVS

84. Drink with a Real Fact on each bottle cap: SNAPPLE. Easy guess.

86. Some women's mag photos: BEEFCAKE. Ryan Reynolds, husband of Scarlett Johansson.

88. Arctic seabird: SKUA

89. Common office plant: FERN

90. Uneven?: ODD. As in number.

98. Neologized: COINED

102. Not of the clergy: LAICAL. LAIC is more often seen in the puzzle.

103. Frankfurt's state: HESSE

104. 1935 Nobelist Joliot-Curie: IRENE. Only know her mother Marie.

105. Word with basin or flat: TIDAL

106. Dieter's breakfast: MELON. I've got to eat real food for breakfast, or lunch/dinner.

108. Curly-haired pantomimist: HARPO. Harpo Marx.

109. Paste on: AFFIX

110. Dealer's offering: QUOTE

112. Kirkuk native: IRAQI. Lots of oil in Kirkuk.

113. Refuel: GAS UP

120. Calculator display, briefly: LCD

121. Moo __ pork: SHU. Cantonese again. Mu Xu Pork in Mandarin Chinese.

Answer grid.

C.C.